Sunday 17th April O.S.Map(s): 24,25 Est. time of arrival: 9.15 am Time of departure: 17.30 pm Leave Elgin: 7.00 am The bus venue this Sunday is to the stunning landscape of the Achnashellach and Torridon hills.  The bus will drop off at various points on the Achnasheen to Lochcarron road, and will then travel west round to the parking area on the Glen Torridon road at GR905557 (Countryside Centre).  There are many ancient stalkers paths in this area which provide great access to the hills, with the most popular starting points being Achnashellach Station and the Coulags.  There are many Munros and Corbetts which you could include in your traverse or there is…

Glen Affric is one of the finest glens in Scotland with big remote hills in a beautiful corner of the Highlands.  As we were in the last throes of winter (hopefully!) there were still large patches of snow and cloud on the hills but at glen level mild weather made for very pleasant walking conditions.  30 enthusiastic people (including 7 guests and returning ex-members), grasped the opportunity to experience the beauty of the Scottish hills in early spring.  We also had 3 members of the Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA), joining us for a joint meet for the first time. First off the bus (about 4kms from the Bus park),…

Carn na Con Dhu from Mullach na Dheiragain Sunday 20th March O.S.Map(s): 25 Est. time of arrival: 9.15 am Time of departure: 17.30 pm Leave Elgin: 7.00 am The Bus meet this Sunday is to the picturesque Glen Affric, which has a range of high and low level routes to explore.  On the north side of the Glen are 5 Munros with at least 4 that could be done by fit walkers in the time available.  Or you could just have a slightly easier day out and do Toll Creagach and Tom a’ Choinich.  There are also 2 Corbetts on the south side but with snow still lying on the high tops, only one…

For this annual Cairngorm winter meet, we try to provide the opportunity to practice and develop the skills of walking safely on snow and ice, using ice axes and crampons. Last year in January it was impossible to do this as the road to the upper car park was blocked after a heavy snow fall – so we changed to February this year.  Well, conditions were less than perfect, but Heavy and Ray did a sterling job in finding suitable terrain in Coire na Ciste to practice those essential winter skills so that more Club members are better prepared to tackle upland terrain in winter. A large group consisting of…

Sunday   21 February 2016 OS Map:  36 Bus Stop:  Coire Cas car park Arrival Time:  09.30 Departure Time:  16.30 Leave Elgin:  07.00   We are heading back to the Cairngorms in February and, as there will be plenty of the white stuff about,  there will be the opportunity to practice your winter skills in the company of some of the more experienced members of the Club.  A number of topics will be covered including the use of ice axe and crampons, and you will need to bring all your winter gear.  If you would like to take part in Winter skills, please mention this when you book on the bus.…

This years Xmas Bus meet was a huge success because, unlike last year, we actually did some walking and had no raging rivers to cross! It was a big departure from the norm, to go fairly local for the Xmas Bus meet, when every other year in living memory (need to check this with Ken Ross!), we would head for the bigger mountainous areas of Scotland.  Despite a slight hiccup with a flat battery on the original coach, and having to find a replacement, 51 members and guests were not unduly inconvenienced and were determined to enjoy the day.  The last time this number was exceeded for a Xmas meet…

Sunday 20 December 2015 O.S.Map(s): 28 Est. time of arrival: 09.45 Time of departure: 17.30 Leave Elgin: 09.00 The Christmas Bus Meet on 20 December 2015 will be a traverse over Ben Rinnes and then a meal at the Aberlour Hotel at 3pm. As this will be a shorter day than normal, the Bus will pick up first at Inverness at 8am, and then travel through to Elgin via Nairn (8.20am)and Forres (8.40am)to arrive at Lossie Green car park, Elgin at 9am.  The Bus will then depart for Dufftown and drop off at the B9009 (it will be unable to get up the minor road to the normal car park), for a traverse over Ben Rinnes and then down to…

The venue for the October Bus Meet was Assynt which has an impressive array of outstanding mountains.  The rocks in this area are predominantly gneiss, on top of which sandstone hills have weathered to create some of the weird and magnificent shapes typical of this region.  Some would say that these are some of the best small hills in the World (yes…. The World!). A total of 28 people turned out for this meet and the weather was calm and mild with great visibility. Rob Murray was first off the bus at Loch Droma where he headed up to Beinn Liath Mor Fannaich and then east along the ridge before…

Sunday 18 October 2015 O.S.Map(s): 15 Est. time of arrival: 09.45 Time of departure: 17.00 Leave Elgin: 07.00 Assynt has an impressive array of outstanding mountains: Ben More Assynt, Conival, Canisp, Quinag, Cul Mor, Cul Beag, Breabag, Suilven, Stac Pollaidh ……. The rock in this area is predominantly gneiss, on top of which sandstone hills have weathered to create some of the weird and magnificent shapes typical of this region and on a clear day, this is an area where you like to linger as long as possible. In addition to the excellent hillwalking in this area, there is some good scrambling on Quinag  (Sail Gharbh, East Buttress – Grade 3), Conival…

The last meet to this venue was on a glorious day in June 2014, when there were 23 people on the bus. This time there were also 23 people on the bus, but amazingly only myself and Graeme M were on both trips? Kintail offers many possibilities with its big ridges and variety of hills, and for many, is the finest hill walking area in the Western Highlands. The weather was also very good despite forecasts of rain sweeping across the area in early afternoon, and only the late, late party returning from the South Cluanie Ridge had a welcome (?) rain shower to cool them down on the long…