Welcome to the Lancashire Mountaineering Club Website

The LMC was founded originally as the Lancashire Teachers Mountaineering Club in 1966, since when the ranks have been swelled with new members from all walks of life, so it changed its name in 1986. Current membership stands at almost 200, predominantly from the Lancashire area, but with a number from further afield.

The LMC is a great way to get out into the mountains with fellow walkers and climbers! Rock climbing, walking, mountaineering, skiing, mountain-biking and ice-climbing are activities enjoyed by members throughout Britain, Europe and the World.

There is a meets programme throughout the year, comprising week-day evening, Sunday and weekend camping or hut or bivvy meets. There are often more adventurous meets during the summer months, in the Alps or greater ranges.

The club also have two huts, a caravan in Scotland at Tyndrum and one in The Lake District at Blea Tarn - also known as The Loft. We have some land in North Wales near Bedgellert and plan to build a hut here too. All members get BMC membership, low price to use the clubs huts and discount at selected outdoor shops.

New and prospective members are always welcome. We are a friendly club with a large number of meets, social events and active members. The Club caters for young and old, expert and novice and we boast a broad range of interests and experience. If you would like to come along on one of our meets just contact our New Member Contacts, Will Wheale on 07765 400985, or e-mail us at membershiplancsmc.org. We look forward to meeting you in the near future!!

LMC News

14th March - Castlebergh Climbing Meet

Sunday is down as the Castlebergh climbing meet in Settle. Please let me know if you are thinking of coming, so that I can co-ordinate lifts etc.

Heike - 077177 64584

20th - 21st March 2010 - Working Weekend - Cae Ysgubor

Initial work to clear the site in preparation for the foundations to be laid the following weekend.

More details to appear as we receive them.

1st - 5th April - NW Scotland

For the NW Scotland Easter meet this year (1st/5th April) I intend heading up to the Torridon area again, probably staying in Bunkhouse accommodation in Kinlochewe or nearby.

The plan is to stay at the Caravan in Tyndrum on the Thursday night, then walk or climb in the Glencoe area on the Friday before heading up to Torridon on Friday evening.

Torridon boasts Ben Eighe (and its National Nature Reserve), Ben Alligin and Liatach which all offer hill walking, classic ridge traverses and rock climbing at differing standards. There is also coastal rock climbing at Diabaig and the possibility of winter climbing on Liatach and Ben Eighe if the cold weather lasts. Ben Dearg and An Teallach are also within an hour’s drive.

The guidebooks for the area are the SMC Northern Highlands, volumes 1 and 2.

I am planning to organise bunkhouse accommodation for Fri, Sat and Sun evenings so need an indication of numbers so that I can make a booking. At the moment I have definite interest from four or five (including Oliver Carroll, Gareth Snell, Will Wheale and Mark Gray).

If you’re interested in coming along please let me know as soon as possible.

Andy Bond - Mob 07967 585156

LMC Mingulay meet – 29th May – 6th June 2010

Mingulay is small uninhabited hebridean island situated just to the south of Barra in the Western Isles, the largest of the Barra isles and close to Pabbay which the club visited last year. The island offers a mixture of dramatic sea cliff climbing and unspoilt sandy beaches. The rock is excellent compact gneiss with routes from severe upwards although most of the routes are in the harder grades.

Many of the routes require an abseil approach which, with the absence of any rescue facilities on the island, means that climbing on the island is a relatively serious undertaking.

The plan is to visit Mingulay on the Spring Bank holiday week, 29th May – 6th June 2010, travelling by car or train to Oban, then, as foot passengers by ferry from Oban to Barra (Castlebay) and finally by charter fishing boat from Barra to Mingulay. The fishing boat has a maximum capacity of 12 passengers. The journey times are approximately 5 hours on the Oban – Barra ferry and 1 hour+ from Barra to Mingulay. Hopefully it will be possible to complete the whole outward journey in one day, arriving late on Saturday 29th May. The return journey may require an overnight stop on Barra on Saturday 5th June in order to connect with the morning ferry leaving Barra for Oban on Sunday.

Costs (2009 prices) – the cost of the Oban to Barra ferry is approximately £44 return for foot passengers via Caledonian McBrane. From Barra to Mingulay by Barra Fishing Charters the cost is approximately £70 return. You will need to add travel costs to/from Oban and food/ fuel for a week camping on the island.

Facilities – there are no facilities on Mingulay! All food, fuel, camping and climbing kit will need to be taken in by ferry/ fishing boat. Although there are shops in Castlebay there will be little opportunity to shop there as the plan is that Barra Fishing Charters meet us off the Oban ferry for immediate transfer to the island.

This is an opportunity to climb in one of the most dramatic and remote coastal settings in the UK, where the quality of climbing experience is comparable to Lundy.

Please contact me if you are interested in coming on this meet so I can confirm no’s and dates to Barra Fishing Charters.

Andy Bond - mob 07967 585156

LMC 200 Club

The 200 Club has proved very popular in other clubs and groups and is now being offered to LMC members and their families and friends. It offers the chance to enter a monthly draw, with a guaranteed winner every month.

The member (or family/friend member) chooses to pay £5 per month by regular standing order payment and is allocated a number. They keep this number and their number is entered into each monthly draw, as long as the standing order remains valid.

Of course, more than one monthly 'chance' can be purchased, with a different number allocated for each £5 payment. So it's a great opportunity to buy 'chances' for each member of your family or buy several 'chances' for yourself... SOMEONE WINS EACH MONTH AND IT COULD BE YOU!

