Ladies of SCC!

Join us in the beautiful Peak District for our annual ladies meet! This is open to climbers of all abilities. We have selected the Peak as our destination as there is a huge variety of climbing available for all abilities, from the total beginner to the weather-battered and gnarly trad climber! The Peak is also a great location if the weather is not on our side as there are some excellent indoor walls within easy reach (and lots of nice pubs!).

DISCLAIMER: 

COVID-19: If you plan on coming to this meet, please make sure you sign up below, as this will aid track and trace if required. Please remember to adhere to government social distancing rules and do not attend if you have a shielding letter or if you have or live with anyone who has any of the symptoms of coronavirus. 

For further information Club members are directed to https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-meeting-with-others-safely-social-distancing and BMC document entitled ‘COVID-19 guidelines for groups of outdoor climbers and hill walkers’

Accommodation

We will be staying off the beaten path at Heathy Lea hut near Baslow. This is a fairly basic traditional climbers hut with two bedrooms with bunk beds, sleeping 6 in each room. There is a decent kitchen, a cosy, log burner-heated living room, and the hut has both an indoor loo and shower – the height of luxury 😛 More importantly the hut is a stone’s throw from some excellent crags at Birchen, Curbar and Froggatt, and a 20 minute drive to the world-class climbing available at Stanage Edge.

Food

Dinner will be provided on Saturday night (always vegetarian or possibly vegan depending on who is attending); on Friday most people will eat en route – or feel free to make use of the kitchen facilities or the local pubs! Breakfast will be provided each day (usually porridge), but please bring food for lunch (there are also shops nearby).

Climbing

Gritstone really comes into its own in cooler temperatures so October is a good time to visit! If you are into trad or bouldering, this is the ideal place to spend the weekend. Plenty of experienced climbers will be on-hand to lead, which beginners can then second/top rope. This is a particularly friendly place to start your outdoor climbing career as the crags we will visit are easily accessible with no abseiling or difficult approaches.

For more info on the climbs nearby, check these out:

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/birchen_edge-94#maps

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/froggatt_edge_derbyshire-22?lgn=164157

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/curbar_edge-21#maps

What to bring

• Pillow, sleeping bag and towel
• Climbing gear – harness, shoes, helmet if you have one (we have several club helmets that can be borrowed, please let us know), and any other gear you might have (ropes, trad rack, boulder mat, guide books, etc).
• Warm clothing – it is likely to be chilly, especially in the evenings, so we recommend taking plenty of layers, and hats and gloves to keep you warm at the crag. But maybe sunglasses and sunscreen too – this is the UK afterall so expect the unexpected!
• Wet weather gear – waterproof jackets are a must, and waterproof trousers if you have them
• Sturdy walking boots/approach shoes
• A rucksack of ~40L capacity
• Water bottle(s) (at least 1L)

Travel

Lifts to be arranged closer to the time. This is a 400  mile round-trip, so please remember to reimburse your driver (petrol ~£60 for entire journey, so split between a car of 4 this is £15 each).

Bookings

Please sign up to the event below in the usual way; this trip will cost just £25 including food on Saturday night and breakfast. And sorry boys, this one is just for the girls 😉

*Barn tickets*

I have just added three “barn” tickets. The barn is very rustic – you would almost certainly be sharing it with spiders and bats, amongst other creatures!! If you don’t mind this, it will be essentially free to stay there, plus £5 towards dinner on the Saturday night. You will need to bring a sleeping mat in addition to the above mentioned gear.

If you want to bring your van and sleep in that, you can also book these tickets but PLEASE let me know as parking spaces are very limited.