Reclaim The Rocks

Reclaim The Rocks ⋆

About

Join us for the UK’s first climbing festival by and for Black and people of colour. We are heading to the Peak District for a weekend of climbing, community and joy! Our events are open to all BPOC - whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced climber this festival is for you!

Scroll down for more information or click the buttons if you’re looking for something specific.

Bursary + supported ticket applications now open!

Bursary + supported ticket applications now open! ⋆

Our Values

  • Community

  • Inclusion

  • Joy

  • Supportive

  • Celebrating each other

  • Healing and nurturing

Festival Team

  • Ife

    FESTIVAL DIRECTOR

  • Charm

    CLIMBING MANAGER

  • Sakshi

    CLIMBING MANAGER

  • Anesu

    WELLBEING MANAGER

  • Jo

    TRANSPORT MANAGER

  • Sydney

    ACTIVITY MANAGER

  • Freddie

    INSTRUCTION ADVISOR

  • Janice

    INSTRUCTION ADVISOR

What to Expect

  • Community Driven

    This festival is created by and for you: the community. This is a not-for-profit event and we run the festival collectively. All attendees volunteer to make this trip happen, for example by joining the cooking team, or helping get people to their courses on time.

  • Climbing

    We will be climbing in the beautiful Peak District, where you can undertake instructor-led workshops, organised social climbing, or climb independently. We can support you in finding a belay partner if required.

  • Other Activities

    On top of all things climbing – bouldering, top roping, sport climbing, trad climbing – keep an eye out for everything from movement workshops, stalls and hikes to open mics, panels and movie nights. Take some quiet time with a book in our chill-out area, hire a bike to get in some more sightseeing, or sign up for a buddy to chat with throughout the festival. This is your space to explore, rest and enjoy.

Climbing

Climbing ⋆

Instructor-led workshops

For those new to climbing, new to outdoor climbing, those looking to hone or improve skills already gained outdoors, or even simply those who wish to have access to an instructor who knows the local rock well, we offer a range of paid courses.

You can attend a course alone, the numbers will allow for balanced groups so you will be assigned a partner.

Transport will be provided for instructed courses. Please ensure you are at the meeting point promptly to join your group.

You can book onto instructed courses when you purchase your ticket. There will also be a chance to book onto sessions later using the manage your booking functionality.

We have tried to keep these workshop fees as low as possible. For comparison with standard fees, please refer to the course listing provided by Mountain Training.

Please note that not all instructors will be Black people or people of colour.

Workshops which do not require previous climbing experience

Outdoor bouldering for beginners

Outdoor bouldering for beginners (for women and non-binary people)

Mountain Training Rock Skills Introduction

Hill walking and Navigation

Workshops which require indoor climbing experience

From indoor to outdoor bouldering - first steps

Climbing movement for Gritstone

From indoor to outdoor climbing - first steps

Climbing movement for Gritstone (for women and non-binary people)

Improvers’ rock climbing workshop

Mountain Training Rock Skills Intermediate

Workshops which require outdoor climbing experience

Outdoor bouldering for experienced climbers

Learn to lead trad climbing

Learn to lead sport climbing

Learn to lead sport climbing

Improve your sport climbing (the psychology of falling)

Problem solving and self rescue

BPOC Climbing Instructor Team

  • Ashok Sakhardande

  • Freddie Wee

  • Helen Tang

  • Leon Perkins

  • Sandra Berlin

Organised social climbing

We offer a number of social climbing sessions. These are bookable events available to competent outdoor climbers where there is no instruction, but simply a chance to climb together with a group.

Some sessions are free, some will be paid. Unlike instructed courses, gear is not provided automatically, but if you are missing something, you can put in a request for a loan when you book your ticket.

These sessions are facilitated by experienced professional climbers and community leaders. Each one will have its own distinct flavour and be appropriate to different types of climber.

Transport will be provided for social courses. Please ensure you are at the meeting point promptly to join your group.

You can book onto social sessions when you purchase your ticket. There will also be a chance to book onto sessions later using the manage your booking functionality.

