Author: Ian Helliwell

Here is a guide to some of the features of the Rucksack Club website that you may not be aware of: Hut Availability Calendar This calendar shows the availability of High Moss and Beudy Mawr (Craigallan doesn’t use it yet, but this may change). Note: the availability calendar is intended as a guide before contacting the Warden. The Availability Calendar shows if the hut is empty, partially occupied, full, or reserved on any day. If you hover the cursor over a date, it also shows how many beds are reserved and by who. Currently the Availability Calendar is only visible to logged-in members, but discussions are underway on making it accessible without login. The Availability Calendar is accessed via the Huts menu Meets Calendar The new Meets Calendar is set up to display current information of all Rucksack Club events (Outdoor, Indoor, Wednesday meets etc). The coordinators of the different series of events have access to create and update events using a Google calendar at the back-end.  Members can subscribe to this calendar from their own personal calendar. This means that all meets can be visible on a Member’s calendar (outlook, apple calendar etc) on their phones, laptop, tablets etc[…]

EASTER MEET 2026: One place now available Friday 3rd April – Monday 6th April 20026 (Bed nights of 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th April) with David Nightingale at Mill Cottage (Bell Memorial) climbing hut, Feshiebridge, near Kincraig, Scotland One ‘last minute’ place has just become available on this year’s sell-out Easter Meet. If you’d like to attend please contact David ASAP to grab the place. The hut is managed by Scottish Mountaineering.  The area is chock full of Munro, Corbett, winter ice routes and cycling opportunities …. far too many to fully list.  The meet is a ‘do as you please’ gathering, so whatever your outdoor pursuit is – you are welcome. David will be providing a delicious communal meal for all on one of the nights (approx..£7 per person). Entertainment:  light-hearted (and optional) activities over two of the evenings. The Rucksack Club Variety Show: Your chance to be a star! ‘Nightingale’s Newspaper Quiz’ game (with sensational prizes) for those who wish to take part. Cost: £60 per person for 4 nights (plus communal meal cost: approx. £7.00) Booking will be taken on a ‘first come first served’ basis, with payment in advance to secure the place Contact: David Nightingale (see[…]

Forget joining a gym, giving up alchohol or even going vegan, the only resolution for 2026 that is worthwhile is to complete the Marsden-Edale on the 10th January! The annual winter challenge of 22 miles across the finest of the Dark Peak, pioneered by The Rucksack Club around a hundred years ago, has been a yearly event for the last 80+ years! Now is your chance to continue this tradition, to stretch those legs and burn off the Christmas & New Year excesses. The last couple of years have been done in perfect weather and in great company – let’s make the 2026 M-E another one to remember. No more making excuses to yourself that it’s just too complicated to get to/from the start/finish – get on WhatsApp or the phone and talk to each other, organise lifts, share taxis… If you can get to/from the airport for your holidays, then you can manage to get to Marsden and back from Edale!  Here are a few photos from last year: The details: Start – 7:45 at the end of Wessenden Rd (GR SE048107 OS South Pennines OL 21 map) – finish at The Ramblers in Edale. The route I’ll be[…]

Well, my inbox has been inundated with Black Friday offers over the last few days (I know, it was actually last week, but the emails still keep coming!), and so in the spirit of the times here is my offer: The 5 Trigs and Trods walk next Saturday (6th December) contains not only 5 Trig points – White Hill, Standedge, Cupworth Hill, Dog Hill, Blackstone Edge 5 interesting stone pillars 2 ancient bridges 18 miles of the South Pennines best moorland Possible Christmas tree and snowman (there was last year!) but, I’m willing to add, at no extra cost, the first of the 6 Stanza Stones – a wonderful poem on the theme of rain.  Those of you who came on the Ilkley Moor walk on the Annual Dinner weekend will already have visited 3 of the 6 Stanza Stones (2 for the shorter variants) – here is a chance to tick off another. Last year’s outing was exciting to say the least in the gale force winds, the forecast for this Saturday looks nice and calm. Here are a couple of photos to give you a taste for it… The details can be found in the calendar on the[…]

On 8th November – the Annual Dinner weekend – I have arranged walks of varying length on the magnificent and mysterious Ilkley/Rombalts/Burley moors (don’t forget your hat!).  The walk(s) are not just for dinner attendees, feel free to come along as any normal Rucksack Club meet. The start of the Ilkley Moor walk(s) has changed to the White Wells car park (free) off Wells Road, Ilkley: SE115470  What3words: thumbnail.breakfast.helpful  There is lots of parking on the lane there as well if needed. For dinner attendees it’s the same 35min drive from the hotel. Start time is 10:00. This change of car park is due to the Burley Moor Run (fell race) which goes over the east part of the moor on Saturday but will be long gone by the time we get there. So, the routes (A, B & C) now run anticlockwise and can be summarised as: A: 14.5 miles. 3 trig points, 3 Stanza stones, an ancient cross, a stone circle, various carved stones/crags and a Georgian spa pool. Coordinators Ian H/Andy L. B: 10 miles. 2 trig points, 2 Stanza stones, an ancient cross, a stone circle, various carved stones/crags and a Georgian spa pool. Coordinators Gwyn[…]