GLASGOW GLENMORE CLUB NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2005

Whilst the last couple of months have been the traditional ‘quiet spell’ for the Club, it has been a busy time for the committee in sorting out details for the year ahead, as described below by Club chairman Gordon Dykes in the first of his ‘chairman’s comments’ for the newsletter.

As the full programme gets under way, if you have any suggestions to make for outdoor or indoor meets, or for possible improvements – and yes, even constructive criticism is welcomed. Please do share them with any member of the committee – and if you’ve forgotten all the names then each is a coordinator on the programme at the end of the newsletter.

Henry

Hopefully, the committee have planned a calendar that offers a suitably diverse programme for the coming season. We have taken on board as many suggested venues from the AGM as possible. However, we have been surprised how often the original choice was pre-booked by another club and had to seek either alternative accommodation in the same locality or swap months round to ensure a representative geographical spread. It has reinforced the message that we have to book further ahead and pay more deposits out in order to deliver the Club programme we want. Therefore the Club must maintain a healthy bank balance to fund this.

One innovation this year is a couple of small hostel meets. These have been pitched deliberately against day meets and are intended to utilise some of the excellent accommodation we would not normally use, due to the need to secure upwards of thirty places. We will monitor how successful these are both with regard to attendance at the hostel but also how it impacts on the day meets they will compete with.

Two obvious omissions from the programme are the quiz and a ceilidh. They are only resting and will return to the programme next year.

I hope you find something to look forward to in the programme and hope to see you all on a hill over the coming season

Gordon

Thanks to you all for paying your subscriptions so promptly, in line with the new arrangements agreed at the AGM earlier this year. This was a great help to our outgoing membership secretary, Arthur Whittaker, who has now handed over his duties to Alice Harrison. And many thanks to Arthur for doing the job so well – so good luck, Alice, whom we can all help by keeping her fully informed of any address and contact changes.

This year our annual donation, £250, has gone to the John Muir Trust.  The JMT owns and manages seven properties in the UK covering around 50,000 acres which includes the following well known, much loved and well trodden hills; Ben Nevis, Bla Bhein, Ladhar Bheinn and Schiehallion. Part of the JMT conservation work involves repairing and maintenance of paths on their properties and they have recently completed work on Schiehallion, using both professional and volunteer workers and at a cost of £816,962.  The JMT is involved in purchasing and managing wild places, however our donation has gone exclusively to their paths and maintenance budget.

See last sheet for the full programme of outdoor and indoor meets. We probably have more outdoor meets planned than for a long time, and indoors the range should offer something for everyone … and to those members who might be muttering ‘ gee, this club is going to the dogs’ then, yes, and on Thursday 1^st. December to be precise …so, read on!

And please remember the new arrangements for indoor meets – doors open at 7.30pm at the Wellington Church Hall, Southpark Street, with the talk commencing at 7.45 pm and tea/coffee afterwards.

A day meet to Arran will be our first meet of the 2005/2006 season. We plan to catch the 09.45 ferry from Ardrossan, arriving Brodick at 10.40. There is a choice of 4 Corbetts within walking/cycling distance or bus access from Brodick. If you don’t walk to climb any hills Arran is a great place for cycling. The return ferry costs £8.40. Please let Liz know if you intend to come to this meet and if you want or are willing to give a lift. A great day out before the short days of winter.

Arthur will describe how he and three friends made a successful ski traverse of Iceland, from Akureyri on the North coast of Iceland to Jokulsarlon on the South coast. Daytime conditions varied from snow storms with zero visibility to perfect blue skies and sunshine. Nights were similarly varied, ranging from tents pitched on top of crevasses and buried in new snow to thermally heated huts with their own saunas.

All the 30 places we booked have now been taken up by members, but there is always the possibility of late cancellations, so if you are really keen on going, then keep in touch with Liz. The cost is £35 for the weekend.

Take a journey into the early days of policing through a unique collection of uniforms, badges and police equipment. The social history of crime in the Force area is also illustrated and contains many exhibits relating to forensic science, narcotics, communications and other important aspects of modern policing. The museum is within the Strathclyde Police HQ near to Charing Cross. Please let me know if you are coming and meet at 7.30pm at the West Regent Street door which is at the bottom end of the building.

