Best of BMC TV: Top five mountain inspiration films

BMC member Wayne Andrews from Bettws, South Wales has started a hill walking group for people who suffer with their mental health or an addiction, called Forever In The Hills.

The hugely popular BMC/British Mountain Medicine Society Mountain Medicine Weekend is taking place on 18-19 May 2024 in Hathersage, Peak District.

This May is National Walking month, so to celebrate the power of a good old stomp around the UK’s countryside, nine of the BMC staff have shared their favourite hike. From fossil-hunting in the Peak District and airy Scottish scrambling to the Via Alpina in Switzerland, one of these is bound to tickle your fancy this spring or summer. Better still, with the BMC collaborations with Komoot and HotelPlanner, you can plan and navigate your route and find your accommodation for your trip for less!

Worryingly, small adder populations could be extinct by 2032 unless we act now to help conserve them. The North Pennines National Landscape are asking BMC members to help them record sightings these native UK snakes to better understand their distribution and improve conservation efforts. Their Adders Up project started in February 2024 and will run for three years, hoping to achieve positive outcomes for the conservation of this enigmatic and threatened reptile.

On this year’s Earth Day, Monday 22 April 2024, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) would love you to donate the cost of your usual cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate to The Climate Project charity campaign. Will you take part?

The Watkin Path up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and the peat hags on neighbouring mountain Glyder Fach have benefitted from BMC volunteer improvement work on the latest Get Stuck In event, 15-16 April 2024. This was organised by Hill Walking Rep Steve Charles and Access & Conservation Officer (Wales) Tom Carrick as part of the Mend Our Mountains project, funded by the BMC Access & Conservation Trust.

A list of retailers and organisations who can help you re-use, repair or recycle your old or unwanted clothing and outdoor kit.

This April saw the BMC’s first volunteer day in Pwllheli, North Wales, partnering with The Seagrass Ocean Rescue project and North Wales Wildlife Trust as part of the BMC’s The Climate Project. Two more dates are planned for May and August.

The BMC’s volunteering arm, Get Stuck In, donated £1,500 to Fix the Fells this week to buy footpath repair tools to enable our teams to quite literally get stuck in to fixing the mountain footpaths in the Lake District.

The sphagnum-planting season has come to an end to allow the ground-nesting birds to, well, ground nest! Thank you to all the volunteers that have helped the BMC to plant over 16,000 plugs of this super soggy, carbon-locking moss this winter, helping to restore the Peak District peat bog.

An overview of the qualifications administered by Mountain Training for people wanting to lead groups in the hills and mountains.

A look at when you do, and don't, need hillwalking qualifications, and what training is available for professionals and individuals wanting to improve their skills.

Mend Our Mountains is back for 2024 with six incredible access and conservation projects across England and Wales. This project is funded by the BMC’s Access and Conservation Trust charity (ACT) and we would like to thank all our members, supporters and volunteers for making vital work like this possible. Here’s what is happening this year as a result of your funding, including volunteering events you can get involved with.

Did you know that we have a BMC Community Liftshare site? The Liftshare site is also able to connect you with others going to the same BMC event or Mountain Training course. The beauty of a community like the hillwalking/climbing/mountaineering BMC community is that many of us are often moving in the same direction. This lends itself to the Liftshare infrastructure which can allow us to move in the same direction – together. Greener, and cheaper!

On the 16 April we have the last opportunity to lobby for the 2024 ban on the sale of peat in bagged compost for horticultural use by supporting a Ten Minute Rule Bill speech by England in Conservative MP for Chipping Barnet Theresa Villiers.

The BMC has welcomed another conservation project into The Climate Project portfolio, planting seagrass with Seagrass Ocean Rescue in conjunction with the North Wales Wildlife Trust. This is in addition to the current sphagnum moss planting and peatland restoration with Moors for the Future in the Peak District that you can also get involved with here.

The BMC have been hard at work presenting the Outdoors For All Manifesto to parliament, kick-starting a new addition to The Climate Project, arranging re-bolting, cleaning up crags and consulting on access across England and Wales. Here are the highlights as we swing into spring.

If you’re looking for an unforgettable, high altitude trekking holiday this year we’ve got some great ideas for you here in Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and India from climbing mountaineering expedition operator Jagged Globe. 

This thrilling Grade 1 scramble in Snowdonia is one of the country’s most popular ridges - so what does it take to tackle Crib Goch?

