Category: Member Posts

Rucksack Club Alpine meet Ailefroide, Dauphine Alps, France 2-16 August 2025   The Rucksack Club Alpine meet takes place this year in Ailefroide from 2nd – 16th August 2025. We’ve had club meets there before which were well received, most recently in 2023. It is an awesome family friendly site with Alpine Mountaineering, walking, climbing (valley single and multi pitch alpine routes), via Ferrara, cycling, running, bouldering, canyoning etc… Ace pizza van near the site, and a number of bars & a hotel in the village. Besides camping there is other accommodation available in the village. About 20 minutes away is Briancôn, a small walled  city. The Mediterranean is 2.5 hrs south. For those interested it could also be worth stopping on route a Fontainebleau for a spot of bouldering to break the journey.   We will based at the municipal campsite details -> https://ailefroide.fr/camping   Further info on area on http://www.ailefroide.com/english/html/location_ailefroide.html     Please contact me for further info, details in Handbook. Jez Nasse

We are planning the mountain bike meet and remember last year we had a few issues receiving e mails for attendance. If you send an e mail to attend and don’t receive a reply please text Mark 07968 720 582.

Here’s how it’s looking for the next few weeks. Plenty of room this coming weekend, just a couple of people in. Rather more the following weekend (Bank Holiday) but still bunks available. Peak CC are in over the weekend of 7/8 June, using the big dorm, leaving the ‘Members’ room available. Then it’s the annual working meet the following weekend (14/15 June). Details in Meetstaff. Let me know if you intend coming. There is an exclusive ViS session from the 18th to 20th. The hut is fairly full that weekend (20/21) but spaces are available. At the end of the month (28/29 June), it’s Richard Wilkes’ Welsh 3’s Club Meet. Contact Richard direct if you intend going. For all other bookings, just send me an email either to billdeakin@yahoo.com or (preferably) beudymawr@rucksackclub.org.

Don’t forget to book your place at the Annual Dinner in Harrogate! Booking is easier all round if you use the form, see the back pages of the latest Meetstaff. I will send you a Word version of the form if requested – just E-mail me on meetstaff@rucksackclub.org to ask.

The Wednesday Evening Climbing meets are now being added to the meets calendar – so Get Out There while the weather lasts… Here’s the list for quick reference: 02/04/2025 Hobson Moor Quarry 09/04/2025 New Millls Torr The Rock 16/04/2025 Castle Naze The Beehive, Combs 23/04/2025 Bamford Yorkshire Bridge Inn 30/04/2025 John Henry Quarry Bulls Head, Tintwistle 07/05/2025 Horsethief Quarry The Moon 14/05/2025 Wilton 1 21/05/2025 Staden Quarry 28/05/2025 Castle Naze The Beehive 04/06/2025 Stoney Middleton The Moon 11/06/2025 Pule Hill The Gate Inn, Diggle 18/06/2025 Heptonstall Quarry the Cross Inn, 46 town gate, Hebden Bridge, HX7 7NB 25/06/2025 TBD 02/07/2025 Lawrencefield 09/07/2025 TBD 16/07/2025 Harpur Hill Parks Inn, Harpur Hill 23/07/2025 Rivelin Edge 30/07/2025 Stanage Popular 06/08/2025 Agden Rocher The Old Horns, High Bradfield 13/08/2025 Froggatt The Grouse 20/08/2025 The Roaches Ye Olde Rock Inn 27/08/2025 New Mills Torrs 03/09/2025 Hobson Moor Quarry

This Saturday it’s the Rucksack Club classic Etherow Watershed hike. As predicted a couple of months back, Saturday looks set to be blessed with good weather – dry with a light breeze and plenty of sunshine. There’s been so little rain in the last two months that the ground is dry enough that you can bet on getting round without losing a shoe to the bog monster. Underfoot conditions like this are not to be missed! As per the previous post: The Etherow Watershed is a walk of about 35 miles (56km) with around 4000 ft (1250m) elevation around the edge of the drainage basin of the River Etherow. It starts and finishes at Hobson Moor Quarry, Mottram, then goes via Laddow, Black Hill, Holme Moss, Woodhead, Bleaklow, Coombes Edge, and returning to Hobson Moor about 12 hours after departing. With it being a circular route there are plenty of opportunities to take a shortcut back to the start if that’s your thing. Here’s the route on Strava. Meet at 7.30 a.m. on Saturday at Hobson Moor. https://maps.app.goo.gl/Rx8puKxwDyMv1BYFA GR: SJ 989 966 Email Dan Calverley at outdoormeets@rucksackclub.org if you are interested.

The quinquennial check of the electrical installation is due this month, so the hut will be out of action from next Tuesday (22nd) to Thursday (24th). Bookings over Easter and the following weekend are not affected by this work.

Neil and Gerry Goldsmith write: These books are available from us:   Walking in Mallorca by June Parker 1991 Ronda: Naturaleza y Cultura 10 Rutas Senderistas Exigentes (in Spanish) Mountain Walks on the Costa Blanca by Bob Stansfield 1995 Toutes les Via ferrata de France  by Jocelyn Chavy 2006 (in French) Lakeland Trails by Tony Wimbush  1998 Bernese Alps Western Touring Route by Geoffrey Pocock 2005 The Munros  by Cameron McNeish 1999   A Pictorial Guide by A Wainwright Pennine Way Companion The Outlying Fells of Lakeland The Lakeland Fells: Book 2  Far Eastern, Book 3 Central, Book 5 Northern   Running High by Hugh Symonds 1991 The Kurt Diemburger Omnibus Climbing Ice by Yvon Chouinard 1978 Wild Trails to Far Horizons by Mike Cudahy 1989  The Shining Mountain by Peter Boardman 1978 St Paul Trail – Turkey’s Second Long Distance Walking Route by Kate Clow 2004 Mountains of the Pyrenees by Kev Reynolds 1982 Trango the Nameless Tower by Jim Curran 1978 Vertical Pleasure by Mick Fowler 2006 Nanda Devi Exploration and Ascent by Shipton & Tilman 2000 Mountaineering in Scotland by W H Murray 1979   Please see the Handbook for contact details.

For members wishing to know about availability at High Moss, all members can find up to date information on the club website. If you select the “Huts” tab then select “Click here for Hut Availability”. Note that you will need to be logged in as a member. I am keeping the calendar for High Moss updated whenever a booking is made. If you wish to make a booking then you can use the email “highmoss@rucksackclub.org” and I will answer your query. Thanks. Karen

Just to let you know what’s happening over the next few weeks – this coming weekend (11th-13th) our old friends, OBEC are in residence. There are still places available for the Easter weekend – at the moment only 5 spaces have been taken up. The weekend after (25th-27th), the hut is fully booked and then we’re into the Early May Bank Holiday weekend for Andy Stewart’s Meet. There are a few spaces left – please let Andy know if you intend to go – he needs to know how much veggie chilli he needs to make for the Saturday night meal. The weekend after (9th-11th May) the hut is pretty well booked up. As ever, let me know if you want to go at any time.