A chance to visit a smaller venue. The Tomdoun hotel, 6 miles off the A87 along Loch Quoich, offers excellent food and a 3 roomed bunkhouse sleeping up to 14 with a shower and drying room. Send cheque to Mary, made out to Glasgow Glenmore Club , cost £10 per person, to secure a place . For more details about Tomdoun visit www.tomdoun.com.

A popular day meet venue with lots of hills and plenty of refreshment opportunities after our exertions.

Chris is an able hill runner and peak bagger who has occasionally joined the Glenmore for a weekend meet. In April 2005 he participated in the Everest Sky Race, a 10 stage trail race of 280 km with 13,000m ascent to raise money for Leukaemia Research – find out more on www.everestskyrace.blogspot.com. He’ll talk about this and bagging other trekking peaks in Nepal.

A change to the original programme as we couldn’t get the Ski Lodge at Bridge of Orchy so we’ve booked 30 beds at this 66 bed hostel. They will cook dinner for us on Saturday night if a minimum of 15 folk are interested, so let me know when you book your place, cost £23 for 2 nights ; send cheque to Mary made out to Glasgow Glenmore Club. An easy drive up the A9 with plenty of hills.

The John Muir Trail is reckoned to be one of the finest backpacking trails in the USA, covering 211 miles from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney. We’ll see some stunning scenery and get tips on what food to carry to survive for 10 days without replenishment – promises to be a very memorable evening!

Meal at Di Maggios Gibson St. 6.pm. Please let Alice know if you intend eating.

We meet at 9.30 am in the car park on the Upper Hillfoots road for this day meet to enjoy the charms of the Dollar area, a village with its own castle, glen and burn as well as the hill where Alice took her first mountaineering steps, aged five. There are plenty of smaller hills such as Whitewisp and Kings Seat or the possibility of a walk to Glen Devon with a pub at the end.

Directions to the Upper Hillfoots road car park : take the turn left just before the Priory shop then sharp left again and up a steep hill. (not the Castle Campbell car park)

Michael and Stuart will be giving an illustrated presentation on memory mapping for a CD rom…. it’s all about clever use of GPS and computers as aids to navigation. They are both clued up on technical products and are able to answer all sorts of obscure questions about the gear sold in Tiso. They are both keen hill walkers and cyclists with Alpine experience. This promises to be a fascinating evening around gadgets and gizmos, with lots of potential for Christmas gifts for the guy who has everything!

Meet for a meal at Di Maggios, Gibson Street, 6pm. Please let Alice know if you are coming to the meal.

We return to the Pottery Bunkhouse at Laggan Bridge, Newtonmore. This is an independent hostel with good access to a variety of winter walks – take your pick from the Monadhliath and Craeg Meagaidh hills to the north or the numerous peaks between Loch Laggan and Loch Ericht where a bike could be handy.

We have booked 3 rooms with 8 bunks in each. The hostel features an outdoor hot tub, great for soaking away the aches and pains of the day! There is a pub/hotel only 400metres away.

To get there turn left off A9 at Dalwhinnie onto A 889 and the bunkhouse is about 8 miles along the road on the right just before the Monadhliath Hotel

The cost is £22.00 per person for the weekend: send cheque to Alice, made out to Glasgow Glenmore Club

This is possibly a first for the Club, the chance to go greyhound racing – if you can run 300m in 16 seconds, then you too can chase the hare! It’s a £4 entry fee, minimum bet is 50p on the Tote but there is no need to bet – just watch and enjoy the racing from 8-10pm. There is parking nearby, in car park (£2) or on nearby streets. The No. 20 bus goes all the way from the Great Western Road. If you want to find out more about greyhound racing, visit www.thedogs.co.uk. We meet at the entrance at 7.45pm or see you inside!

Meeting at 9.30am in the public car park in Luss, these hills are ideal for the shorter daylight at this time of year and offer lots of opportunities, especially for Graham-baggers. You may even plan to enjoy a drink in one of the pubs afterwards. No need to put this part on the route card!

The Inchnadamph Lodge (Assynt Field Centre) is booked for the nights of 30^th December to 2nd of January. There will be the traditional Hogmanay ceilidh and I will organise a communal meal on similar lines to last time for one of the nights. Check out the website www.inch-lodge.co.uk.

I must have a firm indication of numbers by the 1^st of December. We have booked all 46 beds – and paid for them in full - to guarantee exclusive use. Cost is £46 per person. There are a few twin rooms available on a first come first satisfied basis. These will cost a little more at £70 per person. Why? Because you’re worth it. There is no discount for less than four nights. Please send your cheque to Gordon, made out to Glasgow Glenmore Club.

