Author: Andy Tomlinson

120th Anniversary Celebration: Dom put together a tremendous evening for us to celebrate another significant milestone achieved by the Club…and what better way to celebrate than with our first ‘live’ meeting at Heatons Sports Centre since 2019, including a Zoom link for those unable to attend in person. The evening started with a canter through the first 100 years of the Club courtesy of John Beatty, which was a very personal and insightful review by one of the senior member’s of the Club delivered in his usual eloquent style. After a break, there were short presentations by current members outlining activities undertaken over the past 20 years. Fittingly, the whole evening was videoed and is now available to view via this link. A very big thank you to all involved but particularly Dom and John for the significant contributions they both made. Andy

We are returning to the Cumbria Grand once again after a very successful weekend last year. As well as the options for walking, climbing and biking, this year the Dinner coincides with the Kendal Mountain Festival, giving even more options! I am very pleased to say that Finlay Wild has agreed to be our principal guest and he will speak on “Fast, light and loving it” on Saturday evening prior to the dinner [as last year], whilst on Friday evening Jeremy Windsor is going to speak on “It’s nothing serious…a tale of injuries and illnesses in the mountains” after a buffet dinner. The rates are as per last year, that is at a bed-and-breakfast rate of £55 per person sharing a standard double room (there is a £10 supplement for a single room if available) and £10 extra per person for a superior room. Please quote the Rucksack Club when booking (phone 015395  32331). More information can be found at https://strathmorehotels-cumbriagrand.com. I will provide more details about the walks on Saturday and Sunday in October’s Meetstaff and on the website. So, get a room booked, send me your Booking Form [click here for Form] for Friday and Saturday evenings, and[…]

After a recent short climbing trip to Cornwall with Parminder I decided it was time to arrange a Meet there. The obvious thing to do was to arrange a joint Meet with the CC based out of their hut at Bosigran, the Count House.  Thanks to fellow RC members who are members of the CC this has been arranged very quickly with the following on the CC website: “The Count House at Bosigran is the perfect base for rock-climbing and other activities in Cornwall. Joint meets with our kindred clubs are always well-attended and enjoyable, this one with our friends the Rucksack Club should be no different. An opportunity for all sorts of climbing and non-climbing activities on the fantastic sea cliffs of Cornwall with pasties, cream teas and BBQs guaranteed.” The CC Post went live 24hrs ago and there are a number of bookings already! There is camping and van space too, but if you would like a bed in the Count House you’d better get it booked as spaces are limited and, as a joint Meet it looks as if it will be very popular. Would anyone who would like to secure a space please contact me by[…]

The Craigallan 25th celebration weekend finally occurred after Covid put it back two years and was combined with the President’s Meet. 38 members and guests visited at some point over the 10 days, to make the most of what Craigallan has to offer and enjoy the amazing weather too! Activities included walking, rock-climbing, road and mountain biking, running and kayaking. Special mention has to be made of Andy Llewellyn and Helen Pritchard’s Scottish 4’s crossing in 44hrs and Joe Fisher’s traverse of all 10 Mamore Munros in 7.5hrs (car to car). Social highlights included two BBQs (one each Saturday) and the dinner at the Ballachulish Hotel on Wednesday evening, which was followed by a fascinating talk from Gordon Adshead and Geoff Edge on how Craigallan was found, purchased and renovated! A special thanks goes to John and Pam Patrick for overseeing it all and ensuring all ran so smoothly. A longer report will appear in Meetstaff. Below are some of the photos taken during the Meet.BBQ first Saturday evening. Photo: Andrew Beckett Late evening first Saturday BBQ. Photo: Mark Hatton Tim Taylor on Spartan Slab, Etive Slabs. Photo: Andy Tomlinson Gordon Adshead speaking at the Craigallan celebration dinner, Ballachulish Hotel.[…]

President’s Update March 2022 Club activity is virtually back to normal and the main thing to report this month is that the Regulations for Booking and Visiting Club Huts from end February 2022 have changed. After the announcement that England’s Covid restrictions were to be lifted on Thursday 24th February, as well as similar proposals for Wales and Scotland, the Committee reviewed our Hut Regulations. Taking all things into consideration, the Committee agreed to end all restrictions on numbers staying in the huts from the end of February, although members wishing to use the huts must continue to check with the relevant hut warden as to availability and have a confirmed booking before visiting a Club hut. Please do not turn up at a hut without a confirmed booking. Simplified lists of personal responsibilities before visiting a hut and general provisions for the use whilst at a hut remain. For the full guidance please visit ‘Huts’ on the website when logged in as a Member. The Committee recognises that this will remain challenging for some members using our huts and hopes that all members and guests will continue to respect individual concerns. The emphasis remains on personal responsibility for minimising the[…]