A Brief History

John B Jackson and Jim Burns, Tryfan East Face 1955
John B Jackson and Jim Burns, Tryfan East Face 1955

The Mynydd Climbing Club celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2015, having been established in 1955. In its first years, club activities were characterised by regular evening gatherings at a variety of pubs in the Stockport area and ever-popular coach meets. The search for a hut was a high priority from the earliest days. Among a number of possibilities considered, a promising property near Blea Tarn was just missed and imaginative enthusiasts even extolled the virtues of a derelict pigsty in Bethesda. Eventually, in 1958, a lease was secured on Blaen-y-Nant, an old farmhouse in a splendid position at the very head of the picturesque Crafnant Valley.

By the end of the sixties membership had grown dramatically and the boundaries of club activity were pushed in new directions and to new limits, setting trends and traditions which have continued to the present day. On the accommodation front, determined working parties “upgraded” Blaen-y-Nant, first by joining rooms to make a famously large lounge and kitchen – the former with its roaring open fire – then with a septic tank to provide flushes of relief to ever grateful members.

Mynydd climbing club logo

Bonfire Night at Blaen-y-Nant and a sociable but energetic New Year Walk are long-standing among the traditions of the year, but pride of place in the calendar goes to the excellent Annual Dinner, notable since the early days for elaborate and brilliantly under-rehearsed entertainments. Perhaps the greatest quality of the Mynydd Club over the years has been acceptance of diversity of interest and ambition among its membership. The active age range has become very wide and we are unusual among clubs in that children are always welcome at meets and in the Hut.