OTHER NEWS
SCOTTISH WOMEN'S SUMMER CLIMBING MEET
11th-13th JUNE 1998 By Debbie Johnson
Now in its 11th year the Scottish women's meets continue their job of introducing women to potential climbing partners living in Scotland. Twelve women attended this year's summer meet in Milehouse Cottage, Loch Insh coming from Aberlour, Aberdeen, Birnam, Fife and the Central belt. On Saturday Binnein Shuas was once again under attack from teams of women while others ventured into the Cairngorms only to be thwarted by an afternoon shower. The next day they returned for a second attempt accompanied by several others while the less hardy investigated the new bolted crags at Weem (and found them surprisingly busy).
This was a truly multi-national meet with two Germans, one Spanish, one American and several English recently arrived in Scotland. The meets are arranged on an ad hoc basis and the next Winter meet is being organised by Maria de la Torre. Any women resident in Scotland who would like to attend the meet or join the list and be kept informed of future meets should contact Maria on 01224 571464.
OPENING OF NEW BUNKHOUSE
By Lorraine Nicholson
Working for the MCofS does have some "perks". On 3rd June Irvine Butterfield, representing MCof S and the Outdoor Writers' Guild and myself were invited by Manager Alan Renwick to the opening of a new bunkhouse at Tulloch. It was officially opened during a short ceremony by well-known outdoor writer and broadcaster Jimmy McGregor pictured here.
To be known as "Station Lodge" it was formerly Tulloch Railway Station buildings. In his conversion Alan has carefully considered retaining the character of the building in the style of a Swiss chalet. As far as facilities go, much thought has obviously been given to the requirements of outdoor-users and their comforts after a hard day on the hill or Winter route up nearby Creag Meagaidh. There is a good drying room, ample showers and toilets, a common room with open fire, heating throughout, a dining room with wood burning stove, air-conditioned bunk rooms, shop on site, telephone and for those staying a little longer, laundry facilities. Provision is made for 24 people to sleep in 4 separate rooms so it is ideal for clubs wishing to book weekends. For £9 per person per night you will be given bed linen and free use of all facilities with self-catering. However, good home-cooked meals, including a vegetarian option, are on offer if you can't quite summon up that extra energy to cook for yourself. Breakfasts and packed lunches can be made up using selected foods so that you only pay for what you want to eat. A major plus for the hillwalking fraternity is a licence to sell alcohol on the premises which saves arguments as to who is going to drive to Roybridge! Conveniently located for many hills, you could opt to leave the car at home and take the train North from one of the West Highland line stations - sustainable transport and all that.
GOING FOR LIQUID GOLD.
1,000 BOTTLES OF WHISKY STILL TO BE FOUND!
Scotland may be small in scale by world standards but it's surprising just what can remain hidden in its heathery interior! It's amazingly almost two years since Richard Henderson cached 1,000 bottles of amber nectar in a mystery location in the Scottish Highlands and yet despite much tramelling of ground by mountaineering feet, the cache has not been stumbled on despite it lying on open ground! So it's still all to play for.
To cast your mind back, Richard wrote a book called "Chasing Charlie", featuring the Prince of Wales, with all profits from sales of the book going to the Prince's Trust. In the text there were clues given to the whereabouts of this precious bounty but so far it has eluded human detection.
To date Richard has received more than 800 letters from people who have entered into the romance (the spirit!) of the game and joined in the hunt. There has been a huge range of theories hatched and various misadventures related which are probably worthy of another book of short stories! but it would be of interest and amusement to readers to highlight just a few as recounted by Richard.
One lady on a ski-ing holiday in Italy suddenly thought she had cracked it and her conviction was so great that she flew home from her holiday early and then proceeded to charter a helicopter to fly her to the island of Soay for a sweep search only to discover that there was no cache and carry there! Another set of pioneers set sail from Loch Coruisk in a kiddies paddling pool to search the islands peppering Loch Scavaig! And then there was Ian the Whaler from Moidart and his 5 friends who together carried a rowing boat over a 2,000ft pass to row out to the remote island in the middle of Loch Beoraid, North of Loch Eilt. Again their arduous efforts went unrewarded.
