XXL Hillwalking Club Aberdeen

XXL: Aviemore Weekend; Fri 17th & Sat 18th Feb

2012-02-01T05:25:00.001-08:00

XXLers,

John Hartley tells me that we still have several spaces available on the Aviemore weekend. If you would like to sample the delights of the Cairngorms in winter for walking, skiing, or climbing then I would encourage you to book with John (bookings@xxl.org.uk) at the earliest opportunity. We will probably open up the bookings for guests / non-members at the beginning of next week.

Book now to avoid disappointment.

Best regards,

Jerry

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jeremy Edwards <slioch.284@gmail.com>
Date: 5 January 2012 13:21
Subject: XXL: Aviemore Weekend; Fri 17th & Sat 18th Feb
To: chairman@xxl.org.uk

Ladies & Gents,

I am pleased to announce that John Hartley (bookings@xxl.org.uk) is
now taking bookings for the February weekend meet which will be at the
Boat Inn Bunkhouse, Aviemore on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th.

Details of the accommodation can be found at http://www.aviemore-bunkhouse.com/.

We have booked a 6-bunk dorm and an 8-bunk dorm.

The cost (including the Club's booking fee) will be £18pppn.

The bunkhouse is next to the Old Bridge Inn which serves good bar
meals. The Inn is a popular eating place, so if you are intending to
dine there on the Friday evening it might pay to reserve a table in
advance.

Directions: From the main street in Aviemore take the turning to
Coylumbridge as if you are heading to the ski centre and then take the
first turning on the left.

Being a February meet in the Cairngorms it is to be expected that the
hills will be in full winter conditions, with snow and ice down to low
level. The Club has a small stock of ice axes and crampons that are
available to members, but please let me know in advance if you would
like to make use of them. Please note that it is your responsibility
to make sure that you know how use the equipment safely as well as to
ensure that you are sufficently experienced and equipped to tackle the
hills in winter conditions. If you have any questions on this issue
then please don't hesitate to contact myself or talk to one of the
Committee members.

If you would like to join the meet then please email John Hartley
(bookings@xxl.org.uk).

Best regards,

Jerry
________________
Jeremy Edwards.
Tel: 01358 789139
Mob: 07825 988986

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL invitation to March Weekend - Castle Douglas, Galloway Fri 16 and Sat 17th March

2012-01-31T08:01:00.001-08:00

Hi XXLers

In March we have booked the Bunkhouse lodge at the Galloway Activity Centre near Galloway in the borders , which I believe has been visited by the XXL club before over 10 years ago. Bookings for this weekend are also open from tomorrow 1st February.

http://www.lochken.co.uk

We have booked 12 beds in the 20 beds bunkhouse, 3 rooms of 4 beds. There are 3 communal shower and toilets. You will have to bring your own sleeping bag.

Beds are £30 for the 2 nights per person. Book through bookings@xxl.org.uk

If you don’t fancy cooking breakfast or dinner they do provide breakfast and dinner but you would give them some notice as it is winter time and it is a quiet period.

Breakfast -The Café opens at 8:30 for breakfast service. They offer the following option
Instructor breakfast at £3.50   Cooked Breakfast at £6.00
Tea/Coffee                      Tea/Coffee
Cereal                         Bacon
Toast                           Sausage
Boiled egg                      Egg
Porridge                        Fried Bread
*Please book in advanced for cooked breakfast
Lunch
The café offers a wide selection of tasty snacks from homemade soups and hot filled rolls, please pay as you go in the café.

We also sell our own selection of Homemade Jams and Chutneys which are available at the Café.
Evening meals
Evening meals are provided in the Clubhouse at 6:00pm. These must be booked in advance through the reception

Facilities
The lodge has a communal area for eating and socialising. This includes a lounge and T.V. area, dining table and fully equipped kitchen.
There is a DVD and video player in the lounge. The kitchen has ample pots, pans and crockery. Should you require additional equipment we can provide this from the Activity Centre kitchen. For self catering users, the closest supermarket is in Castle Douglas which is a 10 mile drive. It is best to do a shop on your journey up. There are smaller shops in the locality for those forgotten items.

THINGS TO DO

Obviously we are hillwalkers and there are an array of hills in the vicinity - Corbetts: Merrick, Corserine, Shalloch on Minnoch, Cairnsmore of Carsphain and many other hills, sorry no munro's! But it has so much more!

It is an activity centre so you do have access to all the activities within the centre - Choose from: Sailing, Windsurfing, Powerboating, Kayaking, Canoeing, Outdoor Laser Quest, Archery, Mountain Biking, Orienteering, Climbing/Abseiling, but there are also a vast of other things to do in the surrounding area. There are walks on the Southern upland way, or the red kite trail around Loch ken. Mountain biking : They are central to 5 of the 7Stanes, each within a 30 minute drive. If you're looking for a hub from which to base a mountain bike trip then look no further. They have drying facilities on site, secure storage, bike wash facilities and a bike stand for servicing your bike.

Enquire now at the centre directly for more information, or call them on 01644 420626 if you are interested in doing something else apart from hillwalking or if you want to book dinner on Fri, although you might find that it would be better to get something along the way.

How to get there
They are situated ten miles north of Castle Douglas on the A713 road to Ayr. The main route through the region is the A75 Gretna to Stranraer road.

SATNAT owners:Galloway Activity Centre -Shirmers Bridge, Loch Ken, near Parton, Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire DG7 3NQ

Click here for a multimap link of Castle Douglas.
<<Galloway Activity Centre map.pdf>>
Reception
The reception is open between 9:00am and 18:00pm
Cooking in the Lodge
The oven and Hob in the lodge are Gas, therefore you must hold the dial down (or push in as you turn it) to ignite it. Many people assume the oven is electric and wonder why it doesn’t work.

Check Out: Please checkout by 1100 on the day of departure

Code for the front doors
Left hand door - C 8507 Z
Right hand door – C 7416 Z

Regards

Margriet Koers
Commercial Operations Advisor
FPS Business Management
BP
1-4 Wellheads Avenue
Dyce
AB21 7PB
Direct Tel: 01224 832624
Mobile: 07770 646771

BP Exploration Operating Company Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with the company number 305943 and VAT Number GB 365 6789 95 and whose registered office is Chertsey Road, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex, TW16 7BP

XXL weekend - Harris 13-15th April - bookings open Feb 1st

2012-01-31T04:59:00.001-08:00

XXLers,

We're opening the bookings early for the Harris trip to allow folk extra time to sort out ferries, extra nights etc if required - bookings open midnight tonight (please don't email before then).

We have 12 beds booked at the Am Bothan bunkhouse (http://www.ambothan.com) which I'm told is very comfy. Cost is £21pppn, including the XXL booking fee. No Munros on Harris or Lewis (which, confusingly, are just two parts of the same island), but there is a Corbett, three Grahams, lots of smaller hills and some stunning coastal scenery.

There are two ferry routes (attached pdf's have details):
Ullapool-Stornoway - twice per day (one on Sunday), takes 2.75 hrs, driving distance is 158 miles to Ullapool + 56 miles from Stornoway to the bunkhouse (Leverburgh)

Uig (Skye)-Tarbert - one or two per day (none Sunday), takes 1.75 hrs, driving distance 232 miles to Uig + 21 miles Tarbert-Leverburgh

Given the long journeys and high cost, it seems sensible to car share as much as possible. I'll try to co-ord this nearer the time.

We have only booked 2 nights (Friday and Saturday) but many folk will opt to stay an extra night or two. An overnight en route in Ullapool or Skye would allow an evening departure from Aberdeen. Please book any extra nights direct with the bunkhouse.

Bookings as usual to John Hartley at bookings@xxl.org.uk.

Regards,
Alastair.

<<summer-harris--uig-tarbert.pdf>> <<summer-lewis--stornoway-ullapool.pdf>>

Alastair Govan
Senior Reservoir Engineer
Bruce/Keith/Rhum, North Sea
01224 833792
07792 676939
govanal@bp.com
BP, Dyce, Aberdeen AB21 7PB

BP Exploration Company Limited

a company registered in England and Wales with the company number 305943 and whose registered office is Chertsey Road, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex TW16 7BP

Hogmanay 2012 - is anyone interested in a club trip?

2012-01-25T10:30:00.001-08:00

XXLers,

Is anyone interested a club trip over Hogmanay at the end of this year?

Venue would most likely be Aviemore or Newtonmore area, which are both quite lively at Hogmanay. Plan would be to stay 2 nights (31st and 1st) in one of the hostels in the area, depending on numbers and availability. Guests are welcome.

The best places get booked up quickly for that time of year so we’d need to commit fairly soon - say by end of March.

Please reply by email to let me know if you're interested either 'definitely' or 'possibly'. If there's enough interest I'll check out options and come back with details.

Regards,
Alastair.

Alastair Govan
01224 833792
07792 676939
govanal@bp.com

XXL daywalk Feb 5th - Craiglich

2012-01-25T10:14:00.001-08:00

XXLer's,

The next day walk is on Sun 5th Feb.

This will be a linear walk thru the forests, starting on the B9119 (near Tarland) and finishing in Aboyne, taking in the mighty summit of Craiglich (a Marilyn at 476m) on the way, possibly also Mortlich (not a Marilyn) and finishing thru the grounds of Aboyne Castle into Aboyne where some beverages may be consumed…... Total distance is about 12 km.

We'll meet in Aboyne at the parking area outside the Gordon Arms at 9.30 before driving to the start. Please let me know if you're planning on coming along.

Alastair.

PS Don't think ice axes or crampons will be required….

Alastair Govan
01224 833792
07792 676939
(home) 01224 734146
govanal@bp.com

XXL: Urgent call for any XXL Member who was out in the Cairngorms over the weekend.

2012-01-24T10:13:00.001-08:00

Ladies & Gents,

I am forwarding the following note from Martin Banfield in case one of you might have been out walking in the Cairgorms over the weekend, or knows of someone who was.

Fingers crossed !!

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

=======================================================================================

Hello All

Sadly, one of my friends is desperately worried about a close friend of hers who has gone missing in the Cairngorms. I've reiterated Heather's email below. If you know anyone who may have been in the Corrour area and may have seen Grant Cunliffe, your/their help would be appreciated. Given the conditions at the weekend, I fear this story may not have a happy ending.

Martin B

"Dear all

URGENT: A serious message to all those out Winter Walking/Mountaineering or Skiing in the Cairngorms - Missing Hillwalker, Grant Cunliffe.

A local friend, Grant Cunliffe, is missing and despite a full search by several Mountain Rescue Teams and Helicopters he has not yet been found. I gather he left his sleeping bag at Corrour Bothy having gone through the Lairig Ghru, which suggests he expected to use the bothy as a base.

