What we’re about
Welcome to Sheffield Mountaineering. We are a long established and very friendly group for people who enjoy exploring mountains and hills in the UK without being solely focused on rock climbing (although we do plenty of that too). Being based in Sheffield we take full advantage of the Peak District as well as making regular trips away to Snowdonia, the Lake District, the Scottish Highlands and the great mountain ranges of mainland Europe.
Our main activities include scrambling, rock climbing, winter climbing, hiking, caving, abseiling and indoor climbing. We cater for all levels of ability and experience so whether you’re a seasoned Alpinist, just a hill walker looking to move on to something a bit more adventurous or anything in between, you have come to the right place. All our outings take place under the guidance of an experienced mountain leader.
Membership of our group is absolutely free but at each of our events we do appreciate donations of £2.00 per person towards our substantial MeetUp fees and other operating costs. We do not wish to make any profit from our mission of facilitating mountain outings for like minded people under professional level guidance but if those benefiting from our activities can help out with our expenses in some small way it is always very welcome. Please see the notes below and hope to hear from you soon....
Important Notes:
This Meet Up group provides an informal means of meeting fellow mountain enthusiasts and enjoying what the great outdoors has to offer. Although there is always an element of knowledge sharing, it is not a Club or Training/Coaching group and therefore members of the group should not expect to receive any special training or instruction. While mountain safety is always our number one priority, at the end of the day as with any other voluntary activities, you remain responsible for your own Health, Safety and Well Being. For any of the Meet Up activities, please ensure you are comfortable with what you are doing and that you are fully informed of the risks. Any doubts at all then please ask. The group does not have any insurance and cannot accept responsibility for the actions of its members.
Please note the following BMC Participation Statement:
"The BMC recognises that climbing, hill walking 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."
Route: Y Gribin Ridge, Mount Snowdon, Y Lliwedd
Meet at: Nant Peris car park on the A4086 just east of Nant Peris village, OS map reference SH607581, approx postcode LL55 4UF. From there we will use the park and ride service. This is the only realistic way of doing it these days. The only alternative is to book Pen Y Pas car park well in advance at a cost of £20 which is non refundable if the event is rained off. The park and ride works out so much cheaper. As an environmentally conscious group, we actively encourage car sharing. Further details of car sharing arrangements from Sheffield, Manchester and elsewhere will appear in the comments section nearer the time.
Well it had to happen sometime. The first ever Sheffield Mountaineering trip to Mount Snowdon. As the highest peak in England and Wales, this iconic mountain needs no introduction. Its unmistakeable and spectacular conical summit towers over the national park named in its honour and dominates the North Wales skyline for miles around. Our route of ascent will eschew all the busy tourist paths and instead take a much lesser trodden exciting but amenable ridge scramble.
Y Gribin Ridge (not to be confused with its namesake in the Ogwen Valley) rises dramatically from the picturesque tarn of Glaslyn to reach the skyline close to the summit of Mount Snowdon. It is a fairly broad ridge with various possible lines, all offering high quality easy grade scrambling.
The full day will include a steady hike up the lower part of the Pyg Track to the col at Bwlch Y Moch before a descent overlooking the reservoir of Llyn Llydlaw followed by a Grade 1 scrambling ascent of Y Gribin Ridge then on to the summit of Mount Snowdon at 1085 metres from where we will follow the second half of the famous Snowdon Horseshoe over the jagged crest of Y Lliwed and on down the Miners Track to take us back to our starting point at Pen Y Pas.
More information and photos on the Y Gribin Ridge scramble can be seen here:
https://www.livefortheoutdoors.com/routes/hiking/how-to-scramble-y-gribin-ridge-snowdon/
Difficulty: Grade 1 scrambling. For more information on scrambling grades see:
https://www.thebmc.co.uk/understanding-scrambling-grades
Experience Required: Some previous mountaineering/scrambling experience with our group is recommended.
Duration: Approx. 9 km with height gain of approx. 800 metres. Estimated time 6 to 7 hours.
Ordnance Survey Map: Outdoor Leisure 17 Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa 1:25,000 scale.
Guidebook: Scrambles in Snowdonia 2017 edition, published by Cicerone Press.
As always, if everybody wants to contribute £2.00 towards our Meet Up site fees and other operating costs that will be great, thanks.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Bouldering @ Over Owler TorSurprise View car park, Hope Valley S32 1DA
The underappreciated but great bouldering venue equipped with nice skin shredding rock. Bring your plasters...
NOTE: Over Owler Tor is NOT directly across the road from the car park, that's Owler Tor. We will be HERE
Fee: £2 (either send direct to Gerry or give to me pass on) - being hosted by Meetup costs a big bunch of cash each year, so the £2 keeps us going.
Meet at: Surprise View car park
Venue Location: HEREWhat to bring: Climbing shoes & chalk. Bouldering mat if you have one.
