Peak District - April 2026
Another year, another Peak District trip for the club! The Easter weekend was once again spent bagging some grit routes, with a few of our newer members bagging their first climbs.
With the majority of members arriving on the Friday (except for Paul, who eagerly made the most of the Thursday), members arrived in stages, with some heading off to Stanage North from midday to try and get an afternoon of climbing in- unfortunately finding conditions far too windy and ultimately bailing to find shelter in the Outside store with hot drinks instead!
With plans for the whole group to head to Lawrencefield Saturday morning, the weather managed to stay put and no rain had reached us yet- so spirits were high for the day. The group split off into smaller groups for climbs around the nearby crags: Great Harry, Gingerbread Slab and Roadside Bay. With Paula leading and Sophie and Emma following up Nailsbane, Barry, Toby, Brad, Kloe, Billy and Kateryne were close by having a crack at other routes including Nova and Tyrone. Toby and Ant led their first routes outdoors, with Ant completing Nailsbane VD* at Lawrencefield and Toby leading a route at Roadside Bay with Barry- and certainly came out with spirits high afterwards!
With a full day of climbing and achievements fulfilled, a warm pizza and cold pint in the pub at the end of the day was a much-needed reward for us all.
With Sunday rolling round, some members arrived for the remaining day(s), while others were readying to head off for shorter plans so that they could head home after to make the most of the rest of Easter.
With the majority of the group heading over to Stanage once the weather stabilised (killing much of the time with huge fry-ups and gear shopping..), a few others headed elsewhere, with Challum, Sophie and Paula heading over to Edale to complete a Kinder Scout Circular hike and then heading home from there.
Members then headed to The Little John pub Sunday evening for a well-earned carvery.
With Monday being the final day, the remainder of the group headed to Froggart, with the weather being absolutely stellar to finish the weekend off nicely. Ant seconded Chequers Buttress HVS 5a clean at Froggart, and Kev and Kat had an E2 day- Although Barry wasn’t so impressed with having to second them! Kat also had a crack at Brightside, Long John’s Slab, Pedestal Crack and Brown’s Eliminate.
With wholesome thank you messages from newer members for the climbing experience and tails becoming taller talking about wins from the trip, this was once again a pleasure of a weekend for all!
Shout out to Ant and Toby- who marked their first CMC trip and bagged their first outdoor climbs/leads. ⭐️
Extra Lines from the Committee…
Kev - ‘The recent trip to the Peak District was a brilliant success. With a strong turnout that really showed the strength and enthusiasm of the club. I arrived on the Sunday morning to typically mixed conditions, with poor weather keeping things subdued early on, where the only thing summited were the stairs to the cafe in Outside. However, by the afternoon the skies began to clear, and although we had some strong winds we made the most of it with a rewarding session at Stanage Edge, where members enjoyed some classic gritstone climbing and made the most of the improving conditions.
Monday couldn’t have been more different, bringing clear skies and glorious sunshine. The club headed over to Froggatt Edge, where the dry rock and perfect weather made for an excellent day’s climbing. It was fantastic to see so many members out across the crag, with a great mix of experience levels all enjoying the routes and supporting each other. Trips like this really highlight what the club is about getting people together, climbing in great places, and making the most of whatever conditions come our way!
As Alex Lowe said: “The best climber in the world is the one who is having the most fun.” That spirit was clearly on show throughout the weekend.
We now look forward to our next trip to Dartmoor in May.’
Barry - ‘It was a great weekend even with the changeable weather that didn’t dampen anyone’s moods or ambitions, seeing new faces and catching up with missing friends, an amazing start to the climbing season.’