The Climbers' Club is the senior rock-climbing club in England and Wales (outside the
Lake District
The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...
). The club was founded in 1898. The CC one of the largest publishers of
climbing guidebook
Climbing guidebooks are used by mountaineers, alpinists, ice climbers, and rock climbers to locate, grade, and navigate climbing routes on mountains, climbing crags, or bouldering areas. Modern route guidebooks include detailed information o ...
s in many of the main climbing areas of England and Wales. The club also owns and operates a number of climbing huts in England, Scotland, and Wales.
Early history
The Club developed from
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
's and
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
' earliest attempt to formally organize and bring together those who were active in participating and developing the "new" sport of
rock climbing
Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...
.
In 1870,
C. E. Mathews
Charles Edward Mathews (4 January 1834 – 20 October 1905) was an English mountaineer, a leading member of the Alpine Club and writer on mountaineering. In his professional career as solicitor he was active in public affairs in Birmingham.
Life
...
founded the ''
Society of Welsh Rabbits'', which was a loose association of climbers who were largely English. By 1897, members of the Society saw a need for something more formal, and forty met at the
Café Monico in London to discuss forming a new Club.
Originally perceived as merely a dining club, meeting once a year in London, one-third of the original members were also affiliated with the venerable
Alpine Club
Alpine clubs are typically large social clubs that revolve around climbing, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Many alpine clubs also take on aspects typically reserved for local sport associations, providing education and training courses, se ...
- generally more conservative and populated largely by alpinists who had little regard for climbing in Great Britain, except as training for the Alps. The first president, C. E. Mathews, was, himself, a pillar of the AC, but supported this new adventurous but parochial initiative. Not without the wry criticism so fashionable at the time, however, as the arch-conservative mountaineer
Douglas Freshfield
Douglas William Freshfield (27 April 1845 – 9 February 1934) was a British lawyer, mountaineer and author, who edited the ''Alpine Journal ''from 1872 to 1880. He was president of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club. He was ...
punned:
[Clark, R. W. and Pyatt, E. C. (1957). "Mountaineering in Britain", Phoenix House.]
:::Why is it to the Alpine Club
:::Our C. E. M. no longer keeps?
:::Why should he found - himself as hub –
:::A Climbers' Club for ''chimney sweeps''.
Huts
The Climbers' Club operates a number of climbing huts.
Wales
* Ynys Ettws (
Llanberis
Llanberis () is a village, community (Wales), community and electoral ward in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, on the southern bank of the lake and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. It is a centre for outdoor activity, outdoor ac ...
, North Wales)
* Cwm Glas Mawr (
Llanberis
Llanberis () is a village, community (Wales), community and electoral ward in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, on the southern bank of the lake and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. It is a centre for outdoor activity, outdoor ac ...
, North Wales)
* Helyg (
Ogwen, North Wales)
* May Cottage (
Pembroke, South Wales)
England
* RO Downes (
Froggatt, Peak District)
* Count House (
Bosigran, Cornwall)
* Grange Old School (
Borrowdale
Borrowdale is a valley and civil parish in the English Lake District in Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland, England. It is in the ceremonial county of Cumbria, and is sometimes referred to as ''Cumberland Borrowdale'' to distinguis ...
, The
Lake District
The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...
)
Scotland
* Riasg (
Roy Bridge, Central Highlands of Scotland)
See also
Other UK Mountaineering 'Senior Clubs'
*
Alpine Club
Alpine clubs are typically large social clubs that revolve around climbing, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Many alpine clubs also take on aspects typically reserved for local sport associations, providing education and training courses, se ...
*
Fell and Rock Climbing Club
The Fell & Rock Climbing Club (or the Fell and Rock Club or FRCC) is the senior climbing club covering the English Lake District. It was founded in 1906–1907 and, amongst its other activities, publishes rock climbing guides to the area. It ...
*
The Rucksack Club
The Rucksack Club was founded in Manchester in 1902 and has a current membership of well over 500 men and women. According to the Rules, "The purpose of the Club is to encourage mountaineering, climbing and hill walking and bring together all those ...
*
Scottish Mountaineering Club
Established in 1889, the Scottish Mountaineering Club is a club for climbing and mountaineering in Scotland.
History
The Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) was formed in Glasgow, Scotland, in March 1889, as one of Scotland's first mountaineering ...
*
The Wayfarers' Club
The Wayfarers' Club is a senior mountaineering club founded in Liverpool, England, in 1906.
In the century of the existence of the Club, Wayfarers have left footprints in every continent and countless countries. In recent years, members' activi ...
*
Yorkshire Ramblers' Club
The Yorkshire Ramblers' Club (YRC) was founded in Leeds on 6 October 1892. It is the second-oldest mountaineering club in England (the oldest being the Alpine Club), and the UK's oldest caving club, active in mountaineering and caving in the Unit ...
References
* Hankinson, Alan (1972). "The First Tigers", J. M. Dent & Sons
External links
*
Climbing clubs in the United Kingdom
Climbing and mountaineering organizations
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