The Golden Rule

Why the 'Golden Rule Adventure Club'?

Well, back in 1975, a young lad, now known as Fabian Colincellara (but born Colin Stump) stayed in a B&B on Smithy Brow in Ambleside in The Lake District. Just up the hill was a pub called the 'Golden Rule', then owned by Hartleys of Ulverston. Ten pints later and Fabian became a life-long convert.

Fabian discovered that he particularly enjoyed their excellent brew, Hartley's XB, and the informal simplicity of the pub itself. Full of locals, proper walkers and climbers, and a few students from the nearby teacher training college, Charlotte Mason.


Now, being a loyal sort of chap, Fabian returned to this hostelry over many a year, introducing his fellow walking companions to the delights of proper ale served in a gloriously unpretentious environment. Heyddie and Jan have also become especially attached to the pub, although Heyddie, being a bit of a wuss at times, drinks lager.

Gastronomy in the Golden Rule has recently reached new heights, their famously large selection of crisps, nuts and pickled eggs being supplemented by a glorious savoury Scotch Egg and awesome Pork Pie, both being mandatory to eat with lashings of Colman's English Mustard.

Over the years, on our regular pilgrimage to the Lakes, many an adventure has been plotted after essential rehydration. Adventures have included multiple trips to the French and Swiss Alps, including the ascent of Mont Blanc and The Mönch, then further afield to Kilimanjaro, volcanos in Ecuador, and most recently, remote parts of the Nepal Himalaya.

But it is time to spread our wings even further. As two of our number have now retired, we feel the need for even more adventures, and, crucially, to wean the next generation on to the delights of regular challenges and proper ale.

Hence the formation of the Golden Rule Adventure Club.

As professionals, we immediately formed a Committee, presided over by Fabian himself, and supported by long-time adventurers Jan Ulrichard, as Secretary, and Heyddie Merckx, as Club Captain. We are privileged to be joined by Alberto Johntador as Finance & Logistics Director and an aspiring youngster, Carlos Sastrae, who was hand-picked to form a training Academy for the next generation.

We are happy to report that we now have four Academy members, Alansandro Prattachi, Stuart O'Graemedy, Mario Cipponelli and Miguel Dandurain.

In order to give a contemporary flavour to the Club, we have now adopted cycling as part of our permitted activity programme, a great complement to our historic roots in beer drinking, mountain walking and alpine mountaineering.

To find out more about the Golden Rule (now owned by Robinson's of Stockport, who have done a passable job of replicating the original XB brew) and the many adventures of the founder members, check out these websites.

Golden Rule and this one too.

Adventure Blog

PS. Hope they don't mind...a couple of the images have been pinched from the pub's Facebook page