FAQs

Come to a Club night for a chat and to meet current members. We meet on the second Wednesday of each month from 7pm at the Kings Head, 13 Westmoreland St, London, W1G 8PJ. 

Alternatively, come along to a day walk that we organise in the South East area. Day walks usually start from a railway station and are free to attend.

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Sign up for a walk by going to Payments in the menu bar (although please note that no actual payment is required for a day walk), going to WebCollect, registering an account if you do not already have one, find the day walk you want to attend, and follow the prompts. The walk organiser will send you the final details a day or two before the walk.

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You may come on one day walk and one weekend within 3 months of each other without joining Ibex, to try out the Club.

Go to Join Ibex in the menu bar of the website for details. You will need to register your details and then pay the membership fee using PayPal (all done online).

You'll need a pair of strong, waterproof boots with good ankle support. Ideally you'll have walked them in and they'll be comfortable. Also essential are waterproof jacket and waterproof trousers. Bring a rucksack to carry spare warm layers, food and water.

For weekends, you'll additionally need a sleeping bag (not necessary for all weekends), wash kit and food for lunch. A full list of recommended kit is included in the joining instructions sent out by the weekend organiser about a week before the event.

We reserve around 10% of all spaces for "first weekenders". These spaces are ring-fenced up to four weeks in advance of the weekend - afterwards they are released to all. "First weekenders" may attend one weekend without becoming a member. If a weekend has filled up more than four weeks before it commences, contact the weekend organiser to get a reserved place.

Go to Programme in the menu bar to check the details of the event. Then simply go to Payments in the menu bar, click on the Proceed to WebCollect button, find the event you are interested in, click on the Book place button and follow the instructions (contact the organiser first and, if availability, you will be told to book a place). A non-refundable deposit is payable at the time of booking.

Weekend events prove popular and are first come, first served! Each weekend 'opens' for booking two or three complete months in advance (when the newsletter is published on the 1st of the month).

The weekend organiser will always operate a reserve list and spaces do often become available. Contact the organiser to be put on the reserve list. Subject to demand, the organiser may be able to suggest overflow accommodation/nearby alternatives.

Go to Payments in the menu bar, click on the Proceed to WebCollect button, find the event you are interested in, click on the Book place button and the name of the event's organiser is shown. Click on their name to email them.

Each weekend and the intended activities vary depending on the organiser, locations and anticipated weather. Weekends almost always include hill walking, and sometimes scrambling and climbing.

Everyone travels on Friday, sharing cars or arranging a pick up at a station for those on the train. Arrival times vary between those who can take a day/half day off and those who leave after work - usually everyone says hello at breakfast on Saturday.

Accommodation is inexpensive and is usually bunkhouses, mountaineering huts, hostels, camping barns and camp sites.

Members volunteer to organise routes on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's routes will involve a full day's hill walking in the area, taking advantage of the location - with a shorter walk on Sunday before people travel home. On most weekends there will be more than one route, usually a long one and a shorter one. Routes are described on route cards, circulated the evening before, and you sign up to the one that you would like to go on.

We generally cook and eat as a group with everyone helping with the meal preparation. If there are no catering facilities then we eat at a local pub.

The cost of accommodation is usually around £20-£25 per person per night and food is around £10-£15 per person per weekend. There is a £35 cap on the cost of accommodation per night (so you do not pay more than this). Bring your own alcohol or soft drinks. You'll also need to factor in travel costs - either sharing a lift, share of a hire car or by train.

I do have a car - Car drivers are especially valued on club weekends. If you can drive, and you can take passengers, please inform the weekend organiser via the event application form.

There are various costs involved in taking your car on Ibex weekends - fuel, wear and tear, depreciation, extra insurance premiums to cover co-drivers etc. The driver can either divide the cost of petrol etc. by the number of people in the car, or can use the Ibex recommendation. As a general rule, Ibex recommends something around 30p per mile, divided between the people in the car, as being a reasonable and straightforward method of dividing up the costs.

I don't have a car - Not having a car usually isn't a problem. Some car drivers may be able to take passengers (subject to a mutually agreed meeting time/place). Alternatively people share a hire car for the weekend, or meet up to go by train to somewhere nearby and then share a taxi for the final leg.

When you apply, the organiser may be able to assist with transport information, and will coordinate the non-drivers/non-car owners with the people who are driving up.

That depends on the area and terrain. For club day walks, which take place near London, expect typical routes to be around 20 km in flat terrain. In areas like The Lake District/North Wales/Scotland the steepness and ascent over the route will be significantly higher, which may reduce the distance covered, but will require higher overall fitness. We'll generally be out for a full eight hour day, depending on time of year and daylight.

Ibex always welcomes new members. The best approach is to gradually build fitness. Don't make a big weekend your first with the club! Club members are usually also leisure cyclists/indoor climbers/swimmers/gym goers who are active during the week. As a guide to fitness, you just need to be doing some activity beyond your desk job!

Build your hill fitness by doing day walks in the London area. Then go on some less mountainous weekends and only then think about booking on an event in areas like The Lake District/North Wales/Scotland.

These areas will require good fitness - consider whether the following statement applies to you:
"I have good aerobic fitness and leg strength. I can trek up steep, rocky paths and ascend at least 750m in a day. I enjoy being on the hill for 8 hours a day."

The weekend organiser will be able advise the anticipated activities, routes and likely terrain on their weekend.

Ibex is affiliated to the British Mountaineering Council (BMC). Being an Ibex member, your details are forwarded to the BMC so that you can take advantage of the benefits. View the benefits here.

Yes, up to 15% in some cases.  When you join, you gain access to the full BMC discount schemes and discounts in shops.