Eskdale: Mountain walking, scrambling and climbing in the Lake District
2024-03-07 - 2024-03-11
A long weekend away in early March 2024 (dates are provisional but basically the weekend of 9/10th March 2024) in shared accommodation.
Eskdale is one of the great Lake District dales, and the Club has not been there for a good few years. There is something for everyone – high level rugged mountain walks, lower rolling fells and low level scenic walks, scrambling, climbing and/or wild swimming for the hardy, seven pubs, ticks on multiple lists such as the ‘Wainwrights’, England’s highest mountain, etc. As described by the eskdale.info website:
“The river Esk starts it’s journey to the sea from high in the fells at Esk Hause, passing through Great Moss at the base of Scafell Pike then tumbling down through a narrow gorge and a series of waterfalls. The stream swelled by many becks becomes a river and encounters it’s first road at the foot of Hardknott Pass England’s steepest road. From here the river takes on a more gentle character with small rapids as it passes through some of the most beautiful oak woodland in Cumbria. The Esk is responsible for carving this remarkable landscape which is both picturesque and dramatic with majestic high peaks, stunning waterfalls and rolling green hills.”
Note though, that the Ravenglass &Eskdale Railway won’t be running at that time of year.
For our newer members, if you’ve not been on a Club weekend before, these are great opportunities not only to mountain climb in some of the UK’s best mountain areas but also to socialise, have fun, and gain confidence/experience with help from other members. If you’re not sure, please do ask.

Trip: Club climbing trip to Fontainebleau, France
2024-03-30 - 2024-04-06
Technical bouldering on sandstone boulders in a beautiful forest surrounding the village of Fontainebleau, France. This popular destination is a must-visit place for every climber and the Club will be visiting for a week in April 2024*. You’ll improve your technique here with tiny footholds, balancy moves, slopers and mantel top-outs as well as being able to indulge your passion for French food and drink.
*This trip is fully booked.

Weekend trip: Walking, St Davids, Pembrokeshire
2024-05-24 - 2024-05-27
Join Pauline for a weekend based at St Davids YHA, walking the coastline over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend.
Pauline needs to know numbers as soon as possible, ideally by Monday 12th February 2024. An email with further details was circulated on 8th February.
For your safety and the safety of other members, we advise minimum personal equipment requirements for all our walks.

Weekend climb: Eryri (trad)
2024-05-25 - 2024-05-27
Bank holiday weekend of climbing (trad) in Eryri National Park.
Location will be confirmed nearer the time. For more details please contact John Jones
Climbing meets are weather dependent and can change at short notice. Please contact the organiser for more information.

Isle of Rum, Scotland
2024-05-27 - 2024-05-31
Hallival, Askival and Bainn nan Stac tower over the village of Kinloch as you approach the Isle of Rum on the ferry from Mallaig. This is the Rum Cuillin, a highly regarded ridge walk that also includes the Corbetts of Askival and Ainshval.
Five days in the Rum Bunkhouse offers opportunities to complete this and other walks on the beautiful hills of the Isle of Rum, Highlands, Scotland.

Weekend climb: North Pembrokeshire (trad)
2024-08-24 - 2024-08-26
Bank holiday weekend of climbing (trad) in North Pembrokeshire.
Most crags are abseil in, and there are a few non-abseil crags. A large spread of grades on both popular slabs and more adventurous isolation. Some members are staying at Rhosgadw Farm campsite – a GMC favourite. There’s a range of other accommodation around St David’s from hotels, B&Bs, campsites, even a premier inn.
For more details please contact Sara Davies or Ian Goudge
Climbing meets are weather dependent and can change at short notice. Please contact the organiser for more information.

Weekend trip: Introduction to scrambling, North Wales
2024-09-13 - 2024-09-15
Weekend trip to a hut nestled between Tryfan and the Carneddau Mountains in North Wales 13th – 15th September 2024.
Kath and Jon Singleton have agreed to organise some introduction to scrambling sessions over the weekend of 13th to 15th September. The plan is to do a Grade 1 scramble on the Saturday and if abilities of the group and weather allow, will do a harder Grade 1 or Grade 2 route on Sunday.
If you don’t fancy scrambling, there is the opportunity to arrange your own activities using the hut as a base and meet up with the scramblers in the evening.
If you are interested in attending please email Jo Dodd and let her know if you are signing up for scrambling or not so Jo can arrange enough leaders. Jo will take names on a first come first served basis and then hold a list in case anyone drops out. Full details have been shared in an email sent by Jo 3rd Feb 2024.

