Only two hours from Romsey, this area offers climbing in a wide range of grades. There are single- and multi-pitch routes and some real gems in idyllic locations high above the river Wye.
Organiser: Patrick
Members going:
- Patrick
- Tony
- Sarah
- Alex
- Duncan
- Clive
- Emma
- Matt
- Charlotte
- Roland
- Rachel
- Jim (day trip Saturday)
- Ivan (day trip Saturday)
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For this annual Dartmoor meet we will be staying at the usual “glamping value” site at Langstone Manor, Moortown PL19 9JZ about 2 miles east of Tavistock on the western edge of Dartmoor in the grounds of an old manor house. We have used this site for many years and we know the owners very well. The facilities are excellent with good shower, toilets and washing up, clothes washing and drying, as well as an on–site shop, bar, lounge and eating facilities. The owners are Jane and David. (See the website www.langstonemanor.co.uk).
The contact details for the site are 01822 613371 and www.langstonemanor.co.uk.
As well as camping, there are some wooden Pods with power and lighting for the less hardy climbers. You will still need to bring sleeping bag, mattress and cooking gear. If you wish to book a Pod, please do this yourself as I will only be booking camping places with Jane. There will probably be a deposit to be paid for a Pod, so book early to ensure a bed for the night. Be aware that if we have to cancel at the last minute due to bad weather you may lose your deposit on a Pod booking. Please let me know if you are camping or using a Pod so I know how many camping spaces to book.
We advise you also bring along wet weather walking gear in case the weather turns damp as there are many miles of Dartmoor to explore if we cannot climb. All that is required is a waterproof coat, over trousers, some walking boots and a small ruck sac for food etc.
Organiser: Pete T
Members going:
- Pete Telling -Thursday – Sunday (3 nights)
- Patrick Manuel – Thursday – Sunday (3 nights)
- Lindsey Malone- Thursday – Sunday (3 nights)
- Roland Manuel- Thursday – Sunday (3 nights)
- Rachel Searle – Thursday – Sunday (3 nights)
- John Duffield Thursday – Sunday (3 nights)
- Ivan Kileff – Thursday – Sunday (3 nights)
- Matt Lovesey – Thursday – Saturday (2 nights)
- Jim Kearn -Thursday – Saturday (2 nights)
- John Knight – Thursday – Saturday (2 nights)
- Kirsty Chapman – Thursday – Saturday (2 nights)
- Jamie McCready – Friday – Sunday (2 nights)
- Caron Gaisford -Day trip on Thursday/Friday/Saturday
- Darren & Naomi Waters -Day trip on Sunday
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We’ve booked the Don Whillans hut in a magical location at the bottom of the crag. It sleeps 12 people in 2 bunk rooms. There is plenty of Trad climbing and Bouldering on the finest gritstone on our doorstep at both the Roaches and Hen Cloud. The Trad is mainly single pitch, but there are some two pitch climbs.
Organiser: Ivan
Who’s going:
- Ivan – Thursday – Sunday
- Matt – Thursday – Sunday
- Pete -Thursday – Sunday
- Jim – Thursday – Sunday
- Jonathan – Thursday – Sunday
- Lizzie – Friday – Sunday
- Duncan – Friday – Sunday
- Kirsty – Friday – Sunday
- Adam -Thursday – Sunday (not returning directly home)
- …
This is the second of our biannual RoCs weekend meets to the delights of the Peak District National Park. We will be camping at the usual site near Hathersage at the North Lees (Peak District National Park) camp site. This is about 1 mile due North of Hathersage. This meet is suitable for all members as it is ideal for beginners and the more experienced climbers in the club. If you have never climbed outside on real rock, we can take you up some really easy nice rock. There is a wide choice of gritstone crags to choose from, some with a few multi-pitch routes, but mainly all single pitch with a short walk in.
The campsite is a small friendly site with wash and shower facilities. It also has some wooden Pods if you prefer not to use a tent. All you will need for a Pod is a sleeping mat and bag plus your own cooking gear, just as you would for a tent. There is heating and lighting in the Pods. If you wish to use a Pod, please book this in advance yourself. A deposit may be required for a booking. Please indicate to me if you are camping or in a Pod. At the moment booking in advance is required for camping so you will need to do this yourselves, in groups up to 5 per pitch with a car. If you decide to come with someone who has already booked their pitch with a car, you can add yourself by booking a pitch without a car.
