AY 2023-24: In Review

23-24 Has been a year to remember for the Outdoor Club! We’ve been to 4 different countries, hiked many hikes, climbed many climbs and had lots of fun!

First Term

Snowdonia

Our first trip of the year was, of course, our annual freshers trip to Snowdonia. Unfortunately, the trip got off to a bad start, with half of the members getting stuck in Crewe due to a storm causing their train to be cancelled; however, super president Luke came to the rescue and drove through the night to come and collect them! On the Saturday we climbed a very wet and windy Yr Wyddfa. On the Sunday we climbed in the Dinorwig slate quarry.

Peak District

Our next trip was to a very cold peak district where we camped under the stars On the Saturday we hiked Mam Tor. On the Sunday we climbed in the Horseshoe Quarry.

Winter Tour

For the second year in a row, we headed up to Great Langdale on the beautiful Lake District for some winter outdoors fun :) Unfortunately, we didn’t get any snow, and got lots of rain… We had several wet hikes but really enjoyed the fantastic Langdale Pikes – and in a brief respite from the rain even managed to see sun un the way up Helvellyn. On the final day we decided to stop at the climbing centre in Kendall, so we did get some climbing in - even though it was a long way to go for an indoor climbing session! As ever, the ICOC winter tour did not disappoint!

Second Term

Snowdonia (The return)

Snowdonia is one of our all-time favourite weekend trips as a club - and with good reason. We did part of the climbing and scrambling route that is Snakes and Ladders in Dinorwig slate quarry on the Saturday, before spending Sunday on one of the UK’s most iconic scrambles: the rugged Tryfan. It is still an universal rule of Outdoor Club that the ICOC sandwiches we have for lunch never taste better than they do at the top of Tryfan!

Brecon Beacons

In early March, we made our way to an unseasonably snowy Brecon Beacons. On the Saturday we went hiking in the snow with a few snowball fights along the way. On Sunday we went sport climbing at a crag just next to the town of Ystrad.

Easter Tour

For this year’s easter tour, we went to Geyikbayiri, Turkey, near Antalya for just less than a week. We stayed at the very hospitable Peak guesthouse, where the chef even offered to help cook our meals for us(we assume he took pity on us).
As we were in a very remote area, we had to rely on hitchhiking to get food and water, which was a very new experience for us. To prepare for our daily activities, our members took up morning yoga (with some more flexible than others). We spent most of our time climbing in the local area where members gained experience lead climbing. We also went on a hike to ancient Lycian ruins, which, of course, included an opportunistic swim.

Summer Term

Gower

Following the exam season stress we went for a beach weekend in Wales. On the Saturday we took surfing lessons on Rhossili beach. On a Sunday morning, a rainy nighttime caused the already very steep exit of our campsite to become a mudslide, meaning the poor Union minibus was unable to leave. Luckily a kind local farmer offered to tow us out with his tractor! On the second day, we hiked out to the worms head across the causeway, which is only accessible at low tide.

Jurassic Coast

For our second trip of the summer term, we went off to Dorset to the beautiful Jurassic coast. On the first day, we lived out every geography teacher’s dream and hiked to a very rainy Durdle door. On Sunday, we went to the stunning isle of Portland for some sport climbing in unexpected glorious sunshine. The climbs had incredible ocean views and provided a fantastic opportunity for members to practice their lead climbing skills they had been working on in our weekly indoor sessions.

Summer Tour

What a trip. A week under the beautiful Spanish sun made a perfect recovery after a gruelling year of studying, and set the bar high for the rest of the summer! We stayed in luxury (by ICOC standards) bungalows at a camp with its own swimming pool, situated a mere 5-minute walk from the fantastic climbing crags of Siurana. We spent four of our six days climbing on the ideal Siurana cliffs, and went on two very hot but rewarding hikes - one circular walk around Siurana, and another to the amandined farm at Gallicant. Unlike Easter Tour, we actually had a car (one, for 25 people…) so we were able to drive to the shops to get food (how novel!) and boy did we take advantage… Our feasts were varied, from home-made falafel to spaghetti carbonara (of corse with peas, because president Luke just can’t resist) and the campsite’s adorable cats only got a little bit annoying by the end of the week.