Club trip: Aviemore 24-28 February 2025
2025-02-24 - 2025-02-28
GMC are organising a weeks high Alpine trek across the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland next June (note the Oberland trek is fully booked). The Oberland trip is being run as an introduction to Alpine trekking for the club, so as part of the training Jon has booked 4 nights accommodation in Aviemore, Scotland from the 24th Feb 2025, departing on Friday 28th.
Limited spaces still available.

Martin Skinner (a qualified Winter instructor and member of the Club) has very kindly agreed to join us to give us some snow and ice instruction and practice ready for our trip.

If you are wanting to join in the training, you will need Alpine B2 boots, ice axe and crampons. Martin will let us know nearer the date if any other equipment needed.
Any queries, please contact Jon Singleton.

Weekend walking trip: Peak District
2025-03-13 - 2025-03-16
For your safety and the safety of other members, we advise minimum personal equipment requirements for all our walks.

Weekend Club Climbing trip: South Pembrokeshire (Trad)
2025-05-02 - 2025-05-05
Bank Holiday weekend climbing in South Pembrokeshire- camping at Bosherston.
Parking at St Govan’s.
More details to follow but keep an eye on the WhatsApp climbing channel for any updates.
Climbing meets are weather dependent and can change at short notice. Please contact the organiser for more information.

Weekend trip: Lake District, Ennerdale
2025-05-29 - 2025-06-01
The Club’s long weekend in wild Ennerdale promises early-summer 5-star walking, climbing and cameraderie in the remote Western Lake District. One of the most remote of the Lake District valleys, Ennerdale is largely unspoilt with its striking natural features providing an overwhelming character of wildness and tranquility. It’s many years since the Club last visited Ennerdale.
Ennerdale inspired Wordsworth’s poem ‘The Brothers’ in 1800 after he and Coleridge visited the valley a year earlier, but perhaps the area’s largest cultural impact has been on the sport of rock climbing. It was at Pillar Rock in Ennerdale that true rock climbing began. Previously thought unclimbable, local shepherd John Atkinson scaled The Pillar Stone (as it was known then) in 1824 and kick-started a passion that climbers from all over the world share to this day.
Ennerdale gives access to many of the western fells (20+ Wainrights, including Pillar, Steeple, Kirkfell, Haystacks, High Stile and Red Pike as well as many lesser known fells) and also to several important crags for climbing (Pillar Rock, Ennerdale Face of High Stile, Raven Crag, etc.).
This long weekend away (Thursday to Sunday) will be based at Low Gillerthwaite Field Centre in the heart of the dale with easy access to surrounding fells and crags. This is a self-catering independent hostel with five dormitories/40 beds. The LGFC has separate male and female toilet/shower facilities, two lounges, a dining room with five tables and benches, and a kitchen.
Of particular note outside are opportunities for additional recreation – bird-watching, river swimming and star-gazing. Swimming is not permitted in Ennerdale Water but the nearby River Liza has many pools for swimming. Ennerdale is a Dark Sky Discovery Site, offering some of the most spectacular night skies in England (on a clear night!).

Trip: Bernese Oberland, Switzerland
2025-06-28 09:30 - 2025-07-05 17:00 (Europe/London)
This trip is fully booked.

Weekend Club Climbing trip: South Pembrokeshire (Trad)
2025-07-26 - 2025-07-27
Weekend climbing in South Pembrokeshire- camping at Bosherston (tbc via WhatsApp/email).
Parking at St Govan’s (tbc via WhatsApp/email).
More details to follow but keep an eye on the WhatsApp climbing channel for any updates.
Climbing meets are weather dependent and can change at short notice. Please contact the organiser for more information.

Climb: Elan Valley (trad & sport)
2025-08-31 10:00 - 19:00
Climbing at Craig Cnwch, Elan Valley.
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/craig_cnwch-11044/
Meet at Elan Valley visitor centre at 10-10.30 on the Saturday and Sunday (to be confirmed nearer the time depending on the weather) Many climbs across the grade range both trad and sport. There are a number of campsites nearby. Please be aware of grazing sheep. Therefore, dogs will need to be on lead at all times.
Climbing meets are weather dependent and can change at short notice. Please contact the organiser for more information.

Club trip: North Wales scrambling weekend
2025-09-12 - 2025-09-14
Contact Jo Dodd for more information.

Club weekend trip: Borrowdale, Lake District
2025-12-04 - 2025-12-07
Club weekend trip in Borrowdale, Lake District staying at High House, Seathwaite.
Please contact Alex Hardisty if interested.

