Date: 1st/2nd August 2015 Venue: Kinlochewe Bunkhouse, Kinlochewe Location: Adjoining the Kinlochewe Hotel, Kinlochewe Facilities: Twelve-bed bunkhouse. The bunks are all within a single bunkroom, where covered memory foam mattresses, individual lockers, pillows and pillow cases are provided. You are required to bring your own sleeping bag and towels. If you wish to use the lockers you will also need a padlock. The bathroom area has showers, washbasins and toilets and the drying room contains a very effective dehumidifier to dry any wet clothes. The fully equipped kitchen with large range cooker has everything your need to prepare meals for yourself…  if you prefer not to cook you can eat in the bar next…

Sitting upon a grassy hilltop, beer in hand, watching the sun set behind Suilven. Where else could one possibly want to be? So began the weekend for a handful of people who walked up Cnoc Breac, the wee hill behind the lovely hut in Elphin belonging to Grampian Speleological Group. The forecast for the weekend wasn’t ideal for the tops but Friday night was gorgeous and too good to miss. The grass, grazed short by sheep and underlaid by porous limestone gave an unusually pleasant surface on which to walk. No thigh high heather and knee deep bog here, more like a walk in the park surrounded by some of…

The venue was about as far as you can get from Moray without falling off the edge of the world and the weather forecast just about stopped short of mentioning plagues of locusts. The lambing snows had fallen heavy on the hills and was lingering, promising deep wet slush for when the temperature rose for the Bank Holiday weekend. It wasn’t looking good. So imagine the surprise when a total of 27 people turned up to this year’s May Day Island weekend on Arran. Saturday and Sunday weren’t the best weather-wise but luckily Friday and Monday were lovely. Two people who managed to get to Arran early were John and…

Date: 4th/5th July 2015 Venue: Ariundle Bunkhouse Location: Facilities: There are two bunk bed rooms upstairs each with their own private facilities. Linen is supplied with the exception of towels. Breakfast can be provided in the tea room or kitchen facilities are available in the Bunkhouse. The bar in the restaurant is always available for accommodation users regardless of table bookings. Cost: £18 pppn Nearby hills: No Munros but plenty of quality Corbetts, Grahams and Marilyns in Ardgour, Sunart, Moidart, Morvern and Ardnamuchan. If you are desperate for a Munro tick, you could drive the short distance to Lochaline and take the ferry across to Mull to ascend Ben More. Nearby Corbetts include…

Suilven Date: 6th/7th June 2015 Venue: Elphin Caving Hut, Elphin Location: Once in the village of Elphin, start looking for a red telephone box on the left; immediately after it turn right up a track called Grampian Avenue. If you arrive at a T junction (Ledmore Junction) you’ve gone too far. Google Streetview showing the hut. Facilities: Self-catering accommodation for 20 people, gas and wood fires, toilets, hot showers, gas rings for cooking, a microwave oven, parking for eight cars. Nearby Hills: Suilven, Canisp, Quinag, Glas Bheinn, Stac Pollaidh, Cul Mor, Cul Beag, Ben Mor Coigach, Beinn an Eoin, Sgurr an Fhidhlier, Breabag, Conival, Ben More Assynt, Foinaven, Meall Horn, Arkle,…

Last month was the Knoydart Foundation bunkhouse in Inverie. This month it was the Loch Ossian Youth Hostel by Rannoch Moor. Both are out of the reach of the motor car, both are new venues for the club and both proved to be lovely places to stay with potential for future meets to be held there. Luckily the weather was better for this meet than the last and as a bonus we were treated to the company of a number of people who had never been on a Moray Mountaineering Club weekend meet before. Malcolm, Illona, Sue and Faye arrived on the Friday lunchtime train, getting to the hostel by…