GLASGOW GLENMORE CLUB NEWSLETTER WINTER 2006-2007

This is proving to be a very interesting time for us with the conversion of MCofS from a loose affiliation of clubs and individuals into a legal body. The process of incorporation is proving slow and for some organisations painful. Personally I was reassured by the presentation given by Mary Webster at a recent indoor meeting. The objectives are laudable and the passion well directed but there are still some hurdles to be cleared before we can sit back and see the fruits of their labour. Needless to say, I hope the new structure will be something that all current members will feel comfortable with, as united we give the MCofS a stronger voice.

The new venue for indoor meets appears to be working well and it may be a coincidence but some new faces have appeared for a look and one or two have returned to pay up and come out again. So I’d like to extend a warm welcome to any new members and hope we continue to strengthen the Glenmore family.

The next few months will hopefully bring the white stuff, so we can dig out the technical hardware from the loft. Its use is getting less and less frequent. So those magical days of hard pack and blue skies are all the more worth treasuring.

Gordon

Picking up on Gordon’s remarks about MCofS, there should be some useful feedback from those Glenmorons attending the Club Forum meeting this week in Glasgow. The committee will be considering MCofS related issues and how they may affect our club, and will report back to members in the New Year.

This is the last newsletter of 2006 and on behalf of the committee may I wish everyone a very happy Christmas and best wishes for 2007.

Henry

Programme

Here are the remaining meets for the month:

Ross Firth, Head of the Park Ranger Service, will describe what is so special about our local National Park and how the Park Authority resolves the continuing conflict of development versus preservation. Ross will give an insight into how the National Park both serves the needs of all who enjoy the great outdoors and of the natural habitat.

Pre-meet meal, Di Maggios in Ruthven Lane, at 6 pm: please contact Alice if you want to join the diners.

The Club has booked 30 places in this most scenic Lake District Youth Hostel in the middle of Grasmere. This is a 4 star YH. Saturday evening dinner and 2 breakfasts are included in the cost of the weekend, making it a stress-free stay with no washing up! A map is attached with the hostel clearly marked in the centre of the village (not to be confused with the other Youth Hostel near the village). The total cost for the weekend with 2 nights, Saturday dinner and 2 breakfasts is £46-80p per person.

December Co-ordinator Gordon Dykes

The ceilidh returns this year with renewed enthusiasm. The bowling club should prove a good venue for this and Eric Thomson will be providing the music once more. We are back to the traditional "bring your own food" for the refreshment break. I hope you haven’t lost those old recipes. Dance off from 7.30pm.

Meet 9.30 am in the car park at Rowardennan. Ben Lomond. It has been suggested by at least two people who enjoyed the community walk that Tim’s last Munro turned into that we treat this day in the same manner. So can I suggest that you carry celebratory fare up the hill and we shall have a virtual compleation on the top. Shortbread, mulled wine, mince pies are all possible(weather permitting). Oh how I want to finish with "If wet in the vicarage"- realistically, if wet then under the trees at the bottom.

We have an exclusive booking for three nights in this modern and well appointed hostel. The web site www.moragslodge.com can guide you through the facilities. There is plenty of accommodation as it can sleep up to 80; in rooms that include doubles and twins. So please feel free to bring family and friends along.

Most of the small rooms have been taken but if you are smart I may be able to do something, but no promises now.

The cost is £59 each person for the three nights. Please make out your cheque to Glasgow Glenmore Club and send to Gordon at above address. This costs a little more than last year but reflects better facilities and the greater space we will have. So I hope to see you there!

Two Glenmorons were involved in a yachting trip this summer to the Faroe Islands, which was organised by the Clyde Cruising Club.

Although it was "organised", John and Sandy were crew on different yachts and they have 2 different stories to tell. The final trip out to the Faroe Islands from Stornoway and the return over to Shetland involved 3 yachts in company but they had separate adventures along the way in both getting to the start point and on the return from Scalloway (on Shetland).

In the meantime Enid had her own adventure in flying out to the capital Torshavn to join John on board for the cruise around the Faroes and staying on after they left to explore other bits of the islands.

All agreed that the Faroes was a fabulous location for not just sailing and wildlife but the spectacular ridges gave them a sample of the hillwalking opportunities of these friendly islands.

And to whet your appetites for the talk, here is a view of the Faroe Islands….oh, and the boats of course.

Pre-meet meal at Di Maggios,

Ruthven Lane, at 6 pm. Please let Colin know if you want to join the party there.

The good news is that we’ve managed to get this lovely wee hostel for a small weekend meet. The bad news is that there’s no free porridge and we’ll need to cater for ourselves as Jean the wonderful owner/cook has retired.

