21 December 2008 In stark contrast to the beautiful weather of the 2007 Xmas Meet, conditions for the 2008 version were awful, with rain and strong winds and it was difficult for any of the groups to do anything other than low level walking. There were 33 people on the Bus for this Meet and 9 others made their way to the Cairngorm Hotel, in Aviemore, for the early evening meal. Numbers were therefore significantly down on all other years in recent memory, however the meal and the service at the Hotel were excellent and because of this the Hotel has been provisionally booked for the Club Xmas meal in…
December 2008 Weekend Meet Report: Braemar
Sat 6 – Sun 7 December 2008 The accumulation of snow over the last month combined with the very icy conditions provided a real Christmas feel for the eleven members guesting at the Rucksacks Hostel in Braemar, with Jake Lee and Ruby backing the team up in his campervan. Saturday morning saw Ali Erginsoy and Bob Macdonald set off ski mountaineering, which included some heather hopping to add that Scottish flavour to their day. Leaving the lay-by two and a half km south of the ski centre, they walked for thirty minutes into coire coolah before donning their skins and making the ascent of Carn a’ Gheoidh via the south…
November 2008 Bus Meet Report: Glen Affric
Sunday, 16 November 2008 This was a beautiful mild, clear day with snow on the tops of the hills and great views of the Mullardoch and Strathfarrar hills and beyond. 33 enthusiastic people (including an encouraging 8 guests), grasped the opportunity to experience the beauty of the Scottish hills in early winter. First off the bus (about 4kms from the Bus park), was a large group consisting of David Brown Douglas, Ali, Paul Geraghty, Ella, Drummond, Robert Reed, George Sim, Amanda, David Strathdee, Tish, Jim Hall, Paul Chappell, Jo Cross, Ray Harron, John, Peter Jones, Alastair Wren, Ros Wright, Corinne Ferguson, Moira Baptie, Dagmar Borrowman and Sandra Doull. Giving an…
Christmas Bus Meet and Dinner
Bus Meet: Monadhliath Sunday, 21st December 2008 O.S.Map(s): 35 Est. time of arrival: 9.00 am Time of departure: 16.00 pm Leave Elgin: 7.00 am This year’s December bus meet is to the Monadhliath hills. This meets the requirement of being close to the Christmas dinner venue in Aviemore, as well as offering a good day’s hillwalking if desired. The bus will go as far as Newtonmore, but there are numerous options to get off earlier to tackle the various hills around Aviemore, Kingussie and Newtonmore. For Munro baggers, the best option is the duo of A’Chailleach (Monadh Liath) and Carn Sgulain. Usual access is from Glen Banchor on the south…
November 2008 Indoor Meet: Stills in the Hills
Thursday, 20th November, 8.00-10.00 pm, Glen Moray Distillery, Bruceland Rd, Elgin Glen Moray Distillery, our Club sponsor, is adding a new flavour to the November Indoor Meet with an invitation to members and friends to hear about the history of illegal stills in the hills and also sample a selection of 6 malts from their stocks. Graham Coull, Distillery Manager will provide a fascinating insight into the history of distilling, legal and illegal, while you savour the hand-picked samples. The cost of the evening is £10.00, a steal at this price. Please support this event and come along for a great evening. Pre-booking not necessary. Graham Milton
Nov 2008 Weekend Meet Report: Tyndrum
1-2 November 2008 Halloween night saw seventeen club members assemble in the “By The Way” hostel in Tyndrum. Unfortunately we did not get off to a good start; our turning up in dribs and drabs throughout the evening spoiled the peace and tranquility of our host in reception, as it meant he had to leave his post and escort his guests to their allotted rooms and show them around. Suggesting to Evelyne on her arrival that she waited until her club organiser turned up before getting a room, brought out the “Formidable Deutsche Fraulein” in her, so he quickly provided a list of available beds and backed off. Bob MacDonald…
December 2008 Weekend Meet: Braemar
Sat 6th – Sun 7th December 2008 O.S.Map(s): 43 Accommodation: Rucksacks Hostel (Website) Cost: £13.00 pppn Facilities: Fully equipped kitchen, showers etc., but bring sleeping bags Braemar is ideally located for the Cairngorms, Lochnagar and Glenshee hills. Rucksacks Hostel is in the centre of the village, near shops and pubs. Book now with Dave Galloway by email
November 2008 Bus Meet: Glen Affric
Sunday, 16th November 2008 O.S.Map(s): 25 Est. time of arrival: 9.30 am Time of departure: 17.00 pm Leave Elgin: 7.00 am Glen Affric is one of the finest glens in Scotland and has big remote hills on high winding ridges. The first two Munros, Toll Creagach and Tom a’ Choinich are a good combination and offer superb views of Loch Mullardoch. The next two Munros, Mam Sodhail also make a good pairing, but may just be out of reach, except for the very fleetest of foot, at this time of year. The remote Beinn Fionnlaidh, way out on a sinuous limb, is best left for the long days of summer.…
October Bus Meet Report: Cairngorms
19 October 2008 Following our President’s prophetic words “We’ve been having a fairly good run of weather on bus meets since January, so don’t miss out on this one! (That’ll jinx it)”, one can only wonder if Ali might be a bit of a psychic [Ali says: No, just e-vil, mwahahahaha!] Gale force winds and a severe weather warning for the West led us to cancel our bus meet in Assynt for a low-level walk in the Cairngorms. The coach arrived at the Sugar Bowl car park just before 9.30am as the wind picked up. Shortly after crossing the river, it started raining, soputting waterproof clothing on, fighting against 50mph…
November Weekend Meet: Tyndrum
Sat 1st – Sun 2nd November 2008 O.S.Map(s): 50 Accommodation: “By thy Way” Hostel (Website) Cost: £14.00 pppn Facilities: Bed linen, fully equipped kitchen, showers etc. An excellent location close to the hills around Crianlarich and even Glencoe is within striking distance. The owners of the hostel reckon there are 50 Munros within a 20 mile radius of By the Way. (Click here for more info on the hills.) Book now with Dave Galloway by email