Grades: Easy to not so easy... (Grade overview)
- Awesome Walls Indoor Climbing SheffieldAwesome Walls Climbing Centre, Sheffield, Sheffield
***Not suitable for beginners. You'll need to be able to belay safely to participate in this meetup
Come join us for a bit of mid-week climbing fun with top rope & lead climb options. You will need to be registered with Awesome Walls, which includes being able to belay & tie a figure of 8 (see 'New to climbing' below).
People tend to arrive between 6-7pm, though feel free to arrive at any time. Any problems with finding the group then ask for me (David Reeves).
There are typically between 5-10 people each week, mostly lead climbers. Abilities vary going up to approximately '7a' standard.
Most of us climb outdoors as well - at least when the weather is favourable!
Prices: £10 members / £12 non-members (paid to the venue on arrival)
Pricing options: HERE**Register with Awesome Walls HERE
New to climbing: Get in touch if you're new to climbing. Awesome Walls also run taster sessions HERE
How to find us: Ask for myself, David Reeves, at reception and they will point you in the right direction
- Scrambling and Hiking, Torside and BleaklowTorside Car Park - Peak District NP, Glossop
Route: Torside Clough, Bleaklow Head
Meet at: Torside Reservoir car park on the B6105 just off the A628 Woodhead Pass road. OS map reference SK068983.
Torside Clough is a long and entertaining scramble leading all the way from the valley floor to the Bleaklow summit plateau. The scrambling is easy enough for the most part but raised water levels and/or winter conditions can certainly add a bit of interest at this time of year.
The full day will include a short walk in along the Longenden Trail, a long pleasant easy Grade 1 scrambling ascent of Torside Clough and a hike to Bleaklow Head before returning via the Pennine Way, Clough Edge the Longenden Trail.
Photos of some of our previous outings to Torside and Bleaklow can be seen here:
https://www.meetup.com/sheffield-mountaineering-rock-climbing-meet/photos/33513356/
https://www.meetup.com/Sheffield-Mountaineering-Rock-Climbing-Meet/photos/31211890/
https://www.meetup.com/Sheffield-Mountaineering-Rock-Climbing-Meet/photos/30661682/
Difficulty: Grade 1 Scrambling (suitable for beginners). For more information on scrambling grades see:
https://www.thebmc.co.uk/understanding-scrambling-grades
Experience Required: Some hiking/hillwalking experience would be beneficial along with a sense of adventure and preparation for any weather.
Duration: Approx. 12 km with total height gain (from car park to Bleaklow summit plateau) of approx. 400 metres. Estimated time 5 hours.
Ordnance Survey Map: OS 110 Sheffield & Huddersfield Landranger 1:50 000 Scale.
Guidebook: Scrambles in the Dark Peak published by Cicerone Press.
As always, if everybody wants to contribute £2.00 towards our Meet Up site fees and other operating costs that will be great, thanks.
- Beginners Climbing @ Windgather RocksWindgather Rocks, High Peak
This outdoor climbing meet is for people wanting to give outdoor climbing a go as well as people who've done some climbing & wanting to try some slightly more harder routes. There will be both rope climbing and a small amount of bouldering (no ropes) so you can try a bit of each. All routes are generally not high at around 8 to 10m.
NOTE: This is a more formally organised event where we'll have a range of climbs already set up & a number of people to help you through the day.
Aims of the day:
- Climbing a range of lower / mid-grades, on ropes & bouldering
- Understand the climbing grades
- Tying the essential climbing knot, the figure 8
- Learning to top-rope belay
- Opportunities to climb more
NOTE: This is simply an introduction to climbing led by people in the group with experience and not by qualified guides/instructors and it is NOT a learning trad climbing course and there is NO insurance provided.
Sheffield Mountaineering 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. We will do everything possible to keep you safe but we are NOT responsible for any accidents you may have. By signing up and coming to the event you agree to all of this.
Fee: For those coming with just the minimum required equipment & benefiting from this opportunity to gain climbing experience there will be a very modest event fee of £5.00 to go towards wear & tear on climbing ropes & gear provided as well as our operating costs. There will be NO FEE for experienced climbers bringing gear & helping others.
Meet at: Windgather Rocks HERE. It's approx an hour from Sheffield / 45mins from Manchester
Parking: There is limited parking here but also some at Pym Chair car park HERE and HERE 1km away.
What to bring:
Roped climbs - Climbing shoes, harness, belay plate with screwgate carabiner & helmet.Bouldering - Climbing shoes
Grades:
Roped climbs - Some good lower beginner grades (Moderate, Diff, VDiff, and HVD) as well as a few mid-grades (Severe, HS & VS's).Bouldering - Mainly low grades (f3 & f4's) but some higher (f5, f6A & 6B's).
