Fifty years ago a small group of very new Glenmore Club members (about a dozen or so, including yours truly) met in Blanefield on 14^th November 1954, after travelling by bus from Glasgow for the Club’s very first outdoor meet. The meet was led by our very first Chairman, Jock Nimlin, its primary destination being Earl’s Seat, finishing by descending via Ballagan Burn, with a "drum-up" on the way. The weather was dry all day with good views all round.

Fifty years on and it was decided to have a re-enactment of this first outing, especially as it happened to fall on a Sunday. Twenty-nine members and six ex-members all met at the Kirkhouse Inn car park and after the usual debates four groups emerged, three of these roughly following the original route via Cantywheery, Clachertyfarlie Knowes to Earl’s Seat, then down by Owsen Hill and Dumbreck Hill to Ballagan Farm, the other smaller group of six opting for a route via Slack Dhu to Earl’s Seat, returning via Cantywheery. The three main groups tended to coalesce from time to time and all three groups had a very sociable lunch just south of and below Earl’s Seat, having met the other smaller group a little earlier, just north of Earl’s Seat, on their way back down. All met back at Kirkhouse, having a "refreshment", where a few more non-participating members joined in the general bonhomie, before all headed for home (but not by bus!).

It was a gratifyingly good turn-out for such lowly hills, but at least people learnt that even on such hills, one has to find one’s way in thick mist, which we all had for most of the day – not such good weather as fifty years ago, nor do I remember it being so wet underfoot then!

HT

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