The contact details for the site are 01433 650838. To get to the campsite from Hathersage, go west on the A6187 Main Street and TR before the railway bridge up Jaggers Lane, then TR up Coggers Lane for about 1/2 mile, then TR into Birley Lane. After about 1/2 mile North Lees site is on your left just before a left hand bend. There is a wooden gate (often closed) to enter the site. Ignore the “Campsite full” sign as we will have a booking for Romsey Climbers under my name. We will be car sharing as much as possible due to the limited parking spaces and to save fuel costs.
Hathersage has a couple of pubs, and we will use the Robin Hood pub in Hathersage. There are also food shops and a few Outdoor gear shops so all you need for a weekend away with RoCs. If you prefer the luxury of a proper bed ???? then there are B&B’s, hotels and Youth Hostels in and around Hathersage, but book early to ensure a room. Be aware if you choose to book accommodation and we have to cancel the meet at the last moment due to extreme bad weather, you may lose your deposit with your booking.
Bring along some wet weather walking gear as well, (water proof coat, over trousers and walking boots) just in case the weather turns damp and we decide to go for a bit of a bog trot up on the hills. You will also need to bring along breakfast and any cooking gear required, food for mid-day lunch as there are no food facilities at the crags. We will be eating at a pub in the evenings.
This meet has been CANCELLED.
Members going:
- …
NOTE. Date Change. Now 4th Aug – 7th Aug
This is a weekend meet to the rugged coastline of Pembroke, near to St Davids head. This meet is suitable for all members as it is ideal for beginners and the more experienced climbers in the club. If you have never climbed outside on real rock, we can take you up some really easy nice rock. There is a wide choice of sea cliffs to choose from, mainly all single pitch with a short walk in. You will need to be ok with Abseiling as most of the climbing areas are approached from the top of the cliffs. You will be able to stop at the bottom without getting wet! We will be car sharing as much as possible to save fuel costs. St Davids has a couple of pubs, and some food shops. There is not much else there except of course the Cathedral which is pretty stunning.
Bring along some wet weather walking gear as well, (water proof coat, over trousers and walking boots) just in case the weather turns damp and we decide to go for a bit of a stroll along the coastal path. You will also need to bring along breakfast and any cooking gear required, food for mid-day lunch as there are no food facilities at the crags. We will be eating at a pub in the evenings.
We will be camping at the usual site near to St Davids at the camp site overlooking the coast at Caerfai Farm. www.caerfaifarm.co.uk . This is about 1/2 mile from the city of St. Davids. The campsite is a small friendly site with wash and shower facilities. The contact details for the site are 01437 720548. To get to the campsite head towards St Davids, and about ¼ of a mile before you arrive there, turn left down the lane indicating the campsite. Drive about ¼ mile to the end of the lane and just before you reach the end overlooking the sea, (at a car park), the campsite is on the left, just after a bungalow (which is where the campsite owners live). You will need to book online for your pitch.
THE CAMPSITE IS FULL, so we are useing a different site at Porthclais, which is a 20 minute walk from St Davids. The site is Porthclais Farm site SA62 6RR and the contact number is 07970 439310. You can book a pitch on line by going to their website Camping – Porthclais Campsite (porthclais-farm-campsite.co.uk) and pay your 10% deposit to secure a place. Let me know which nights you are staying and also if you want me to add you to the pub booking for the evening meals. We will be eating in The Bishop pub in St Davids.
Organiser: Pete T
Members going:
- Pete T – Thursday – Sunday (3 nights)
- Matt – Thursday – Sunday (3 nights)
- Patrick – Thursday – Sunday (3 nights)
- Jeremy – Thursday – Sunday (3 nights)
- …
This meet is aimed at outdoor novices and anyone else who needs to ease themselves back into climbing after a long layoff, although all club members will be very welcome. Fairy Cave is one of our favourite ‘local’ venues and is about an hour and forty minutes from Romsey. 
There are many lower-grade routes to learn or refresh techniques and plenty of harder routes, virtually all on amenably-angled slabs, if you want to push yourself.
Organiser:
Members going:
- …
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Spectacular sea cliff climbing on slab rock with great protection. I’m organising this trip on my local patch in North Devon, where we have some of the best trad climbing on the most spectacular sea cliffs. There’s also many beaches close by, so bring your wetsuits and surf boards.
ROUTES: from VD to E5
ROCK: Culm (compressed sandstone) with good protection
ACCESS: Abseil in after a 20 minute walk from the National Trust car park.
CAMPSITE:
Probably Freshwell Camping, Croyde Bay; we can firm up nearer the time.
