Tim Taylor – Page 11 – The Rucksack Club

On The Hill With … Tom Anderson

18th November 2022 Tim Taylor Featured Meets, On the hill with

Welcome to “On the hill with…” a series of short interviews with members of the Rucksack Club. This edition features Tom Anderson, honorary member and hut warden (retired) of High Moss. Skye, Tom on the Dubh Ridge in characteristic attire. Photo Geoff Gosling How did you get into walking and climbing? This was one of the defining moments of my life! I got married! This prompted me to retire from playing rugby union, as I was picking up injuries, mainly knees and left me without an outdoor hobby. I had met Anne on a holiday in Hassness in Buttermere hillwalking, we decided to continue with this, and as we lived in Surrey, country walking as well, because mountains are a long way off for a climb from there. I also joined the Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA) about this time, which also added an element of competition on the fitness front, to add to my gym work, more about this later. I had started on my route to join the Rucksack Club. Anne looking down The Ogwen Valley towards Tryfan on one of our early walks on the hills. Uncredited photos from the Anderson Collection Who has had the most influence[…]

Tuesday 6th December, at Heaton Moor or Zoom: Jesse Dufton: Not Just in it for the View

16th November 2022 Tim Taylor Featured Meets

Tuesday 6th December, at Heaton Moor or Zoom: Jesse Dufton: Not Just in it for the View Jesse is a blind rock climber. He is best known as the first blind person to lead climb the Old Man of Hoy, and is a member of the GB Paraclimbing Team (see https://jessedufton.com/) Jesse, and his wife and climbing partner Molly, are just back from a trip to Lofoten and we’ll be hearing of their exploits in these magical isles, among other adventures. Admission is FREE for Rucksack Club Members and Associate Members (including MUMC Members) and open to all for £10 (£5 concessions) payable on the door. Doors open at 7pm and the show starts at 7.30pm. For those of you who are unable to join in person, you can also watch live on Zoom: Meeting ID: 828 0738 1553 Passcode: The Year of Founding of The Rucksack Club Google Maps Link for the Heaton Moor Sports Club: https://goo.gl/maps/wbwKG3UPTBsGuoPT6 …and here’s the address for those who own and can still operate an AtoZ: Green Lane, Stockport SK4 2NF

Craigallan Working Meet – Cancelled

2nd September 2022 Tim Taylor Featured Meets

The Hut Warden for Craigallan writes: Craigallan Working Meet Due to a recent change of plans for the autumn, I will now be away over the time of the working meet. Following discussion with others who would have been involved I have decided to cancel the meet for this year. Thanks to those who had volunteered to help. This will not affect facilities at the hut for the rest of the autumn and all will be well for the winter climbing season. John Patrick

BOOK REVIEW: High Risk, Climbing to Extinction by Brian Hall

7th August 2022 Tim Taylor Member Posts

Neil Goldsmith, our journal editor, has reviewed Brian Hall’s book, due out at the start of next month, it sounds a cracker … BOOK REVIEW: High Risk, Climbing to Extinction. Brian Hall, Sandstone Press Hardback £24.99 publication date 01/09/2022 Available from the publisher’s website https://sandstonepress.com/books/high-risk I have no experience of being at the elite level in sport, or elite level of anything, for that matter. I often wondered, when I was at senior levels in management what differentiated the top tier from me and my peers, when they did not seem any brighter, any more competent than the rest. Indeed, some of the Government Ministers and Chief Executives with whom I have dealt, often appeared less able than myself and my peers. I came to the conclusion that they had an unbelievable desire to be there, a vaunting ambition that over shadowed everything else and often led to difficult personalities and awkwardness with personal relationships. Sport is different, you can only get so far on ambition and drive, high ability is also a pre-requisite. In climbing this is certainly true, it is not ambition or drive which makes for a statement of ‘a genius, one of that rare breed of[…]

Skye Slides – Tom Anderson

10th July 2022 Tim Taylor Member Posts

Sometime High Moss warden, Tom Anderson, has been scanning his slides, these from his time as warden at the Glen Brittle hut. It runs as a slide show, looks best as full screen … and you may want to have your finger on the mute button 😉 Tom writes further: The photos were taken during a stay, wardening the Glen Brittle hut, I had a lot of good weather as you can see. Camera used was a old SLR (Pentax) using slides which I downloaded onto a film scanner and onto my computer! This has been a good way to transfer slides and negatives into slideshows with music supplied by the computer. I am a great fan of the coolins of Skye, but Skye weather can be a problem! I first visited the winged isle in the early 1970s and have been a devotee ever since. I have been able to get my fix most years by going on John Farrow’s [now Gary Bunting’s] Skye meet, with my old sparring partner Pete Addinel for company!! Always an interesting week. Trust members enjoy the video and remember some of their own days in the coolin. Tom Anderson.