I do not have details of his route but he was due home on Saturday after a couple of days hillwalking. He may have gone through Cornice, be on the Plateau or be in a gully; the current avalanche hazard is considerable in areas with NE to SE aspect (please see www.sais.gov.uk for up-to-date information). He has Winter skills and it seems he had a snow shovel with him so he may have had to dig in. It was very windy on Saturday so snow will have blown into lee areas creating some windslab.

The Northern Constabulary have asked that if any member of the public has seen Grant since last Wednesday (18th Jan) to notify them immediately on 01479 810222. Please see http://www.northern.police.uk/News-and-Media/news-item.htm?item_id=PR4115_2012 for more details.

If anyone can post this onto other sites/blogs or forward to others known to be walking in the area, etc I would be grateful. I have posted a message onto TGO Challenge Message Board & Emily has put on TGO's Facebook & Twitter pages.

It is a shock after just returning from trip to Lochaber myself as know the winds on Saturday were dreadful so I fear the worst if he was already in trouble.

Best wishes to all

Heather"

XXL: Last Thursday of the Month Meet (26th Jan) / AGM Notification (22nd Feb)

2012-01-23T05:14:00.001-08:00

Ladies & Gents,

The following is forwarded on behalf of our Club secretary, Mr Angus MacEachran:-

=================================================================

A belated Happy New Year to all members from your humble club minutes taker.

It's the first LTOTM of the year on the 26th, The Globe (North Silver Street) from 18.30ish.

I've been a bit out of it over the latter half of 2011 and didn't realise, until the last committee meeting, just how much gossip there is in the club. So my advice is come along and don't miss out.

Whilst I'm at it, a date for the diaries, the AGM will be upstairs at the Holburn Bar on Wednesday 22nd Feb. There will be a further note, but as many people as possible should attend, just to keep the committee on their toes. We can't let Jerry have absolute power! Better still,volunteer. The average age of the committee must be approaching 80.

Cheers

Angus

Bill Strang's 60th Birthday Ceilidh; 12 May 2012; ANOTHER Venue Change

2012-01-07T14:28:00.001-08:00

Dear XXLers,

The following email is forwarded on behalf of Bill Strang.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bill's 60th Birthday ceilidh.

You may have read the Waterwheel Inn closed yesterday.

But do not fear - I can now confirm the venue is the Old Mill Inn, South Deeside Rd, Maryculter. Still Sat 12th May.

Hope you're preparing to join in with a dance, tune, song or poem.

We will kick off around 7.00pm and there will be cash bar and stovies. The band members are sharpening their instruments, and the dancers are polishing their pumps...

Please let me know if you plan to come (I will need to confirm the numbers for the stovies!)- thanks to those that have responded already.

Regards,

Bill.

XXL: February weekend meet at Aviemore; 17th & 18th Feb 2012

2012-01-05T05:34:00.001-08:00

Ladies & Gents,

I am pleased to announce that John Hartley (bookings@xxl.org.uk) is
now taking bookings for the February weekend meet which will be at the
Boat Inn Bunkhouse, Aviemore on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th.

Details of the accommodation can be found at http://www.aviemore-bunkhouse.com/.

We have booked a 6-bunk dorm and an 8-bunk dorm.

The cost (including the Club's booking fee) will be £18pppn.

The bunkhouse is next to the Old Bridge Inn which serves good bar
meals. The Inn is a popular eating place, so if you are intending to
dine there on the Friday evening it might pay to reserve a table in
advance.

Directions: From the main street in Aviemore take the turning to
Coylumbridge as if you are heading to the ski centre and then take the
first turning on the left.

Being a February meet in the Cairngorms it is to be expected that the
hills will be in full winter conditions, with snow and ice down to low
level. The Club has a small stock of ice axes and crampons that are
available to members, but please let me know in advance if you would
like to make use of them. Please note that it is your responsibility
to make sure that you know how use the equipment safely as well as to
ensure that you are sufficently experienced and equipped to tackle the
hills in winter conditions. If you have any questions on this issue
then please don't hesitate to contact myself or talk to one of the
Committee members.

If you would like to join the meet then please email John Hartley
(bookings@xxl.org.uk).

Best regards,

Jerry

________________
Jeremy Edwards.
Tel: 01358 789139
Mob: 07825 988986

XXL: Daywalk; Sunday 8th Jan; Peter Hill (Banchory)

2011-12-25T11:10:00.001-08:00

Ladies & Gents,

The first Club meet of 2012 is a daywalk to Peter's Hill (617 mtrs)
near Banchory on Sunday 8th January. A good opportunity to walk off
some of the Christmas excesses perhaps.

The details of the walk are as follows:-

Map: Sheet 44 (Ballater)

Start: GR: 591, 916. Sawmill on the minor road up Glen Feugh west of
Fizean. There is limited off-road parking near the sawmill (probably
4-5 cars worth). There are also two forest tracks on the RHS of the
road a little further on where a couple of cars can be left.

Start Time: 10:00 am

How to get there: Take the B974 south out of Banchory. Keep straight
on at Strachan heading west towards Aboyne, now on the B976. At
Finzean Village turn left on to a minor road signposted Forest of
Birse.

Route: Follow the hill path up the western side of the Garrol Burn to
the trig point on Peter Hill. There are then several choices of
descent route depending on the weather conditions and the preference
of the party.

Distance: About 5 miles.

We will probably break our journey home with a beverage at the
Feughside Inn or at one of the hostelries in Banchory.

Please let me know if you plan to join the walk and I will try and
coordinate car-sharing. As the parking opportunities at the start of
the walk are limited it will help if we can minimise the number of
vehicles.

Hope to see you there.

Best regards,

Jerry

________________
Jeremy Edwards.
Tel: 01358 789139
Mob: 07825 988986

FW: XXL - January weekend to Tyndrum Friday 20th and Sat 21st January

2011-12-20T06:04:00.001-08:00

Only 4 beds left to book for the weekend at the warm cozy By the Way Hostel in Tyndrum.
So if you were thinking about it but havent booked it yet, you better get going.

Book your bed with bookings@xxl.org.uk

Have a lovely christmas and a happy New Year

Best wishes
Margriet

______________________________________________
From: Koers, Margriet
Sent: 02 December 2011 10:26
Subject: XXL - January weekend to Tyndrum Friday 20th and Sat 21st January

XXLers,

Though end of January may feel like a long way away at the moment, it's time to start looking forward past the xmas and new year parties.

Our venue is the By the Way hostel in Tyndrum (http://www.tyndrumbytheway.com/Main_Intro.php). We have been to this hostel a few times now and it is very comfortable in the winter, with all the usual facilities, including a good common room and kitchen area, drying room and underfloor heating. We have 14 places booked the cost is £34ppn for the weekend. The hostel holds 26 in total, so further beds may be available, including twin rooms at an extra £4ppn (if anyone wants these let me know and check availability). Bedding is included.

The hostel website claims ca 50 munros within 20 miles, including the Ben Lui group (direct from the hostel), lots around Crianlarich, Bridge of Orchy, the Blackmount, Ben Cruachan and further afield Glencoe and the Arrocher 'Alps'. Also lots of Corbetts and lesser hills, so plenty of options for all weathers. The hostel is on the West Highland Way, and next to Tyndrum Lower station on the West Highland railway line, so there may be interesting options for linear routes using the train. The metropolis of Oban is only 36 miles away. The postcode for the hostel is FK20 8RY.

There are good facilities in the village for eating, drinking and even shopping, within walking distance. We will probably organise communal cooking in the evening.

Please send your bookings to bookings@xxl.org.uk
Regards,

Regards

Margriet Koers
Commercial Operations Advisor
FPS Business Management
BP
1-4 Wellheads Avenue
Dyce
AB21 7PB
Direct Tel: 01224 832624
Mobile: 07770 646771

XXL: 2012 Programme

2011-12-16T09:46:00.001-08:00

Ladies & Gents,

Please find attached a copy of the 2012 programme of meets. Many
thanks are due to Margriet and Alastair for their efforts in booking
all the accommodation. Plenty of good hillwalking to look forward to.

A merry christmas and a happy new year to one and all.

Jerry

________________
Jeremy Edwards.
Tel: 01358 789139
Mob: 07825 988986

XXL pudding walk photos from yesterday

2011-12-12T02:50:00.001-08:00

Hi Everybody,

Bob forwarded the photos from yesterday's pudding walk. Great day out.

------------------------------------

All,
Focussing is a bit off on some of them (had it in manual and was messing
about with depth of field - slightly off).

Some of the first ones are from early on before the walk started -
waterfall etc, and there's a few too many of the tower...

Bye for now
Bob

http://www.pbase.com/trebor1/pudding_2011

XXL: Daywalk; St Cyrus to Hill Of Garvock (the Pudding Walk) - Sunday 11th December

2011-12-09T00:21:00.001-08:00

XXLers,

A reminder about the Pudding Walk on Sunday. It looks like the breezy
conditions of the past few hours will be long gone by then. Forget
your shopping bags for the day and head for St Cyrus.

Best regards,

Jerry
________________
Jeremy Edwards.
Tel: 01358 789139
Mob: 07825 988986

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jeremy Edwards <slioch.284@gmail.com>
Date: 29 November 2011 21:43
Subject: XXL: Daywalk; St Cyrus to Hill Of Garvock (the Pudding Walk)
- Sunday 11th December
To: chairman@xxl.org.uk

The following note regarding the last Club meet of 2011 is forwarded
from Martin Scoular.

==============================================================================================================================
Dear XXLers,

C'mon. Forget your Xmas shopping. Put your boots on and come and get
some fresh air. The date for your diary is: Sunday the 11th December.
On this magical day, XXL will tackle the Marilyn they call Hill Of
Garvock from sea-level! The walk commences from the St Cyrus Nature
Reserve car park. Hill Of Garvock is a long flat whaleback ridge and
is a tremendous viewpoint on a clear day. At it's summit, there is a
Trig point alongside the impressive Tower Of Johnstone. Both are built
on the flattened rubble of a huge bronze age burial cairn. The tower
may provide some shelter whilst sharing our Xmas goodies. Please note
that some steps are missing from the Tower staircase and the last few
are very slippy from wear and bright green slime making it treacherous
to get back down. Consequently, an ascent is not advised.

St Cyrus Nature Reserve to Hill Of Garvock Route Description

Meet at the Hill Of Garvock picnic area (see attached route map in
Word document), the end point of our walk at 09.30hrs. The picnic area
is on the bendy bit of the B9120 from Laurencekirk, it is suddenly
upon you just before the high point. Some cars will be left here, The
remainder will drive on to St Cyrus Nature Reserve car park to start
the walk. Initially, our walk takes us along a track through the
grassy dunes, inland from the beach, past an ancient graveyard. An
excellent path with steps in places rises steeply from the beach and
comes out on top near St Cyrus Kirk. Our walk takes us past the kirk
and through the town itself to the amazing Ecclesgreig Castle estate
and gardens (see links below for incredible photos and a video of this
amazing edifice). There are tables and chairs on the lawn so I suggest
we have elevenses amidst the topiary before continuing our walk.

