Welcome to our Autumn Newsletter, full of news and updates from BBRCC - The Outdoor Club and its members.
Continue reading the content below, or if you prefer you can download the original PDF.
Upcoming dates
Sat 25th Jan 2025: AGM - 4.30pm at Cae Groes
Sat 25th Jan 2025: Annual Dinner at the Princes Arms, Trefriw
Sun 26th Jan 2025: First Committee Meeting of 2025 -9.30am at Cae Groes
Sat 26th April 2025: Committee Meeting - 7pm at Raven Crag
Sat 4th October 2025: Committee Meeting - 7pm - Cae Groes
Full list of dates will be published on the website as they are announced.
Working parties
Consider volunteering on one of our forthcoming working parties. Spend one day helping out and enjoy another day free on the hills. Accommodation is free for volunteers and it’s a great way to meet other members. If you are interested, please contact the booking secretaries for the property or Keith Southwell for Cae Groes (keithjsouthwell4@gmail.com) or Dave Mobbs for Raven Crag (dave.mobbs2@gmail.com). Dates for working parties in 2025 will be published on the website as they are announced.
Join us at the Annual Dinner 2025
You can now book your place at our Annual Dinner 2025. We would love to see a large number of our members attending. Bring friends and family - anyone who loves the outdoors or just wants a lovely dinner!
The Annual Dinner will be held at The Princes Arms Hotel, Trefriw. Saturday 25th January 2025.
Everyone is welcome and it is a great opportunity to meet other members and get some time in the hills as well as enjoying the meal and guest speaker.
Timetable of events:
6.30pm Coach departs Cae Groes for the Princes Arms.
7.30pm BBRCC Annual Dinner at the Princes Arms, Trefriw.
11.45pm Coach departs Princes Arms for Cae Groes
The guest speaker will be Olly Sanders a sea kayaker and climber. A B.C.U. Level 5 Sea Kayak Coach and A.C.A. Advanced Open Water Instructor, Olly has been playing on the Snowdonia and Anglesey coastline for 20 years.
The Princes Arms are offering a set menu which includes 3+ options for each course including choices for vegetarians and vegans. Some examples of the options are pressed ham hock terrine with spiced vegetable chutney and dressed leaves, pan fried chicken breast served with a cider and wholegrain mustard cream sauce, and Steamed orange sponge with orange curd topping and Crème Anglaise amongst many more. You can see the full menu on the booking form.
HOW TO BOOK
Please fill out the booking form which you can find on the Members’ Section of our website
You will also receive an invite by email.
Working parties at Raven Crag
October: Very busy and successful day at the Raven Crag working party. Lovely day for it. Kitchen given a fresh coat of paint, garden tidied, gate post fixed, windows washed, stair carpet fitted and more besides! Thank you to all of our volunteers.
July: The main task for this weekend was to try and sort out the gutter problems that have caused
staining on the paintwork that so many people worked really hard at in previous working parties and also to try something that would give the shower doors a longer life. I was joined by members Simon and Linda Robson who kindly volunteered to assist. I headed up on the 24th just to maximise the opportunity for good weather.
May: The May working party had a focus on painting room 4, a bigger job than you might imagine. A big thanks to John, Vince and Ian Burton for getting stuck into this task and completing it, transforming the room. Of course folk always do more than was expected and the grass had a haircut and the garden a good tidy up. A big thanks to the extra volunteer members for their assistance, Ian Burton, Simon and Linda Robson. Hopefully we can get more help from members in the future.
Dates are usually published on our website well in advance and we would love to see more members joining in. We always say it’s one day of grafting for a second free day in the hills.
New curtains and cushions for Raven Crag
We now have some very lovely curtains and matching cushions that have been made by our member Vicky Poulson. We wanted to take this chance to say thankyou - it has brightened the place up and they are made of really good high-quality material. Thankyou.
The kitchen has also been painted and there is a small air-fryer which you are welcome to use to make cooking meals easier and quicker.
News from Cae Groes
Various work has been happening at Cae Groes, the most exciting of which is the start of the upgrade work to the Units with brand new self-contained showers and upgraded kitchens. Work is ongoing into the new year but we hope this will encourage more members and their families to make use of the beautifully located property in Eryri National Park from mid-2025. We appointed a new housekeeper in May. There have been some improvements and a set of new instructions printed for our woodburner after reports that it was sometimes hard to light.
Upcoming activity weekend being planned
We are currently gauging interest for an activity weekend based at Cae Groes, planned by Shaun De
Clancy. This weekend would likely feature various activities such as walking, running road biking and mountain biking, plus a get together such as a BBQ. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, or would like to volunteer to plan a route for any of the activities, please email shaundeclancy@hotmail.com. We will keep you up to date on this event via Facebook and the website.
New booking system launched
We now have a brand new online booking system to make things quicker and easier for both members to book the properties and also for the booking secretaries to accept and manage the bookings.