Bouldering with Aidan Roberts

Sport climbing with Sandra Berlin

Trad climbing with Janice Tan

Lead sport climbing with Carlos Casas from Colour Up

Relaxed top roping with Anita Aggarwal and Janice Tan

Bouldering with Xian Goh

Bouldering with Helen Tang

Bouldering with Anesu M.M. sponsored by Steep Learning Group

Trad climbing with Ashok Sakhardande

Independent Climbing

Independent climbing is for compentent climbers.

There will be many climbers coming to this festival who are comfortable choosing where to climb and have their own transport.

If you are looking for a partner to climb with that day, please let one of the facilitators know before the breakfast briefing so we can include this in the day’s announcements. There will also be social activities from the first evening to support you in finding climbing buddies.

We ask that everyone climbing independently is a competent outdoors climber, is honest about their competence and that everyone makes sure to do all the necessary gear and safety checks before commencing every climb. While we are happy helping you find someone to climb with, both parties remain responsible for their own and each other’s safety and wellbeing.

Other Activities

Other Activities ⋆

Person sitting in a yoga pose on a stone wall in the English countryside

Warm-up movement for climbing

Composite image of four people all climbing and smiling

Panel discussion

Equipment for embroidery including scissors and thread

Palestinian embroidery workshop with Tatreez Revival

Accommodation + Transport

Accommodation + Transport ⋆

Location

The Wanderers of Colour Climbing Festival takes place in the beautiful Peak District. The Peak District is cited as one of the birthplaces of recreational climbing and has some of Europe's most challenging and well-loved rock climbing routes, such as the globally renowned Stanage Edge near Sheffield and the Roaches in the Staffordshire Moorlands. Many of the UK’s best climbers locate themselves near here for access to the gritstone.

Accommodation

  • We have hired Thorpe Farm Bunkhouses exclusively for our group. Address: Thorpe Farm, Hathersage, Hope Valley S32 1EG (Google Maps

  • This facility has hostel/bunkhouse style beds (mixed gender and single gender) and outdoor camping

  • Rooms sleep between 4-12 people

  • All mattresses are provided with a sheet, pillow and pillowcase. PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN DUVET / SLEEPING BAG

  • If you’re camping and need a tent, Alpkit have kindly offered some  1-3 person tents for you to borrow. You’ll be able to book these with your ticket

  • Each of the four bunkhouses has its own toilets and showers (mixed gender and single gender facilities) as well as a  sitting/dining  area and a kitchen (with electric cookers, fridge/freezer space, kettle, toaster, pans, cutlery and double sink) available for limited use outside of communal meal preparation times

  • One of the bunkhouses has wheelchair accessible toilets and showers. You can make a note of your needs when booking your ticket.

  • A drying room with washing machine and tumble dryer is available in one of the bunkhouses

  • Wifi available (expect poor signal)

  • We will clean up after ourselves and leave the facility as we met it. This is achieved through everyone taking up a volunteer role which are allocated when you book your ticket

  • The accommodations are in a traditional style, featuring older furnishings and features. Please be aware that while comfortable, the facilities reflect their age and historic character

  • Please note that all accommodation is shared, your belongings are your own responsibility. We take no responsibility for your belongings.

Transport

We hope to create an inclusive and accessible environment for all participants and are committed to accommodating the diverse needs of our attendees. Below are the key aspects of our approach to ensure accessibility throughout the event.

Accessibility

Ticket Information

Ticket Information ⋆

Ticket Prices

Without funding this festival would cost over £400 per person (not including all the hard work of our incredible volunteer team), but through the generous support of our sponsors, we've been able to put on this incredible event at a heavily subsidised rate.

We make no profit from tickets, and all prices have been calculated to cover the cost of the trip.

  • Tickets cost £10 less than the prices above if you select the camping accommodation option,

  • £20 less than above if you select bunkhouse accommodation from Friday–Sunday only,

  • and £30 less than above if you select the non-accommodation option. You can find your own accommodation via Airbnb or stay at the nearby North Lees campsite. You’re still welcome to join us for all meals.

All purchases incur an additional Stripe payment processing fee.

Refund Policy

If you’re no longer able to attend the festival, and can find someone to take your place including all the courses and items (like t-shirts) you have booked, you will be able to transfer your ticket to that person by emailing climbing@wanderersofcolour.com from the email address you booked cc’ing in the person you are transferring the ticket to. The deadline to transfer tickets is 10am Wednesday 12th June 2024.

What’s Included?

