This meet is specifically for those of you who want to learn skills that will enable you to take on the wonderful world of trad climbing. This Skills Weekender is for you if you are already an indoor climber with the confidence to lead and belay a partner safely or you're a sport climber looking to make the leap into trad. You'll learn skills vital for trad climbing that you can then use to further your own progression.

We'll cover 4 core areas;
1) Gear, what is it and how to place it safely,
2) Belaying with half ropes,
3) Setting up anchors to keep you and your climbing partner safe,
4) Abseiling on a single line and half ropes.

We will climb on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th of May. Details of groups and leaders will be posted closer to the dates but it wont deviate much from previous years.

We have a plot booked at the North Lees Campsite for the nights of Friday 16th and Saturday 17th May. The campsite is only a 1km walk from Stanage Plantation in one direction and 1.5ks to Hathersage in the other.

Cost of the weekend to follow as im still negotiating with the site.

Join us in Snowdonia for some May time mountain action at Garth Farm campsite (home to our old hut, now shower block)!

Garth Farm Campsite in Capel Curig is nestled between the Glyderau range and Carnedd Moel Siabod, the campsite offers direct access to renowned peaks like Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) and Tryfan.

Climbers can enjoy nearby bouldering at RAC Boulders and various routes on the Glyderau and Snowdon Horseshoe.

Whether you’re seeking challenging ascents or scenic hikes, Garth Farm Campsite provides a tranquil setting with stunning mountain views, making it a perfect spot for outdoor adventures in Snowdonia.

IMPORTANT EDIT: two groups have planned to start out from Invercauld Bridge near Braemar at 10:22am on Friday 23rd May (when the bus from Aberdeen arrives). You must be able to be at this point at this time in order to join the trip. The groups cannot afford to wait for later transport. Also note that at the time of this edit the Caledonian Sleeper to Aberdeen is sold out on Thursday 22nd.

The trip is also fully booked and running a reserve.

The idea is to cross the high plateau of the northern Cairngorms with four nights "backpack" camping. We will start out in Deeside not far from Balmoral, and finish at Kingussie if all goes to plan. The largest area of land over 1000m in the UK, the sub-arctic flora and fauna is a joy as the days in the north really start to lengthen out. You will have to carry everything you need for the duration. Our high level route might include Ben Avon, Beinn a' Bhuird, Beinn a' Charainn, Ben Macdui, Carn a' Mhain, Bod an Deamhain, Cairn Toul and Mullach Clach a' Bhlair. Valley escapes available. Spring can bring stable weather to the plateau with amazing heat inversions (not guaranteed), no midges (guaranteed!) and there will still be snow lying in the high coires. An excellent introduction to expeditioning.

Waiting list for overflow spaces at the Oxwich campsite down the beach. Please book a camping spot directly with the campsite and add yourself to this meet. Note that there might not be car space, so you would need to organise your own transport.

https://richardwilliam2000.wixsite.com/oxwichcamping

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Where else would you want to spend your 2nd May Bank Holiday?

On our classic big meet in the Gower Peninsula of course!

We return to Nicholaston Farm; a campsite with everything you could want: Endless sandy beaches, beautiful forests, a well-filled shop, on-site oven-baked pizza (possibly), hot showers with underfloor heating, a dedicated warm water dog-wash and industrial fridges to keep all of that delicious food cool. And cafes and pubs galore nearby.

Climbing: there is something for everyone and you can walk to much of it from the campsite along the beach. Three Cliffs bay and Tor Bay offer a range of easy to hard (trad) climbs from the beach. Just watch the tides so it doesn't turn into shallow-water soloing. There's boiler plate slab for more trad along near Port Eynon and a whole bunch of naughty-nautical themed sport climbs a scenic bus ride away in Rhossili beach.

Walking: turn left and follow the beautiful coastal forest and dunes towards and beyond Tor Bay and Three Cliffs bay with its castle, woodlands and swimming beach. Turn right and walk along the miles of empty beach towards Port Eynon and Oxwich bay with their pubs and fancy (and not so fancy) fish restaurants. Walk to Rhossili to visit the Wurm/dragon and smile at the sunflowers before having a pint or tea and ice cream and getting the bus back. Walk backwards to get up onto the ridge and the lesser-trodden parts of Gower including some lovely frollicking fields and a strangely empty castle.

