Category: Member Posts

Having failed to get across the water to Rum last year due to the arrival of Storm Ashley, I’ve decided to have another go this year. However on this occasion a slightly different plan. I have booked the very well-appointed Rum Bunkhouse for the 3 nights Friday 17th, Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th October at a cost of £34 per person per night. This is on the basis that we book the whole bunkhouse which accommodates 20. If the weather is favourable I may well look to extend the trip by a night or so and spend a night at  one of the two bothies on the Island at Dibidil or Guirdil. Rum is magnificently wild and rugged, and dominated by the mountains of the Rum Cuillin including two Corbetts. If you have been to Rum you get drawn back time and again, if you haven’t visited the island you really should.    The Ferry leaves Mallaig at 12.50 on Friday (arriving Rum 14.15) and returns on Monday leaving Rum at 16.05 (arriving Mallaig 18.50). However it is possible to travel to and from Rum on most days of the week if an extended trip is planned (ferries are of[…]

Winter climbers/walkers: joint meet with Karabiner MC at Craigallan 13th-16th March. At the moment there is good interest from the Rucksack Club and very high interest from Karabiner Club. At present there are 2 bunk spaces left, I will hold these open for Rucksack Club members until the end of this week, but if they aren’t taken by the weekend I’ll open them up to Karabiner Club members (they already have a waiting list!). Please contact me ASAP if you’re thinking of coming, please don’t assume that there will be bunks free if you turn up without getting in touch first. Cheers, Gareth (contact details in Handbook under Gareth R Williams)

For your convenience, here’s the 2025 outdoor weekend meets programme on a single page. Also available for download to print here. The eagle-eyed amongst you may spot that there are no UK outdoor weekend meets scheduled for a few weekends. Please contact outdoormeets@rucksackclub.org if you are interested in putting on a meet on any of these weekends (one day or the whole weekend). 31st May / 1st June 2nd / 3rd August 9th / 10th August 15th / 16th November 29th / 30th November  

A cancellation means that the hut is available this weekend. Let me know how many places you want to book!

As we now have a gap in the meets calendar at the end of April, it seems a waste of the longer daylight hours and potentially fine spring weather not to put on a meet! So I’m proposing a reboot of the classic Etherow Watershed hike on Saturday 26 April 2025. A regular feature on the RC meets programme, the EW hasn’t been done by the club (I think) since those last few innocent weeks pre-COVID19 in Feb 2020. So it’s well due a revival! (And this hike was my first encounter with the Rucksack Club, way back in 2013, where the photo is from, although I didn’t end up joining the club until last year.) For those not yet in the know, 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[…]

Thanks to all members who submitted photos for the final 4 months of 2024. They can now be viewed by clicking on the link below. Once in the Gallery if you click on a photo, it enlarges and you can scroll through the rest in the larger format easily.  I am certain there are many more photos sitting on members phones and home computers…please have a search and send in so they can be added to the Gallery. Please email to: photos@rucksackclub.org and ensure you label with month taken, title of the photo and who took it! Finally, it would be great if members just send in photos as they are taken [including the information requested]. In that way, the Gallery can be kept bang up to date! The gallery can be found via the “Get Out There!” menu or by clicking this link: https://rucksackclub.org/gallery-overview/

Karen Hostford is now looking after the bookings at High Moss. Karen can be reached on highmoss@rucksackclub.org Members can also contact Karen using the telephone number in the handbook. Thank you to everyone. Steve B

Really sorry but we have to rearrange the MTB meet. New date June 6/8th. High Moss. Please let us know before 4th June if you are joining us and any dietary preferences. M&J

This is how it’s looking at Beudy for the next couple of months. Ian Wilson’s annual Mines Meet is taking place this weekend (7-9 Feb). If your inclination is to stay above ground, Dan Calverley will be in residence next weekend (14-16 Feb) with another Club Meet – look out for news on the airwaves or contact Dan direct. Lancaster University Mountaineering Club have booked the whole hut for the following weekend (21-23 Feb). The month ends with Ellie Tristam and her family at Beudy (28 Feb- 3 Mar) but there is still plenty of room. Lots of availability in March – the only booking is a mid-week Veterans in Sefton group session (5-7). In April, our old friends Peak Climbing Club have booked the main dorm (11 spaces) for the weekend of 4-6. Margaret Hart and her guest will also be there. The following weekend (11-13) sees the return of OBEC for a whole hut booking (OBEC have been coming to Beudy for well over 50 years). At present, the hut is empty over the Easter break. Phil Deakin (no relation), another regular, has booked the whole hut for the weekend of 25-27. As ever, just let me know[…]