It is proposed to run navigation courses again this autumn, this time we are opening up the scope to include GPS and advanced training. These will be run subject to demand but what is proposed is:-

1. A basic hill navigation course - consisting of an indoor session of about an hour and a half held in the "Bon Accord" pub starting at 7.00pm on Thursday 29th September, followed by a practical day on the hill on the Campsies on Saturday 1st October.

2. A GPS specific session - this could be done on a weekend afternoon - say in a Glasgow park (possibly Mugdock) - date for this would be by arrangement with those interested.

3. A night navigation session (on local hills) where the emphasis would be on more advanced techniques (including GPS) and things like "what to do when lost!" - again the date for this would be by arrangement with those interested.

Anyone interested in these courses please get in touch with John McPartlin at jfmcpartlin@ntlworld.com or by phone at 0141-578-9986.

A meeting to talk about options for the meet will be held at 7.30pm on Tuesday 20^th September at Gordon Dykes’ house

It has been brought to the attention of the editor that the recently issued revised Information for Members contains several errors which should be corrected as follows:

The copy on the website will be amended , and those with hard copies may wish to mark up the corrections.

‘The following is an appreciation of Bruce Anderson, a longstanding member of the Club, who died in June this year’

Colin, Monica and David Farrow would like to thank everyone who sponsored them on their summer cycle-camping expedition along the Rhine, from the sea at Rotterdam to source, Lai da Toma above the Oberalp pass in Switzerland. Between work and friends, they have raised over £1000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care – a great achievement and well done ! Any further donations will be accepted up until the first indoor meet.

Stella Lowder extends an invitation to Glenmorons to join her on Sunday 18^th September for her compleation on Meal na Teanga, by Loch Lochy. The meeting place is the forestry car park at the foot of Gleann Cia-aig, OS34 GR NH176 889, which is very close to the east end of Loch Arkaig. The time is 9.30am and Stella would like anyone planning to join her to let her know, just in case really foul weather means that the day has to be called off. Stella can be contacted at slowder@ges.gla.ac.uk and on 0141 339 4608

Club address list: the latest version was issued by e-mail by Arthur on 27^th July and for those not electronically connected, a hard copy is enclosed. In line with established practice, only changes from the latest list are given here, so you will need to check it for a member’s full details if you want to contact them.

New e-mail address for Allison MacLeod:

Amhuinnsuidh@Yahoo.com

And Allison added that she’d be delighted to meet up with any Glenmorons who are planning to visit Lewis and Harris, and to share a day on the hill if possible.

Harrold Thomson recently found in his car a 1:50,000 OS map, Sheet 15, which covers Assynt. It is marked in places with yellow marker, so if your copy is missing and you’ve been in Harrold’s car then you know who to contact.

Most, but not all members, know that the Club has an account with the Cotswold shop which gives a useful discount on most purchases. It is not a credit account (!) and so you must pay when purchasing goods: the account number is G15008 which will help the sales staff – and mention this before they start to process payment – and it’s also helpful to have your membership card as well.

Tiso will be having a club discount event in November, with discounts of 25% on rock climbing and mountaineering equipment, 15% on footwear and clothing …more details to be circulated when date etc. advised by them.

Summer Newsletter.

As well as the usual news of bothy conditions,, renovations and other news from all areas, the above Newsletter included, among other articles:-

This MBA Newsletter is available from the Librarian, Connie Thomson. Also, the MBA has just published a leaflet ‘Bothies – Responsible Access.’ An e-mail copy is attached and hard copy for those members not on e-mail.

You are invited to the launch of Scotland’s first Geopark in the NW Highlands on Monday 12^th September, 11am Knockan Crag, half an hour’s drive north of Ullapool. So if you’re interested in hard rocks and learning more about the park, there is a full programme of events up there in the The Restless North West: Scottish Geology Festival – the chance to explore the area as you’ve probably not done before – limestone caves, ice age features and have ‘ A Gneiss evening in Kinlochbervie’ (no groans please, it’s on Thursday 15^th September in Kinlochbervie village hall)

For more information visit www.northwest-highlands-geopark.org.uk or contact Geopark officer Isobel MacPhail on 01471 844000 or info@northwest-highland-geopark.org.uk

(Speakers marked * to be confirmed in winter newsletter, also venue for **)

Month/(Co-ordinator)