Canoeing / Kayaking: in previous years we've hired some water-craft from Oxwich bay and paddled around a bit, which was strenuous but good fun.

For hikers, the Wales Coast Path offers great coastal views (and seals!) and varied terrain. Head to sandy beaches like Three Cliffs Bay, traverse rugged cliffs, or venture inland to Cefn Bryn for panoramic vistas. Picturesque trails weave through villages and nature reserves, for some beautiful walks

And as you have a whole extra day and you fancy something else - surfing, kayaking, and other water sports are also available!

Cost is £18.75 pppn = £56.25 for three nights payable to the farm.

Sport climbers assemble.

With over 400 sport routes available around the sea cliffs… Portland has a claim to the title of the ‘Mecca of UK sport climbing’. If you time it poorly you can belay stood in the sea!

DWS also available.

Do you fancy a weekend of learning the fundamentals of leading multi-pitch trad routes in the mountains? If you and a friend are keen and would like to turn up the dial on your mountain adventures then give me a shout. The purpose of this weekend is to teach you and your climbing partner the skills you need to stay safe while taking on some bigger multi pitch adventures.

Who is this for?
This weekend is aimed at anyone in the club who has climbed outside on a few occasions and who wants to gain the additional skills, knowledge and understanding that will allow you and your partner to climb safely in a multi pitch environment.

Prerequisites are:
1. Come with someone you climb with or want to learn with who has the same passion for climbing you do
2. You and your partner have climbed outside a few times before perhaps on single pitch or maybe some sport routes
3. Come with an open mind set, ready to learn and take on new skills and up your trad game!

Format of weekend:
I’d provide a ratio of 1:2 multi pitch leading instruction. We’d be out 8:30 to 4:30pm on Saturday and 8:30am to 3:30 on Sunday. To make the best use of the weekend we’d either trad climb, or, if the weather decides not to play ball, we would go mountaineering and I would teach moving together on scrambling terrain.

Travel:
I’d drive up on the Friday evening and return on the Sunday late afternoon. I’d be quite happy to give you both a lift and share fuel costs.

Accommodation:
Mountaineering huts or camping TBC.

Costs:
The only costs would be fuel, food and accommodation across the Friday and Saturday nights.

Next steps:
If you are keen, sign up here and then give me a call or a text on 07917453741 and we can discuss details.

Located in the Eskdale Valley, nestled in the foothills of The Screes and not too far from Scarfell Pike (9.5 km, as the crow flies).

The Rockhoppers will be staying at the picturesque Fisherground Campsite, Fellside Cottage, Eskdale, Holmrook
https://www.fishergroundcampsite.co.uk/

Hill walking in the area needs no introduction, there are plenty of steep fells to walk up and down, either directly from the campsite or from a short drive away. The following Wainwrights are in the vicinity: Whinn Rigg, Illgill Head, Green Crag & Harter Fell.

For climbers, Eskdale has some of the best climbing in the Lakes, with access to Scafell and all the surrounding crags. A UKC search shows 219 crags in a 10km radius! The valley has several fast drying crags, including Hare Crag which has some excellent bouldering, as does Fell End just above Fisherground. Linbeck crag has many routes on sound rock and is near the road. The gullies and buttresses of Scafell and The Pike are within easy walking distance, and Wasdale is only 20 minutes drive from Eskdale Green.

The valley has lots of scrambles including the classic 3 star route up the Eskdale Gorge. This is a great day out but you will get wet unless it has not rained for about 3 months!. Easier routes include Cow Cove Beck which starts with a hard pitch, this is best avoided unless quite dry, but the route from there is good and can form part of a circular route or as an interesting way onto the Scafell range. Birker Force is a grade 3 and quite exposed near the top, a rope would help. Many of the crags in the area have excellent routes which can be varied to depending on the weather and ability.

Another activity of interest is the The Ravenglass & Eskdale miniature steam railway which runs near to the campsite with a station located at Fisherground Halt
https://ravenglass-railway.co.uk/

Also the beach at Ravenglass is not far, plus Muncaster Castle looks good for a rainy day.
There is a pub located 8 mins walk away, The King George IV Inn - very likely to be busy on bank holidayhttp://www.kinggeorge-eskdale.co.uk/

Or further away are The Bower House Inn (2.7 km), The Brookhouse Inn (2.7 km ) or The Boot Inn (3 km). All about 35 mins walk.