The hostel has three bunkrooms each with four beds, and a double room (duvets and linen provided). Hot showers, and good drying facilities are available. The kitchen is fully equipped for self-catering and there is a wood burning stove in the common room/dining area. Cost is £12 pppn, ie £24 for the two nights and cheques to be sent to Colin, made out to Glasgow Glenmore Club.

From Kingussie take B9152 to Kincraig. Turn right at Kincraig, down unclassified road, after 2km turn left onto the B970 towards Feshiebridge. After crossing the River Feshie in 1.5km, turn right onto a road signposted Achlean and hostel, follow for 4km.

No Munros, but plenty of Corbetts, Donalds, Grahams and Marilyns in this attractive border location. Meet at 0930 at the Grey Mare’s Tail car park on the A708 about 10 miles NW of Moffat. For those who don’t know, the Grey Mare’s Tail is one of Scotland’s finest waterfalls. Maybe it will turn up in Harrold’s quiz at our indoor meeting on 1^st February.

As usual volunteers are wanted for the main business of the Burns Supper on Saturday evening so if you have a yearning to Address the Haggis, wax lyrically over the Immortal Memory, to Toast the Lassies or rebut them with a reply from the Lassies, then please don't be shy and get in touch. Other arrangements will be made nearer the time.

The Glenmore Club Quiz returns after an absence of two years. The quizmaster will be Harrold Thomson and the winning team will get their names engraved on a plaque on an ancient ice axe that records those who have demonstrated not only an intimate knowledge of Scotland’s mountains, but a fair amount of general knowledge as well.

Pre-meet meal 6 pm at Di Maggios, Ruthven Lane: please tell Jon if you would like to dine.

Meet as usual in the car park at NN 575333. If there is sufficient snow around it is hoped to organise a refresher in winter skills like ice axe arrests. This is not compulsory and those that wish may trot along Tarmachan or loup over Lawers.

We all climb the hills, but how many of us can recognise the plants that we see around us? Here is a chance to rectify this deficit under the expert guidance of David Shenton of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, who combines an intimate knowledge of mountain flora with excellent photographic skills. I for one have long sought for some justification for always being the last up a mountain. In the future, hopefully, I will be able to explain that I was admiring the dwarf cornel seen along the route and would undoubtedly have beaten everyone to the top had I not been so distracted!

Pre-meet meal at Di Maggios, Ruthven Lane at 6 pm. Please tell Jon if you would like to attend.

For a true wilderness weekend, one needs look no further than Loch Ossian in the Central Highlands, an idyllic spot surrounded by hills. You could even try to join an elite group who have run around the loch in less than an hour. One cannot reach it by road, so must catch a train from Glasgow or a station en route such as Crianlarich, Tyndrum, Bridge of Orchy or Rannoch. The Youth Hostel is a mile from Corrour station, so all gear including food has to be carried in your pack. The Youth Hostel caters for 20, divided between 2 rooms. We must supply our own sleeping bags, but pillows are provided. There are no showers, but the hostel does have hot and cold running water and two outside toilets. The kitchen has only 8 cooking rings, so members are encouraged to arrange to cook in groups. Booking for this popular location starts after 1900hrs on November 22^nd. A telephone booking will need to be followed by payment of £27.50, the cost of two nights at the hostel: please make out cheque to Glasgow Glenmore Club and send it to Jon.

CONGRATULATIONS to Tim Mason on compleating his Munros on Lochnagar on 7^th October in the company of about 30 other Glenmorons and to Jim Stevenson who completed his Corbetts on Dun da Ghaoithe on Mull, with Ruth in very murky weather on 5^th August.

Leslie Alcock

News of former Club member Leslie Alcock’s death in June this year came after the last newsletter was issued. Many members will have fond memories of Leslie, who joined the Club after moving from Cardiff in 1973 to take up the newly created of Chair of Archaeology at Glasgow University. He was lively company on the hills but perhaps few of us knew we were in the company of one of the country’s foremost archaeologists who, with the support of his wife Elizabeth, made an outstanding contribution to the history of medieval Britain.

John McPartlin's message in the last newsletter ~ 'Wanted - New Manager for Club Website' ~ was successful and Elisabeth Culshaw is now in the process of taking over from John. It'll take a little time for the full handover to be completed, and for example at present John is still handling the Club group e-mail system. Elisabeth says ' it's proving to be a great experience and so please bear with me whilst I get to grips with understanding and learning what has to be done – and please, can I have feedback from members about the website, which would be really helpful.’

As members know, John has put in a huge amount of work over the last 5 years since he set up the website which has come a long way in that time and is now such an integral part of the Club's operations. Well done, John, and best wishes to Elisabeth in her new role.

