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Date | Meet and Venue |
Meet Leader |
February 1-2 | The Annual Dinner and AGM, Inn on the Lake, Glenridding | Julie Freemantle |
March 22 - 24 | Early Spring Scottish Meet, Pitlochry | Book your own |
April 12-13 | New Members Meet, George Starkey Hut, Lake District | Mary Eddowes |
April 18-22 | Joint ABMSAC/AC Easter Meet, George Starkey Hut, Patterdale | Book yor own |
May 3-5 | Bunkhouse/Camping Meet, Royal Oak, Hurdlow, Derbyshire | Andy Burton |
May 19-25 | Glenfinnan Bunkhouse, Glenfinnan, Scotland | Judy Renshaw |
June 7-8 | Giles Robertson | |
June 8-15 | Peaks and Passes of Mgoun, Morocco | Ed Bramley |
June 28-29 | Rhyd Ddu, Oread Club Hut, North Wales | Ed Bramley |
July 5-15 | Alpine Meet, Hotel Piz Buin, Klosters, E Switzerland Meet full | Pam Harris - Andrews |
July 13-3 August | Joint Alpine Camping Meet, Spanish Pyrenees | Tony Westcott |
August 19-25 | Joint ABMSAC/AC Summer Meet, George Starkey Hut | Book your own |
To be confirmed | George Starkey Hut Maintenance Meet, Patterdale | Mike Parsons |
September 13-14 | Beer Meet, Devon | James Baldwin |
September 20-21 | Alpine Reunion Meet, George Starkey Hut,Patterdale | John Kentish (AC) |
October 4-5 | New Inn, Bwlch, Brecon Beacons | Paul Stock |
October 18-19 | Presidents Meet, George Starkey Hut, Patterdale | James Baldwin |
December 28-January 1 | ABMSAC Twixmas/New Year meet, George Starkey Hut | Judy Renshaw |
Please book direct with the Meet Leader, unless otherwise stated. Contact numbers are in the Newsletter or Journal.
Monday December 3: A Remote Trek in Uttarkhand, India – Chris Loy and Andy Fisher
Tuesday January 8: Nature Protection in the Alpenverein - Tony Cooper
Tuesday February 5: A Lake called Wanda and the John Muir Trail - Alan Schofield
Tuesday March 5: A trek in the Carpathian mountains of Transylvania, Romania - Judy Renshaw
Please make a note of the dates in your diary. See News section for full details.
ABMSAC Annual Dinner and AGM, 1-3 February.
Our annual club dinner has been arranged at the Inn on the Lake, Glenridding, on Saturday 2nd February. 7.00pm for the 7.30pm. The AGM will be at 5:45pm.
We are delighted to announce our Guest Speakers for the evening are Jonathan and Lesley Williams, owners of Cicerone Press.
Jonathan is Cicerone’s publisher and managing director and when he is not in the office he likes to escape to explore mountains, routes, trails and regions and to collect ideas for the future guides and improving existing ones.
Lesley is the Marketing Director at Cicerone, and has enjoyed a lifelong passion for the outdoors and mountains. Her first close encounters with the glaciers and mountains of the Alps came on a geography field trip to Arolla in the Swiss Valaism, and from then on she was hooked.
A four course dinner menu with tea/coffee has been arranged at the advantageous rate of £28 per person. Please book, using the booking form in the December Newsletter, with Julie Freemantle by 1 January 2019.
You are responsible for arranging your own accommodation.
Rooms at the Inn have also been secured at a reduced price of £67.50 p.p per night for B&B in a standard fell room or £80.50 p.p per night B&B for a lake view room (based on 2 people sharing).
If you want a room at the hotel please call them in (Freephone) 0800 840 1245, mentioning ABMSAC for the reduced rate. You will be required to pay a £40 per person deposit to secure your booking.
Alternative accommodation in various guest houses and B&B’s or the Glenridding Hotel is available, check out the internet for availability and prices.