We hope you find it quick and easy to use, but there is a help guide on the Members’
Section of the website if you would like any clarification on the way it works. Please ask a committee member if you have any questions. Thankyou to everyone that worked hard to get this implemented.
Well done to our 2024 Eryri Marathon runners on 26th October
Several of our members are regulars at the Eryri Marathon. The route follows the A4086 and climbs to the top of the Llanberis Pass (Pen y Pass 1.100ft). Dropping down to the Pen Y Cwyryd junction, the race then follows the old road along to the campsite until it joins the A498. There is a short, sharp uphill back up to the main road at the campsite. The route then continues to Beddgelert (200ft) and then continues along the A4085 to Waunfawr. From here it is a rapid climb to about 1,200ft at Bwlch y Groes (a short length is unmetalled) and then downhill to the finish in Llanberis.
Paintings by Keith Southwell
Keith very kindly allowed us to include a couple of his wonderful paintings in our newsletter.
A view from Glyder Fach.
A view towards the Glyders and Yr Wyddfa ranges from near Capel Curig.
Member Feature
This is a new feature where we talk to a member of the club. We hope this will build a sense of
community and help you get to know other members using the properties.
Shaun Prince
Lives in: Cambridgeshire
Been a member for: My wife’s family have been members for years
and they introduced me to BBRCC a couple of years ago. We now use the
properties regularly and love being in the national parks.
What is your favourite walk/hike in the UK and why?
My favourite hike, now there’s a question. There are so many beautiful trails that it’s difficult to say, but I think my most memorable is probably the Miners Track up Yr Wyddfa. I remember the feeling of walking around the lake, staring up at the horseshoe and seeing people hiking along Crib Goch. Then the fun scrambly climb from the lake up onto the horseshoe is stunning.
Tell us about your adventures, what you like doing, or about a specific trip.
In 2022 we travelled to the USA for a 6 week road trip which was such an amazing experience. We spent a week in Boulder, Colorado which allowed us time to visit the Rocky Mountains national park and to scale the Flatirons.
The Rocky Mountains are just a giant playground for hikers and I remember being absolutely
overcome by the beauty and size of it. We wandered along a few of the trails and at one point we were sat by a lake watching a pair of moose wander through the trees. We then heardan almighty rooooaaaaarrrrrr from an unseen bear and decided it was probably time to go, so hot footed it back to safety through the deep snow. We didn’t see the perpetrator of the noise, but secretly I was quite happy about that.
Why do you enjoy being a member of the club?
I enjoy being in the club for the community of it all. Being in the national parks, knowing you’re staying with like minded people who all just want to get a good day in the hills.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Want to be featured?
We’re featuring a member in each newsletter - that’s two a year.
To fill out your profile, go to: https://www.bbrcc.org.uk/members-feature Thankyou!
A Munroist’s tale
By Reg Clucas
In February 1982 I went on my first BBRCC Scottish Winter week, which was an annual event back in those days. We stayed at a cottage in Ballachulish, at the foot of Bheinn a’Bheithir, and the two Munros of this mountain were my first.
In June 2024 I visited the Isle of Mull, and climbed Ben More. In the intervening 42 years I had climbed all the other Munros.
Of course, completion of the Munros does not have to take this long. Various things get in the way of it, such as work, family, other interests, and of course the distance one lives from Scotland. Also, in my case, a preference for visiting favourite areas such as Skye, Torridon or Glencoe mulitiple times instead of going out of my way to collect Munros, meant that I only gradually increased my Munro count by picking off hills here and there when on my way to/from somewhere else. It was only when I had fewer than 50 left to do that I started to deliberately target the missing ones.
Some highlights-
The Cuillins of Skye. Truly the finest mountains in the UK, a range of miniature Alps. Many people leave these till last due to apprehension about climbing the Inaccessible Pinnacle. In my case they were among my early Munros, again on an annual BBRCC event. In May 1983 Ian Ashman and I completed most of the Cuillin Ridge ‘on sight’, despite not being able to see very much! - we eventually abandoned the attempt at Sgurr a’Fionn Choire as the weather got even worse. We came back in 1985 and did the entire traverse in better conditions, and since then I have soloed it a couple of times.
Am Basteir and Sgurr nan Gillean, Isle of Skye
Torridon. My favourite mainland area, which I have visited more than anywhere
else. My first visit was staying at the Ling Hut, at the foot of Liathach. (More salubrious accommodation is available at Kinlochewe or Torridon Youth Hostel). I can never tire of the triptych of Beinn Alligin, Liathach and Beinn Eighe, not to mention other nearby peaks.
Fisherfield Forest. In June 1989 I left Kinlochewe at 6am to climb these 6 Munros (subsequently downgraded to 5 when a resurvey showed that Beinn a’ Chlaidheimh was just under 3000 feet!). I returned at 10pm, not having met another soul in the entire 16 hours, despite the fair summer weather. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find such solitude these days.
