Category: Featured Meets

There’s no official Indoor Meet in December, but fear not – there’s still an opportunity for the club to gather. How about coming along to Summit Up on Friday 12th for the BritRock film show and in-person Q&A with ‘Climbing Blind’ legend Jesse Dufton? You can watch the official trailer here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_0y5n2eSUZA All profits to Climbers Against Cancer and as a special ‘thank you’ from the Trustees, Rucksack Club members can enjoy the £10 concession entry price. Book your tickets here: Brit Rock Film tour 2025 Ticket There will also be an opportunity to do your Christmas shopping at a pop-up CAC stall – who wouldn’t want a CAC T signed by Jesse in their stockings? Also remember you can bring your own booze (and mince pies?). How about getting there early and having a session on the wall? PS – if you already paid full price then I will happily reimburse the £6. Cheers, Dom

The Rucksack Club in December   Rain beating down, gales blowing us off our feet – maybe, but December can also offer snow on the hills and occasional wonderful sunrises and sunsets across the mountainous landscapes. The Rucksack Club will be out and about to experience the best of these in a few varied meets: We begin with a repeat of what turned out to be a spectacular meet last year, exploring trig points, stone pillars and ancient bridges around Blackstone edge. It was spectacular because some of the party nearly took off in the ferocious wind (see photo), but stayed the course to complete a memorable day out. This year, in response to numerous requests, the meet will be re-run on 6th December. It’ll be 18 miles, so a good stretch of the legs on a short winter day.  A week later (13th December) we have one of the Rucksack Club classic meets, the Hotpot Winter Walk and Christmas Quiz. The main event is a walk across Kinder Plateau, starting and ending at Hope. There we re-convene for the aforementioned Christmas Quiz and Hotpot Supper. This is a particularly popular and convivial meet that exemplifies the benefits of Club[…]

This month we go back to 1915, a year into the First World War. I can only imagine the difficulty of trying to produce a Journal in such difficult times, although the articles are all about activities undertaken before the war had started. There are also a lot of articles to choose from, recording adventures overseas and throughout the UK. I have chosen one of the shorter articles which records an early ascent of Troutdale Pinnacle in 1915, just a year after the first ascent. The author describes the route as a ‘fascinating climb’ with ‘the only slight detriment being the presence of vegetation in the lower portion’…how things have changed on this ‘all time classic’ as Rockfax describes it. It is a favourite route of mine too! The route description is obtained by calling on the first ascensionist in his home in Keswick, and Borrowdale is accessed by way of a bicycle. As well as an excellent description of the route there are also a couple of atmospheric photographs. Click here to access the article.   Later in the Journal there are two sobering references to the impact the War had on the Club. The first is a section[…]

Joint Hogmanay meet with Peak Climbing Club, staying at our delightful RC Craigallan Hut just outside Ballachulish, West Highlands. Expect white stuff, wet stuff, cold stuff, warm fire, haggis, whisky and probably even some sherry too. I’ll cook a communal meal New Year’s Eve (vegan/veggie and maybe meat option too depending on numbers/ interest). Activities: do as you please/ what the weather dictates, certainly winter climbing aspirations, but hill bagging/ running/ swimming/biking etc. all welcome. Please let me know via email, or sms/whatsapp/signal (details in handbook), or FB event page. Already some early interest from PCC and RC members! any q’s, just shout! Chris Pembroke

Now the clocks have gone back it’s time to look forward to a winter of adventure, thrills and spills at the Club’s Indoor Meet Season, starting TONIGHT! Tuesday 4th November 7.30pm: Winter clmbing, the perfect antidote to a comfortable life! with Andy Stewart Andy will be regailing us with tales from the COLD face – Winter Climbing in all its glories (and attendant suffering). We will be holding a raffle and also taking voluntary donations in aid of Every Step for Dave to support Club member Dave Palmer. EVERY STEP FOR DAVE Friday 12th December: Brit Rock film screening with live Q&A with Jesse Dufton Not strictly a Club event, but undoubtedly of interest to Rucksackers, this special screening of the BritRock Film Tour will feature the very best new climbing and adventure films from the UK — epic ascents, big laughs and gripping stories that’ll leave you buzzing for your next adventure. This special evening will feature a live Q&A with ‘Climbing Blind’ legend and CAC ambassador Jesse Dufton. Unlike the rest of the winter programme, there’s an entry price for this show. Tickets in advance – they’re going fast! All profits to Climbers Against Cancer BUY TICKETS Tuesday[…]

The Rucksack Club in November: We begin the month with a hill running meet at our great hut in Eryri, one of an annual series giving Peak and Pennine runners an opportunity to adapt to more mountainous terrain. The photo shows runners resting on the Tryfan cannon on a previous such meet.  Then we have our biggest gathering of the year for our Annual Dinner Meet, which this year is being held in Harrogate, But it’s not just about food and drink; we have climbing, cycling and walking events planned too.  Best wishes          Andrew Beckett          Meetstaff Editor

A number of activities are planned for the Saturday of the Annual Dinner meet – 8th November 2025: Climbing, Cycling and Walking. The details are as follows: Climbing: coordinator Richard Clegg. Richard writes, “We plan to go to Almscliff again. I should be there by 11am and it will be good to see others there too, weather permitting. I will also post in the climbing Whatsapp group.” Cycling: coordinator Karen Hosford. Karen writes, “The plan is to meet outside the hotel at 10:00. The ride is 36 miles (58km) long with 1440ft (439m) of ascent. The route goes to Knaresborough using the Beryl Burton Cycleway, then on to Marton Cum Grafton. Lunch will be at Tancred Farm (The Tancred Farm Coffee Shop), which has a good selection on the menu. The route then continues south west to Cowthorpe and Spofforth, before returning to the hotel before 15:00.” Walking: coordinator Ian Helliwell. Ian writes, “There are options for different length walks on the magnificent Ilkley Moor. A great place, open and craggy with mysterious carved rocks, great views, hidden poems by the Poet Laureate and so much more. Multiple route variations possible as weather/enthusiasm dictates. The ‘A’ walk is a 14.5[…]

The Rucksack Club 2026 calendar features 50 photographs of club members in action on crags, hills, and mountains, participating in a range of activities from climbing and alpinism to ski-mountaineering and bouldering. Exploits cover five continents, from Aconcagua to the Alps; New Zealand to the Sierra Nevada; and the Himalaya to the High Peak. The 28 page full-colour calendar is A4 landscape (folds out to A3 when hanging) and has a feature image from activities by club members in the same month the previous year. There’s plenty of space for notes and appointments. The production and printing of the calendar has been funded entirely through the generosity of  The Rucksack Club and its members, so every penny of the purchase price of this calendar will go to support Climbers Against Cancer You can learn more about some of the projects that CAC has funded over the last year or so – donating tens of thousands of pounds to fund research and support for those living with and beyond the disease. Read highlight here about training for doctors in Nepal ; Radiotherapy in Uganda; Groundbreaking research in Arizona ; Nutrition for kids with cancer in Tanzania ; support for ‘the Big Four’ (Breast/Prostate /Bowel /Skin cancer) in UK; and our Climbing Beyond Cancer  programs to use our wonderful activity[…]