Our route passes through the grounds and out onto farm tracks which
will take us past a farm and eventually, through Brandshill Wood. We
climb up to the minor road and there is a gate where my marked route
meets the road. Turn right and follow the road until you see another
gate on your left just beyong a strip of new, planted forest between
the fields. Climb over, walk up through fields and eventually onto the
open hillside. Contour round the false summit, veering right to
minimise the amount of boggy ground to be crossed before the final
pull to the Tower on the summit. After seasonal victuals, we will
stroll northeastwards along the elevated ridge to the picnic area car
park and drive back to St Cyrus Nature Reserve to retrieve cars.

Summary And Statistics
OS Landranger (Sheet 45).
Approximate Distance: ~11km.
Total Ascent: ~280M
Time for Walk: 3.5 hours minimum, potentially 5 hours or longer with
breaks depending upon the group and how long is spent at the various
distractions along the way. The walk may not be suitable for dogs as
there are some field boundary fences to negotiate, although almost all
have gates. NB It will get dark early at this time of year.

The AA route planners best route is down the A90 and turn left on the
B9120 - 40 mins. You will need another 5 mins to drive up the hill to
the picnic area, so leave Aberdeen no later then 8.45am. Suggestions
for a refreshment stop are welcome. There is a coffee shop in St Cyrus
and various pubs in Inverbervie.

Please let me know if you are coming no later than 5pm on Friday, 9th
December. If you are coming, it is important that you provide me with
the details of your party as early as possible to allow me to plan and
coordinate the transportation. New procedures relating to MC Of S
insurance now require us to record the names of day walk attendees.
Can you therefore relate the names, the number of people in your party
and whether you can transport any other passengers. I'll then try and
coordinate car shares accordingly.

I look forward to seeing you all there.

Kind Regards,

Martin Scoular
H: 01224 318204
M: 07940807676
suilvenms@btinternet.com

PS Further background info and photos of Hill Of Garvock, Tower Of
Johnstone and Ecclesgreig Castle can be found online at the links
below. I encourage you to click on a few for an appetiser:
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/54436637
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w_St0npyjU
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/54438507
http://scotlandsgardens.org/garden.aspx?id=eae2d643-5597-4ad1-ba8e-9f1800a65b29
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/32704257
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/19708212
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/19707277
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/23909446
http://www.jameshowiephotography.co.uk/photo_7576476.html
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Ecclesgreig+Castle&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=Kss&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=7wVyToSEAaL64QT5q_CfCQ&ved=0CEoQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=660
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdavidson/4283325092/
http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/small/19273259.jpg
http://www.ecclesgreig.com/
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/12626204
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scotland_landscapes/3162901276/
http://www.stcyrus.net/about
http://www.mearns.biz/history2.htm
http://www.scottishhills.com/html/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=7244
http://www.heritage-images.com/Preview/PreviewPage.aspx?id=2320874&pricing=true&licenseType=RM
http://www.scotland.org.uk/aberdeenshire/the-howe-of-mearns
http://sub2000.blogspot.com/2011/03/hill-of-gravock-kincardineshire.html
http://www.yourlocalweb.co.uk/images/pictures/06/71/the-tower-of-johnston-65536.jpg
http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/picturecall/475/scottish-follies-the-highlands/
http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/search_item/index.php?service=RCAHMS&id=36330
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/sub2000/hill-of-garvock
http://www.mearns.org/garvock.htm

XXL - January weekend to Tyndrum Friday 20th and Sat 21st January

2011-12-02T02:25:00.001-08:00

XXLers,

Though end of January may feel like a long way away at the moment, it's time to start looking forward past the xmas and new year parties.

There are good facilities in the village for eating, drinking and even shopping, within walking distance. We will probably organise communal cooking in the evening.

Please send your bookings to bookings@xxl.org.uk
Regards,

Regards

Margriet Koers
Commercial Operations Advisor
FPS Business Management
BP
1-4 Wellheads Avenue
Dyce
AB21 7PB
Direct Tel: 01224 832624
Mobile: 07770 646771

RE: XXL trip to Slovakia 30 June -7 July 2012 - UPDATE

2011-12-01T09:32:00.001-08:00

XXLers,

We currently have 10 people booked in 2 apartments, but can take more, possibly in further apartments.

I shall be away Dec 6th-18th so if anyone else wants to go please let me know by Sun 4th if possible, otherwise it will need to wait until I get back. I'll accept further bookings to Dec 31st, if accommodation is still available.

rgds

Alastair.

Alastair Govan
Senior Reservoir Engineer
Bruce/Keith/Rhum, North Sea
01224 833792
07792 676939
govanal@bp.com
BP, Dyce, Aberdeen AB21 7PB

BP Exploration Company Limited

a company registered in England and Wales with the company number 305943 and whose registered office is Chertsey Road, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex TW16 7BP

From: Govan, Alastair H
Sent: 24 November 2011 20:48
Subject: XXL trip to Slovakia 30 June -7 July 2012

XXLers,

Next year's trip abroad will be to Slovakia. See attached for details.

I've made a provisional booking for an 8-bed and a 4-bed apartment at Villa Beatrice in Tatranska Lomnica. There are more apartments available if needed (I think). The cost will be around EUR175 pp for the accommodation for the week, depending on the number of beds occupied. As usual, you will need to book your own travel, when accommodation is confirmed.

Please contact me if you wish to COMMIT to a place. As soon as I have 6 FIRM commitments, I'll confirm the booking for the 8-bed apartment. At this point you'll need to pay a deposit (amount TBC).

I'll book further apartments, if required (and available) up to the end of December.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

rgds

Alastair.

Alastair Govan
Senior Reservoir Engineer
Bruce/Keith/Rhum, North Sea
01224 833792
07792 676939
govanal@bp.com
BP, Dyce, Aberdeen AB21 7PB

BP Exploration Company Limited

a company registered in England and Wales with the company number 305943 and whose registered office is Chertsey Road, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex TW16 7BP

XXL: Daywalk; St Cyrus to Hill Of Garvock (the Pudding Walk) - Sunday 11th December

2011-11-29T13:43:00.000-08:00

The following note regarding the last Club meet of 2011 is forwarded
from Martin Scoular.

==============================================================================================================================
Dear XXLers,

St Cyrus Nature Reserve to Hill Of Garvock Route Description

I look forward to seeing you all there.

Kind Regards,

Martin Scoular
H: 01224 318204
M: 07940807676
suilvenms@btinternet.com

XXL trip to Slovakia 30 June -7 July 2012

2011-11-24T12:48:00.001-08:00

XXLers,

Next year's trip abroad will be to Slovakia. See attached for details.

Please contact me if you wish to COMMIT to a place. As soon as I have 6 FIRM commitments, I'll confirm the booking for the 8-bed apartment. At this point you'll need to pay a deposit (amount TBC).

I'll book further apartments, if required (and available) up to the end of December.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

rgds

Alastair.

Alastair Govan
Senior Reservoir Engineer
Bruce/Keith/Rhum, North Sea
01224 833792
07792 676939
govanal@bp.com
BP, Dyce, Aberdeen AB21 7PB

BP Exploration Company Limited

a company registered in England and Wales with the company number 305943 and whose registered office is Chertsey Road, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex TW16 7BP

XXL: Annual Dinner Daywalk: Cnapan Nathraichean; Saturday 26th November

2011-11-17T14:31:00.000-08:00

Ladies & Gents,

The Annual Dinner walk will be to Cnapan Nathraichean (824 mtrs), a hill of modest proportions sporting a craggy northern facade in the western reaches of the Balmoral estate.

Start: Keiloch Carpark ( Grid Ref: NO 188 912) on the right hand side of the A93, about 3 miles from Braemar (just before the bridge over the River Dee.)

Start Time: 10:00am

Route: Cross the bridge over the Dee into the Ballochbuie Forest; follow tracks and paths through the woodland and around the north eastern flanks of Cnapan Nathraichean; ascend the path to the Prince's Stone (marking the spot where Prince Albert erected a hut and spent the night in October in 1857); follow the line of the burn to gain the SE slopes of the summit cone. From the summit we can take a choice of return routes depending on the weather conditions and the preference of the party.

Distance: approx 10ish miles

Height Gain: 500 mtrs

Maps: Sheet 43 (Braemar) and Sheet 44 Ballater.

Please let me know if you plan to join the walk.

Hope to see you there.

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

RE: XXL Hillwalking Club 2011 Dinner - Awards - Last Call

2011-11-17T05:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all the great suggestions sent in to date - please get any more that you're still saving up to me by return.

You know the form - Rookie of the Year, "Top" Gear Award / "Top Gear Award" (either for astonishingly bad hill gear, or for automotive event of the year), Pre-walk Faffer 2011 etc etc.

Your recommendation can be in appreciation of, or a bit of fun about the subject of your nominations.

Best,

Jon

XXL: Annual Dinner - Menu Selections

2011-11-14T11:51:00.001-08:00

Ladies & Gents,

The menu for the Annual Dinner is listed below. I would be grateful if you could forward your choices of Starter / Main / Dessert to John Hartley at (bookings@xxl.org.uk).

Note : Children under 12 can choose from the Children's Menu or have a small portion from the AD menu at £10 per head.

========================================================================

S1: Tomato, Cucumber & Red Onion Salad

S2: Game Terrine (served with cumberland sauce & oatcakes)

S3: Prawns (in a drambuie sauce)

**********

Creamy Cheddar & Cauliflower Soup

**********

M1: Prime Rump Steak (braised in red wine and caramelised shallot sauce)

M2: Salmon (baked in puff pastry with bernaisse sauce)

M3: Roast Poussin (in pan gravy with herb stuffing)

M4: Grilled Vegetable & Bulgur Wheat Salad

**********

D1: Sticky Toffee Pudding (served with butterscotch sauce & vanilla ice cream)

D2: Baked Banana Cheesecake (served with chocolate sauce)

D3: Selection Of Cheeses (served with oatcakes)

**********

Freshly Brewed Tea/Coffee

======================================================================

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

RE: XXL photos needed

2011-11-14T10:08:00.001-08:00

Thanks to those of you who sent photos for the Annual Dinner. I've got quite a few, but none from:

March daywalk - Ladylea Hill
July BBQ
July daywalk - Mt Keen
Aug daywalk - Beinn Bhreac
Aug w/e - Dundonell
Aug LTOTM coast walk
Sep w/e - Skye (I've got a couple but could do with more)
Oct w/e - Morvich

If you have any pics from these events they'll be gratefully received.