Richard hid several minor caches some of which have been found; one near the summit of An Teallach, one in a ruin in Knoydart, one on Marsco on Skye, one on the shores of Loch Teacuis opposite Ardnamurchan and one in a wood near Crathie. He was rumbled by the GUM club whilst replacing one such cache but they all retreated to the bothy and enjoyed some Uisge Beatha consumption that night!
If the main cache of 1,000 bottles from 109 different distilleries, one dating back to 1936, is not found before Christmas 1999, then all correspondents will be invited to the party ( GR presumably to be stated on invitation! but no need to bring your own bottle!) in the secret hideaway. This would surely be the wildest Hogmanay of the millennium!
As an incentive to any club search, there is the promise that if found, each member will get a bottle of whisky each and a barrel of beer for the party! Happy hunting and don't forget your friends in the MCofS office if you strike gold!!
If you want to get involved then it may be worth purchasing the paperback entitled "Chasing Charlie" by Richard Henderson Cost £5 ISBN 0 952 84320 X Black Raven Publishing.
MCofS T-SHIRT REPRINT
Following the success of our Coolmax T-shirts, we have just received our re-order from North Cape, Associate members of the MCofS and are now able to supply members with all three colours and four sizes once again after selling out of many of the sizes and colours.
The forecasters say that summer will come in August this year so now's your chance to be suitably attired for the hills when the heat is on!
Order form at back of newsletter.
SEEKING COMPANY ON THE HILLS
A Belgian man, SERGE VAN MECHELEN recently wrote to us seeking a hill companion for September or October this year when he plans to come over and add to his collection of 22 Munros already climbed. He is competent in map reading and compass work but for safety's sake he does not want to travel alone in the more remote areas of Scotland.
He can be contacted at: 60, AVENUE DE MESSIDOR, 1180 BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.
MILITARY WRECKAGE SITE PRESERVATION
When out wandering the hills of Scotland, sometimes I, like most of you out there, will have come across aircraft wreckage on the hillside. One of our members, Craig Burness, has written to us with his concern over the preservation of these sites. As Craig, a member of an Aviation Museum which has an active research and recovery group, points out, he and other enthusiasts find important crashsites systematically disappearing each year. All sites must be respected as they maybe regarded as Wargraves, as in certain circumstances human remains may still exist on site. Any removal of souvenirs from any site must be actively discouraged and is in fact against the law without a special license issued to Authorised Aviation Archaeology and Recovery Groups by the Ministry of Defence. All wreckage of military aircraft in the UK is owned or under the protection of the MOD not the landowner. As well as clarifying the legal position, Craig is anxious to gather as much data from members as to accurate locations for crashsites which he will in turn pass on to local aviation research groups for future investigation.
Please contact: Craig Burness, Flat D, Cornerhouse, Main Street, Glamis, DD8 1RU with any site information or queries regarding this subject.
HARVEYS NEW TORRIDON MAP
Harveys of Doune have recently launched a new map for the Torridon area on a scale of 1:25,000 retailing at £6.95. ISBN 185137 3047. Its coverage includes 7 Munros including Slioch, 9 Munro tops, 5 Corbetts and 3 Grahams. A useful guide is printed on the reverse of this map featuring interesting background information, Gaelic interpretations of place names and plenty of useful contact numbers all provided by Irvine Butterfield.
Tough and waterproof, the large-scale map is easy to use with exceptionally clear and detailed print. Available from outdoor shops, bookshops and tourist information centres or direct from Harveys, 12-16 Main Street, Doune, FK16 6BJ. Tel. 01786 841202.
TICK REMOVAL MADE EASY
If you're like me and already had to deal with ticks burrowing into your skin and subsequent attempts to remove them, then you'll be glad to hear of a little instrument which will ensure the body is not broken off and the head left in thus reducing the likelihood of infection. Costing £5.99 it is the safest and most effective way to remove these parasites.
Available from CANAC, Becks Mill, Westbury Leigh, Westbury, Wiltshire, BA13 3SD.
