THE GRITSTONE CLUB  was founded in 1922 to encourage pursuits of mountaineering, rock climbing, hill walking, potholing and skiing. Many of our members live near Leeds, Bradford, and other conurbations in our region so meeting for trips is easy. We hold regular weekend and mid week meets throughout the year, plus well positioned club huts in the Lake District and in the Yorkshire Dales. Regular meets internationally each year are also feature.

NEW MEMBERS WELCOME – Expert or beginner – join us on any of listed meets at weekends, indoor climbing, walking, etc to suit your interests.

THINKING OF CLIMBING OUTDOORS? – If you have progressed and started to develop your climbing skills indoors and are looking to take the next step into the great outdoors it would be really good to hear from you.  Here is Collection of articles on climbing background, equipment and skills for you to explore. We can help you understand the practical application, the joys, the freedom, and experience the true adventure and pleasure of climbing with friends and trusted partners.

The Gritstone Club is affiliated to the BMC Find Your Adventure initiative – new members most welcome
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100 YEARS OF THE GRITSTONE CLUB – The Club has a reputation for welcoming new members in the areas of rock climbing, hill walking, mountaineering and indoor climbing. In the early days of the club many new routes in Yorkshire and in the Lake District were done, including the classics Kipling Groove on Gimmer and Great Western at Almscliff. Hill Walking and long distance running plus Artic/Antarctic exploration have all been important parts of the our activities. Alpine, Himalayan, African and North American Mountaineering are also a key part of the Gritstone Club Tradition as well as early cave exploration. On indoor climbing we participated right from the beginnings in Leeds in the 1960s so we have a long and continuous involvement since those early times.</span

CENTENARY EVENT 15th January 2022
The 15th January one hundred years ago marked the launch of the Gritstone Club. To celebrate this occasion we held a gathering, first at Almscliff Crag, followed by drinks, presentations and displays at Almscliff Village Hall (Huby). Recognition ws given to some of our most notable first ascents including Demon Wall, Z Climb, Overhanging Groove, Black Wall, Crack of Doom, Great Western, The North West Girdle, Retribution Rib, Birdlime Traverse all by Arthur Rhodes Dolphin.

OTHER CENTENARY EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Some of the ideas being discussed for the centenary include meets and social events include Almscliff, the Lakes, Rylstone, caving, long walks and fell running events. Also a 100th Anniversary Journal is being worked on – contributions appreciated. We want to a good idea of numbers that are likely to attend the annual dinner so the committee would appreciate your input. Check out the following event links:

  • Centenary Walk 7th to 15th July - Well, it is only 3 weeks to go and here is the itinerary. John A is doing the road support and we will be overnighting at Ribblehead and the Smithy ...
  • Gritstone Club 100 Anniversary Summer Event at the Smithy - We need you! Please come and join us for a celebratory weekend based around The Smithy, Thirlmere from 15 to 17 July 2022. Your guests are very welcome, and we ...
  • 100 year Photo and Video Collection - Photographic and video presentation for our 100 year events next year
  • 100 Crags - So far we have collectively climbed on 108 different crags that span the length and breadth of the UK (not forgetting Greece), from Scottish islands to Cornwall, to Kalymnos and to Sussex Sandstone.
  • Past Presidents Photos 27th July 2021 - A full compliment of past presidents were available for photos – there wether was mixed and wet but Dan did an excellent job of shooting between showers – available for ...

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