In 1976, a small group of enthusiastic hill walkers and climbers gathered in a classroom at Croesyceiliog School, Cwmbran to hear Chris Barber** speak about mountaineering. That evening, Gwent Mountaineering Club was born. Fifty years later, the Club is thriving — bigger, more diverse, and more active than ever.
To mark this anniversary, we brought together four members whose experiences span the Club’s history and present instant: founder members Richard Dowle and Trefor Beese, and two of the Club’s newest generation, Danielle Foster and Tom Morris, who both joined on the same day in 2023. Their stories reveal how much has changed — and how much has stayed the same.
Finding a Way In
For Richard, joining the Club was part of a late but passionate discovery of the hills. “I’d never been any good at team sports,” he says, “but suddenly I’d found something I enjoyed and felt competent at.” After a few YHA weekends and a fateful trip to Dartmoor, he was hooked. When Chris Barber floated the idea of forming a club, Richard threw himself into it.
Trefor’s path was different. He had years of walking already behind him — Snowdonia as a boy, Scottish trips as a teenager — but almost all of it solo hikes. “Chris’s talk opened my eyes,” he says. “Not just walking, but climbing with protection, huts, challenge walks, the Alps.” What Trefor wanted most was company. His first Club walk had ten people on it — more than he’d ever walked with before.
Danielle joined for a more personal reason: a relationship breakdown. “I suddenly had no one to climb with,” she says. “I wanted a community, people to learn from, people to laugh with.” She hoped the club would give her confidence to explore new crags and try new disciplines.
Tom came through the Summit Centre grapevine. “People told me GMC would get me outdoors more,” he says. “They were right. I’m terrible at organising climbing days, so having set meets was a lifesaver.” Later, when winter cold put him off climbing, he drifted into the Sunday walks — and found a new passion.
Early Years: The Moments That Matter
For the founders, the early years were a whirlwind. Richard went from novice to club treasurer in a matter of months. He helped organise the first Mystery Mountain Marathon, edited “The Pinnacle” [Ed.: The Club’s occasional magazine, now sadly defunct] and found himself chatting with mountaineering legends like Pete Boardman and Peter Habeler. “They were intense, challenging, rewarding years,” he says.
Trefor’s memories are of variety and discovery: first hut stays, first climbing evenings, first winter gully with borrowed crampons. Talks about Alpine mountaineering sparked a desire that would eventually lead him to climb 49 4,000metre peaks in the Alps. His enthusiasm was infectious — Trefor’s father and cousin joined the club after hearing his stories.
For Danielle, the standout early moments are tied to people. A trad seconding course in the rain with the late Bob Thomas, whose patience and knowledge made the cold worthwhile. A Cornwall trip where mentoring, shared meals, and late‑night games forged friendships across generations. A first multipitch route in El Chorro with Steve, ending in sunshine and conversation at the top. “I’ve felt a genuine sense of care for my wellbeing,” she says. “People have supported me through tough times.”
Tom’s highlights already include Fontainebleau’s sandy boulders, the Oberland Glaciers Traverse, and two Scotland trips where he learned some winter skills. But the biggest transformation was becoming a walker. “Three years ago, a 12‑mile mountain hike would have flattened me,” he says. “Now it’s a normal Sunday.”
What the Club Came to Mean
Despite the decades between them, all four describe the Club in similar terms: community, confidence, opportunity, and belonging.
For Richard, GMC has been a place to grow — as a mountaineer and as an organiser. For Trefor, it became a lifelong social and mountaineering home, leading to more than 30 years volunteering on the Committee. For Danielle, the Club is a support network where people look out for each other. For Tom, it’s a source of advice, fitness, and stability — especially during job loss and life changes.
Looking Forward after half a century
Asked what they hope for next, the founders emphasise adaptability. “Any organisation has to change to survive,” Richard says. “I’m pleased the Club has embraced the Internet and social media. If we hadn’t, we’d have folded.”
The younger members focus on access, training, and community. Danielle hopes for more climbing trips, more training for young people to become instructors or mentors, and more social events. Tom raises a practical concern: car access. “Not everyone drives,” he says. “We need to think about lift‑sharing more seriously.”
All want the Club to remain welcoming, diverse, and supportive — qualities they say have defined their experience so far.
A Shared Thread Across Fifty Years
What emerges from their conversation on this fiftieth anniversary is a remarkable continuity. The founders joined for companionship, challenge, and the chance to grow. The newest members joined for exactly the same reasons. The activities may have evolved, the gear has changed, the communication tools have changed — but the mountains and rocks themselves and the heart of the Club have not.
gwentmc has always been a place where people find each other, learn from each other, and go further together than they could alone. As the Club enters its next fifty years, that shared thread — community on the hill — remains as strong as ever.
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** Chris Barber, MBE, FRGS, is the founder, first chairperson and an honorary life member of Gwent Mountaineering Club. For 20 years, Chris was the chief countryside officer for Gwent County Council, having established the Gwent Countryside Service in 1974. Later, he was instrumental in establishing the route of the Beacons Way long-distance trail across the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. Chris is the author of over 30 books on Wales, documenting the heritage, folklore, landscapes, and industrial history of the former county of Gwent and surrounding regions.
†† The featured image at the beginning of this article is a composite image of the four individuals, grouped around a triangulation pillar with a hilly moorland background and pylons. The image has been created and blended with the help of artificial intelligence.