Author: Dominic Oughton

Last year’s Rucksack Club Charity Calendar raised over £4,000 for Climbers Against Cancer and we’re teaming up again with CAC for 2023. Closing date for photos is the end of September, but why not strike while the iron is hot and send me your contributions NOW! – Landscape format, full-resolution photos featuring club members in action between Oct 21 and Sept 22 (I aim to have each month feature photos from the same month the previous year) – Extra bonus points if you are wearing a CAC T-SHIRT (haven’t got one – get in touch and we’ll sort that!) – Please indicate month – subject – photo credit, ideally in the file name eg “June – Andy Tomlinson on Black Slab, Stanage. Photo Tim Taylor.JPG” – if that’s too tricky just include the info in an email – Please email to me at dominic@oughton.uk.com What are you waiting for? Get In There! Cheers, Dom

Huge thanks to Steve for organising another brilliant meet at Beudy – excellent catering and banter, as ever, accompanied by stunning weather (not always as guaranteed!). Also a great opportunity for a CAC / “Get Out There!” T-shirt photo-shoot – if you feel your wardrobe is lacking the essential garment for summer 2022 then get in touch with your size and colour preference – you don’t have to be a climber to wear a CAC T-shirt! Also great to explore a couple of new (to me and quite new to the world) crags. More pics to follow on www.rockaroundtheworld.co.uk

Dozens of well-decked-out Rucksackers are now proudly wearing their Climbers Against Cancer / ‘Get Out There!’ T-shirts. Looking good and DOING GOOD (every T-shirt contributes £10 to Cancer Research)! If you haven’t got yours yet, then you’re in luck – I have a few left. Email me at dominic@oughton.uk.com with your size, colour preference and postal address (or plan to collect in person) and I’ll get you kitted out. Price £20 if you can collect or an extra £2 for P&P Available in Blue, Purple or Green (see images below) Available in Unisex T style – Sizes: Small (34-36), Medium (38), Large (40-42) and Extra large (44-46) Remember – these Ts aren’t just for climbers, they depict the full range of Rucksack Club activities from Mountaineering and Hill Walking to Running, Biking and Caving, and they’re for Everyone Against Cancer! Most importantly, every penny of the profit will go to helping fund cancer research – think of it as a £10 T-shirt with a tenner going to a great cause and it’s a bargain! Meanwhile, here are a few photos of the Ts in action – it’s the only thing to be seen in when you ‘Get Out There!’ Talking[…]

Wednesday Evening’s venue is Stanage Popular – looking like the perfect forecast, with temperatures moderating and a gentle breeze. I’m afraid I can’t make it but Wilf / Ian has kindly taken on the onerous responsibility of Meet Coordinator (a.k.a. choosing the pub) and it should be a fab evening. Here’s a couple of pics of a recce yesterday. Cheers, Dom

After the “virtual” zoom version in 2020, and the reduced capacity affair last year, the Gogarth Meet was back to it’s full octane, face-to-face fun this June! No more “you’re on mute”; no wait-lists and waivers; just a huge bunch of Rucksackers and friends assembled at the best crag in the world topped off with a gigantic beach BBQ. We had a bit of catching up to do so it was great to see around 75 Rucksackers and friends plus Pinnacle Club members on the beach! This was something of a triumph for blind optimism in the face of a somewhat dodgy forecast, but we were rewarded with wall-to-wall sunshine throughout Saturday and into the evening. Very blustery conditions made for a moderation of aspirations, but despite this people were able to enjoy wind-swept world-class climbing, not to mention choppy paddling, blowy pedalling and breezy sandcastle-building. Over on Castell Helen, the day started with a bit of a log-jam as some helpful Rucksackers rescued a young climber who had found a first taste of seacliff climbing to be a bit too atmospheric. Probably not a bad thing as it allowed a rather sploshy sea a bit more time to head[…]

With less than ten days to go before Gogarth 2022 we’ve already got over sixty Rucksackers and guests planning to join in the fun, but there’s plenty of room on the beach for more. Message me if you haven’t already reserved your burgers (veggie or otherwise) or want a climbing / biking / sandcastle-building partner. Also, a couple of minor updates: – The road between South Stack and the Porth Dafarch Beach / Valley of the Rocks campsite is currently closed. You need to make a short detour through Holyhead which picks up the road leading direct to the beach (Porth Dafarch Road). Only 5mins out of the way if you don’t get lost (no need to go all the way to Trearddur Bay). – The parking at South Stack is £5 per day (coins in the meter or pay in the cafe) or FREE to RSPB members – bring your card! – New for 2022 – Helen is planning to organise some Beach Yoga. Details to follow soon. … apart from that, all details as previous – see below. After the “virtual” zoom version in 2020, and the reduced capacity affair last year, the Gogarth Meet will (fingers crossed!)[…]

A big thank you to Jack Helliwell for organising a great Pembroke meet. Here are a few photos from a memorable trip. You’ll find more pics and a bit of a write up at

Building on our collaboration with Climbers Against Cancer which has already raised over £4,000 for cancer research through sales of the 2022 Rucksack Club Calendar, we’re now launching a range of T-shirts. These will feature the unmistakable CAC logo on the front and the Club’s ‘Get Out There!’ logo on the back (the perfect combo for when you can’t quite decide what to wear!) Price £20 if you can collect (eg at the Gogarth Meet) or an extra £2 for P&P Available in Blue, Purple or Green (see images below) Available in Unisex T style – Sizes: Small (34-36), Medium (38), Large (40-42) and Extra large (44-46) Most importantly, every penny of the profit will go to helping fund cancer research – think of it as a £10 T-shirt with a tenner going to a great cause and it’s a bargain! To order, please use the following form: Order Form if that’s too tricky, drop me an email to dominic@oughton.uk.com. You need to order by 31 May and the Ts will hopefully be available for collection at the Gogarth Beach BBQ on 25th June or for posting around that time. We managed to create a prototype T-shirt and ‘road test[…]

After the “virtual” zoom version in 2020, and the reduced capacity affair last year, the Gogarth Meet will (fingers crossed!) be back to it’s full octane, face-to-face fun this June! No more “you’re on mute”; no wait-lists and waivers; just a huge bunch of Rucksackers and friends assembled at the best crag in the world topped off with a gigantic beach BBQ. We’ve got a bit of catching up to do to make up for lost time, so do invite friends and family along and let’s see if we can fill the beach! It goes without saying that the climbing will be world-class, but there’s something for everyone on Holy Island: paddling (in boats or with your trousers rolled up!), pedalling, walking, twitching or simply building sandcastles. Anything is fair game, so long as it helps work up an appetite (and thirst!) ahead of the beach BBQ. In terms of logistics, plans will be familiar to anyone who’s been along for any of the last 20 years: Camping is pre-booked at Valley of The Rocks https://goo.gl/maps/WHtttGVJG5DkdWxf7 – you don’t need to book separately, but on arrival please let them know you are there. They’re offering a special rate for The[…]

Here’s what Meet Co-ordinator Jack Helliwell has to say about this Bank Holiday weekend trip to one of Britain’s most iconic climbing areas: I will be arriving at the campsite in Bosherston on the Thursday night (28th April) and staying until the Monday (2nd May), please join for as much or as little as you like. The campsite is just down the road from the St Govan’s Inn and very close to the Range East crags. Although – given the location – I expect this mainly to attract climbers, all are very welcome. I’m hoping to organise a group meal in the pub for Saturday evening. Get in touch if you have any questions, and remember, it’s always sunny in Pembroke. …and a few photos from recent trips to whet the appetite – Hopefully see you there!