Recent Meets

We ended the Club year with the traditional December trip to the Lake District trip which was combined with the AGM followed by the Christmas Dinner. Both events were held at the Robertson Lamb hut Great Langdale where we were staying.

Despite promise earlier in the week, the weather was not very festive with significant amounts of low cloud and rain instead of the clear skies and frosty conditions we had hoped for. Nevertheless the 16 members and one guest had a good time.

On Friday, John and Keith hiked up to Pavey Ark for some rock climbing, but the weather was against them and a tactical retreat was required. Others including Matt, Sam, Simon, Dave, Stuart, Gina, Boksoon and Molly who had opted for lower walks in the Langdale valley and towards Grasmere had more success with some of the minor summits ticked off before the heavy rain arrived.

Further walks were completed on Saturday before returning to the hut for the AGM, where trips and exciting plans for 2026 were discussed. Once club business was concluded, we sat down to a freshly cooked, roast turkey dinner prepared by Mike and Steve in the hut. 

Following dinner, we had the Chairman’s award’s for service to the club (the Chain of Endeavour) and Breeches (for a memorable indiscretion) with both were presented to Mike. The former for another successful annual dinner and the latter for forgetting to bring Breeches trophy to the meet. The post dinner raffle raised £150 that will be donated to the Search & Rescue Dogs Association, a very deserving, mountain related charity.

The weather was poor on Sunday so after a leisurely breakfast and hut tidy up, we all made our respective journeys home. Look out for more news and new adventures in 2026. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

The October meet had a good turn out with 12 members making the trip to Coniston. They were rewarded with generally good weather, some low cloud/drizzle on the fell tops on Friday but better weather and warm sunshine on Saturday and Sunday. The conditions on Saturday were perfect for a ‘cloud inversion’ where warm air traps colder, moister air in the valleys below it, and the higher peaks stand out above the cloud. This phenomenon is not that common and was very impressive. John and Steve explored the less frequented crags above the hut on Weatherlam and soon realised why these are not very popular. Climbing on slimy and vegetated rock is clearly an acquired taste.

The others chose walking-based options with Weatherlam, Torver, Coniston Old Man, Swirl How, Brown Pike, Fairfield (from Grasmere) all being climbed at least once over the weekend.

Many thanks to Alan, Barry, Erik, Frank, Gina, John, Mandy, Rupert, Simon, Steve and Stuart for a great trip. 

It was good choice to return to the Barrow Ski & Mountaineering Club’s hut in Coppermines valley for the numbers and pleased to report that the Sun Inn remains a good worth a visit (as do the Black Horse, Yewdale Inn and the chip shop, Our Plaice). 

The September meet was at the Emily Kelly hut in Nant Gwynant, Snowdonia. The hut, owned by the Pinnacle Club is well placed and provides easy access to the peaks of Yr Wyddfa, the Carneddau and the southern hills of Snowdonia.
Combinations of the nine members successfully climbed a number of peaks including Y Garn, Carnedd y Filiast and Tryfan. The latter required the compulsory visit to the summit stones of Adam and Eve after some steep scrambling and crossing of the large boulder field.
Saturday evening’s refreshments were taken at the Plas Y Brenin National Outdoor Centre – the bar with a fine range of beer plus it has excellent views overlooking the woods and Llynau Mymbyr lake behind the centre.
The threat of heavy rain meant that low level walks were planned for Sunday but the rain came sooner than anticipated which curtailed the walking but did not spoil what had been another good weekend trip. Thanks to Erik, Leanne, Liz, Mandy, Mark, Matt, Richard, Rupert and Sam.
Worth remembering that even outside of the Summer season, the popularity of Snowdonia and the parking restrictions means that an early start is required to be able to park close to the day’s route of choice.

Another excellent weekend trip with seven members who were able to make the most of the good weather and YRC’s Low Hall Garth hut in Little Langdale.

Highlights included: Alan, Mandy, Rupert and Simon clocking up the kilometres with a 20+ km mountain route that took in Pike of Blisco, Crinkle Crags, Bow Fell plus an essential refreshment stop at the Old Dungeon Ghyll with a further stop at the Three Shires.

John, Keith and Satish focused on the rock climbing and were able to tackle a number of single and multi-pitch routes on Black Crag (Pike of Blisco) and Raven Crag in the Langdales. John and Satish managed to squeeze a visit to Kettle Crag for some more pitches on their way back to Bedford while Simon opted for a walk down the Langdale valley via Skelwith Bridge. Pleased to report that Keith managed to pack an adult sized sleeping bag and not a child’s bag this time.

Low Hall Garth is great venue for a club trip but is compact and so is better suited to fewer numbers than the hut’s theoretical 12 person capacity. Road access is not for the faint hearted with some tight bends and a ford for the unwary so is probably better as a summer venue. Worth remembering that currently the Three Shires bar only serves hotel residents and booked diners up to 20:00 on Summer Saturdays. It does have good (free) Wi-Fi, unlike the rest of the valley.

A great BMC trip, thanks to everyone who took part.

Alan, Rupert & Simon above the Langdale Valley

Low Hall Garth Cottage

Satish, Keith & John on Middlefell Buttress

Unknown climbers on Middlefell Buttress

Mandy crossing Slaters Bridge, Little Langdale

The recent July trip was memorable for all the right reasons – a fantastic location in the Peak District, a comfortable hut, and glorious weather throughout. We stayed at the R O Downes Memorial Hut, ideally located just a few minutes’ walk from Froggatt Edge. This made it perfect for climbers, while walkers had a wide range of scenic routes to choose from.
On Saturday, Jane and Keith headed out climbing, while Matt and Mark explored a circular route around Froggatt, Curbar, and Grindleford. Rupert and Mandy tackled a longer hike, taking in Derwent Edge and the eastern side of the reservoir – an impressive effort given the unbroken sunshine and temperatures exceeding 30°C.
Sunday was a more relaxed day for everyone, but we still made the most of the weather and the beautiful surroundings.
Froggatt Edge offered excellent climbing and was surprisingly quiet. The vegetation on many routes suggests it may not be as popular as it once was, especially compared to Stanage Edge these days – something to keep in mind for future visits to the Peak District.
One consideration for next time: the visitors’ dorm was snug with six people and is said to sleep up to ten, though it’s hard to imagine how! We may want to limit numbers slightly for comfort.
All in all, a brilliant weekend – definitely a location worth revisiting.