Organiser: Mandy
Members going:
- Mandy
- …
After several years exploring the northern Lakes from Stu’s Keswick flat (thanks Stu!) this year we’re based in the Duddon valley, an idyllic backwater away from the crowds. I’ve booked bunks for us at High Moss Cottage (grid ref SD237966, a modern climbing hut with good facilities and with some great climbing within walking distance. Twenty minutes away is Wallowbarrow, of which Rockfax says: ‘sits in a magnificent position…friendly grades…rock quality and protection are good’. Just over an hour away is Dow Crag, one of the classic Lakes big cliffs; the FRCC guidebook says: ‘first class climbing…right across the grading spectrum…a superb setting’. There are also lots of other crags within a short drive.
We’ll be sharing the cooking tasks and chores in the hut. I’ve booked six bunks; if it looks like there are going to be more of us I’ll see what I can arrange with the hut warden and I’ll probably need a deposit.
Organiser: Hannah
Members going:
-
- Hannah
- Matt
- Boyd (24-28)
- Stu
- Caron
- Jon
- Darren (Thurs to Monday morning)
- Jamie (Thurs to Monday morning)
- Kirsty
- John K
- Keith S
- …
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Village sign
Late autumn in Spain – the rock’s warm, the beer’s cold and the pool has had eight months to warm up. If you fancy a week sport climbing in a T shirt in October, this is the trip for you! El Chorro has dozens of crags with thousands of routes and RoCs has a copy of the Rockfax guidebook. We’ll explore several areas, probably including some long (40m+) and multi-pitch routes. For more inspiration see https://mojagear.com/sport/2017/06/01/climbing-destination-guide-el-chorro-spain/.
Twelve of us went in 2022 and had a brilliant time!
More details:
Getting there – Ryanair fly from Bournemouth two or three times a week; we’ve done this route a few times and it’s been very efficient.
Car hire – I usually book cars from Malagacar, which I’ve used several times. It’s off-airport (just), the cars are a bit older than the big companies but I’ve found it to be a reliable company.
Accommodation – I’ve rented a house for the twelve members who’ve already signed up. Hannah has generously volunteered her excellent culinary skills again to cater for us in style on most evenings (we’ll eat out on at least one), but everyone is expected to help out with chores. The house is full, but there are plenty of other accommodation options if anyone else wants to meet up to climb.
Money – we’ll have a kitty to pay for all the above, including evening meals. The total cost will probably be £450-500 (including your flights) plus your own insurance.
I’ve booked car hire and accommodation for those who’ve given me their deposit. I’m happy to assist anyone who wants to organise another rental property nearby!
Meet organiser: John H
Members going:
- John
- Hannah
- Matt
- Emma
- Sarah
- Tony
- Adam F
- Kirsty
- Steve E
- Jon G
- Adrian H
- Mandy
- …
CHANGE of DATE and Accommodation! This Annual trip to the snow clad mountains of North Wales (hopefully) will allow any RoCs member to experience some easy winter mountaineering challenges without having to travel up to Scotland. We will now be using the Barn Hut near to Capel Curig on the A5 which we have used previously. It is booked for Thursday 26th – Sunday 29th January (3 nights) and sleeps 30 people, but is probably only good for about 15 max as the kitchen and living areas plus the washing facilities are not really sensible for 30 people! Any members are welcome to join us and you will need to bring a sleeping bag and pillow plus some logs for the wood burning stove to heat the hut. All kitchen and cooking gear is supplied so just bring your own food. The Hut info can be found at www.nlmc.co.uk/huts/guest-barn/
Please post below if you wish to join us, stating when you are arriving and departing. The cost for each person is £10 per night regardless of numbers or how many nights you stay in total. You do not have to pay until after the trip and you make your payment to RoCs bank. RoCs will then pay the Hut owners in one transaction.
As it is a winter trip, bring suitable winter warm and waterproof clothing, a decent pair of mountaineering boots, crampons and a walking axe as a minimum set of gear. Quite often the snow does not settle (or even arrive) so then it can be a bit wet and wild. Be prepared to bring waterproof trousers and jacket and a set of dry clothes for the pub in the evening.
Travel plans will be confirmed nearer the time depending on who is attending. Post if you are interested in joining the Winter crew on this mad adventure full of fun, possibly some winter mountaineering and more than likely a good time in the pub.
Organiser: Patrick
Members staying in the Hut
Pete– Unable to attend now- Patrick (Organiser) – Thursday – Sunday 3 nights
- John Knight – Thursday – Sunday 3 nights
- Roland – Thursday – Sunday 3 nights
- Rachel – Thursday to Sunday 3 nights
- Jim – Thursday to Sunday 3 nights
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