Alastair Govan
Senior Reservoir Engineer
Bruce/Keith/Rhum, North Sea
01224 833792
07792 676939
govanal@bp.com
BP, Dyce, Aberdeen AB21 7PB

BP Exploration Company Limited

a company registered in England and Wales with the company number 305943 and whose registered office is Chertsey Road, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex TW16 7BP

_____________________________________________
From: Govan, Alastair H
Sent: 18 October 2011 14:27
Subject: XXL photos needed

XXLers,

As you know, one of the delights of the annual dinner meeting is a wander thru the highlights of the past year, captured in pictures, preferably amusing and/or embarrassing.

If you have any such photos from XXL meets during Dec 2010-Oct 2011, please send them to me by Nov 4th. Please select up to about 10 of your best ones - if I receive hundreds it's unlikely I'll have time to go thru them.

Thanks
Alastair.

Alastair Govan
Senior Reservoir Engineer
Bruce/Keith/Rhum, North Sea
01224 833792
07792 676939
govanal@bp.com
BP, Dyce, Aberdeen AB21 7PB

BP Exploration Company Limited

a company registered in England and Wales with the company number 305943 and whose registered office is Chertsey Road, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex TW16 7BP

XXL Hillwalking Club 2011 - Annual Dinner Award Nominations

2011-11-02T06:12:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

It is fast coming up to the Annual Dinner time again, but disaster has struck the otherwise smooth organisation.

Our MC for the awards section, the multi-decorated Mr Angus MacEachran, is sadly unable to be with us to distribute the gongs and gibes this year, so I have offered to try to fill his large shoes this time.

Please send email nominations to me for anything funny, unsuccessful, mildly embarrassing, wildly optimistic, under-achieved and generally un-commendable that you've seen club members get up to or witnessed on club or other events over 2011. Political correctness is not an absolute necessity, some semblance of the truth will keep the law suits at bay however.

Past nominations have included:

- Navigation award (for being hopelessly lost, climbing the wrong hill, not even finding the start of route, or the hut etc)

- Experimental alchemy award for the most ground breaking departure from actual food concocted over the year

- Fashion disaster of the year

- Talking through your hat Hat

etc etc

Please send names, award title (need not be any of the above), and brief details over the next two weeks so I can pull something together for this year's bash.

Cheers,

Jon

Tiso Discount Evening - Wednesday 9th November: 6.00 - 8.30 pm

2011-11-01T03:31:00.001-07:00

Hi All,

Another discount evening coming up for your diaries, don’t forget the Braemar Mountain Sports who also give us 20% off later on at the Annual Dinner if you can’t make the Tiso one.

Braemar Mountain Sports - 20% discount on everything apart from Ski stuff. (Braemar Mountain Sports Ltd ,Tel: 013397 41242, braemar@braemarmountainsports.com) In case you need to contact them to preorder anything.

Regards

Margriet Koers
Commercial Operations Advisor
FPS Business Management
BP
1-4 Wellheads Avenue
Dyce
AB21 7PB

Direct Tel:01224 832624
Mobile: 07770 646771

Doug Scott Lecture; Big Wall Climbing; Inverurie Town Hall; Mon 31 Oct

2011-10-27T04:55:00.001-07:00

I know that it's late notice but I have just received the attached and thought it might be of interest to members based in Inverurie.

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL: 2012 Foreign Holiday; Last Call for Votes

2011-10-26T05:28:00.001-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

The voting received so far has Majorca and Slovakia tied for first place, with Norway trailing some way behind. If you would like to exercise your democratic right and have some influence on the decision then I would encourage you cast your vote before the polls close on Monday.

Best regards,

Jerry

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jeremy Edwards <slioch.284@gmail.com>
Date: 10 October 2011 21:23
Subject: XXL: 2012 Foreign Holiday
To: chairman@xxl.org.uk

Ladies & Gents,

Your Committee have been discussing options for next year's foreign trip; this is in addition to the Ireland long-weekend which is already on the programme following a very strong response to my email earlier in the year. We have 3 proposals:-

Majorca

Accommodation: Self-catering villa.

Flight Options: Glasgow - Palma (easyjet)

Walking / Hills: Tramuntan hills; Mount Massenella; Coastal walks

Timing: Probably June

Norway

Accommodation: Well equipped mountain huts managed by the Norwegian Tourist Organisation

Flight Options: Aberdeen - Stavanger (SAS or Eastern)

Walking / Hills: Hut to Hut walks

Timing: Probably early July

Slovakia

Accommodation: Self-catering - in the Poprad area.

Flight Options: Edinburgh - Krakow (easyjet or Ryanair)

Walking / Hills: Tatras Mountains; Rysy - Poland's high point (2400m); Gerlach - Slovakia's high point (2600m)

Timing: Probably early July

In order to help the Committee choose between these very different locations it would be helpful if those of you who may be interested in joining next year's holiday could let me know your preference. I recognise that I am not providing much in the way of detail or cost comparison, but if we can identify a front runner then we can start work on the research. We don't need any commitment at this stage - just an expression of interest. I would be grateful for your vote by the end of October latest.

Many thanks.

Best regards,

Jerry

_______________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL: Annual Dinner; Fringe Gathering at the Moorfield on the Friday evening

2011-10-26T00:37:00.001-07:00

Dear All,

Anyone attending the Annual Dinner and planning to head to Braemar on the Friday evening (25th November) may be interested to know that there is a plan forming to meet and eat at the Moorfield Hotel (http://www.moorfieldhousehotel.com/ ) rather than the usual bar meal at the Fife. [Please note that I am referring to the Friday evening only; the AD itself will still be at the Fife on the Saturday. Just thought I ought to stop that rumour before people got too excited !!]

Alison has been in contact with the Moorfield and confirmed that they will be open that evening and offering starters and sweets at around £4 and mains at £14. She says that the food is all freshly prepared, and the sample menus certainly look good. They can seat 14 to eat in the bar.

If you are interested in joining in the please contact Alison at billalison@msn.com and let her know numbers and likely arrival time.

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL: Last Thursday of the Month Meet; The Globe (off Golden Square)

2011-10-26T00:17:00.001-07:00

Ladies & gents,

A reminder that this Thursday happens to be the last one in October and will therefore be celebrated at The Globe in the usual manner.

Hope to see you there.

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL: Dave McLeod Talk at Tiso; Tue 25 Oct

2011-10-20T00:30:00.001-07:00

I'm sure that some of you will be interested in attending the attached - especially those who watched his climb on Sron Ulladale on Harris live on TV last year.

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL photos needed

2011-10-18T06:27:00.001-07:00

XXLers,

As you know, one of the delights of the annual dinner meeting is a wander thru the highlights of the past year, captured in pictures, preferably amusing and/or embarrassing.

Thanks
Alastair.

Alastair Govan
Senior Reservoir Engineer
Bruce/Keith/Rhum, North Sea
01224 833792
07792 676939
govanal@bp.com
BP, Dyce, Aberdeen AB21 7PB

BP Exploration Company Limited

a company registered in England and Wales with the company number 305943 and whose registered office is Chertsey Road, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex TW16 7BP

XXL: North East Mountain Trust talk; Wed 26 Oct 2011

2011-10-11T14:09:00.001-07:00

FYI

NORTH EAST MOUNTAIN TRUST

A QUALITY FUTURE FOR MOUNTAINEERS AND HILL-WALKERS

2011-2012 Winter Lecture Series

Neil Morrison

The Extra Dimension of Island Hopping

The additional challenges of rock climbing trips to a number of islands, mainly Scottish (including Sky, Erraid, Orkney, Pabbay and Lewis) will be described. One or two rather further afield in warmer climes (Mallorca and Kalymnos) will also be covered.

Neil Morrison has been a significant pioneer of new rock climbing routes, particularly on North East sea cliffs and other outcrops, over a long period of time. He is also the editor of the current SMC Climbing Guide to North East Outcrops.

Wednesday 26 October 2011

Belmont Club

218 Hardgate, Aberdeen

(50 yards south of the Holburn Street/Great Southern Road roundabout)

Time 7:30pm

Admission £4.00 (Members & Concessions £2.00)

Non-Members Welcome

www.nemt.org.uk

Next event: Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Team

Wilderness Medicine

Wednesday 23 November 2011

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL: Journal 2010 / 2011

2011-10-10T14:55:00.001-07:00

Dear XXLer,

Alison Philip and I have been talking about the possibility of resurrecting the XXL Journal and publishing a 2010 -2011 edition in PDF format early next year. Club members of a few years standing will remember that we used to publish a Journal every year in a bound hard-copy format. Unfortunately the rising costs of publication and the problems of extracting copy from hard-pressed contributors have meant that we have not produced a Journal for several years.

Alison has kindly volunteered to rectify this situation and act as editor. She is looking for contributions covering XXL meets and hillwalking activities of general interest over the period 2010 & 2011. A limit of 1500 words will be strictly enforced . Photos are most welcome. For ease of compilation Alison would appreciate if the text could be sent as a Word document and photos reduced in size and sent separately in a photo format. Contributions should be sent to billalison@msn.com. The closing date for articles is the Annual Dinner.

I'm sure that there are some great stories of XXL derring-do out there that need to be told. Don't hold back; put pen to paper and get your articles to Alison.

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL: 2012 Foreign Holiday

2011-10-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

Majorca

Accommodation: Self-catering villa.

Flight Options: Glasgow - Palma (easyjet)

Walking / Hills: Tramuntan hills; Mount Massenella; Coastal walks

Timing: Probably June

Norway

Accommodation: Well equipped mountain huts managed by the Norwegian Tourist Organisation

Flight Options: Aberdeen - Stavanger (SAS or Eastern)

Walking / Hills: Hut to Hut walks

Timing: Probably early July

Slovakia

Accommodation: Self-catering - in the Poprad area.

Flight Options: Edinburgh - Krakow (easyjet or Ryanair)

Walking / Hills: Tatras Mountains; Rysy - Poland's high point (2400m); Gerlach - Slovakia's high point (2600m)

Timing: Probably early July

Many thanks.

Best regards,

Jerry

_______________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL: Annual Dinner; Saturday 26th November; Fife Arms, Braemar

2011-10-10T12:34:00.001-07:00

Dear All,

As summer is now a distant memory, and 2011 seems to be slipping away at an alarming pace, it is time to think about the Annual Dinner once again. The Dinner will follow the tried and tested format of daywalk, discount shopping opportunity, 3 course meal, speeches, awards, slide show, raffle, and disco.

Over recent years the popularity of the fringe gathering on the Friday evening has grown steadily, and for the cost of an extra night at the hotel it means that you don't have to leave home at the crack of dawn in order to join the daywalk.