The George Starkey Hut is available as always. Please book directly through the website in the normal way. If you have any difficulties contact Paul Hudson george.starkey.hut@gmail.com indicating the AGM booking and your requirements.
Early Spring Scottish Meet, Shearings Pitlochry Hotel, 22 -25 March
A 'book your own' meet has been arranged in the Shearings Pitlochry Hotel for a weekend commencing 22nd March. The bookings should be for a 3-night (4-day) weekend which is currently £120 p.p. in a double or twin room. (Be aware that Shearings are also offering "3-day" bookings on that date, which are only 2 nights.)
Bookings should be made via the Shearings website.
Please let John or Marj Foster know once you have booked, so that they can try to arrange for the party to sit together for meals
New Members Meet, George Starkey Hut, Patterdale, 12-13 April
This Meet is designed to encourage prospective New Members to attend and hopefully join the Club. Mary Eddowes and her core group of friends prepare a meal on the Saturday evening for everyone, and weather permitting a varied programme of walks is run by Mary and her advisers from the Hut over this weekend introducing new attendees to both the Ullswater valley, our Hut and the ABMSAC.
Contact Mary to book a place on this Meet, and come along and see if you enjoy the experience as much as we all do.
ABMSAC/AC Easter meet, George Starkey Hut, Patterdale, 18-22 April.
The whole hut has been reserved for members to enjoy some spring days out on the fells. Please book your place in the hut.
Bunkhouse/Camping Meet, Royal Oak, Hurdlow, Derbyshire, 3-5 May
The Meet is essentially the same as usual using the bunk barn or camping. The format is to eat in the pub on the Saturday evening, and have a private barbeque on the Sunday evening. There will be a small charge for the BBQ. Activities over the weekend include mountain biking, outcrop climbing and walking.
Details of Royal Oak can be found on www.peakpub.co.uk, telephone 01298 83288.
There are 14 places reserved in the bunk barn, and camping is also available. Camping has to be booked direct by the attendees, and the camping fee has to be paid upfront and in full. A 50% non-refundable deposit of £10 per person per night secures a place in the bunk barn.
If you are camping please let the meet leader, Andy Burton, know so he can include you in the Saturday and Sunday meal plans. Standard pitch costs are £20 per night.
Glenfinnan bunkhouse, Glenfinnan, Scotland, 19-25 May
An opportunity for good mountain walking and scrambling from a unique location. We will be staying at Glenfinnan, located between Fort William and Mallaig, from where there is easy access to several Munros and also mountain circuits at slightly lower levels (Corbetts). The coast is not far away so views of the islands should be possible on clear days.
The bunkhouse accommodation is a converted railway sleeping car, for which we have sole use, at Glenfinnan Station Museum. Nearby is the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct, as featured in the Harry Potter films (with the Hogwart's express crossing it).
Please contact Judy to book a place on the meet and let her know your travel arrangements.
UK Alpine Introductory Meet - George Starkey Hut – Patterdale, 7 -9 June
This is a AC skills meet, based at the George Starkey Hut which is open to ABMSAC members. The focus will be on transferring techniques to members who wish to improve their alpine skills or in need of a refresher after a break from alpine climbing. Informal guidance will be provided from more experienced members within the AC, such as Nick Kekus, Sandy Allan, Victor Saunders and Rob Collister (the team will be confirmed nearer the time). Topics will range from what to put into your rucksack to some basic Alpine mountaineering skills.
You will be responsible for your own transport but lift shares/pick-ups may be able to be arranged closer to the time.
The cost for attendees is £30 for the weekend which covers the cost of accommodation and a communal meal on Saturday night.
For an application form and further details, please contact Giles Robertson giles.robertson@gmail.com
Rhyd Ddu, Oread Hut, North Wales, 28-29 June
The meet will take the usual format, with Ed providing a communal meal with wine on the Saturday evening.
