Follow the BUMC on their latest adventures and how weather conditions won't stop our avid mountaineers
Hi all, it's been a while since we last updated the content here. I thought it best to update you on what we have been up to, both in terms of trips and everything else. Since the last time we have had both our Christmas Meal at the start of December, and another pub hike in Refresh Week, both hugely successful, as well as numerous trips. Some questionable weather has plagued us so far, most obviously in our annual Christmas Trip to Wales. This year, we were back in the Ogwen Valley, a similar area to our Fresher's trip, for a weekend adventure of hiking, though little did we know that the classic Welsh weather would be against us the whole way.
Our first day in the hills kicked off with an early hike starting from Llanberis, and we split into a couple of groups, making it a glorious couple of hours before the 70mph wind made sure we were making little to no progress on the slope. We quickly abandoned the attempt, deciding our time would be more wisely spent in the local watering hole, as well as to warm up from the battering winds. Whilst this was happening, some lovely, kind and generous committee members stayed behind in the hut to cook a delectable spread for Christmas dinner (even if there were enough parsnips to feed the country). Surprisingly, the weather was considerably worse the next day, with one group heading to a local dam and another going to a local abandoned quarry. This was not a great decision, and the combination of wind gusts up to 80mph and torrential rain, which tested our waterproofs, forced us to rendezvous at a local cafe before heading back home.
We also embarked on our yearly ISB trip to the Scottish Highlands for some winter mountaineering. This year, our destination was the Northern Cairngorms for a 7-day trip. After a very early morning leaving Bath, we arrived at our lodge after 10 hours of driving. As organised, the club hires experienced guides for this trip, which makes it a more expensive endeavour, but still substantially cheaper than doing it individually. However, this allows us to get the most out of the trip, as the guides can make judgment calls based on the weather to give us the most fun. This was exactly the case this year, as we unfortunately arrived in a bad weather window. Most days were whiteout conditions and too windy to attempt summiting any peaks, but provided the perfect cover to practice winter skills such as ice axe arresting, snow shelters and use of crampons. Despite the weather's attempts to ruin our mood, we finally lucked upon a perfect day, which allowed us to enjoy a brisk 18km walk at a Munro about an hour's drive away. This was easily the highlight of the trip, allowing us to climb a 450m gully (a small valley which, in winter, you can climb due to a layer of snow).
Since this trip, we have had another walking trip to the Yorkshire Dales, punctuated by cloudy weather, but incredible terrain and a fantastic group of people. The main unfortunate point of this trip was the discovery that the hut we had been staying in turned out to be coin-operated electricity and heat, which led to some rather cold mornings and nights, whilst people scrabbled around looking for change. Our members got to witness the Ribblehead viaduct as well as the Gaping Gill, a deep shaft with a stunning waterfall. After the hike, they enjoyed a hot chocolate at the local pub to warm up before watching the rugby and heading home for dinner. Finally, we have just recently had our joint BUCS/Peaks trip, which bundled our BUCS climbers together with a lucky few who got to go climbing in the Peak District. Unfortunately, we were once again foiled by the weather, with the temperature dropping below 0, leading to ice being seen on the rocks midway up the climbs. Fortunately, this didn't affect our talented team of BUCS climbers who absolutely smashed it as the BUCS trials, a high point being Luke finishing 11th place out of all English University Boulderers.
Once again, thank you for checking in on this column!
Luc
BUMC Media Sec 2025/2026