Category: 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     

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.[…]

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.

This will be a walk of about 10 starting at 10 from Brocton carpark (WS15 2UA) and visiting The Broc Hill, Ancient oak wood, Shugborough Park, Coalpit Coppice, WWI shooting butts, Bremen 25 stone, German Cemetery,  Commonwealth Cemetery, Katyn Memorial, Glacier Bolder, Freda’s grave and two trig points. Devised and co-ordinated by Jill Sumner. More details in attached pdf.

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

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[…]

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[…]