Friday 23 to Monday 26 June – All members invited to The Annual Gathering at Great Longstone in the Peak District, 3 nights arriving Friday, leaving Monday.
Members Booking Form (docx): National-Gathering-new-booking-form
Members booking form (pdf) National-Gathering-new-booking-form
(All details about payment and booking on the Form)
It’s a great chance to meet old friends and welcome new ones to a good location.
Where? Thornbridge Outdoors, Great Longstone, Nr Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1NY. In a fantastic location in the heart of the Peak District, this is a perfect base to access the wonderfully diverse countryside and interesting towns/villages. It resides in the small village of Great Longstone where there are 2 pubs, a shop and a local park in walking distance. The Monsal Trail is accessible from the grounds; popular with walkers and cyclists. This flat, traffic free route travels 8.5 miles between Bakewell and Bakewell Mill near Buxton. The gritstone edges of Froggatt and Stanage are also within easy reach. Swimmers may know places on the local River Wye. A drive away is the famous “dragon’s back” walk/scramble of Parkhouse and Chrome Hills. Or there’s Tea and Cake at Monsal Head! There will be Treasure Hunt and a Quiz too.
The farmhouse is a characterful Grade 2 listed 19th Century accommodation building with a charming roundhouse. The accommodation building sleeps 38 with seating in the dining room for 36. The accommodation building has 7 bedrooms, all named after local caverns and caves, with a mixture of bunk beds and single beds. Bedding is supplied but please bring a towel.
For more information, see:
https://www.thornbridgeoutdoors.co.uk/facilities/indoor-accommodation/farm-house/
Organiser Gill Platt has circulated application forms via WebCollect – please use the special booking form to reserve a place.
Public Transport: The nearest stations are Grindleford and Hathersage on the line between Manchester and Sheffield. There is a bus service between the stations and Bakewell for information please see:
https://peakdistrictbytrain.org/tickets-timetables/bus-services-timetables/
Directions: There is a map & directions in the Find Us section at
https://www.thornbridgeoutdoors.co.uk/contact-bookings/.
There are written directions for approaching from all 4 directions. Those with Sat Nav need to be careful that they don’t end up at Thornbridge Hall – their postcode is very similar, and they are just over the road from us but there is no direct link across. Anyone ending up there must drive all the way around their estate to reach us. The Thornbridge Outdoors postcode is DE45 1NY.
Parking: The car park holds around 25 cars, but these are shared with guests in the Lodge as well as the Farm. If it gets a bit packed, there is also space to park out on the road.
Camping: There is a possibility of camping in the ground for a small number of tents but the overall number of places for the trip will be 38 and the charges will be the same.
When? The centre will be open from 4pm on Friday 23rd June. Evening meal on the Friday is either a pub visit or bring your own. Saturday will be organised as usual with suggestions for walks discussed the night before. Dinner at 7 will be followed by the evening’s entertainment, which will include a quiz. This timing makes it easier for nearby members to come just for the day and the social and makes possible substantial walks on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday we are planning a whole bunch of activities during the day and on Sunday we have some Navigation training for those interested.
Training: We have arranged some navigation training free of charge for members who book for the 3 nights. We hope members will take up the opportunity of learning a new skill. There will be a beginner’s session in the morning and an intermediate session in the afternoon. Please indicate on the booking form if you are interested.
Treasure Hunt: A 5 mile walk through fields and woods which passes through gates and stiles, with two quite steep sections.
Covid-19: Please read the RR Covid guidance and the declaration form on the RR website. It is important that you do not join a trip, if immediately prior to the trip you or your household have any symptoms of Covid-19. Cancellations made for any Covid related reason will be fully refunded.