Club Weekends - Overview

The club organises regular visits away to various locations across Scotland and more recently to the Lake District in England. The trips generally consist of a 2 or 3 night stay depending on the remoteness of the location being visited. The stays are normally in bunkhouse or hostel accommodation. At worst the accommodation can be basic although most of the locations provide a good level or very good level of accommodation and facilities. Sometimes the club has exclusive use of the accommodation such as the March trip to Rothiemurchus Lodge in the Cairngorm National Park. At other times the accommodation will be shared with other visitors which is usually the case in hostels. Individuals normally share same gender rooms often consisting of 4-6 beds, and bed linen is normally provided. Where bed linen isn't provided sleeping bags should be taken, but this is quite rare.

Cooking facilities and food storage are available in all locations for self catering use. On occasion the bunkhouse or hostel will provide breakfast, packed lunches and sometimes evening meals at a reasonable additional cost. Some individuals prefer to eat out and sometimes the accommodation is located near to local restaurants and pubs. The club do not organise transport to the club weekends and club members normally car share. The accommodation costs usually range from £25 - £45 for the weekend depending on the type of location and length of stay. Depending on the location and time of year the group numbers on a club weekend will range from ten to the mid twenties. The club weekends tend to be very popular because they offer good value accommodation, the opportunity to explore more remote areas and the chance to make new friends. Invariably if you attend one then you will more than likely want to attend more.

The most popular club weekend is the annual pilgrimage to Skye where new members can be introduced to the delights of the famous Cuillin Ridge. Professional guiding (at a reasonable cost) can be arranged through the club for a trip into these iconic mountains. Other popular trips have included visits to the remote and beautiful Knoydart Peninsula, the popular Ratagan Youth Hostel in Kintail and the breathtakingly rugged Torridon. There may be a view that the club weekends are limited to the experienced mountaineers within the club but this is really a myth. The weekends are attended by the fit and not so fit alike as well as those with lots of mountain experience and those with virtually none. The club weekend walks can range from big days out in the hills to more sedate low level ventures. People sometimes only walk the one day then spend the next one sightseeing or maybe shopping (although usually not the men!).