I will forward more details nearer the time, but to book your place you should:-

1. Book your own accommodation by contacting the Fife Arms on 01339 741644.

When speaking to the Fife please quote "BPXXL," The Fife still think of us as "BP" and I don't feel brave enough to face the confusion that is sure to result were I to tell them that we have been XXL since 2004 !!

The cost of accommodation at the Fife is £25 B&B pppn.

2. Book your place at the Dinner by sending an email to John Hartley ( bookings@xxl.org.uk ) and following up by sending a cheque for £20 per adult (or £10 per child under 12 years) payable to "XXL Hillwalking Club" to John at:-

83 Forest Avenue, Aberdeen, AB15 4TN

Alternatively you can transfer the money electronically to:- 80-05-14 06023618

Please remember to put your name in the 'details' box so that our Treasurer knows who has made the payment, and let John know that you have paid.

It would be appreciated if you could also confirm to John in your email that you have made a room booking and let him know whether you coming on the Friday evening or on the Saturday.

See you at the Fife.

Very best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL: East/West Lomond/Bishop Hill Thru Walk - Sunday 9th October

2011-09-28T14:31:00.001-07:00

Dear XXLers,

Please find below details of the next daywalk from the walk coordinator Mr Martin Scoular. I hope to see you there.

Best regards,

Jerry

===================================================================================================================================

XXL East/West Lomond/Bishop Hill Thru Walk

On Sunday the 9th October, XXL are tackling three fine hills which are quite different in character on a through walk in the Kingdom of Fife. All three are Marilyns and Bishop Hill will be a new tick for me! Woo hoo! See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lomond_Hills

Through Walk Route Description (see the maps attached in Word documents)

At 10.30hrs, meet at the Falkland car park (Grid Ref: NO 254 073 or more precisely: NO 25400 07309, according to my GPS). After the Tay Bridge/Dundee, take the A92. Eventually, turn right onto the B936 to Falkland. Where the B936 meets the A912, cross over onto South Street. Take the first right onto Back Wynd then turn immediately right. You should pass the toilet block on your left and caged birds on your right!!! The ample free parking is just beyond near the library. NB If you see the Lomond Tavern, you have gone too far along South Street. After booting up, the party will leave historic Falkland, climb past a factory and head up through steep woodland to scale East Lomond. See the attachment entitled "Falkland Car Park And Start Of Walk" for a map of Falkland with car park marked and another for the ascent to East Lomond.

Our next objective is West Lomond and then on to Bishop Hill (see the map attachment entitled: "West Lomond To Bishop Hill" for the route). From Bishop Hill, there are (at least) two descent options to Kinnesswood. See the "Bishop Hill To Kinnesswood Descent Alternatives" attachment for two maps and a satellite image of the area.

One option is to descend a zigzag path which crosses the steep ground of the escarpment and heads toward Balnet Hill, a small hamlet just off the A911. However, the path seems to disappear before Balnet Hill where there is a private farm road and no parking. As the the gradient decreases, we can contour round to Kinnesswood, well before Balnet Hill, on whatever paths we can find.

The alternative descent involves walking South from Bishop Hill summit and once beyond the crags, descend very steeply West and head directly for the path rising from Kinnesswood to a phone mast.

NB The route is indicated on the maps provided by a red, dashed line, except for the alternative descent to Kinnesswood which is marked in blue. There is ample parking on Bruce Road and Bishop Terrace in Kinnesswood. There is also resident's parking at the Lomond Country Inn where the passengers can obtain refreshments whilst their drivers recover the cars. See http://www.lomondcountryinn.co.uk/www/index.html and http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g190782-d194059-Reviews-Lomond_Country_Inn-Kinross_Perth_and_Kinross_Scotland.html for further details.

Summary And Statistics

The AA route planners for 2 routes are also attached. The time to travel South from Aberdeen to Falkland is 2hrs 3mins, so leave Aberdeen just before 08.30hrs. Meet at the Falkland car park at 10.30hrs.

The time to travel South from Aberdeen to Kinnesswood is 2hrs 18mins. Therefore an additional half hour is required to transfer the cars. So some cars may have to leave at 08.00hrs to place car(s) at end of walk - any volunteers?

OS Landranger (Sheets 58 & 59).

Distance: Approx. 12kms.

Total Ascent: Approx. 880M.

Estimated Time for Walk: 5 - 6hrs (including breaks/lunch etc).

Please let me know if you are coming by Friday, 7th October. In addition, let me know the names and number of people in your party, contact numbers, whether you can transport any additional passengers or can help by leaving early to transfer cars to the endpoint. If you are coming on the walk, it is critical that you provide me with the details of your party for this walk well in advance, so that I can try and coordinate the transportation and as far as possible make sure that there is sufficient capacity for a thru walk. Clearly, if we do not have sufficient capacity/cars, the thru walk may have to be modified to a circuit instead.

Finally, the internet reviews for the Lomond Country Inn are not all they could be. So nominations for an alternative hostelry to allow the drivers a drink/food before the journey home are welcome. Otherwise, I can recommend the very patriotic Lomond Inn and the Bruce Inn both in Falkland. The latter is opposite the palace. Both offer great value meals but a booking would be required for the former if dining. If anyone is interested in staying on for a meal, let me know and I will book a table. See http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g551747-d1070574-r72900613-Lomond_Tavern-Falkland_Fife_Scotland.html, http://www.useyourlocal.com/pubs/KY15+7BG/lomond-tavern/q/ref-84142/tab-pub-tab-menu/ and http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g551747-d1455694-Reviews-The_Bruce_Inn-Falkland_Fife_Scotland.html for the lowdown.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind Regards,

Martin Scoular

07940807676

XXL: Alistair Reid

2011-09-28T14:14:00.001-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

I know that all of you who knew Alistair Reid and of his battle with Motor Neurone Disease will be deeply saddened by the following note that I have received from Graeme.

=========================================================================================

Hi Jerry,

It it with great sadness that I have to tell you that my brother Alistair and former member of XXL, passed away in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary today after a long battle against Motor Neurone Disease. He was 59 years old. I would be grateful if you can pass on this news to the older members of the club who may have known him. Thanks.

Graeme

XXL: Last Thursday of The Month Meet

2011-09-27T05:26:00.001-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

My diary alert tells me that it is the Last Thursday of the Month this week. I can't make it myself, but there is sure to be a meeting of the usual suspects at The Globe on North Silver Street (just off Golden Square) from about 18:30ish on Thursday. If you want to catch up on all the Club gossip, hear tall tales of the glorious sunny weather that we enjoyed on Skye last weekend, or just fancy a pint with some like-minded folk then I would encourage you to go along.

Best regards,

Jerry

_______________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

Fwd: Fw: ACTIVE ABOYNE 2011

2011-09-16T00:28:00.001-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

Sorry for the late notice, but the attached event has been brought to my notice and I'm sure that some of you will be interested in the events in the programme.

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

-----Original Message-----
From: Eilidh Scobbie [mailto:activeaboyne@btinternet.com]
Sent: 08 September 2011 06:51
To: Margot Sinclair
Subject: ACTIVE ABOYNE 2011

September and time for the Active Aboyne Festival again - it would be great if we could have a few days of Indian Summer, for those attending the Big Hill Days or the Nature Rambles!

If you are needing to improve on skills, you might be interested in the NAAS Navigation Course, or the First Aid for the Outdoors Course - fuller details on the website http://www.activeaboyne.co.uk. Booking form attached.

The evening events may interest you (details of venue, cost and how to book are shown on the attaached leaflet), and combined with the "meal deals" should provide a great evening out at modest cost - see http://www.activeaboyne.co.uk/evening-meals/.

Andy Nisbet, Mountaineer "Of tricounis and terrordactyls:40 years of winter mountaineering in Scotland" - 17th September

photo by Dave McGimpsey

Andy is probably Scotland's best known winter climber - if only for his prolific work as author or editor of many of the Scottish Mountaineering Club's Climbing Guides. But Andy is no arm-chair mountaineer - he started hillwalking at Aberdeen Grammar School and finished the Munros at age 19. Scared and inspired by the Inaccessible Pinnacle, he started both summer and winter climbing soon after. Andy preferred winter and became Scotland's leading winter climber, having climbed over 700 first ascents and some in the 1980s amongst the hardest in the world, using the new "torquing" technique. Andy also explored the remote cliffs of the north-west, and will show pictures of hills, crags, rocks and icefalls around which his life story has evolved.

Ian Mitchell "A Bothy Night" - 18th September

Ian, Aberdeen-born author of the classic Mountain Days and Bothy Nights and the recent Aberdeen beyond the Granite, tells the story of the opening of Deeside to mountaineering through the exploits of Queen Victoria, and the phenomenon of "Balmorality", in a talk illustrated by nineteenth century paintings, maps and photographs. There will be the opportunity to chat to Ian about this and his other mountaineering works, including his current project, a biography of Aberdeen-born Alexander Kellas, the first man to die attempting Everest on the 1921 Expedition. Ticket purchase gives £2 off Ian's "On the Trail of Queen Victoria".

Margot Sinclair

Burnett & Reid, Solicitors, 15 Golden Square, Aberdeen AB10 1WF

Tel: 01224 644333 Fax: 01224 632173 www.burnett-reid.co.uk

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Bill Strang's 60th Birthday Ceilidh; 12 May 2012;

2011-09-13T04:43:00.000-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

A date for your 2012 diaries.

Bill Strang has asked me to circulate the following note to all XXL Hillwalking Club members as an open invitation. Before anyone asks, the '2012 Meets Sub-Committee' have designed next year's programme to ensure that there is no clash with Bill's party. Full details of the 2012 programme will be made available at the Annual Dinner.

Over to you Bill :-

" Please note - The hall and band are booked for my 60th Birthday Ceilidh.

The date is set for 12th May 2012 in Drumoak Church Hall, near Aberdeen.

Friends and family all welcome.
Hope you will join in with a tune, song, poem or dance.

More details to follow next year!

B "

XXL: Morvich Meet; Fri 28th / Sat 29th October

2011-09-05T12:31:00.001-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

Bookings are now open for the October weekend (28th-30th). We have 16 beds booked at the NTS Morvich bunkhouse (Kintail Outdoor Centre) - see link below. This is 'Munro central' with a very large number nearby including the Five Sisters, Saddle, and South Shiel Ridge, plus lots of other hills. Cost is £16pppn (bedding TBC).

http://www.nts.org.uk/Holidays/Specialist-properties/Base-Camps/

Bookings as usual to John Hartley at bookings@xxl.org.uk.