On The Hill With Dave Atkinson

30th June 2022 Tim Taylor Featured Meets, On the hill with

This OTHW is the story of Dave Atkinson, who joined the club last spring with his friends from the Anabasis MC, as you will see he has been active on the hills for many years. Dave ran a Saturday walk/climb meet on the 18th of June around the Cheshire Set’s stomping grounds of Helsby and Frodsham – good walking and fine climbing to suit all tastes and abilities on the sandstone, have a look at the report in the latest Meetsaff. Dave assured me that he did not finish the evening with his guitar at the White Lion…. but contact him if you’re interested in free listens to/downloads of his mountain songs or in a copy of his book ‘Letters Home from the Hills’. dave.atkinson27@gmail.com

Recent Updates to the Completions List

13th June 2022 Tim Taylor Member Posts

Our Keeper of the Lists, Gordon Adshead, writes: The latest edition of the Completions list may be read or downloaded by -> ABOUT -> COMPLETIONS Or click here. The previous edition included the Munro Completions of Kevin Wheeler and three ex-Anabasis members: Stan Eccles, Mike Hart and Margaret Hart. I have just added the Munro Completions of two more ex-Anabasis members: Peter Simpson and Simon Rogers. All of these were achieved before they joined the Rucksack Club. Pete Simpson deserves a special mention as he has also completed the Corbetts, Grahams, Donalds and Wainwrights. He has also visited over 1505 of the 1556 Marilyns. I suspect he is up in Scotland now as he has not had time to let me know some rough completion dates I must also congratulate John Allen who has just completed the Corbetts at the age of 83. John decided to take things carefully and take three days to visit his last hill Beinn a Chaisgen Mor. Day 1 – to walk in from Poolewe to biviy outside Carn Mor at the end of Fionn Loch. Day 2 – to climb the hill and bivi a second night at Carn Mor Day3 – to walk[…]

The Rucksack Club Journal needs You

9th June 2022 Tim Taylor Featured Meets

Neil Goldsmith, the journal editor, writes: The Journal is a record of what the Club gets up to in a year. The last two years have been disrupted by Covid and we have lacked articles on current activities. Now that the holiday season has started and Covid is no longer affecting travel, many of you will be doing lots of interesting trips. It’s also time to think about writing up your climbing/walking/running/canoeing adventures for the Journal. We always want good quality photos and portrait photos with people in them have a good chance of making the cover.

Craigallan Celebration Meal update

7th April 2022 Tim Taylor Featured Meets

John Patrick, Craigallan Warden writes: Craigallan 25th Anniversary Celebration Meal – Update We will be holding the evening meal on Wednesday 1 June at the Ballachulish Hotel which was also the venue used to mark the original opening of the hut. We will have exclusive use of a room and a three course meal at a cost of £35 per person. The booking has been secured and a deposit paid for those already booked in. I can add to the current number if anyone else would like come. Due to a cancellation, there is now ONE bed only available on Wednesday night, rooms are available at the Ballachulish Hotel (book directly yourself) and other accommodation should still be available locally. There is also space for a few tents in the hut garden. Please get in touch with me if you would like to book in for the meal or any other part of the Celebration and President’s Meet. John Patrick

CRAIGALLAN CELEBRATION AND PRESIDENT’S MEET

7th March 2022 Tim Taylor Featured Meets

Hut Warden John Patrick writes … The news that we are now able to return to full capacity at the huts makes this a good time to remind everyone about the opportunity for meeting up at Craigallan in the early summer. The delayed celebration of our 25th anniversary of opening Craigallan starts on the night of Friday 27th May and the President’s Meet follows straight on, starting on Monday 30th. Places are still available for sleeping in the hut and for tents in the garden although the four campervan spaces are now booked for the week. A meal (maybe a BBQ) is on offer for Saturday evening (28th) and a sit-down evening dinner is planned at a local hotel (details to be confirmed asap) on Wednesday 1 June during the President’s Meet. Thursday and Friday are bank holidays so some may wish to join in for the final four days. Andy is providing a meal on Saturday 4 June. Some Members have booked right through whilst others will be leaving on Thursday allowing more hut space for the long weekend. In addition to those in the hut, some Members are already booked in at local B&Bs or[…]