Ladies of SCC!
In an effort to encourage more of the female contingent to attend meets, we are organising a girls-only trip to the Peak District! This is open to people of all climbing abilities; the idea is to provide a friendly and fun environment to get more female members climbing outside.
We have selected the Peaks as our destination as there is a huge variety of climbing available for all abilities, from the total beginner to the weather-battered gnarly trad expert! The Peaks is also a great location if the weather is not on our side as there are some excellent indoor walls within easy reach.
Accommodation
We will be staying off the beaten track at Heathy Lea hut near Baslow. This is a fairly basic traditional climbers hut with two bedrooms with alpine-style bunks, sleeping 6 in each. There is a decent kitchen, a cosy, open-fire heated living room, and the hut has recently had a shower installed – the height of luxury 😛 More importantly the hut is a stone’s throw from some excellent crags at 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; on Friday most people will eat en route, or feel free to make use of the kitchen facilities/local pubs! Breakfast will be provided each day (porridge), but please bring food for lunch (there are also shops nearby).
Climbing
Gritstone really comes into its own in cooler temperatures so November is an ideal time to visit! The style of climbing is mostly trad, and plenty of experienced climbers will be on-hand to lead up trad routes, 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 scrambling to get to the bottoms of the routes.
What to bring
- Bedding and towels are not provided – bring your own 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, guide books, etc).
- Warm clothing – it is likely to be quite cold at this time of year, so we recommend taking plenty of layers, plus hats and gloves, to keep you warm at the crag
- 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 £56 for entire journey, so split between a car of 4 this is £14 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 sorry boys, this one is for girls only 😉