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

Fwd: XXL Ben Vuirich Day Walk/Cycle - Sunday 4th September (Please note the change of date)

2011-09-01T00:19:00.001-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

A reminder about Sunday's ride and walk to Ben Vuirich - see previous email attached below. We only have 3 folks on the list at the moment. The more the merrier.

Hope to see you there.

Best regards,

Jerry

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jeremy Edwards <slioch.284@gmail.com>
Date: 16 August 2011 21:32
Subject: XXL Ben Vuirich Day Walk/Cycle - Sunday 4th September (Please note the change of date)
To: chairman@xxl.org.uk

Folks,

The following note is sent on behalf of Martin Scoular who is coordinating the Ben Vuirich daywalk in September. Please note that the walk will be on Sun 4th Sept and not on the day advertised in the 2011 programme.

Thanks are clearly due to Martin for conducting the research with the estate manager and providing very comprehensive details of the route planned.

Let's hope for an improvement in the weather by the time of the walk !

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

===================================================================================================================================

On Sunday the 4th Sept, our objective is the Corbett Ben Vuirich (903M/2963 feet). See http://www.walkingclub.org.uk/maps/bing.shtml?lat=56.78067457423602&lon=-3.6054075928362983. It is only 9M below Munro height.

The walk will start with an easy cycle(good warm-up) and a short but steep, continuous ascent/descent (no track/crags). If we get the weather/views, it will be a memorable outing. Hope folk think it is worth it for the long drive!

I have discussed the route with John Mclellan, the Glenfernate Farm Manager. John is happy for us to cycle through the lodge/farmyard as far as Daldhu (where the excellent tarmac private estate road deteriorates to a Landrover track).

Ben Vuirich Route Description (see the attached 1:50000 and 1:25000 maps, two of each)

At 11.00hrs, meet at the limited parking to the West of and just beyond, the Glenfernate Estate Road end. The intention is to cycle East from there, back along the A924 to the Glenfernate estate road. The tarmac estate road passes through Glenfernate Lodge/Farm and continues along Glen Fearnach and follows Allt Fearnach to the ruin at Daldhu where we will leave our bikes. Continuing on foot along the Glen Loch Landrover track until the small footbridge across the Allt Fearnach - marked "FB" on the map, WNW of Daldhu. Once across, a bearing SW will connect us with Carn Dubh's rocky/craggy, eastern spur. From Carn Dubh, we will turn NW and head for Ben Vuirich's flat plateau summit and trig point, hopefully with views of Beinn A'Ghlo and Loch Loch. Then head back to Daldhu for the wondeful freewheel out.

Summary And Statistics

Distance: ~14km cycling; ~7km walking.

Total Ascent: ~140M cycling; ~500M walking.

Time for Walk: It is dependent on the group. I don't know about the timings for the cycle but I expect the walk to take about 2.5 - 3hrs.

Meet at the layby car park (See attached maps) at 11.00hrs - Limited parking. OS Landranger (Sheet 43). Grid Ref: NO049638; nearest post code: PH10 7PQ. The AA route planners for 2 routes are also attached. Best route time is South - 2hrs 17mins, so leave Aberdeen no later then 8.30am.

Unless anyone has any better ideas, I propose a refreshment stop on our way home at the slightly eccentric Spittal of Glenshee Hotel. Alternatively, perhaps someone can propose an alternative hostelry for the "southern route".

If you are coming, it is critical that you provide me with the details of your party for this cycle/walk, so that we can coordinate the transportation for bikes and riders. Please let me know if you are coming by Friday, 2nd September. In addition, let me know the names and number of people in your party and whether you can transport any additional bikes or passengers. I'll try and coordinate car shares accordingly.

Kind Regards,

Martin Scoular

07940807676

suilvenms@btinternet.com

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL: Evening Walk; Thursday 25th August; Coastal Walk from Doonies Farm

2011-08-22T05:15:00.001-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

Please find below the details of this Thursday's evening walk, courtesy of Alastair Govan who will be coordinating the walk. This meet was advertised as a riverside walk to Cults, but when Alastair and Martin conducted a reconnaisance recently they found that the path was very overgrown and they decided that it would be best to save the walk along the Dee for a time of year when there is less vegetation.

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This month's LTOTM is this week (25th) and will feature a small departure from tradition - if the weather is kind, we will include a short coastal walk before imbibing at a local hostelry.

The plan is to meet at Doonies Farm at 18.30, leave one or more cars there before driving to Torry Battery to walk to walk along the coast back to Doonies. The walk will take up to 90mins and is quite varied and interesting, mostly on good paths but come prepared for some short muddy sections or wet grass if the weather has been wet. We'll then drive along to the Cove Bay Hotel for a drink at around 20.00.

See you there.

Alastair.

Alastair Govan
Senior Reservoir Engineer
Bruce/Keith/Rhum, North Sea
01224 833792
07792 676939
govanal@bp.com
BP, Dyce, Aberdeen AB21 7PB

BP Exploration Company Limited

a company registered in England and Wales with the company number 305943 and whose registered office is Chertsey Road, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex TW16 7BP

XXL Ben Vuirich Day Walk/Cycle - Sunday 4th September (Please note the change of date)

2011-08-16T13:32:00.001-07:00

Folks,

Thanks are clearly due to Martin for conducting the research with the estate manager and providing very comprehensive details of the route planned.

Let's hope for an improvement in the weather by the time of the walk !

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

===================================================================================================================================

Ben Vuirich Route Description (see the attached 1:50000 and 1:25000 maps, two of each)

Summary And Statistics

Distance: ~14km cycling; ~7km walking.

Total Ascent: ~140M cycling; ~500M walking.

Time for Walk: It is dependent on the group. I don't know about the timings for the cycle but I expect the walk to take about 2.5 - 3hrs.

Kind Regards,

Martin Scoular

07940807676

suilvenms@btinternet.com

XXL: Dundonnell weekend; Fri 19th / Sat 20th Aug

2011-08-04T09:46:00.001-07:00

Roll up, roll up; get your bargain weekend break in sunny Dundonnell here ! Beat this east coast haar by escaping to the sun-drenched hills of the west . Well, you won't know if you don't go !

John Hartley tells me that we still have 4 places available at this meet. It would be a shame to see them go to waste.

Best regards,

Jerry
________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jeremy Edwards <slioch.284@gmail.com>
Date: 8 July 2011 12:54
Subject: XXL: Dundonnell weekend; Fri 19th / Sat 20th Aug
To: chairman@xxl.org.uk

Ladies & gents,

I am forwarding the following note on behalf of Ian Douglas who is acting as weekend coordinator for this meet.

He missed a few bits of information that you might find useful:-

We are staying at Sail Mhor Croft ( http://www.sailmhor.co.uk/ ).

The cost is £14 pppn (including the XXL booking fee.)

Sail Mhor has a self-catering kitchen, but the Dundonnell Hotel is about a mile up the road if you don't fancy cooking.

John Hartley is standing by to accept your booking.

Hope to see you there.

Best regards,

Jerry

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: <Ian.Douglas@aberdeenshire.gov.uk>

Date: 4 July 2011 13:40

Subject: dundonnel weekend

To: slioch.284@gmail.com

All,

Bookings opened this weekend for Dundonnel.

As usual bookings to bookings@xxl.org.uk

We have the whole bunkhouse.

Breakfasts are available.

Wonderful area for An Teallach/Fisherfield/The Fannaichs and lots of

others.

Bring midge nets.

ian douglas

ot stores

01467 634810 - office phone

07768 552500 - mobile

****************************************************************************

This e-mail may contain privileged information intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed. If you have received this e-mail in error, please accept our apologies and notify the sender, deleting the e-mail afterwards. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the e-mail's author and do not necessarily represent those of Aberdeenshire Council.

www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk

****************************************************************************

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL Hillwalking: Skye Weekend; 23 / 24 Sept (CHANGED DATES)

2011-08-02T05:24:00.001-07:00

Ladies Gents,

Please note that bookings are now being taken by John Hartley ( bookings@xxl.org.uk ) for the Club visit to Skye (Fri 23 / Sat 24 Sept).

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE DATES ARE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE ADVERTISED IN THE 2011 PROGRAMME. Apologies to any members inconvenienced by the change, which was due to an administrative oversight.

The leading particulars are as follows:-

We will be staying at the Glen Brittle Memorial Hut ( http://www.mcofs.org.uk/huts-glenbrittle.asp ). The Memorial Hut is located near the end of the road down Glen Brittle, shortly after the Youth Hostel. The Hut is comfortable, without being luxurious, and has good self-catering facilities. The nearest eat-out option is the pub at Carbost - about 6 miles away.

The hut is ideally situated for tackling the Munros at the southern end of the Cuillin Ridge. It probably goes without saying, but the ascent of any of the peaks on the main Cuillin Ridge will involve scrambling in very exposed locations. Unroped scrambling can be a very unforgiving activity, so if you have not been to Skye before then I would recommend that you seek advice on suitable first objectives - either from myself or from one of the Committee members.

The cost is £10 pppn including the Club booking fee. We have the hut on sole-occupancy basis, and have done the sums based on selling a minimum of 14 of the 18 beds available.

I will be acting as Weekend Coordinator and will do my best to coordinate car-sharing where possible.

Hope to see you there.

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL daywalk 7th August - Tolmount , Tom Buidhe and I am going to throw in Cairn Bannoch aswell!

2011-07-28T02:17:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody

The next day walk takes us to the Cairngorms again to finish another section of my Munro book, this time section 7. Whilst I was studying the maps I noticed that Tolmount and Tom Buidhe were slam in the middle in between Glenshee and Loch Muick, so I decided that approaching these hills was better from Loch Muick. You may have noticed that during the summer months in 2011 we have been doing some seriously long walks to some remote hills and the 3 on the programme for August are not going to be any different. It had been my strategy to do some of the more remote ones during 2011 and get them out of the way. I also noticed that the munro Cairn Bannoch is virtually on the way and as we never managed to do that hill during our August walk last year as the weather was so bad, I thought we have another go at that one too.

So weather permitting the plan is to park at the car park at Loch Muick (take some money as it is paid parking these days or your NTS card).

We will walk along the north side of the loch the Glas allt shiel lodge, or if there is interest we can take the bikes for the first 4.5km (will shave of some time). We will head up the path along the waterfall in between Eagles Rock and Creag an Dubh loch and will make a south westerly turn at some point to aim for Cairn Bannoch (walking 11.2km, 610m climb, 3hr 40 min).

Then we will aim for Fafernie at 1000m, along Knaps of Fafernie, along the boundary fence onto Tolmount at 958m, ( total 15.2km, up and down a bit but not much, 4hrs 45 min), and then only a short distance away Tom Buidhe at 957m (total 16.7km, 90m up, 5hrs 15 min).

