“The Lancs” is a traditional club which has moved with the times. We embrace all types of climbing activity from adventure climbing (trad), sports climbing and deep water soloing, to Scottish winter & alpine mountaineering. Whatever your thing, you’ll find members doing it; and, what’s more, they’ll welcome you to join in the fun and help you to develop your skills and widen your interests. The centre of gravity of the club is the Bolton/Blackburn/Preston/Warrington area, though we have a strong sub-group in the Welsh borders and members in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and all over the North-West.
We have a very full programme of climbing and caving meets throughout the year. Most weekends will see a one or two day meet, with The Peak, The Dales, North Wales and The Lakes being the most favoured venues. Holiday weekends will see meets taking place further afield such as Cornwall, Pembroke, The Gower, Scotland etc. Most years there are trips to warm sport-climbing venues, while at the other extreme there is a keen group of winter climbers who visit foreign and British venues. In the summer months there is a programme of evening meets primarily in Lancashire quarries and winter sees regular meets in various indoor climbing walls.
We have two huts which are available for the use of members, one in the Lakes and one in North Wales. Tranearth, a converted barn and cottage, is beautifully situated on the bridleway from Torver up to Dow Crag; while Dan-y-Mynydd, a small terraced quarryman’s cottage, lies within walking distance of the pleasant Moelwyn crags near Blaeneau Ffestiniog.
While the club cannot take on the role of formally inducting novices into the technicalities of climbing, new and inexperienced members will find the club a friendly and encouraging environment in which to develop their skills, with many members more than willing to help and advise. Full membership of the club is open to anyone of 18 years or more who successfully completes a probationary period of Graduate Membership during which he/she will be expected to attend meets and demonstrate a minimum competence in either climbing or caving skills.