The draw also helps the Club with fundraising, with proceeds each month split between LMC Club fundraising, currently focused on the Beddgelert hut, and the winner. The winner receives a cheque for 30% of the month's proceeds and 70% is retained in Club funds.

Each monthly draw will take place with at least 1 LMC Committee member and 2 other LMC members present, at the monthly social meet or regular climbing meet, and the winner’s name and winning number will be displayed on the LMC website each month.

Download the application form here

Important Information about The Loft

The LMC has received a number of complaints from the residents of Blea Tarn House (next to the Loft) about the behaviour of people using the Loft and the Solitary. This is very unfortunate as they have been perfect neighbours and we wish to maintain a good relationship with them both now and in the future.

The Committee asks all groups and individuals using the Loft to ensure these simple basics are adhered to:

• Switch off music systems prior to your arrival.
• Close the gates immediately after using them.
• Do not park anywhere in the yard other than in our parking area, next to the Loft.
• Do not venture into any of the garden areas.
• Do not disturb the people at Blea Tarn house and be aware that they have young children who go to bed early.
• Be quiet by the house and within our car park, especially after 9.00 pm.
• Do not take vehicles into the yard after 11.00 pm. Late arrivals must be unloaded from the road and then parked overnight on the National Trust car park at Blea Tarn, which is about ten minutes' walk away.
• Only 6 cars can be parked on our car park, additional vehicles should use the National Trust car park at Blea Tarn.

Dave Sudell - LMC Hut Bookings Secretary

Summer Newsletter

Click here to download the September 2009 Newsletter.

Spring Tuesday evening meet list

Download the latest LMC evening meets.

New meet reports

Mountain Bike Meet 29th November 2009 - Richard Toon

Loft Maintenance Meet 2009 - Bernard Smith

Potholing Meet - Richard Toon

Turkey - Martin Jolly

Club Related News

Hoghton Clean & Climb Day

We have the go ahead for a second clean-up session at Hoghton on Saturday March 13th. Last month we cleared the big trees from the bottom of Hoghton Wall and Rhodedendron Buttress, and so this session will be devoted to cleaning the routes in the morning, and climbing them in the afternoon.

Bring gear for abseiling, plus some gardening gloves and trowels or secateurs as well as a nice stiff brush. There is quite a bit of work to be done, so there we will need a good turn out. My estimate that there at least 20 routes to clean up, so that requires at least a couple of dozen of us. So if we can get a good turn out starting at about 10 am, we should be able to break the back of the work and have the crag ready for our climbing season by shortly after midday.

With the trees down the rock will get much more light and air and it should stay in condition for much longer. So providing that we can get the longer access period that we are negotiating for, the increased traffic should keep the rock in condition and it should get back to its previous state.

Also, please note that the plans for a clean-up at Wilton have had to be put back. I will let you know when a date is agreed, but it is likely to be some time in April.

If you haven't been on a clean-up before, please give us your support. If you have been on other clean-ups, you will know what can be achieved. In any event, please note that this is our last chance to clean up the crag for this season. Also, a good turn out will provide useful evidence of our commitment to Hoghton, which will not extremely useful in our negotiations for an increased season.

Extensions to the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks

Natural England have published proposals to extend the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District National Parks, to take in several areas, especially the Howgills.

The LMC Committee discussed this briefly and asked to make a response to the consultation, giving broad support to the proposals. The deadline is mid-March.

There are several areas, too complicated for me to try to describe briefly!! But we do know them, as they include, for example, the area around the Shap Wells Hotel; Scout Scar near Kendal where there is an excellent small crag; the Howgills where we have had recent mountain-bike and walking meets; and Leck Fell where we have pot-holed in recent years.

Full details are available on this link. You could make a response as an individual or you may pass this on to other organisations or individuals who might be interested. The company contracted to provide the information about the proposals and to conduct surveys of opinion are focussing on people living in the immediate areas - not those of us living in or close by the large conurbations.

If you have any views you would like me to reflect in the LMC response, please contact me. I wasn't going to look at the exact boundaries of the proposals, but if anyone has any detailed knowledge, do let me know.

Richard Toon - 07771 946641

Up and Coming Meets

MARCH

Various dates - March - Winter Mountaineering Trips – Weather dependent

Will Wheale - 07765 400985 or Andy Bond - 07967 585156

Sun 14th - Castlebergh Crag/Wall (Weather dependent)

Heike Funke – 07717 764584

19th - 21st - Welsh Hut Working Weekend

Richard Toon - 07771 946641

Sun 28th - Mountain Bike Excursion

Iain McClellan – 07813 336619

Tues 30th - Evening Rock Climbing Commences

Jon Banks – 01204 469850

APRIL

1st - 5th - Easter Meet – NW Scotland

Andy Bond – 0161 763 6958

16th - 18th - Lake District Meet – The Loft

Jason Whiteley - 07765004222

Sun 25th - Orienteering Meet

Pete & Jenny Corr – 01254 831022

MAY

1st – 3rd - Long Walk Meet

Claire Smith – 01254 674544

Tuesday 4th May - LMC Auction in Aid of Hut Funds

The Black Dog, Belmont

Sun 9th - New Members Meet - Stanage

Andy Bond – 0161 763 6958

14th - 16th - Coniston Meet

Mark Braithwaite – 07899 845220

Sun 23rd - Malham

Kate Hawkins – 07800 561338

28th - 31st - Bank Hol Weekend – Isle of Skye

Jason Whiteley - 07765004222

29th – June 6th - Mingulay – Hebrides

Andy Bond – 07967 585156

Participation Statement

The LMC and BMC recognises that climbing and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death.

Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement.