Exploring and learning while out on outdoor adventures.
Back in the spring of 1998, university life was still new enough to feel exciting, and climbing was fast becoming more than just a hobby. That year, the Warwick University Mountaineering Club (WUMC) trip to Swansea marked a turning point for me: my first experience of sea cliff climbing, my first abseil into a route …
Continue reading “Swansea and Sea Cliffs: Learning the Ropes with WUMC”
I remember that morning well. It was the tail end of 1997, and the excitement of heading to the National Indoor Arena (NIA) for Climb 97 was enough to get me out of bed in a flash. I was staying overnight at my friend’s place in Derbyshire, and we had planned an early start. After …
When I signed up for my first trip with Warwick University Mountaineering Club (WUMC) in the autumn of ’97, I pictured a weekend of peaceful cragging, fresh air and a chance to make new friends. What I got instead was a chaotic convoy, boisterous hut games and a Land Rover painted like an ambulance. Back …
Continue reading “First WUMC Trip: A Fresher’s Baptism of Fire”
There are certain places that become spiritual homes over time, where friendships deepen, passions thrive and mishaps turn into cherished memories. For me, Derbyshire is one such place. A quaint little cottage called Sunnyside, perched on the hillside above Matlock, often lay at the heart of these adventures. In the autumn of 1997, newly freed …
Continue reading “Sunnyside Jaunts: Climbing, Curry and Cups of Tea in Derbyshire”