Author: Ian Helliwell

The new Rucksack Club meets calendar is now published via the website.  This is driven from a public google calendar which can be edited by the coordinators of the various programmes of meets (outdoor, indoor, Wednesday Walks etc) ensuring that the details on the website are always up to date. This is a great technical improvement on the proprietary calendar we have been using for years (and is no longer supported).  The other great thing is that any member can, if they wish, “subscribe” to the google calendar and view the meets in their own personal calendars. This will work whatever app/software or webmail service that you use, and is applicable to laptops, mobiles, tablets etc.  This means that you can always have the latest details at your fingertips. Note: to “subscribe” in this context is a technical term, there are no costs involved and you are not committing to anything. It just refers to you receiving updates from the meets calendar automatically. A few more details about the website: On the home page (and many other pagesof the website) you will see a list of upcoming meets on the righthand menu and clicking on any of them will allow[…]

Here are a few photos from Gareth Llewellyn’s meet at Beudy Mawr last weekend.  Saturday was one of the most spectacular days I have ever experienced! Gareth, Charlie Brown and myself set of from Beudy and ascended Crib Goch via Cwm Glas Mawr and the North Ridge.  It was cold and frosty going up from Beudy and we expected a somewhat windy and icy day.  When we broke out onto Crib Goch everything South and West of Snowdon (or Yr Wyddfa – your choice) was covered in cloud up to 3000ft and litteraly pouring over the ridges. Crib Goch itself was nearly always in the sun and strangely warm.  Anyway, here are a selection of photos: All in all, a fantastic day and a fantastic weekend!

Most of you will have seen Dan Calverley’s post “Who’s up for the M2E double?”. This has resulted in a team of three doing the double on Friday/Saturday. It’s not too late to join them (or the singlers) and the forecast is good!.  The problem they have is no support. Dan has added a comment to his post asking if anyone could take a bag of supplies round to Marsden on Saturday (most people won’t have seen his comment). So far there have been no volunteers. I just wanted to give this a little more of a push to the RC membership. But wouldn’t it be really great if we could give Dan’s intrepid doublers a bit more support? Maybe somebody with a campervan could be at Marsden in the morning (around 7am) with a steaming kettle and a bubling pan of porridge?? If not, could somebody with car bring a flask and give the team somewhere warm to have a brew before starting back?? If not, any other offers for how they can be supported?? Please get in touch with Dan – he is not in the handbook as he is a new (and really keen) member but his[…]

The Marsden-Edale was dead – to begin with! So starts our uplifting tale of Rucksack Club redemption. Are you are one of the Ebeneezer Scrooge “Marsden-Edale, bah humbug!” members? If you could work your will, would every idiot who goes about with ‘Marsden-Edale’ on his lips be boiled with his own boots and buried with a walking pole through his heart? Are you are a tight-fisted hand to the grindstone Member? A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel has ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster? Then beware, over the next week you may be visited by the spirits of Marsden-Edales past, present and future. Yes, you have but seven days to redeem your lives and commit to honour the Marsden-Edale in your heart, and try to keep all the year (or at least next Saturday). Completing the Marsden-Edale will leave you as light as a feather, as happy as an angel, as merry as a school-boy. Possibly also as giddy as a drunken man (it does, afterall, finish at a pub). Ok, enough mangling of that great work of Dickens.  A reminder[…]

Forget 9 Lessons and Carols, what better way to prepare for Christmas, New-Year and the Marsden-Edale than 5 Trigs and Trods. You are welcome to join me for a blast round 5 local trig points (well, local to me).  Three of the trigs are on the Pennine Way – Blackstone Edge, White Hill and Standedge – and by adding two lesser-known West Yorkshire delicacies of Cupworth Hill and Dog Hill, you get a circular walk of some 17.5 miles and 2850ft of ascent. Meet at the layby at the summit of the A672 just a few hundred yards from Junction 22 of the M62 (grid ref SD983142) – it’s a Godless place but convenient for travel. Starting at 8:30, if we keep up a good pace we should be back before 4 on what is the shortest day of the year. The basic route is south following the Pennine Way over White Hill and along to Standedge, down Thieves Clough, up over Pule Hill and down via Hey Green before ascending to Cupworth Hill. Down to cross Deanhead Reservoir via the dam and up over the Saddleworth Road then down under the M62 to cross the valley just below Booth[…]

No, not Christmas or even New Year, but it’s what we all been waiting for – the annual Marsden-Edale! Last year, 10 of us (plus three dogs) completed the classic test piece in perfect weather and a great day was had by all.  I’m hoping even more of you will join us on 4th January for what has been a Rucksack Club tradition for more than a hundred years. Here are 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. Carole Smithies will be doing her usual “counting them out and counting them all back in again” (many thanks Carole!). She will be at the Marsden end from about 7:30 so please make sure she gets your name on the day – and even more importantly crosses you off at the end of the day in Edale (she will be at The Ramblers). If, for any reason you do not make it to Edale, please make sure Carole knows about it so that we know you are safe – note there is no mobile reception at the Ramblers but, if necessary, you can[…]

Here are a few photos from a perfect day in the mountains – a great walk, great weather and great company. This more strenuous alternative to the official Dinner walk was based on Cwm Eigiau (the location of the first Rucksack Club Hut).  The route followed the full left side of Cwm Eigiau going over Pen Llitherig y Wrach, Pen yr Helgi Du and then acended Carnedd Llewellyn via the lovely Bwlch Eryl Farchog ridge. After topping Foel Grach the return route went down into Cwm Eigiau and passed the old RC Hut (now owned by Rugby Mountaineering Club) which indeed is a special place. The main group doing the walk was Ian Helliwell, Gerry Oliver, Amanda West, Audrey Russell, Mike Russell, Andrew Beckett and Tim Taylor.  Andy and Jean Llewellyn started almost two hours later and caught us up as we arrived back at the cars in the fading light (an impressive feat!!). Photos by Ian Helliwell (IH), Gerry Oliver (GO), Andrew Beckett (AB) and Tim Taylor (TT)

For any one who fancies it, a couple of us plan to do a more strenuous walk on Saturday based on Cwm Eigiau (the location of the first Rucksack Club Hut).  This circular walk of approximately 13 miles includes 3 of the Welsh 3000ft+ peaks – Carnedd Llewellyn, Foel Grach and Carnedd Gwenllian – and is just over 3700 ft of ascent in total. The route follows the full left side of Cwm Eigiau going over Pen Llitherig y Wrach, Pen yr Helgi Du and then acends Carnedd Llewellyn via the lovely Bwlch Eryl Farchog ridge. After topping Foel Grach and Carnedd Gwenllian the return route is down into Cwm Eigiau and passed the old RC Hut (now owned by Rugby Mountaineering Club) which indeed is a special place. Starting point for the walk is the carpark (grid ref SH 732 663) at the end of the road into Cwm Eigiau from Tal-y-Bont.  Start time 9:15 (based on leaving the hotel at around 8:30 for those who stayed Friday night). (Anyone who wants the gpx route – let me know).