Category: Member Posts

Bleaklow Meet Saturday 17th April Co-ordinator Andy Llewellyn.   A walk of 20 miles starting from Birchen Clough car park (GR 108915) at 8.45 a.m.  I intend heading onto Bleaklow via Alport Moor, thence to Bleaklow Head, Bleaklow Stones, Grinah & Barrow stones before heading back via Alport Castles. It is a reasonably sized parking area and intend to start walking at 8.45 a.m. I am hoping that there will be sufficient parking available but propose to restrict numbers in the group to 12 in total. So, if you would like to join me, please email or text me on the details as per handbook. Before contacting me, could you please read the guidance about Meets that is on the website and confirm that you are happy to comply with the regulations which can be found here   North East Lakes Walk – The Dodds. Wednesday 28th April 2021 Co-ordinators: David Nightingale and Betty Hamer Join us both for a 10mile (16km) hill walk exploring The Dodd’s fells lying just south of the A66 Penrith to Keswick road.  Our circular route will start near Dockray and take us into Glencoynedale, up onto Stybarrow Dodd, Watson’s Dodd and Great Dodd and possibly Hart[…]

Unfortunately, it is necessary to cancel this meet due to a bird ban.

Hopefully you will have seen that meets have now recommenced but on a somewhat restricted basis, with The President coordinating the first walking meet last weekend and Mike Hartley a climbing meet this Saturday. In addition midweek climbing meets have also started again. There is an underlying meets programme (as detailed in the handbook) but unfortunately due to the current restrictions this still can not go ahead as originally planned. Where possible meet coordinators are converting weekend meets to single day, local climbing or walking meets. As we move towards the end of June more restrictions will hopefully be relaxed and we can then revert to something nearer the originally planned programme. In the interim I am looking to try and organise two meets each weekend, ideally one climbing and one walking meet. But to do so I need more volunteers to coordinate meets. Therefore please let me know ASAP if you would be happy to organise a meet. No need for specific details as yet, we just need to agree a date and type of meet, full details can be provided nearer the time.  So please do get in touch with me and let me know what meet you[…]

If you listen to ‘ I’m Sorry I haven’t A Clue’, you will know the ‘Late Arrivals’ section of the show. Some of our Members (some out of forgetfulness, others I suspect, being perverse) sent pictures in after I had gone to press. These can now be seen in the ‘March 2021’ Gallery.

Last Wednesday more or less coincided with the 12 months anniversary of the last official Rucksack Club meet, so it was great to be able to “Get Out There!” again under the auspices of the first official post-Covid Meet. As this was convened in line with the guidance of the BMC (the sport’s governing body) the “Rule of Six” doesn’t apply and about a dozen of us enjoyed the traditional Wednesday Evening Meets curtain raiser at Hobby – and what a stunning evening! Clear blue skies and temperatures into the 20s made for shirtless climbing and much lazing and banter (all at a distance of 2m+)Here’s Evening Meets supremo, John, sporting the “Get Out There!” T-shirt and surveying the fun:Chris cruising Crew’s Route:… and me sketching up Sunshine Superman and feeling glad of the “early season side-runner” I’d felt obliged to place!Credit to the those in the Club who put the hard work into sorting and implementing the guidance (Andys x3, Joe and John) – it’s a potentially thankless task, so here’s a BIG THANK YOU.Cheers, Dom

Seven Members and Associate Members met up at Cumberland Brook CP on Saturday morning for the first post-lockdown weekend Meet. We were beaten to the very first Club Meet by the Wednesday evening climbers who had met at Hobson Moor Quarry on 31st March! It was cold but fine! First it was Shutlingsloe, then Macc Forest and down to a stop outside the Smithy…socially distanced on the benches  On to Forest Chapel, over to Lamaload Reservoir and up Andrew’s Edge to Shining Tor.  We then headed down to the Goyt Valley, up to Axe Edge Moor and on to Three Shires Head then back to the cars via Cumberland Brook  for a well earned, socially distanced, beer. Thanks to all who came along for this 30k meander on a lovely sunny Easter weekend day. Photos courtesy of Ellie Howarth  

Rob Ferguson writes: The Rucksack Club has a close association with a number of other clubs, the Black and Tans, and Manchester University Mountaineering Club are two good examples.  None more so however than the YMCA Rambling Club or “YM” as it was affectionately known. Dave Briggs, who sadly passed away on 29 March 2021, was one of a group of friends from the YM along with others such as my Dad Alec Ferguson, Ted Courtenay, Joe Walmsley and Ken Davidson.  They were very able climbers and mountaineers, and all progressed on from the YM to the Rucksack Club. Dave joined the Rucksack Club in 1953 and remained a member for the rest of his life, a total of 68 years in the Club is quite something.  Lifelong membership was the same for Dad, Joe, Ted and Ken.  This demonstrates their ongoing friendship and what the Club meant to Dave and the others. Dave, as did Ted and Joe, went on challenging and exploratory expeditions to major unclimbed mountains in the Himalayas in the 1950s. These trips involved many months away from home.  Leaving the UK by boat for a long sea journey before the overland travel by jeep, horseback[…]

It is sad to report that Geoff Bell died last week aged 82 having faced ill-health for some years. Geoff was originally from Sheffield but had long lived in Glossop. Right from joining us Geoff demonstrated his commitment to trials of endurance. He was Club President 2003-4 and an Honorary Member. John Richardson, a close associate in the Club recalls his friend: At the time when he joined the Rucksack Club in 1976 Geoff Bell had already made a name for himself as a time-trialling cyclist at any and all distances from 10 miles to 24 hours. Within a year of joining us he had successfully completed the Bob Graham Lake District round (number 61 of a cohort which has now topped 2500), but his true talent was for walks and rides of a greater distance/time. The Tan Hill – Cat and Fiddle walk in fiercely wintry conditions (Geoff goaded Mike and Me into tackling that one). And the North Wales Horseshoe — a monstrous route which starts with a traverse of the Welsh Threes, progresses to the Mawddach estuary then crosses numerous ranges to finish at Bodfari. A particular interest was for solo, unsupported challenges and one such walk[…]

John Jefferies is organising the Wednesday Evening Climbing. Details of the meets may be found in the Members Only Documents area, document 6. Please also read the Meet Information Pack, document 2. The documents may be accessed here, and you will need to be logged in to see them.

Mike Hartley has kindly agreed to convert his originally planned ‘Wet camp’ meet into a days climbing meet next Saturday to be held at  Great Close Scar, Yorkshire Dales. The full details are held in the Members Only Documents area of the Website, which can be accessed here. Please note you will need to be logged in to access this information. The Meet information is in Document 5 [One Day Meets – Walking & Climbing], but please also read the other 4 Documents].