Cairngorms. I did all the Cairngorm 4000ers on a clear winter day, but with copious snow cover. There was a superb glissade for about 1500 feet from Ben Macdui into the Lairig Ghru. Toiling up the other side in deep snow to Cairn Toul, I was overtaken by two Frenchmen on skis, skinning effortlessly up the steep slope in wide zigzags. We chatted when we reached the plateau, and although they were used to ski-touring in the Alps, they were in awe of the magnificent wild Cairngorm scenery.
Many other individual hills stand out in the memory – the magnificent An Teallach, the splendid isolation of Ben Hope, the remote Seana Bhraigh, the even more remote Ben Alder, a ten mile bike ride from the nearest road.
And so, eventually, to Mull. Many people arrange to do their final Munro with a large group of friends, to celebrate. Whilst not averse to this idea, I was also pefectly happy to do Ben More on my own – after all, around two thirds of the other Munros I did solo, so it somehow seemed appropriate.
‘Compleating’ the Munros certainly gets you to many different parts of the country, and gives experience of many different terrains and conditions. Not all the mountains are as spectacular as Skye, Torridon and Glencoe, but all are worth the effort. Nothing can beat sitting high on a Scottish hillside in a spring breeze, the only sounds being the swishing of the wind and the wildlife, whether a roaring stag or the haunting call of a golden plover.
Ali’s End-2-End Journey Land’s End to John o’ Groats (LEJOG) 2024
By Alistair Lawry
The LEJOG has been on my cycling ‘bucket list’ for along time, so when I was given the ‘Best Ride in Britain’ (by John Walsh and Anna Reynolds) book as a present, the adventure was added to my list of 60th year events!
Using the book as a guide, I set about planning an attempt and identifying suitable overnight accommodation stops. I decided not to follow the most traditional direct route (839 miles) and I didn’t want to attempt breaking the record for the quickest E-2-E cycle ride, which currently stands at 43 hours 25 mins and 13 secs!
My successful 60th Year LEJOG challenge was duly celebrated with a local whisky tasting and another obligatory photo. Overall, during the 10 days, I’d managed to cycle 1,055 miles (1692 kms), in a cycling time of 74 hours and climbed over 65,000 ft (approx 20,000 m).
I mapped out a route of 1,050 miles over 10 days supported by my wife, who’d meet me at a key point midway through each day. This would mean an average of 105 miles per day.
After the obligatory photo shoot, I was waved off at Land’s End by family. The weather forecast looked set to be great all week, in fact it turned out to be too hot at times, and I only had a head wind to contend with on the first day. Travelling South to North I was surely meant to have a tail wind for the trip!
The first couple of days were spent negotiating the continual short sharp climbs and single lane descents of Cornwall and Devon’s roads. This was followed on day 3 by the challenge of cycling
through the centre of Bristol to get to the Severn Bridge, both of which were much easier than I had anticipated.
The weather was brilliant, with wall to wall sunshine, as I made my way through the centre of the country and on day 6, the longest day of the ride at 134 miles, I crossed the border into Scotland. Still 4 more days to go!
Day 8 involved a spin around Balmoral passing the Police notices stating - ‘No stopping’ - and the ascents up to two of Scotland’s ski stations followed by celebratory tea and scones at Tomintoul.
The next day proved to be one of best days of the trip, once I’d left the traffic of Inverness. The journey through the Highlands passing the legendary Crask Inn and onto Tongue was spectacular, with the first and only rain in the last hour before I arrived at the final night’s BnB as dusk fell.
By morning on the last and shortest ride day, the rain had cleared and I was even treated to a strong tailwind to help with the 60 or so miles to John o’ Groats. I made a couple of detours off the planned route, firstly to visit mainland Britain’s most northerly point at Dunnet Head (not John o’ Groats as most may think) and then Duncansby Head, the farthest point by road from Land’s End (just under 2 miles East of John o’ Groats).
My successful 60th Year LEJOG challenge was duly celebrated with a local whisky tasting and another obligatory photo.
Overall, during the 10 days, I’d managed to cycle 1,055 miles (1692 kms), in a cycling time of 74 hours and climbed over 65,000 ft (approx 20,000 m).
Could you become a committee member?
If you love the outdoors and feel that you could contribute towards the running of the
club why not join the committee and make a difference?
We have 3 committee meetings a year as well as the AGM, and you will benefit from free
accommodation in the relevant property - a great chance to combine it with some time
in the hills. We also pay back fuel expenses.
It’s a great chance to gain more insight into the running of the club and bring your ideas
for improvements.
For further details please contact the club secretary Trish Hammett on
Contribute to our website, newsletter & more
We would love to hear from more members of the club. We are always looking for
content to add to our website and newsletter.
If you’ve been on any adventures recently, we’d love to include your story and photos in
our next newsletter stories section.
We also run a Member Feature every newsletter. We are desperate for more Members to
contribute to this!
There is also a gallery of Members’ pictures on the website with a simple form upload
beneath it which is quick to fill in.
All of these features would really benefit from a wider range of members contributing.
Please send anything you feel is exciting or useful to: