Founded in 1902, the Club has always attracted keen mountaineers who value the company of like-minded people in the hills. We have over 550 members nationally (many based around the Peak and North West England) participating in a diverse range of outdoor activities often at the cutting edge; mountaineering, rock-climbing and hill walking are at the heart of these.
Activities:
Mountaineering. From summer and winter 
in the UK and Europe, to first ascents in the Arctic and expeditions to the Greater Ranges, Club members are active in all aspects of mountaineering. Regular meets in the UK and Europe see members engaging in mountaineering at all levels.
Rock climbing. From our traditional Peak District stamping grounds to the mile-high monolith of El Capitan, 
the Club’s climbing exploits have extended throughout the UK, Europe, North America and beyond.
Ice-Climbing. Regular winter meets are held at our well situated Scottish hut, Craigallan, located halfway between Glen Coe and The Ben. Members are also active on ‘the frozen stuff’ on the continent.
Hill walking. The Rucksack Club is synonymous with (and perhaps notorious for!) some of the most demanding long-distance walks in Britain. The annual Marsden-Edale (and its big brother “The Double”) is a firm fixture in the meets calendar; more leisurely (well, 15-20 mile) walks take place in all of Britain’s high places, and a local weekly walk in the Peak is a fixture every Wednesday throughout the year.
Many members are active participants in other outdoor pursuits too, including:
Fell running. Moving at speed through the hills is a Rucksack Club tradition and Club members hold records for several ultra-distance running feats and have an enviable record in events such as the KIMM (OMM), the High Peak Marathon, the Pennine Way and the classic Bob Graham, Paddy Buckley and Charlie Ramsay rounds.
Biking. We are not a cycling club but a number of members mix their passion for mountaineering and climbing with the enjoyment of the outdoors on two wheels. Long-distance feats have included an end-to-end journey through Norway, pedal powered trips to the Alps and cycling from the UK to Australia.
Kayaking. Paddling as well as pedalling makes an occasional appearance on the meets programme – often with a Rucksack Club twist, for example seeking out the highest kayaking available in the country.
Meets: Our Meets’ Programme (see Meets Calendar for full details) is at the heart of the Club’s activities:
- Over 50 weekend or longer outdoor meets a year with a varied programme reflecting the diversity of Club activities. There are a number of annual favourites such as the Alpine meet, the Scottish Islands meet, the Marsden to Edale (single and double!) and the Gogarth climbing meet.
- Weekly Wednesday evening climbing meets summer and winter. During the summer we meet at crags in the Peak, Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cheshire, whilst in the winter we meet at indoor walls in Manchester, Stockport and Sheffield.
- A weekly Wednesday Walkers group meets throughout the year principally in the Dark and White Peak.
- In the winter we have regular mid-week indoor lectures from members and invited national and international speakers.
Huts: The Club owns three strategically placed mountaineering huts:
- Beudy Mawr, situated in the heart of the Llanberis Pass.
- High Moss, in the Duddon Valley, a great base for the south and west Lake District.
- Craigallan, overlooking Loch Linnhe close to Glen Coe and Ben Nevis.
Each has its own special character and is available for the use of Club members and their guests. For more information, please see Huts.
Communication: As well as this website, we keep in touch via an informative quarterly publication, known as ‘Meetstaff’, which provides details of future meets, meet reports and other general Club news. We also publish an annual Journal documenting the varied activities of the Club.
Other Club benefits: We have strong links with the other leading British mountaineering clubs (including reciprocal rights agreements allowing access to other huts) and the British Mountaineering Council (BMC), so benefiting from its Combined Liability Insurance. Up to 15% discount is available in many climbing shops.
What should I do next? If you are interested and would like to get to know us better, why not come along on one of our meets; maybe an evening at a local crag or a weekend in one of the huts? This is a great way of getting to know the Club and some of its members. We are keen to welcome anyone who is enthusiastic and self-reliant in the outdoors into the Club. To find out more, please click on one of the following:
Click here to see the Rules, Policies and Bylaws of The Rucksack Club Ltd
Click here to see the Rucksack Club Privacy Statement