Seven things you always wanted to know about path repair (but were too afraid to ask)

BMC members receive a free komoot map bundle (worth £8.99)

A series of guides to some of the most popular scrambles in England, Scotland and Wales.

What’s better than a day in the hills? Easy – several days! Here are our tips for walkers looking to take their first steps into walking far and sleeping enroute.

For most people, walking all the Wainwrights is a challenge spread over many, many years. But James Forrest decided he wanted to up the ante, turn it right up to 11, go all out and walk them all in one outing and entirely self-supported. Is he mad or magnificent? You decide.

Whether you want a career in the outdoors, or to improve your own personal skills, there are a number of training providers offering courses and instruction.

In this article we’ve listed the ideal range of hill walking items so you can head out with everything you might need.

We take a look at what clothing to wear when hill walking, and how to layer it to stay warm, dry and comfortable in cold and wet conditions.

Hill walking doesn’t require as much specialist equipment as many other outdoor activities, but is important to have the appropriate equipment for the route and activity you have chosen and the weather forecasted. In this article we outline the basic equipment every hill walker needs:

Clean out your kit cupboard and put a spring in your step knowing that you’re making greener choices throughout the lifecycle of your outdoor products.

What should you look for when choosing down products? Some factors to consider when investing in new down gear.

There are many ways to get into hill walking, the best way is the way that suits you! Here are a few pointers to get you started. 

Over the past decade, women's outdoor clothing has made leaps and bounds from the ‘shrink it and pink it’ years, where women's clothing was made smaller and pinker. Brands are now delivering features tailored to a woman's physique. From specific materials that make you feel great, to sizing and style options to boost confidence, Cotswold Outdoor dive into the details.

Marie Uri and Yasmin Lazarus are climbers and two of the directors of United We Climb, an organization that champions underrepresented and underserved climbers by creating experiences and events that are accessible and inclusive, as well as working with businesses like climbing walls to help the industry identify and break down barriers and become more welcoming.

In this one we sit down with Steph Wetherell, co-founder of Every Body Outdoors, a group campaigning for better representation, clothing and gear for larger and plus-sized bodies in the UK outdoors. We talk about sizest attitudes, why seeing plus size people represented by brands and media is so important, and how clothes and kit can be more inclusive. And the unexpected joy of finding your ‘tribe’. We also chat with Head of Product at Berghaus.

This article outlines a few navigation techniques you can practise to stack the odds in your favour in poor visibility and severe weather. 

Take a look at the Mountain Leader qualification so you can decide whether it’s the right qualification for you. 

Take a look at the Hill & Moorland Leader qualification, so you can decide whether it’s right for you.

Fancy a life leading treks abroad? The International Mountain Leader may be the qualification for you

If you’d like to guide people up hills in winter conditions the Winter Mountain Leader qualification could be for you.

Take a look at the Lowland Leader scheme, so you can decide whether it’s the right qualification for you. 

Find out more about the Camping Leader qualification, so you can decide whether it’s right for you.

Christine Cornock shares how she managed her period along the South West Coastal Path multi-day hike.

Menopause is a significant and transformative phase in a woman’s life. It is a natural biological process during which ovulation stops and periods end. The experience of menopause can be different for each individual and often comes with a wave of physical and emotional changes. In this guide, we will explore the different phases of menopause, common symptoms, and the power of regular movement and exercise to manage symptoms and support good health.

Planning outdoor adventures comes with lots of preparation and adding a period into the mix can be one more thing to think about. While not everyone will be up for a hike or a climb on their period, if you are preparing for your next trip in the good company of menstrual blood, here’s what to do.

Watch five great walks in the Lake District, including family inspiration, lesser-known routes to popular summits and dog-friendly fell walking.

A bit of Scottish winter climbing history, plus a range of classic routes from Grade II to V, complete with big stunning photos and brief descriptions. You're welcome.

Are the Alps falling down? IFMGA Mountain Guide Andy Perkins has a stark warning about the impact of climate change on the Alps: “I don’t have children but if I did I wouldn’t persuade them to be mountain guides. I’d be saying ‘Get your yacht sailing ticket...'" Katy Dartford interviews Andy to find out more.

Our friends at Moors for the Future Partnership have produced a great series of five short films to help people understand the multiple benefits of healthy blanket bogs and why they are precious and worth protecting.

In the week that sees the Dartmoor wild camping case return to the Court of Appeal, the BMC clearly sets out its position on wild camping.