Category: Featured Meets

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[…]

Firstly, a belated happy New Year to everyone! 2022 is now in full swing and whilst there was little new to report on following my December Update, Club activity is definitely on the increase which, I am certain, has been helped by the general easing of Covid restrictions by all the Government’s. Meets: The annual Marsden-Edale became a real challenge, not only because of the appalling [and correct!] weather forecast but also by the cancellation of all trains between Sheffield and Manchester on the day to allow for station upgrade work to take place. Club tradition was upheld by Gareth Llewellyn who completed a solo single in very challenging conditions. I can vouch for this as I wandered over and around Kinder to try and meet up with him…the sight of Fair Brook in full spate was enough to deter me from fording it, so I followed the east side all the way back to the northern edge of Kinder! Gareth appeared at the Ramblers just over 8hrs after starting looking as if he had been out for a gentle afternoon stroll…great effort Gareth! Two weeks later there were 8 members on his walk around the Kinder Edges Meet, but[…]

President’s December Update. Since the last Update at the end of September, Club life has slowly returned to normal, although we now wait to see what effects, if any, the Omicron variant causes. There are a few things to mention in particular. The Annual Dinner was a great success. Friday evening kicked off with two excellent talks from members. Saturday dawned fine, with members and guests walking, biking, climbing and just ‘catching up’! There were 10 on the ‘official’ Dinner Walk over Weatherlam, Swril How and Coniston…good job there weren’t any more as the good weather had brought large numbers of people out early and the car park at the end of the Walna Scar Road was full by 10.15! 126 members and guests enjoyed catching up with friends at the Dinner on Saturday night, with Guest speaker Mick Fowler providing a fantastic start to the evening. Remembrance Sunday was another clear bright day and, after a 2 minute silence, 22 members joined a leisurely stroll across Whitbarrow. It was a great weekend thanks to all who attended and also to the staff at the Cumbria Grand who were most welcoming. Huts: At the last Committee Meeting [29th November], the[…]

The Annual Dinner was held over the weekend of 12-14 November 2021 at the Cumbria Grand Hotel, Grange-over-Sands. On Friday evening two fantastic talks from members Alice Kerr and Andy Connolly and his partner Sarah set the standard for the weekend. Saturday dawned bright and with many members ‘doing their on thing’ biking, walking, climbing and fell running, whilst 8 joined the ‘official’ walk from the car park at the end of Walna Scar Road above Coniston. Guest speaker, Mick Fowler, gave a spell-binding and inspirational talk to 126 members and guests before the Dinner, which was a time to catch up with friends after so long away. Remembrance Sunday was another clear bright day and 22 members joined a leisurely stroll across Whitbarrow. It was a great weekend and thanks to all who attended and thanks too, to those who provided the photos below.  Andy.  

Craigallan Hut Warden John Patrick writes: We are starting to make plans for the delayed celebration of the 25th anniversary of the opening of Craigallan during which I hope to be able to organise a sit-down meal at a local venue.  This is planned for the evening of Wednesday 1 June.  It would be helpful to get an early indication of numbers so, if you think you would be interested in the meal, please let me know as soon as possible.  There will be other events during the week so you are welcome to join in for the full event or any part of it.  We will publish a full programme as soon as possible but anyone thinking of booking local accommodation might like to do so in the near future as it will be a busy time of year in the area.   I am taking bookings for the hut bearing in mind that the total bed space may still be affected by Covid restrictions.  Campervan space at Craigallan can also be booked at any time and it would also be wise to book early for any campsite space needed locally.   More information will follow in Meetstaff and we hope[…]

The Rucksack Club Expedition Grant The Rucksack Club is pleased to be able to award an expedition grant of £500 each year to support expeditions by members and associate members under the age of 30. To be eligible, expeditions must involve activities fitting with the clubs ethos, with preference given to mountaineering trips to destinations outside Europe with an objective that will be challenging or present a step up for the participants. By accepting a grant recipients agree to: Acknowledge club support in any reports about the trip Write an article for the RC Journal and allow any accompanying photos to be used on the Club Website and in other club literature. Provide a brief summary of their expedition upon its completion. Agree that if the expedition is cancelled that the grant will be returned to the club in full. The deadline for applications is 31 January, for expeditions taking place in that calendar year. In order to apply email a completed application form to: will.thomas.harris@gmail.com

It is great to see many members active in various aspects of Club activity over the summer months. I know that Jos Naylor Challenges and Munro Rounds have been successfully completed, new rock routes have been climbed and Wednesday climbers and walkers have been very active, as have more water-based activities.  In addition, there have been some outstanding achievements in ultra mountain running and rock climbing by members: the first women home in the 73ml/10,000ft ascent Cumbrian Ultra Marathon; the third female home in the UTS 100 (a 100k/6700m ascent run through Snowdonia); an ascent of the hardest trad limestone route in the Peak (Final Round, Ilam Rock, Dovedale E9 6c). The breadth and depth of activity of Club members, and the standards some reach, continually amazes me. The BMC initiative #FindYourAdventure has seen a marked increase in the public visiting our Facebook, Instagram and Website pages. As a consequence we have received more email enquiries about membership. To help those interested in joining who have no links to the Club we are setting up a Rucksack Club ‘friend’ initiative to help with introducing such people to the Club. If any members are interested in helping, please get in contact[…]

The British Mountain Medicine Society (BMMS) and University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) are delighted to announce the dates and speakers for the 2021/22 Mountain Medicine Winter Webinar Series. Like last year, each webinar will last for one hour and feature a talk from a fascinating guest speaker. In addition, there will be plenty of time set aside for questions and comments at the end! CPD approval has been sought from the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh). A certificate of attendance will be provided to those who complete the feedback questionnaire.  Places are free to BMMS members. A charge of £3 is payable by non-members.  The first in the series is by Dr Finlay Wild entitled: “Going On My Own” – Moving Fast And Light In The Mountains at 2000 GMT – Tuesday 26th October 2021   Finlay works as a GP on the west coast of Scotland and is well known to the fell running community for his extraordinary achievements in the hills. Ten times winner of the Ben Nevis Race, Finlay has broken countless records including the traverse of the Cuillin Ridge (2:59:22!) and the Welsh 3000’s (4:10:48!). Most recently, he completed the 58 mile Ramsay Round, solo and unsupported, in[…]