The Rucksack Club

On the hill with…Netty Llewellyn

Welcome to “On the hill with…” a series of short interviews with members of the Rucksack Club. Netty, the current Editor of Meetstaff, has kindly agreed to be interviewed for the website. Netty on the Lune How did you get into walking and climbing? My dad had done a lot with the Scouts before having children and did try to take us walking as a family. I remember rainy days out on Kinder in new wellies and having to get 2 buses each way, which was not popular with all of the family however. There were also some forays into the hills with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme which often proved too expensive and difficult to get to without a car. At Secondary School there was a super teacher, Mr Thorpe, who would often spare a day at a weekend and take a small group of us to the Lakes which is where I had my most successful introduction to the hills   Who has had the most influence on your mountain experiences? Joining the Llewellyn tribe has definitely had a major influence on my outdoor activities. Cycling touring for our honeymoon began a series of biking adventures with[…]

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On the hill with…Keith Towell

Welcome to “On the hill with…” a series of short interviews with members of the Rucksack Club. This week is the turn of Keith Towell, our immediate Past President. President Keith at the High Moss 50th celebrations How did you get into walking and climbing? At the age of 14 I went to the YMCA Centre Lakeside on Lake Windermere on a school residential week . During that week we climbed Helvellyn and went rock climbing and gorge walking. At roughly the same time I met Keith Treacher who was running the Waterside Youth Centre, Newbury, who furthered my interest in climbing, walking and canoeing. Trips to Skye, North Wales, the Lakes and the Alps followed with Keith, who became a great friend and mentor and Keith introduced me to the Rucksack Club. Who has had the most influence on your mountain experiences? Keith Treacher introduced me to a whole new world of experiences and friendships which may have passed me by. What was your last great day out in the hills? Doing a remote Marilyn with Mike Gregg and John Farrow above the Sound of Sleat on the Isle of Skye in October. What does the perfect hill day[…]

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On the hill with… Dave Woolley

Welcome to “On the hill with…” a series of short interviews with members of the Rucksack Club, appearing over the coming years on the Website! Who better to start this series with than our new President, Dave Woolley, installed at the AGM, January 2019…thanks Dave for taking the time to talk to us. How did you get into walking and climbing? For me it was through my mum and dad, but mainly my dad. He had joined in 1957 (aged 27) so from a very early age I was introduced to mountain environments first walking and in my teenage years climbing.   Who has had the most influence on your mountain experiences? Initially my dad, later a number of Rucksack Club members – people like John Richardson, Rob Ferguson and Andy Llewellyn.   What was your last great day out in the ‘hills’? The Marsden to Edale is a regular Rucksack Club classic – so doing the double earlier this year was great (partly because the weather was so kind to us for once) but mainly catching up with all the members, associate members and guests. The post match refreshments were particularly good!   What does the perfect ‘hill’ day[…]

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