Public WhatsApp Group link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Ha6cLc7lfgYFcvZI6E3Fnc (please purchase membership in order to gain access to the main members groupchat where we post up to date event information and sign up forms for events).
LSESU Outdoors society was created in 2020, but due to Covid-19 restrictions initially had very few events. In October 2021 a new committee (President Guido Rowe; Vice-President Sara Taaffe; Secretary Lauren Tilley; Treasurer Vishal Lohana) took over and ran it 2021-2022 academic year. Fast forward to 2023 and President: Guido Rowe was re-elected and a new Vice-President (Bhakti Soni) was elected. A new secretary- Naveen Venkat, and a new treasurer- Alex Venditti were also subsequently elected.
We plan hikes, socials, and other events such as Outdoors-related workshops (navigation, first aid etc). Events tend to be on a weekly or a bi-weekly basis with most hikes taking place on a Saturday or Sunday. We hope to get more students involved so that they can take a well-deserved break from their studies! Joining is a great chance to meet new people and enjoy the great outdoors.
Last year, we formed a sub-committee of roughly half a dozen 'hike leaders', they act as a point of contact between members and the executive committee. Importantly, they also help us to plan and lead hikes. Dependant on the route, we will often split off into groups of between six and twelve. They proved to be highly effective and this role has continued into the 2022-2023 academic year.
What to expect:
We want to involve as many people as possible and therefore plan a multitude of hikes/ walks with varying difficulties. We are privileged to have some really experienced hikers in our midst and for this reason cater to them by offering challenging hikes and multi-day expeditions.
Last year we hiked at 10 locations, including Box Hill, Epping Forest, Seven Sisters (Sussex), Yorkshire, Snowdononia, and the Lake District) this year we have been on hikes to Box Hill, Epping Forest, and Seven Sisters. In addition to hikes, we host pub socials, picnics and other events (including map reading and navigation lessons).
Last year, one of our flagship expeditions was to tackle the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge. A team of 11 experienced hikers attempted to cover 40km in 12 hours- summitting Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough with a total climbing elevation gain of 1,400m. With some pretty brutal weather of 100km/h wind, snow, rain and hail, it turned out to be an epic adventure.
2023 update:
So far this academic year we have put on 10 walks at 9 different locations with many more to come. This year we also intend to run expeditions to the Peak District and Yorkshire dales. We will also be embarking on the UK Three Peak challenge. Summitting the highest mountain in each region- England, Scotland and Wales.
How will you hear from us:
To keep updated with our weekly weekend hiking events please follow us on Instagram! For members, we also send out updates and details via email in addition to our members-only WhatsApp group (our main method of communication). To join, please purchase membership so that you can be the first in the know! All hike registration details can be found on the members WhatApp group with links to google forms documents with event info and sign up. For the few events which require payment (generally the expeditions when accommodation costs are included), we use the LSESU online booking system.
Membership:
Membership for the LSE Outdoors Society costs £2 and is available to all. Becoming a member ensures you're informed of all our hikes, events and socials and you will gain access to our members-only WhatsApp group and email updates. Our hikes are free, with members only needing to pay for their personal transport (train etc) to get to the start/ finish location of each hike. For overnight and multiday expeditions we group book accommodation to keep prices for members down and then pass on this charge via the LSESU website as detailed above (the society takes no commission).
Contact us:
We would love to hear from you and answer any questions you may have! Send us an email at outdoor@lsesu.org or get in touch via our Instagram- @lsesu_outdoors.