Many thanks to Chris Huxham for sending in this piece about how to get a professional repair to your Paramo trousers:

Since so many of us wear Paramo trousers in the winter, I thought Club members might be interested to know that Paramo have a repair service which includes zip replacement and, rather amazingly, replacement of complete panels of the outer material.  They replaced at least two panels on my trousers (thigh and bum!) completely free of charge well outside the guarantee period with no questions asked.  The trousers are now  as good as new.  CCC, a shop in Sheffield, sent them to Paramo for me (Tiso was not interested in helping at all), but I imagine it would be straightforward to send them straight to Paramo. This service seems to compensate to some degree for the fragility of the outer material (ie its propensity to rip).  A word of warning, though ... it did take a couple of months or more for the repair to be completed.  This may have been a problem caused by CCC rather than Paramo, but if you want them back in a hurry I would check out the turnaround time before sending them off

Contact details are: Paramo Customer Services, Unit F, Durgates Industrial Estate, Wadhurst, East Sussex, TN5 6DF.  Tel 01892 786444.  Fax 01892 784 961.  customer.services@paramo.co.uk. www.paramo.co.uk.

Members on e-mail will have received a note to ask them if anyone inadvertently picked up the wrong black waterproof jacket at the end of the meeting at Hyndland Bowling Club on 18^th October. John Connell, our principal contact at the Bowling Club, found that his’ Katmandu’ jacket ( black outside and inside) had been taken and the jacket he picked up, also black on outside, was a ‘Hawkshead,’ but dark green on inside. If you did wear a black waterproof jacket that night, please check to see if it’s John’s and if so, let Henry know so that the jackets can be exchanged.

Mountain Bothies Association (MBA)

Autumn 2006 Newsletter

This issue of the MBA Newsletter contains the usual news of bothy conditions and renovations and includes news of two new MBA bothies, one at the most northerly tip of Skye ( a former coastguard building to be called ‘The Lookout’, appropriately) and Craig, a former SYHA hostel now finally renovated and taken over by MBA. Several bothies are looking for new Maintenance Organisers: Craig, Glen Could, Uage, Gorton and Loch Chiarain – any volunteers?

In the light of our Club’s recent meeting about MCofS’s reorganisation, it’s interesting to note that MBA have just about concluded their Child Protection Policy, which was much discussed at the above meeting.

Other articles/information included:

The Newsletter also included several other interesting articles, covering Welsh bothies and another on bothy equivalents in South Island, New Zealand.

Annual Report for year ending 31^st March 2006

This report includes a review of MBA’s organization and aims, together with the Trustees’ responsibilities and lists all office- bearers, Area Organisers and Maintenance Organisers.

The Financial Review and Statement show the large amount spent on bothy renovations.

Achievements during the year included the number of volunteer-days spent on renovating and maintaining the 99 bothies for which MBA is responsible, with a total membership of over 3200.

Each of the above publications is available on loan from the Club Librarian, Connie Thomson.

Annual Report

This year’s Annual Report gives much information on all aspects of Scotways’ activities over the past year, including:

Notice was given of Scotways’ AGM in Perth on 18^th November, as well as next year’s official walks, including one through Glen Tilt, celebrating 160 years since the ‘Battle of Glen Tilt’, which was instrumental in establishing Scotways.

The report included an obituary for Tom Weir, who died in July, and who was President of Scotways from 1996-2001.

Enclosed with the report was a list of publications, available from Scotways, including several free leaflets, not least of which was two copies of one entitled ‘Rights of Access to the Outdoors in Scotland – A Brief Overview of the Law’ – further copies available directly from Scotways.

The report is available on loan from the Club Librarian, Connie Thomson.

The following are available to any member who would like to have them - then phone Connie

The Cairngorms - SMC Guide, 4^th edition, November 1968

The Central Highlands - SMC Guide, 2^nd edition, 1952 (2 copies)

The Southern Uplands - SMC Guide, 1949

There are several old MBA journals dating back to the 70’s and a number of more recent MBA newsletters which some members may be interested in reading. Also, there are some reports from various bodies associated with mountaineering or the Scottish countryside.

The above items will be available for perusal at the next indoor meeting, on 23^rd November and any remaining will be taken by Connie to the 4^th January 2007 indoor meeting – after that date any remaining will be donated to a charity bookshop.

Connie has collected £10 in donations for the Mountain Rescue for old books and maps already taken, so let’s hope the total can be increased!

Glasgow Glenmore Club-Season 2006/2007

Note: All indoor meets held at clubhouse of Hyndland Bowling Club

Month/(Co-ordinator)

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