Several members may stop over either on the Thursday night or Sunday. When booking with Ed please let him know if you want to stop over the extra night.
With the Hut, a large House really, being situated right by the Rhyd Dhu path up Snowdon, and the Mountain Railway station, this venue provides a variety of excursions for everyone, literally from the front door.
Joint Alpine Camping Meet, Borda Librada, Pyrenees, 6-27 July
As usual the ABMSAC, AC, Climbers’ Club, FRCC, SMC, LSCC, Pinnacle Club, Yeovil MC & Wayfarers are meeting up for the camping meet. This year’s meet is making a change from the usual 4000m peak areas and will be based at Benasque in the Maladeta Massif range of the Central Pyrenees.
Benasque is at 1100m on the south-western slopes of the border ridge with France. This 7km long granite ridge has 36 peaks with an elevation of more than 3000m, culminating in the highest summit of Pico de Aneto at 3404m. The region offers rock climbing, alpine mountaineering and valley walking in spectacular scenery with hanging valleys, snow-fields, impressive cascades, tarns and alpine meadows.
The camping base is Camping Ixeia, at Borda Librada, 22440 Benasque, Huesca; tel: 974 552 129; http://campingixeia.es/en/welcome-to-camping-ixeia-website. It has an area of wooded grassland of 10,000 square metres, large enough for 120 people.
For full details of the meet and to book please read the factsheet.
ABMSAC/AC Summer meet, George Starkey Hut, Patterdale, 19-25 August.
After the continuing success of this meet we are repeating this summer visit to the Lakes.
The whole hut has been reserved for members to enjoy some summer days out on the fells. It is intended to have a communal meal in the hut, probably on the Friday evening.
Please book yuor own place inthe hut.
Beer Meet, East Devon, 13-14 September
This Meet is run by James Baldwin in its usual format, with him and Belinda leading attendees through the delights of this part of the country over the weekend.
If you have not been you should, this one is a little gem, with the potential for some quite strenuous walking along the Coastal path and inland, as well as ammonite/fossil graveyards, and cream tea emporiums to savour.
Alpine Reunion Meet, George Starkey Hut, Patterdale, 20-21 September
This Meet is intended to allow those who attended the Pyrenees Camping Meet in the summer to gather together again, share photographs and stories, enjoy a communal meal on the Saturday evening, and spend some time on the Fells too!
The Meet Leader is John Kentish, so please book your places with him.
Brecon Beacons Meet, New Inn, Bwlch, 4-5 October
This is our fourth visit to the Brecons in as many years. There are up to 14 places provisionally booked at the Beaconsbackpackers bunkhouse at the New Inn at Bwlch.
The full cost of accommodation is £22 per night, including breakfast.
We intend to eat at the pub in the evenings.
Please book with Paul Stock. Paul will need a non-refundable 50% deposit to secure a place.
Presidents Meet, George Starkey Hut, Patterdale, 18-19 October
The Presidents meet, to be held in the George Starkey Hut, is an opportunity to enjoy good fellowship and a chance to put your views about the club to the committee at an informal gathering. We willbe having a communal meal on the Saturday night - more details later. Note that a short meeting of the committee will be held on Sunday morning.
To book please contact President James.
ABMSAC Twixmas meet, George Starkey Hut, Patterdale, 28 December - 1 January.
The whole hut has been reserved for ABM members to share days out in the fells.
It is intended to have a communal meal in the hut on New Year’s Eve.
Judy Renshaw, is the Meet leader. Please contact her if you want to attend.
George Starkey Hut maintenance meet, Date to be confirmed
This will be a joint ABM/AC Hut Maintenance Meet, bednights will be free to those willing to put in a day's work. There is no pressure to spend the whole weekend working: one day work and one day play is fine! A free meal will be provided on the Saturday night. Jobs will be allocated according to what people feel they can do.
The meet will be organised by Mike Parsons.
Details of the remaining meets will be posted when they are available, Editor