Author: Andy Llewellyn

The note below recently appeared in Meetstaff, but I have updated it slightly and attached the link to the original article in the 1927 RCJ.   The Outdoor Organiser, rather cunningly I thought, contacted me recently to enquire if I realised that the first ever Colne-Rowsley was completed sometime in 1926. I certainly did not, but immediately found myself reaching to the shelf for the relevant Journal, which strangely turns out to be the 1927 edition. On page 113 under ‘Climbs and Excursions’ (link here) there is a wonderful account of the first crossing of this epic walk. It is well worth a read and therefore I don’t intend spoiling your pleasure by reciting many details here, but in summary a walk of this length had never been attempted by the Club before, so it was unknown territory.  The maps of the time were basic and there were hardly any tracks or trails to follow across the moors. Due to work requirements on Saturday mornings they only managed to arrive by train in Colne at 4.15pm, therefore walking almost immediately into a long night. After a mixture of trials, tribulations, very sore feet, and one drop out at Hathersage, two[…]

If you, like me, have been staring out of the window on this wild and miserably wet weekend desperate to ‘get back out there’ why not gird up your loins and head to Rum in a couple of weeks. The longer-range forecast is (honestly) looking quiet promising and 3 places have become available for this meet.  For full details please see the original info provided in the attached link. The key information is that we depart Mallaig on Friday 17th October at 12.50 returning the following Monday 20th arriving back in Mallaig around 16.00. The very well-appointed Rum Bunkhouse has been booked for our exclusive occupancy for the 3 nights.  Please get in touch if you would like to come along. Thanks Andy Llewellyn 07464 948 932 andy.lou64@virginmedia.com Rum Island Meet. October 17th-20th. Coordinator Andy Llewellyn

Having failed to get across the water to Rum last year due to the arrival of Storm Ashley, I’ve decided to have another go this year. However on this occasion a slightly different plan. I have booked the very well-appointed Rum Bunkhouse for the 3 nights Friday 17th, Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th October at a cost of £34 per person per night. This is on the basis that we book the whole bunkhouse which accommodates 20. If the weather is favourable I may well look to extend the trip by a night or so and spend a night at  one of the two bothies on the Island at Dibidil or Guirdil. Rum is magnificently wild and rugged, and dominated by the mountains of the Rum Cuillin including two Corbetts. If you have been to Rum you get drawn back time and again, if you haven’t visited the island you really should.    The Ferry leaves Mallaig at 12.50 on Friday (arriving Rum 14.15) and returns on Monday leaving Rum at 16.05 (arriving Mallaig 18.50). However it is possible to travel to and from Rum on most days of the week if an extended trip is planned (ferries are of[…]

Anyone who knows Mike will be aware of how modest he is about his remarkable achievements in the great outdoors and chatting with him you have to almost tease out information.  Therefore it is great news that he has managed to sit still long enough to get it all down on paper and his book ‘From One Extreme to the Other’ has just been published. Mike was kind enough to send me an early copy. This is an extraordinary account of an extraordinary individual. Mike’s beginnings in the outdoors are, to me anyway, somewhat surprising for someone who was to become a record holder for many of the UK’s ultra-running challenges. The Club’s core, and associated, activities are a theme throughout the book ranging from climbing in the UK to Yosemite, caving, sea kayaking, peak bagging, cycling and of course ultra-distance running. The only activity that he doesn’t seem to do much of is walking, unless you count traverses of the Scottish Highlands with an inflatable canoe strapped to your back. The book covers Mike’s Coast to Coast record, Pennine Way record, representing GB in various 100km races, and perhaps his most astounding challenge of all a consecutive run over[…]

Please come along and join me for a Bleaklow walk next Saturday starting at 8.30 am.   Full details as per Meetstaff are below, but basically there will be at least two walk options: one 20 miles the other about 15 miles, but if you don’t fancy either just come along and do you own thing. Meeting in The Queens Arms at the end of play for a pint or two. Bleaklow – the best hill in Derbyshire. 18th February.  Coordinator Andy Llewellyn.  Meet at Old Glossop (GR 046947) for a walk of up to 20 miles visiting a number of the stones on and around Bleaklow and the Outer Edges. Departing Glossop at 8.30. The walk will be a slight variation on the previous undertaken Bleaklow stones route taking in a couple of the infamous Bells Wells (if we can find them).  In years gone by there would be a minimum of 20 joining a Derbyshire walk but numbers have been steadily falling over the past decade or so.  It would therefore be brilliant if we can get at least 20 out on the day so please come along to join in the fun, be it for the whole walk,[…]

Coordinators – Helen and Rae Pritchard There are plenty of spaces still available on this meet so please come and joint us for a Midsummer’s Walk from High Moss visiting the summits of the Old Counties (pre-1974) of Lancashire, Westmorland and Cumberland. This is a fairly long walk about 40 miles with at least 10000 ft of ascent. The route entails climbs of Coniston Old Man, Helvellyn and Scafell Pike on a round trip from High Moss. We will have plenty of daylight, so if conditions permit, it will be an early start to get back in reasonable time. A meal will be provided on Saturday night. If the walk sounds a bit too far then please come and do your own thing, you will be very welcome all the same. Please contact us you intend to come. Details in the handbook.

Plenty of places still available on both these meets. Please contact the meet coordinators to book in ASAP. Full details below: High Moss Cycling – Ben Llewellyn Cycling meet based at High Moss. I will be doing a reasonable-length road ride on the Saturday, taking in several of the hills in the area. Join me for this or feel free to come along and do your own thing, on road or off, by bike or on foot. I will provide an evening meal on the Saturday so please let me know by the Tuesday if you will be coming along. Contact details as per handbook.  Bell’s Wells Revisited (in memory of Geoff Bell) Jo Wallis Start at Shepley Street in Old Glossop at 8 a.m. for the long route or at midday for the short route. The long route will be led by Richard Bradbury and will be taken at a decent pace, aiming to cover most of the wells that were visited on the original walk in 1999. However, the original walk, led by my dad, Geoff Bell, was ‘quite a big day out’; a committing 42 miles and 14 hours ‘around Bleaklow and Kinder and back again’. It[…]

Unfortunately the Introduction to Caving meet planned for this weekend has had to be cancelled due to Covid. If anybody can step in and organise a meet for this weekend (Jan 15th or 16th) please contact the Outdoor Organiser ASAP.      

Hi All, I am cancelling the Club Hogmanay meet at Craigallan due to the uncertainties of Covid/omicron/restrictions in Scotland.  Here’s hoping for better in 2022.”   Thanks Ellie

The forecast looks good for this Saturday so if you fancy a walk on Bleaklow please come along. We are meeting at Old Glossop (GR 046947) for a walk of 20 miles visiting a number of the stones on and around Bleaklow and the Outer Edges, departing from Glossop at 8.30. The pace will not be fast and there are a number of easy ways to cut out a few miles along the way if a slightly shorter walk is more your thing. It would be great to have a good turnout and we may even find a local hostelry at the end for a relaxing pint or two. Please let me know if you intend to come along. Thanks Andy Llewellyn.  Then over the next few weekend the following meets are planned:  6 – 7 November. Youth Mountain Running Meet from Beudy Mawr. Coordinator Lewis Ashton 10 people already booked on the meet but there is capacity for more. Youth is a (somewhat) flexible notion…. and so is running for that matter! The high ideals of this meet are to give younger runners the opportunity to spend some time running in bigger hills to gain experience, to explore new[…]