LECTURES AND EVENTS
KINLOCHEWE MOUNTAIN HERITAGE WEEKEND
16th -18th October 1998 :
Friday 16th October
Welcome Dance in Kinlochewe Village Hall
Saturday 17th/Sunday 18th October
Walks and talks by local residents and environmental groups
-The Old Bloomeries along Loch Maree-side-
- Stalking with a camera -
- Footpath erosion, repair and maintenance-
- Local flora and fauna Nature Trail walk-
Saturday Evening
Audio- visual " The Magic of Mountain Light", Mountains from the UK to the Himalaya
by Ian Evans. followed by :
Ceilidh at Loch Maree Hotel (Bus from Torridon and Kinlochewe)
Supported by John Muir Trust, Mountaineering Council of Scotland, Ross and Cromarty Footpath Trust, National Trust for Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Harvey maps and Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board.
Enquiries to Tom and Liz Forrest, Cromasaig, Kinlochewe
(Tel. 01445 760234 or Fax 01445 760333)
Accommodation in Hotels (Torridon, Kinlochewe and Loch Maree, Slatterdale) Bunkhouses at Kinlochewe Hotel and Loch Maree Hotel, B&Bs and camping(Kinlochewe).
WATERSTONE'S BOOKSHOP AUTUMN TALKS SERIES :
GEOFF DUTTON TALK - THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DOCTOR!
If you missed hearing Geoff reading someof his stories at our AGM in June, for all lovers of the Scottish Highlands, here is a chance to hear some of the acclaimed Doctor stories personally discussed and related by the author of "The Ridiculous Mountains" and "Nothing So Simple as Climbing" as reviewed in our Book Review section in this newsletter. An entertaining evening guaranteed!
Tuesday, September 15th at 7pm
Waterstone's Bookshop, 153 -157 Sauchiehall Street, GLASGOW
AND
Wednesday, September 16th at 7pm
Waterstone's Bookshop, 13, Princes Street, EDINBURGH
FREE ADMISSION
JOE SIMPSON TALK
Wednesday, September 23rd at 7pm in
Waterstone's Bookshop, 153 -157 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow
TICKETS £2 and £1 concession available from Waterstone's Tel. 0141 332 9105
Ian White who produces Munros through Windows CDROM will also be there along with the Mountaineering Council of Scotland.
MCofS MOUNTAIN LIFE NIGHT II
After the success of our Perth Mountain Life Night, we are now taking the MCofS roadshow to the West at the kind invitation of Waterstones's Bookshop 153 -157 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. Kevin Howett (National Officer), Mike Dales (Access & Conservation Officer) and Lorraine Nicholson (Administrative Assistant) will be showing slides from home and abroad on a mountain theme.
Wednesday 28th October, 1998 7pm Waterstone's Glasgow shop.
FREE ADMISSION . Hope to see you all there!
SCOTTISH WILD LAND GROUP 1998 AGM AND DISCUSSION
This year's AGM will be held on Saturday 14th November,1998 at 7.30pm in the Golden Lion Hotel, Stirling. Following the AGM there will be a seminar/discussion on Land Reform. The principal speakers are Robin Callander and Andy Wightman, so we can expect some authoritative contributions and a lively debate. Non members are very welcome to attend.
1998 MOUNTAIN LITERATURE FESTIVAL, BRETTON HALL, WAKEFIELD.
Saturday 21st November 10.30am to 7.30pm
Amongst this year's array of speakers will be Peter Steele who has just brought out Eric Shipton's biography, Gordon Stainforth speaking about Derbyshire, Ian Mitchell on "Scotland Before the Mountaineers" , Doug Robinson from the USA who has written an amazing article "The climber as visionary"and who will be reading from his new collected essays, "A Night On The Ground, A Day in the Open".Elaine Brook will be there to talk about her book "In Search of Shambhala" as well as Dennis Gray who will be launching a new collection of memoirs entitled "Slack". Also appearing in the full-day programme will be Dawson Stelfox who will deliver the Boardman Tasker judgement for discussion, Geraldine Westrupp and Gill Kent who will be part of a panel discussion on Women's climbing. Lionel Wibault, a Chamonix guide and mountain painter, will be opening an exhibition of his own and his father's work.
Tickets at £14.50 each and/or further information are available from:
Terry Gifford, University College Bretton Hall, West Bretton, Wakefield, WF4 4LG.
Tel. 01924 832096 or Fax. 01924 832006. Home phone no: 01142 668813.
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