The Association Of Lightweight Campers

History of the ALC

In August 1901 six mobile cycle campers spent a weekend in tents in an orchard at Wantage. They were some of the newly formed Association of Cycle Campers (ACC) started by Thomas Hiram Holding. The ACC grew, attracting pedestrian campers and those traveling by car.

It amalgamated with other groups and eventually became the Camping Club of Great Britain and Ireland. The interest in lightweight camping still survived and at the end of World War II the name of the Association of Cycle Campers was revived as a specialist section of the club.

History repeated itself when the cycle campers once again 'took on board' other lightweight campers, becoming the The Association of Cycle and Lightweight Campers (AC&LC) in 1965 and finally the shorter but quite explicit Association of Lightweight Campers (ALC) in 1984.

Within the present Camping and Caravanning Club, our section continues the unbroken tradition started all that time ago of what is the most environmentally friendly type of camping there is.

In May 2001 the ALC celebrated its centenary by camping close to the original site in Wantage, and were able to the visit the original site which is now part of a private garden.