Included:


  • Communally cooked meals included: evening meal (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday), and breakfast (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)

  • Coach shuttle on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to get you to the crag in the morning, and back in the evening

  • Accommodation (unless you booked a ticket without accommodation): bunkhouse or camping with facilities including toilets and showers

  • Organised social climbing sessions

  • Some camping equipment if required including tents (courtesy of Alpkit)

  • All gear necessary for the duration of any instructor-led workshop you attend (Please note that if you own your own personal climbing kit, i.e. harness, helmet, and climbing shoes, we encourage you to use this to allow people who do not own kit to have access to the limited gear we are able to provide during the festival)

  • Some gear hire with limited availability for organised social climbing sessions. Please provide your gear requirements in the booking form to allow us to plan for this.

  • Non-climbing activities including a silent disco, movie night, campfire, and movement workshops for climbers

Not included:


  • Lunch. There is space to store food for your daily lunch in the refrigerator in your building, but you will need to go to the dedicated lunch prep kitchen to prep your lunch as most of the kitchen space will be used for communal meal prep.

  • Additional food or snacks

  • Transport to bunkhouse on arrival and departure from the festival (can be purchased with ticket)

  • Instructor-led workshops (can be purchased with ticket)

  • Some social climbing sessions

  • Climbing gear (some limited availability only as stated above)

All attendees must have personal insurance to attend this festival.

We have worked with The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) to secure discounted BMC membership which includes personal insurance for climbing and hill walking for £12 (normally £43.90) when you purchase your ticket.

If you did not opt to purchase this membership, you will need to buy your own personal insurance for this event as climbing is a dangerous activity and you can put other climbers at risk with your actions.

Insurance

Booking Information

Early bird tickets were reserved for members in our WhatsApp community and everyone who completed the ‘Register Your Interest’ form.

Please allow for around 15 minutes to complete your booking; it includes the following:

  • Choosing your accommodation and activity preferences

  • Purchasing BMC Membership (climbing insurance)

  • Providing emergency contact details

  • Providing (optional) demographic details

Bursaries & Ticket Tiers

Why we have ticket tiers

We have adopted Alexis J. Cunningfolk’s The Sliding Scale: A Tool of Economic Justice, to create a tiered ticket system, that will help us in supporting those with financial barriers when accessing the outdoors.

Please read the explanation for each ticket tier before, and select whichever best represents your circumstances.

Some definitions of terms used below:

Basic Needs include food, housing, health care, and transportation.

Expendable Income might mean you are able to buy coffee or tea at a shop, go to the movies or a concert, buy new clothes, books, and similar items each month, etc.

Bursary Tickets

(£0 - fully funded)

Supported Ticket

(£69.99)

Standard Ticket

(£99.99)

Ticket + Pay it Forward

(£129.99)

Bursary and supported ticket applications are now closed

Sold out! Sign up to the waiting list

Merch

Merch ⋆

White t-shirt cut out against a blue sky

Festival T-shirt (Cream/White)

Black t-shirt cut out against a blue sky

Festival T-shirt (Black)

Supported by

Thank you to our awesome partners

Sponsored by

  • Arc'teryx

  • BMC

Instruction provided by

  • Adventure Expertise

  • Mountain Training

  • The Pure Outdoor Foundation

Ticketing made possible by

  • Mountainova

Bursary places made possible via

  • The Alpkit Foundation

  • Arc'teryx

  • Sport England

    Sports England

Sustainable transport with support from

  • National Trust

With support in kind from

  • Alpkit

  • Blackdog Outdoors

  • The Climbing Hangar Sheffield

  • The Foundry Climbing Centre

  • UK Climbing / RockFax

  • Black Diamond logo

    Black Diamond

  • Ocun logo

    OCÚN

  • Yeti logo

    Yeti

  • Athletic Brewery logo

    Athletic Brewery

With thanks to

  • United We Climb

  • ClimbOut Festival

  • Women's Trad Festival

Thank you to our previous retreat attendees for all the wonderful photos including Eleanor. Special thanks to Jeng Au for the festival identity design. Icons are from freepik.

If you want to support us please contact: wanderersofcolour@gmail.com

Press enquiries: climbing@wanderersofcolour.com

Press release

 FAQs

If you have any questions about this festival or would like to amend something in your booking, please fill in this form.