Eskdale Green has a small village shop for essential forgotten supplies 
https://www.eskdalestores.co.uk/

OS Map: 1:25k OL6 
Harvey Superwalker Lake District West

Arrival instructions: 
Checking in is usually from 14:00 - 19:00 
but we can work something out for late arrivals nearer the time.

So book your space asap so we can see who's coming and start the planning the routes.

Save the date! Details tbc

Do you fancy a weekend of learning the fundamentals of leading multi-pitch trad routes in the mountains? If you and a friend are keen and would like to turn up the dial on your mountain adventures then give me a shout. The purpose of this weekend is to teach you and your climbing partner the skills you need to stay safe while taking on some bigger multi pitch adventures.

Who is this for?
This weekend is aimed at anyone in the club who has climbed outside on a few occasions and who wants to gain the additional skills, knowledge and understanding that will allow you and your partner to climb safely in a multi pitch environment.

Prerequisites are:
1. Come with someone you climb with or want to learn with who has the same passion for climbing you do
2. You and your partner have climbed outside a few times before perhaps on single pitch or maybe some sport routes
3. Come with an open mind set, ready to learn and take on new skills and up your trad game!

Format of weekend:
I’d provide a ratio of 1:2 multi pitch leading instruction. We’d be out 8:30 to 4:30pm on Saturday and 8:30am to 3:30 on Sunday. To make the best use of the weekend we’d either trad climb, or, if the weather decides not to play ball, we would go mountaineering and I would teach moving together on scrambling terrain.

Travel:
I’d drive up on the Friday evening and return on the Sunday late afternoon. I’d be quite happy to give you both a lift and share fuel costs.

Accommodation:
Mountaineering huts or camping TBC.

Costs:
The only costs would be fuel, food and accommodation across the Friday and Saturday nights.

Next steps:
If you are keen, sign up here and then give me a call or a text on 07917453741 and we can discuss details.

Save the date! Details tbc

FIRST AID COURSE: We will be offering a subsidised one-day first aid course on the Saturday of this meet. Look out for information from the Walkers' Rep which will be sent in May.

Swanage is located at the eastern end of the Jurassic Coast, which is a great area for climbing & walking and also biking & swimming.

For climbers, the limestone cliffs offer both trad and sport routes at stunning coastal locations such as the bolted quarries at Dancing Ledge and the gentler trad sectors such as Subluminal and Cattle Troughs as well as more challenging routes nearby.

Walkers have the Isle of Purbeck, Studland Bay and Poole Harbour on their doorstep, including the South West Coast path.

There are also great tracks for biking and swimming areas at Swanage and around the coastline.

We are booked into Acton Fields campsite in Langton Matravers, £10 p.n. a short walk to Kings Arms, or a longer walk to Square & Compass

I reckon you deserve a week off, staying in a lovely little hut nestled in the Pass of Llanberis, arguably the home of trad climbing in the UK. The hut is based in Nant Peris so you have iconic crags such as Graig Ddu, Clogwyn Grochan, Carreg Wasted, Dinas y Gromlech and Dinas Mot just a short walk or bus ride away - its a paradise for anyone looking to get into their multi-pitch climbing with lots of very accessible grades. Another bonus is that the position of the hut is literally only a 20min walk away from the famous sport routes of the Llanberis quarries, which, on showery days are very fast drying. Not wanting to tie in? You could explore the many world class boulders in the valley or just take full advantage of some incredible walks all from the front door of the hut.

Reach out to me if you have any questions or if you want to chat through logistics of the meet.

Dates:
Check in: Sunday 17th Aug
Check out: Friday 22th Aug

Accommodation / Cost
Fronwydyr hut in Nant Peris at £10 per night per person, £50 for the 5 nights.

Activities for the week
Trad single / multi pitch
Sport climbing
Bouldering
Hill walking
Scrambling

Save the date! Details tbc

Save the date! Details tbc

Roll up roll up, our first hut meet of the year! Somewhere mid Wales, details tbc

Details tbc - meet steward needed!

Details tbc - steward needed!

Pitlochry is ideally located for the glens and Munros on the southern side of the Cairngorms National Park. The hills by Loch Tay are conveniently down the road, so plenty to explore. Shops, pubs and restaurants make for a cosy venue in the long dark winter nights and our usual Hogmanay haggis shenanigans. There are also direct trains from London!