Each meet has a nominated leader who co-ordinates the organisation of the event.  Members and Prospective members can book their own place on the meet using the on-line Meet Booking system on a first come – first served basis. Guests are also welcome on Club meets, but must be booked by a full Member, who will contact the meet leader to see if there are any available places. If you don’t know any Members, contact the Membership Secretary who will be pleased to help. So what can you expect?

UK Meets

On UK weekend meets, the leader invariably organises the communal catering of breakfasts and at least one evening meal. This leaves you free to enjoy a relaxed start and finish to your day. UK meets are based at a variety of accommodation: we use both our own huts Lowstern and Low Hall Garth, together with kindred club huts, BMC-affiliated club huts, youth hostels, independent hostels and bunkhouses, and sometimes we camp. The meet fees which include accommodation and food are thus very reasonable. You only need to bring your own lunches and evening refreshments. We go out of our way to ensure that Prospective Members and guests are made to feel welcome on all of our meets and they will be introduced to all those attending. They will be invited to join suitable members’ activities at a level compatible with their comfort zone and aspirations.

Members usually share cars and arrive from late afternoon onwards; some having done a walk or climb on the way.  Some eat on the way or in a local pub; others prepare their own meal on the first evening or there may be a light meal of soup and rolls provided on meets in more remote locations. On arrival, there is an opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones through meeting any guests and new Prospective Members on the meet. There is inevitably a discussion about the weather forecast and individuals will air their ideas for their weekend activities and definite plans will begin to crystallise around these. After an early breakfast, members set off in small groups for the day intent on mutually agreed objectives that they consider are within their experience and capabilities, usually decided the night before. The leader does not formally arrange or lead these activities, this is down to the members themselves.

The communal evening dinner is a particular highlight of our UK meets. This provides a very relaxed and convivial end to the day where after pre-dinner snacks washed down with tea or a beer, a good multi-course meal is enjoyed together and plans made for the next day’s activities etc. with lively discussions on any topic you can think of! If your chosen activity means that you or your group will be late back, provided the leader has been informed, you will have a hot meal waiting for you when you return from your epic.

On the last day after breakfast, we collectively clean and tidy our accommodation and set off for a final day’s activities before the homeward journey.  One individual is nominated to write or co-ordinate the meet report detailing members activities on the meet and all are invited to contribute a selection of their best photographs. Meet reports get posted on the website and appear in the annual YRC Journal.

• Read a report about a typical winter meet to Snowdonia – with good weather for a change!
• Week-long trips to different parts of Scotland in May often have good weather. The North West Highlands are always popular such as this meet based at Elphin.

Overseas Meets

By their nature, overseas meets are more varied and we use hotels, apartments, gites, chalets, alpine huts, tea-houses, camping, etc. as needed for the particular trip and the numbers of participants, again this is organised by the meet leader. Activities are again usually undertaken in small groups, unless it is a trekking meet or hut-to-hut tour, when all participants will be generally following the same route – but not necessarily at the same pace! Winter/spring meets to sunnier climes are very popular with walkers, scramblers and climbers alike and even some caving gets done too.

• Read about a typical week-long Spanish winter sun meet to Calpe – the weather is usually this good and these meets are very popular.
• Here is the report of a fortnight in Bulgaria’s Pirin Mountains including some shorter hut-to-hut treks and the traverse of the spectacular Koncheto ridge.
• Read about a typical Himalayan trek from Upper Dolpo to Mustang well away from the throngs in Khumbu and Annapurna.
• Read about a sun-kissed spring meet in Northern Portugal hillwalking, scrambling and climbing a via ferrata in the wild granite mountains of the Penedes-Gerês National Park.
• Read more accounts on the Overseas Meet Reports page.

If you have any good ideas of where to hold a meet in the UK, or Europe or a suggestion for that must-do trek further away, or an expedition that would engage fellow members, our Meets Committee always welcomes such contributions to the development of our meet programme. Please contact the Meets Secretary .