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 2009.  At £12 per head for a Xmas meal (+ £1 to provide a tip for the Staff), this represented very good value for money, which is why it makes good sense to repeat it.

Bus numbers in 2008 have dropped slightly to an average of 25 compared to an average of 27 for the last 7 years, so make a New Year resolution to walk more or climb in 2009!

Back to the walking options for the day: A huge group of 24 decided to make an early exit from the bus at Slochd on the A9, and take the walking/biking trail of the Burma Road in to Aviemore.  Two more members got off at Carrbridge to follow trails via Boat of Garten and all were back in good time despite the wind.  The last group of 7 stayed with the bus to Newtonmore and after a sodden trek up Glen Banchor decided to retreat in the face of more wind and impassable rivers.  So no hills were achieved,  but 2008 was a good year for Bus meet weather and there were some glorious clear frosty days as the old year petered out, to inspire enthusiasm for the new season.

After the dinner, the President, Ali Erginsoy, made a brief speech to sum up the year and then congratulated Edna Cameron on her achievement of compleating her Munros.  She replied by thanking all those who had encouraged, cajoled and accompanied her on her journey, which still offers a tremendous and worthwhile achievement, whilst visiting parts of Scotland which you would probably otherwise ignore.  You can record your achievement with the Clerk of the List at the SMC website here.   You can also include a photo of your final Munro which will remain for all time on the website.  If you forget to take a photo, you will have to do all the Munros again!!

Special thanks again to Graeme Morrison, Spence & Grant Ltd for sponsoring the cost of the Quaich which was presented to Edna.

Best wishes to all for 2009 and remember, ‘Adventure is a balance between danger and safety’.

John Henderson

For more photos from this meet, click here