Lowstern is a spacious, purpose-built building that serves as the headquarters of the Yorkshire Ramblers’ Club. The cottage is considered to be one of the the finest premises for cavers, climbers and walkers in the Dales. The well-equipped cottage is in a secluded position in a small wood surrounded by farmland about half a mile from Clapham village, North Yorkshire, with a fine open view towards Bowland.
Lowstern is ideally placed for access to Ingleborough and its caves and potholes, with the other caving areas of Craven just a short drive away. This provides many opportunities for walking and cycling, as well as access to the adjacent Bowland Fells. The hut is also well situated for the limestone climbing in the western Yorkshire Dales, Hutton Roof and nearby South Lakeland crags, as well as the gritstone crags to the east. The nearest climbing wall is in Ingleton, 4 miles away.
Location and Access
The postcode is likely to take you to Lodge Bank Farm. In order to avoid disturbing our neighbours (particularly for late arrivals) please download the detailed location instructions and bring them with you. Lowstern Location Map and Directions
Grid reference: SD 7366 6905.
Lat/Lon: N 54.11743° W 2.40500°
DO NOT USE LOWSTERN POST CODE WITH A SATNAV – PLEASE USE LAT/LONG COORDINATES OR GRID REFERENCE ABOVE – DO NOT GO TO LODGE BANK FARM BY MISTAKE.
Lowstern is situated in a small plantation less than 400m along the B6480 Clapham/Bentham road leading SW from the A65 Clapham bypass. At a bend at the top of a small rise, there is reflective signage “Lowstern Wood” at the double wooden entrance gates which give access to a short track to the building and car parking area.
Information for Users
Download Lowstern Hut Handbook
Facilities
- Modern kitchen with two gas cookers, two microwave ovens, two refrigerators, hot water heater and full catering equipment for large groups. Please bring your own tea towels.
- Dining room, with gas fire, folding tables and chairs for a long table setup for large groups.
- Comfortable spacious lounge with easy chairs and open fire – non-members must bring their own kindling and logs.
- Three dormitories with bunks and mattresses – no pillows are provided.
- Upstairs and downstairs washrooms, each with two hand-basins, shaver point, toilet and shower.
- Drying Room with heater, dehumidifier and spin dryer.
- Sluice Room for potholers and their tackle. Two cold showers.
- Library for use by YRC Members.
- Potholing tackle store for use by YRC Members.
Accommodation
Please bring your own sleeping bag or quilt, pillow, pillow case and towels.
- Capacity: 22 bunks with 16 mixed beds bookable by non-members, plus 5 bookable camping places.
- Dormitory 1: Reserved for YRC Members at all times – sleeps 6 persons in two-tier bunks.
- Dormitory 2: sleeps 12 persons in two-tier bunks.
- Dormitory 3: sleeps 4 persons in two-tier bunks.
- Camping is permitted but only in the grounds of the Lowstern plantation.
Young Persons
Any young persons under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or an adult in loco parentis who has formal permission from the parents of the young person being supervised.
The parent or carer must be mindful of the need to safeguard children in their care by ensuring that the sleeping arrangements are appropriate for their children and for the needs of the other members and guests staying in the hut.
The YRC carries out regular risk assessments of its huts to highlight potential hazards and takes reasonable steps to minimise any such risks to users. However, Club huts are not designed with children in mind, therefore the parents or carer must read the respective Hut Handbook and in addition, make their own assessment of the possible risks, considering the age and capabilities of the child in their care, who should be always kept under close supervision at all times.
Refuse and Recycling
There is no refuse or recycling collection. It is essential that all food (except tea, coffee and sugar) that cannot be composted and rubbish/recycling be taken away when you leave.
Restrictions
- No smoking or vaping inside the building.
- No televisions or dogs (other than guide dogs and assistance dogs) may be brought into the building.
- No wood may be taken from the plantation to burn on the open fire in the lounge. Please do not take logs from the outside Member’s wood store.
- No open fires may be lit in the grounds. Guests are welcome to use the barbecues stored in the sluice room, provided they are cleaned and put back after use.
- No charging of electric vehicles or camper vans using a ‘normal’ 13A socket.
Local Amenities
Clapham village (half a mile away) has an excellent village store, and a pub, the New Inn. The Reading Room Café/ Bar and the Old Sawmill Café are also good. There is a telephone box outside the New Inn. The Game Cock Inn at Austwick (015242 51226), a 40 minute walk away, is recommended. A wider range of shops is available in Settle and in Ingleton, where caving equipment can also be hired. There are two local Booths supermarkets: one in Settle and the other near the roundabout to the south of Kirkby Lonsdale. There is no garage in Clapham, the nearest garages for fuel are at Ingleton and Settle. There are late-opening Co-op mini-markets with cashpoints at the petrol stations at both Ingleton and Settle, the former is closest at some 4 miles distant.
Fees
| Category | Rate/Night |
|---|---|
| YRC Members or Members Family | £6.00 |
| YRC Prospective Members | £14.00 |
| Reciprocal Rights | £10.00 |
| Other Users | £14.00 |
| Children under 5 | Free |
| Children 5-15 | £5.00 |
| Children 16+ | Full adult fee |
Groups: For group weekend bookings there is a minimum charge and deposit of: £150.00 per weekend (Friday/Saturday nights).
Reciprocal Rights: The following clubs are eligible for the reciprocal rights rate.
- Ardal Turlag, Norway
- Bradford Pothole Club
- Cairngorm Club
- Climbers’ Club
- Craven Pothole Club
- Fell & Rock Climbing Club
- Grampian Club
- Gritstone Club
- Junior Mountaineering Club of Scotland
- Midland Association of Mountaineers
- Oread Club
- Rucksack Club
- Scottish Mountaineering Club
- Wayfarers’ Club
- Wolverhampton Mountaineering Club
- Yorkshire Mountaineering Club
Note: These rates also apply to those who choose to camp and sleep overnight within the grounds of Lowstern if this has been agreed with the Hut Booking Secretary.
LOWSTERN – A SHORT HISTORY
Following the success of the first YRC hut in Little Langdale, the tenancy of a second club hut, Lowstern, was agreed in 1958 with Dr Farrer and the Ingleborough Estate in Clapham to serve as a pot-holing base in Yorkshire. After an appeal for donations to the hut fund, the original building, which had been the estate golf house and was now in poor condition, was developed into a habitation with two dormitories, a common room, a kitchen, a bathroom and an annexe for wet clothes. Dr John Farrer was very supportive of the project which took members almost a full year to carry out. It was opened in November 1958 by Earnest Roberts, the Club’s Oldest Member at the time and doyen of potholers, who was the first chairman of the Cave Rescue Organisation.
Thirty years later, the old corrugated iron-clad hut was getting the worse for wear and was increasingly difficult to maintain in a satisfactory condition. So, this building was demolished and rebuilt by the club, again after donations, so that a spacious, purpose-built headquarters building could be put in its place. Bill Lofthouse and Ron Goodwin oversaw the design and project management of this key development. It was opened by past President Stanley Marsden, himself a keen potholer in his day, in November 1988. There is an article about the old hut by Cliff Downham in the YRC Journal here.
Thanks to a legacy from Cliff and Nellie Downham, Lowstern was extended to include a spacious new lounge area which was named in their honour together with a large dormitory above. The extension was officially opened by Mrs Joan Farrer in 1998 who in her speech, linked the Club with the Farrer family and their close association over the preceding century. A 50th year Celebration Meet was held in 2008.
Subsequent improvements have included a catering specification kitchen and an upgraded upstairs washroom – more are planned.