Attendance: Jess Bailey, Kosta Belajevs (Associate Member), Jess Pealing, Harry Potts, Sam Rodger (Prospective Member), Gareth Williams.

It had been a beautiful day, Kosta finished work early and went for a walk encircling Winnats Pass and allowing him a view of Elbow Ridge from all angles. By the time the full team arrived at 7pm, it was dark and the crowds had all disappeared. This was quite deliberate, for the BMC advises mid-week ascents of Elbow Ridge either late or early, to minimise the risk of drawing large crowds etc.

After a quick chat we all felt happy to tackle Elbow Ridge unroped, though we decided to put our harnesses on at the bottom of the scramble just in case we felt the need for a rope higher up. Everyone moved smoothly and safely and we were soon at the top, everyone saying they wished the route was several times longer than it actually is. The eagle-eyed among us noted plenty of crampon scratches on the route, something to remember for next winter perhaps? Within an hour of leaving the car park we were back where we started, leaving plenty of time for a visit to the Bull's Head in Castleton.

Thank you to everyone who has come to one of the three Winter Scrambling Series meets this year. Judging by the attendance it has been a big success, if you fancy suggesting/leading a scramble in when the darker evenings arrive next winter, why not offer to lead a meet?

We will be visiting Elbow RIdge in Winnats Pass. Park at the Speedwell Cavern car park (might be pay and display?) for a 7pm start. However please note that BMC guidance suggests this route is unsuitable for groups; all are welcome but if enough members turn up to make an ascent of Elbow Ridge impractical, the backup plan is to go for a walk. Bring harness, helmet, headtorch and suitable warm clothing. Any questions, please contact me direct. Thanks, Gareth

The idea of the Winter Scrambling Series is to encourage people to get outside over the winter months, whatever the weather. All that strength you've been building up at the wall won't help at all! The idea here is to get out for a few hours in the cold, dark and likely wet evenings of the winter, building your resilience and character rather than honing technical skills. Excellent training for those coming on the Club's Scottish Winter Meets where you'll often be out in the dark in sub-optimal weather, or just a chance to try your hand at some type 2 fun if you're not sure whether mountaineering in more challenging conditions is for you. Plus you'll keep your legs hill fit and your trad head on ready for when the weather improves. We'll pick a route from the Cicerone guidebook Scrambles in the Dark Peak and walk, scramble, crawl, claw our way up it, finishing in time for a pint in a local pub.

If that sounds a bit much, don't panic. In reality many of the easier scrambles are barely more technical than clambering over piles of boulders and folk of any ability are welcome to come along, provided you don't mind being out in the cold and wet for a few hours. You'll need warm/waterproof clothing, solid footwear, a headtorch and a willingness to get stuck in, but not a lot more than that.

We'll decide on a venue/route once I know who is coming and what you're interested in doing, so please get in touch. You can register interest via the Add Me button but all the organisation will be done via the a WhatsApp group, so make sure you get in touch if you want adding to the group.

Starting sometime around 6-7pm depending on who's coming/where we're going/what we're doing - details for each scramble will be sorted out closer to the time via the WhatsApp group.

Full, Associate, Prospective and Canine members all welcome.