That’s when we will be starting on the way home again. Easiest way would be heading east to the junction of paths where we will take a path north east towards Glittering Skellies (marvelous name). It will take us to some small woods Bachnagairn, where we will take a path north towards a pony stable (last time I was there, there were ponies) and then depending if we brought our bikes or not, either taking the track towards the end of the loch and pick up our bikes or walk along the very good path north east which brings you back to the loch and the car park. Total walking 30km, estimated time most likely 8 to 9 hours. If we take the bikes (8km on bike in total, only 22km walking will shave off about an hour I estimate)

So info

Assemble at car park at 9am. Traveling from Aberdeen will take about 1.5 hrs to get to Loch Muick.

We should be back at the car between 5 and 6pm.

Map needed 44.

I have attached a scanned map with the suggested route for your perusal.

It is going to be a fairly long day so bring plenty of food and drink.

Please let me know if you would like to come along and at the end of the week we’ll organise some car sharing. I will be already in Banchory.

My phone numbers are 01224 832624 (work) 01358 729400 (home) 07770 646771 (mobile)

Regards

Margriet

XXL - LTOTM and other news

2011-07-25T03:41:00.000-07:00

Hi, just a note to remind people of the last Thursday of the month drink, the Globe from about 18.30 onwards.

It has been a difficult time recently for some club members and, whilst we all have to return to normality, people will continue to require support and understanding.

The celebration of Sophie's life was indeed 'full of life'. For a little girl who couldn't speak, she was a regular attendee who made a big impact and we shall miss her.

Some of you will not know Alison, who is a fairly new member. Her son,Craig, was recently wounded in Afghanistan and has undergone some operations that have, thankfully, been successful. The recovery will take a while and we wish them both all the best.

To move on, some of you may remember Pam Pope. The club has gone through a few gestations and Pam was an integral part of our American phase, when BP pulled a lot of folk over from USA. She continues to work for BP Alaska and is coming over to meet old pals and do some hillwalking from 8 to
17 September, unfortunately just missing the club weekend in Skye. We are thus going to have an extra drink in September on Thursday 15th, usual time and place, as an opportunity for her to meet old friends. Put it in your diary. She's a great girl, one of my favourites! You will be reminded again.

So, I'll back to the usual next month insulting people, particularly Jerry. Meanwhile, LTOTM,18.30 onwards, the Globe.

Cheers

Angus

XXL: Next daywalk - Mount Keen

2011-07-19T00:17:00.001-07:00

Send on behalf of Ian Douglas

Sunday 24th July.

The last attempt on Mount Keen was thwarted by deep snow, I hope we are ok

this time.

I prefer to reach this hill from the south. Slightly more driving but much

less walking.

We could start from Auchronie and ascend by the Mounth path then descend

via the old boundary fence eastwards before coming off Braid Cairn and

following the easiest line back to the start.

We will meet at 0930hrs from the car park at end of Glen Esk. This is reached

by the A90 then by the Edzell Woods road just before the North Water

Bridge. At the end of this road turn left along the B966 for a short

distance then right on the Tarfside road as far as the roadend.

Please contact me on the email address in the cc box by Friday 1600hrs if attending so that

car sharing can be worked out. Failing that call me on 01224 703546.

Ian

****************************************************************************

www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk

****************************************************************************

XXL - Change to the daywalk programme for September

2011-07-14T00:48:00.001-07:00

Dear members

At my request the daywalk in September to Ben Vuirich has been moved to the new date of the 4^th September. As you remember Martin and I came up with the daywalks programme for this year and Ben Vuirich was my pick as I hadn’t done it yet. As the year progressed it became apparent that I wasn’t going to be able to go, so I put in a request for a move with the committee and it was accepted.

So please change it in your diaries!

Regards

Margriet Koers
Keen hillwalker

XXL: Dundonnell weekend; Fri 19th / Sat 20th Aug

2011-07-08T04:54:00.001-07:00

Ladies & gents,

I am forwarding the following note on behalf of Ian Douglas who is acting as weekend coordinator for this meet.

He missed a few bits of information that you might find useful:-

We are staying at Sail Mhor Croft ( http://www.sailmhor.co.uk/ ).

The cost is £14 pppn (including the XXL booking fee.)

Sail Mhor has a self-catering kitchen, but the Dundonnell Hotel is about a mile up the road if you don't fancy cooking.

John Hartley is standing by to accept your booking.

Hope to see you there.

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: <Ian.Douglas@aberdeenshire.gov.uk>

Date: 4 July 2011 13:40

Subject: dundonnel weekend

To: slioch.284@gmail.com

All,

Bookings opened this weekend for Dundonnel.

As usual bookings to bookings@xxl.org.uk

We have the whole bunkhouse.

Breakfasts are available.

Wonderful area for An Teallach/Fisherfield/The Fannaichs and lots of

others.

Bring midge nets.

ian douglas

ot stores

01467 634810 - office phone

07768 552500 - mobile

****************************************************************************

www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk

****************************************************************************

XXL: BBQ Sunday

2011-07-01T01:43:00.001-07:00

Dear All,

Sue and I are very grateful to the Committee, and to our friends at the LTotM meet last night who thought to postpone Sunday's barbeque out of respect and sympathy for Sue and I, and of course for our daughter Sophie. We much appreciate those sentiments, and the thoughts and good wishes that we have received from so many folks, but we would really like the BBQ to go ahead as planned and are genuinely looking forward to being there. Those of you who have been in our position will know that you ride a succession of emotional waves - tearful one moment and full of positive thoughts and memories the next. We are sure that meeting our friends on Sunday in a relaxed and happy atmosphere will be helpful for us - even the weather forecast looks good at the moment !

Anne Brockman (annerosemary@tesco.net) and Margriet Koers (koersm@btinternet.com) have kindly taken over responsibility for the practical arrangements for the barbecue and I have passed on the names of all those who emailed me to say that they were intending to come. If anyone else is thinking that they might wish to join in then please contact either Anne or Margriet directly.

Best regards,

Jerry

From: Koers, Margriet [mailto:margriet.koers@uk.bp.com]
Sent: 01 July 2011 08:04
Subject: BBQ Sunday - Cancelled

Dear Members

Most of you already know but Sue and Jerry's daughter Sophie passed away at the Children's Hospital yesterday morning.

Out of respect for Sue and Jerry we have decided to cancel Sunday's BBQ and reschedule it for another day.

Our thoughts are with them and their family.

Regards

Margriet Koers
On behalf of the committee

Viper Subsea is registered in England and Wales. Company Number 6213408

This email and any attachments to it may be confidential and are intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed.
Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Viper Subsea Ltd.
If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you must neither take any action based upon its contents, nor copy or show it to anyone.
Please contact the sender if you believe you have received this email in error.

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

BBQ Sunday - Not Cancelled Now!

2011-07-01T00:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Members

You may have read an earlier email cancelling the BBQ for Sunday, but since I had sent this email, I had word from Sue and Jerry via Anne, that they would like to come to the BBQ and be with their friends. We had about 15 people wanting to come.

Most of you already know but Sue and Jerry’s daughter Sophie passed away at the Children’s Hospital yesterday morning.

Repeat of the details below

Barbecue at Balmedie Country Park on Sunday 3rd July:

We have booked barbecue stand No. 2 at Balmedie Country park for Sunday afternoon (3rd July) - see attached map of how to find the stand. The instructions from the website say:-

Turn right as you enter the park and go right down to the end of the road where you will find a toilet block. Opposite the toilet block there is a boardwalk that goes towards the dunes. The barbecue is about 100 yards down that boardwalk on the right below the pillboxes.

If you hadn’t already mentioned you were coming please contact Anne by email or text 07761741958 if you plan to come along (again the more the merrier) as Anne was buying the buns!

Regards

Margriet Koers
On behalf of the committee

Recall: BBQ Sunday - Cancelled

2011-07-01T00:42:00.001-07:00

Koers, Margriet would like to recall the message, "BBQ Sunday - Cancelled".

BBQ Sunday - Cancelled

2011-07-01T00:04:00.001-07:00

Dear Members

Most of you already know but Sue and Jerry’s daughter Sophie passed away at the Children’s Hospital yesterday morning.

Out of respect for Sue and Jerry we have decided to cancel Sunday’s BBQ and reschedule it for another day.

Our thoughts are with them and their family.

Regards

Margriet Koers
On behalf of the committee

XXL Survey : Bed demand for weekends from August 2011 to October 2012

2011-06-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

Dear members

Alastair and I who were tasked with the 2012 programme have been busy booking our weekends for 2012 and we have secured a number of beds. To make sure we have estimated the amount of beds correctly we would like you to indicate to us if you are interested in the weekends on the programme (you get to get a sneak preview!).

Participation in this survey doesn’t mean you have booked a place, that you can’t change your mind when the time comes, but is just intended to get a general feel of bed space required. The committee might decide to just leave it at the number of beds already booked. No obligations.

We appreciate your participation in this. Please don’t forget to add your name!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7NGS3P3

Regards

Margriet Koers

XXL: Last Thursday of the Month and the Club's Annual Barbeque

2011-06-24T05:41:00.001-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

Two social events coming up in the week ahead:-

LTotM:

We will be meeting as usual in The Globe (just off Golden Square) from about 18:30ish on Thursday evening. All comers welcome; the more the merrier.

Barbecue at Balmedie Country Park on Sunday 3rd July:

We have booked barbecue stand No. 2 at Balmedie Country park for Sunday afternoon (3rd July) - see attached map of how to find the stand. The instructions from the website say:-

We will aim to light the first match (if its anything like as breezy as the 2009 one we may need a few boxes !) at about 15:30. The arrangements will be pretty much the same as previous years i.e) the Club will provide the coals, plastic cups,plates and cutlery and the buns, and you bring your own food. Apparently, the Council only hire the BBQ stand once per weekend, so we can use it any time on Saturday or Sunday - it doesn't matter to them. This could be handy if the forecast for Saturday proves to be significantly better than the Sunday. If on the Friday the forecast for Sunday is particularly bad I might look to switch to the Saturday. I would be grateful if you could let me know if you plan to come along (again the more the merrier) so that I have an idea of numbers. In addition to which, if you don't let me know that you plan to come then I won't be able to advise you of a weather-related change in the timing !

I hope to see you at one, or both meets.

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL: Weekend Meet; Corran Bunkhouse; Fri 8th / Sat 9th July

2011-06-03T05:44:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder that bookings for the Corran Bunkhouse weekend should be sent to John Hartley at bookings@xxl.org.uk

Cheers.