(Chris has the photos to add)

We had 15 people at one of our favourite huts, High House at the top of the Borrowdale valley.

The Friday was the best day of the weekend and all the peaks at the head of the valley were climbed, including Green Gable, Great Gable, Scafell Pike and Great End. Some beer was consumed too!

Saturday was much wetter and while some hardy souls went up high, most of us walked a scenic and rather long route into Keswick, stopping for ice cream on the way and and ending with beer and Booths shopping in Keswick. Just caught the bus back to Seatoller. Steve’s route into Keswick via High Spy and Catbells was a good variation!

Honister is worth exploring, particularly if you like slate! There is a good view of Buttermere from Fleetwith Pike

The May trip to the Lakes was memorable for all the right reasons – a good turnout of 15 members, great weather and use of the excellent George Starkey hut in Patterdale. We even managed to fit in a tour of Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team’s headquarters on Friday evening.

Those who were able to get away on Thursday enjoyed three days of unbroken sunshine and clear blue skies. Collectively the club’s members packed in a number of routes and activities including – ascents of Helvellyn by Striding Edge, St Sunday Crag via Birks Fell, Fairfield, Whiteside, Angle Tarn and High Street. Molly and Liz indulged in a spot of open water swimming in Ullswater with Molly having higher and much colder swim in Hayeswater 300m above Hartsop as well.

The tour of the MRT base was extremely interesting and informative – was useful to see behind the scenes of how the important mountain rescue services for the Ullswater area are structured and how this operates. Two key takeaways were 1) be sure to leave details of where you are going and preferably a route card and 2) you do not need a complicated first kit on the hills – gauze and a bandage should be sufficient – according to the MRT doctor.

Many thanks for Leanne for organising the tour and Patterdale MRT’s John for hosting us.

Back to the Lakes next month – Seathwaite in Borrowdale. Will the weather be as good?

Here are some photos of the trip. We took advantage of the fine weather to have some boat trips up the lake and a vist to Aira Force.

Helvellyn, Swirral and Striding Edge 

Patterdale MRT, High Street and Angle Tarn, Fairfield and swimming

Place Fell on Sunday

Nine existing BMC members were joined by three new ones, Alan, Josh and Richard for the April meet in North Wales. The club stayed at Cae’r-fran, a small but comfortable climber’s cottage just outside of Llanberis owned by the Merseyside MC.

We also had a very friendly resident horse!
Aided by good weather, the members packed a number of routes and activities into the weekend. These included climbs up the nearby Moel Ellio, Foel Gron, Foel Goch, and exploration of Dinorwig quarries, and Coed Dinorwig. Going further afield, a number of different routes on Eryri were taken including via a gully on Clogwyn Du’r Arddu (entertaining but not recommended) plus the Llanberis Path, Snowdon Ranger Path and the Miners Track. Jane and Josh even managed to fit in an early morning trip along Crib Goch before heading back to Bedford! 

Finally, a special mention to Manjula for preparing a fabulous curry for the Friday night dinner. This idea of a group meal is becoming very popular and if anyone wants to offer preparing one for a future trip then let one of the Committee know.

No report available.

Our second meet of the year was at the ORead Club’s fine mansion Tan Yr Wyddfa in Rhyd Ddu. The Snowdon path starts right by the door and the Nantlle Ridge lies to the west. The local pub the Cwellyn Arms was much appreciated too.

The skies were blue on Thursday and Snowdon looked inviting. Not much snow left though. 

Friday was a bit cloudier and a bit frosty on the top of Snowdon. Microspikes needed for the last 100m. Some people were in trainers. Looked a bit desperate down the PYG track.

Saturday was even cloudier but John went off to do Parsley Fen Gully and a crack team ascended Snowdon. Not much to be seen at the top!

The Nantlle Ridge was also trekked, coming down into the forest the paths were blocked by fallen trees in many places. Wales certainly got a battering in the recent storms.

A very enjoyable weekend with no rain!

Our first meet at the year was at the Lancashire Climbing and Caving Club’s hut at Tranearth just above Torver near Coniston.

Blue sky and ice greeted us and the use of microspikes or crampons was obligatory on the walk up to the hut.

We had walks up the Walna Scar Road and on Saturday up past Goat’s Water to the Old Man of Coniston and Dow Crag. There was plenty of snow above Goat’s Water and the wind at the col was bitter. Great views and a fine weekend.

The club held our AGM at the Rucksac Club’s hut High Moss in the Duddon Valley near Coniston. 

In spite of storm Darragh we had a good time with a fine dinner provided as usual by Mike Keller.

The committee was re-elected except for Steve Simkins who stood down as Social Secretary. The club has decided the change name of the post to Marketing Secretary and Keith Simmonds volunteered to fill the role.

As a result of the BMC increasing fees the yearly membership fee was increased to £35pa. 

The cost per night for staying in huts was held at £15 per night.

A motion to move the AGM to Bedford, rather than at the Christmas meet was defeated by 13 votes to 9 with 6 abstentions.

Because a lot of the meets are close to the beginning of the month it was decided to move the monthly socials from the first to the last Wednesday of the month.