Club Winter trip: Corran, Scotland
2026-02-15 - 2026-02-20
Bunkhouse accommodation has been booked at Corran which is half way between Glen Coe and Fort William.
15 places reserved at the Corran Bunkhouse from Sunday 15th February to Friday 20th 2026. For more details on the bunkhouse, see their web page: www.corranbunkhouse.co.uk
Deposit of £50 per person to be paid into the GMC account (see recent email for details). Deposit needed by 25th September otherwise places may be lost as it is booking up fast.
When you have paid (or if you have any queries), please let John Singleton and Helen Lewis know.

Club trip Shropshire Weekend
2026-04-10 - 2026-04-13
Shropshire Weekend at Bridges YHA.
The booking is for the Friday and Saturday nights of April 10th – 11th, with an optional extra night of Sunday April 12th.
Deposit required by 26 September. See recent email for details.

Club trip: 'The Skerries'
2026-04-16 - 2026-04-21
Please refer to Rob’s email sent 4th February 2026 for the finer details about this trip to ‘The Skerries’ or ‘Ynysoedd y Moelrhoniad’ in North Wales, where Rob is looking to complete his hill-bagging ‘The Huws’ list, by bagging his 100th and final ‘Huw’ there.
Please contact Rob via email if you’re interested in joining the trip which is offered on a first come first serve basis.

Club trip: The Skerries / Ynysoedd y Moelrhoniad
2026-04-17 - 2026-04-19
The Skerries / Ynysoedd y Moelrhoniad are a group of sparsely vegetated rocky islets lying 3 kilometres offshore from Anglesey. In hill-bagging terms, they represent the last tick in the list of Huws – 100 great Welsh hills under 2,000 feet. As well as ticking a summit, there are opportunities for bird-watching and seal spotting.
Rob, the organiser of this trip has obtained special permission to land for a few hours and has arranged a charter boat from Holyhead (£70 fare per passenger).
The visit, which is weather dependent, will take place for one day during the period 17th – 19th April 2026. This is a three-day window of opportunity, allowing participants to be in the area waiting for the right weather conditions.
Participants will need make their own arrangements for accommodation and travel.

Climb: Elan Valley (trad & sport) 50@50 crag
2026-06-13 - 2026-06-14
Climbing at Craig Cnwch, Elan Valley. 50@50 crag
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/craig_cnwch-11044/
Climbing meets are weather dependent and can change at short notice. Please contact the organiser for more information.

Weekend Club Climbing trip: South Pembrokeshire (Trad) 50@50 crag
2026-07-17 - 2026-07-19
Weekend climbing in South Pembrokeshire- camping at Bosherston. 50@50 crag
Climbing meets are weather dependent and can change at short notice. Please contact the organiser for more information.

Club trip: Brenta Dolomites, Via Ferrata
2026-08-08 - 2027-08-15
The Club are planning a trip to do the Bochette Way from 8-15 August 2026 in the Brenta Dolomites north of Lake Garda in Italy. It’s a high level mountain journey at about 2500m altitude linking mountain huts using rough paths and Via Ferrata. The trip would be organised through Mountain Tracks using International Mountain Guides. Start and finish would involve hotel nights in Madonna di Campiglio with flights probably to Venice or Milan with bus and train transfers. In addition, there would be costs for Rescue/Cancellation insurance etc, planes, trains, buses, ski lifts, lunches and drinks plus hotel dinners.

The trip would be guided on a 1:6 ratio and we will be limited to 12 members. You should anticipate a week of 5-7 hour days on rocky paths with scrambling and easy climbing with the most exposed sections protected by steel cables. You must have a good head for heights and be steady on your feet on rough ground .

You will need crampon compatible boots plus crampons ,ice axe, helmet, harness and energy absorbing lanyard- it may be possible to hire some of these things.

Please reply to Mark Carey in the first instance. A deposit and cancellation insurance will need to be arranged to secure a place. See recent email for details.

Club trip: Betws-y-Coed
2026-10-09 - 2026-10-11
GMC Club Weekend 9-11 October 2026 in the Woodlands Centre. This is a very comfortable hostel that the club has previously used close to the centre of Betws-y-Coed. https://www.woodlandscentre.com/
Betws-y-Coed is well situated and gives good access to the prime walking and climbing areas of Snowdonia including the Llanberis Pass and Ogwen Valley.

Further information and joining details will be provided in the new year.