Jerry

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jeremy Edwards <slioch.284@gmail.com>
Date: 2 June 2011 12:48
Subject: XXL: Weekend Meet; Corran Bunkhouse; Fri 8th / Sat 9th July
To: chairman@xxl.org.uk

Ladies & Gents,

The following advertisement is forwarded on behalf of Mr Angus MacEachran, who will be acting as weekend coordinator for this meet. Over to you Gus:-

=========================================================================================

Hi there,

I am the co-ordinator for the July weekend, Friday 8th and Saturday 9th July, which means you should all behave better than me and, more particularly, Ian Douglas. Bookings open on 1st June as per normal. Contact our excellent bookings secretary, John Hartley, in the normal fashion. I have made my peace with him, following the last time I co-ordinated anything, after which the chairman, 'he must be obeyed', introduced emergency club procedures (Yes, we do have them.) because I had broken so many!

The bunkhouse is detailed below:

http://www.corranbunkhouse.co.uk/

£15pppn. It seems to be very pleasant. I presume this must be a throwback to the Margriet era. Once Jerry gets his teeth into things and with Peter Dawes back on the committee, this will change, trust me. No steam rooms then, washing in the stream in the morning.

It looks as though you don't need to cook if you don't wish to. You'll need towels etc., but bedding is supplied.

I won't bore you with how much there is to do in the area, absolutely stacks.

I'll attempt to organise cars and things once the reins are fully handed over from John to me, as per procedure!!

Cheers,

Angus

==================================================================================================

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL: Weekend Meet; Corran Bunkhouse; Fri 8th / Sat 9th July

2011-06-02T04:48:00.001-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

Hi there,

The bunkhouse is detailed below:

http://www.corranbunkhouse.co.uk/

It looks as though you don't need to cook if you don't wish to. You'll need towels etc., but bedding is supplied.

I won't bore you with how much there is to do in the area, absolutely stacks.

I'll attempt to organise cars and things once the reins are fully handed over from John to me, as per procedure!!

Cheers,

Angus

==================================================================================================

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

FW: XXL - Sunday 5th June - 2 Munro's in the Cairngorms Beinn Bhreac & Beinn a'Chaorainn

2011-05-30T01:56:00.001-07:00

Dear Members,

It only was only a week ago when the XXL club last ventured into the Cairngorm (22^nd May) and did Monadh Mor and Beinn Bhrotain as a throughwalk. It was a bit long as these two were quite remote but they had to be done, despite all the weather the gods threw at us, snow, wind, gust, blizzards. It was a great success.

Well for next weekend we have two more Munro’s from Section 8 on the menu. They were on the programme a few years ago, but we deviated on the day and did Carn a Mhaim and Derry Cairngorm instead, so I would like to have another go at these two as that would finish my Munro’s in that Section 8 of the Munro book.

Maps 36 (most of the route) & 43 (Linn of Dee bit)

Route:

The book describes it to start from the Linn of Dee carpark and head for Derry Lodge, than up Beinn Bhreac onto Beinn a’Chaorainn. But I think if the wind is in the right direction I would like to do it the other way round, with the long walk first.

Linn of Dee carpark to Derry Lodge (we could bring our bikes for this bit, if there is enthusiasm for that)

From Derry Lodge we walk along Glen Derry to the Lairig an Laoigh, we will start climbing from NJ 034000 (we will have climbed ~350m and walked 12km on a good track) We will aim directly for the 1^st Munro Beinn a’Chaorainn which is the furthest away one and is 1082m high, so a another climb of ~360m and another 1.5km to get there.

From there we will walk back in southerly direction on a rather flattish bit between the two Munros and we will aim for Craig Derry, which will lead to Beinn Bhreac which seem to have to little bumps one is 927 and the other is 931, better tick both to make sure. This would have added another 5km to our journey and than from there we will walk about 2km in south westerly direction to get back to the track before the trees where there is a bridge (NO039958). From there will another 7km back to the car.

My estimation of time will be about 8 hours for the whole lot.

So if we could start early and meet up at the Linn of Dee car park say 8.30am we should be back at 4.30 – 5pm – home by 7pm

For reference from Bridge of Don it took about 2hrs to drive to the Linn of Dee car park last week

Please let me know if you would like to come along by emailing me or texting me.

Should we cycle in? let me know.

Let hope the weather is less windy and more sunnier!

Regards

Margriet Koers

07770 646 771

XXL: Ireland (West Coast) - Weekend in Sept 2012

2011-05-25T10:19:00.001-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

Your Committee are looking at the possibility of putting a long-weekend trip to Ireland into the programme of meets for 2012. The proposal would be west coast Ireland - probably in the County Kerry / Killarney / Dingle area in September of next year. There are plenty of great hills to climb in the region (several over 3000ft) including MacGillcuddy's Reeks (which includes Ireland's highest summit, Carrantuohill) and Mount Brandon. A quick Google search revealed this bunkhouse as one possibility:-

http://www.independenthostelguide.com/selected-accommodation.php?area=224

- but I am sure that there are many others.

I reckon that we would need a 4 day long weekend to make it worth the journey. The travel logistics would probably involve the Ryanair flight from Aberdeen to Dublin and hire cars for the journey to the west coast, but there are flights available from Dublin to Kerry if people are put off by the drive.

In planning this meet it would be very useful if I could get an idea of the sort of numbers who would be interested in going. No commitment at this stage - just an expression of interest. If there is no interest then we will come up with a plan B !!

If you think that you might be interested then please drop me an email.

Many thanks.

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

Text to 999

2011-05-24T05:45:00.001-07:00

Dear All,

Many of you will probably be aware of the emergency text service already - but just in case you aren't, the attached is an advisory from the Mountaineering Council of Scotland and some details that I down-loaded from the web. As a textaphobe I can say that even I found the process very easy to complete. As folks who frequently find ourselves in locations where mobile phone coverage is patchy I think it is probably worth the investment of 30 seconds or so to sign up.

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

RE: Last Thursday of the Month; The Globe, North Silver Street

2011-05-23T14:03:00.001-07:00

Guff

Much as I’d like to join the ritual abuse which forms the last Thursday of the month, I will be in Helensburgh preparing for our charity bike ride this week end. (More details on the link below)

Enjoy your night

Paul

Paul Adair

Completions Advisor

Home: +44 1224 639414
Mobile +44 7748 624121
email: adairp@hotmail.co.uk

Pedalling the BP Scottish coast to coast charity cycling event
Please sponsor me and the BP team to cycle 220 miles in 3 days and help raise £100,000 for Motor Neuron Disease, Dementia and Riding for the Disabled

www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/BP_C2C3

From: Jeremy Edwards [mailto:slioch.284@gmail.com]
Sent: 23 May 2011 21:11
To: Alastair Govan; Alex Barbour; Alex Barbour; Alison Paterson; Alison Paterson; Alison Strang; Andy McMurtrie; Andy McMurtrie; Angus MacEachran; Angus MacEachran; Anna Kindness; Anna Kindness; Anne Brockman; Anne Brockman; Bill Strang; Bob Jones; Brian Barr; Brian Barr; Catriona Maclean; Chris Bain; Colin Reid; Csilla Fabian; Dave Beeden; Dave Beeden; David Wolfe; David Wolfe; Elaine Kivlichan; Fraser Douglas; Gary Crumpton; Gary Horne; George Brown; Gill Kitching; Gill Kitching; Gina Bogan; Graeme Reid; Graeme Reid; Iain Linn; Iain Linn; Iain Price; Iain Price; Ian Bain; Ian Chalmers; Ian Douglas; Ian Douglas; Janette Douglas; Jeremy Edwards; Jillian Barr; Jillian Barr; John Hartley; Jon Metcalf; Karen Smith; Kate Gray; Kay Rothnie; Kealan Murphy; Kenny Stott; Kenny Stott; Laura Stewart; Lawrence Clark; Lee Goulding; Lee Goulding; Lynne Reid; Margaret Mclean; Margriet Koers; Margriet Koers; Margriet Koers; Mark Wade; Mark Wade; Martin Banfield; Martin Docherty; Martin Scoular; Mike Busby; Mike Busby; Mike Curtis; Neil Foulkes; Neil Foulkes; Paul Adair; Peter Clifford; Peter Clifford; Peter Dawes; Phil Woodmansay; Phil Woodmansay; Rachael; Robert Buchanan; Robert Buchanan; Ruth Wolfe; Sarah Atkinson; Sarah Atkinson; Sarah Innes; Simon Sawers; Steve Cuddy; Steve Thompson; Steve Thompson; Stuart Young; Stuart Young; Tara Marshall
Subject: XXL: Last Thursday of the Month; The Globe, North Silver Street

Ladies & Gents,

The following well crafted words are forwarded, uncensored and unexpurgated, from our LTotM Coordinator, mister subtlety himself, our very own Angus MacEachran. I took the liberty of correcting some of the spelling and grammar, but the rest is just as the great man penned it. What it all means is anyone's guess ! Come along on Thursday and find out.

Hope to see you on Thursday.

Jerry

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: A MACEACHRAN <amaceachran@btinternet.com>
Date: 19 May 2011 20:58
Subject: LTOTM
To: slioch.284@gmail.com

LTOTM, this Thursday, Globe from 6.30.

I notice that Jeremy gave me the official position of LTOTM co-ordinator last month. Jeremy hadn't discussed this with me though, of course, I am deeply honoured. Between you and me though, I can see history repeating itself, delusions of grandeur associated with being chairman of XXL.

I've not been on any events since I last wrote, apart from the LTOTM, last month. I don't suppose that's ever stopped me writing before, though.

I came in for some ciritcism in my last email because, it was said, even by Jeremy, that I was a bit too subtle, instead of my previously fearless self. I actually refute this, just that a lot of you don't believe I can be subtle. I also suppose that's what the political correctness movement does for you, wears people down. Previously I would have just said that it was the 'Polished up well' award that Margriet got, for her Cinderella like change, when we went to the Airds Hotel, but I just left it to peoples' memories. I have decided though that this is unfair to our newer members.

Of course, that's if any note I prepare gets through the chairman's editings. Last month, he took a bit out just because he didn't understand it, not for political incorrectness It's all very difficult for your correspondent. I was clearly much too subtle for Jeremy.

I suspect that after that, only the first sentence and the next will remain, as though I were repeating myself.

LTOTM, this Thursday,Globe from 6.30, your erstwhile LTOTM co-ordinator.

Cheers

Angus

PS. For the record, Margriet didn't change at all at midnight.

XXL: Last Thursday of the Month; The Globe, North Silver Street

2011-05-23T13:11:00.001-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

Hope to see you on Thursday.

Jerry

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: A MACEACHRAN <amaceachran@btinternet.com>
Date: 19 May 2011 20:58
Subject: LTOTM
To: slioch.284@gmail.com

LTOTM, this Thursday, Globe from 6.30.

I've not been on any events since I last wrote, apart from the LTOTM, last month. I don't suppose that's ever stopped me writing before, though.

I suspect that after that, only the first sentence and the next will remain, as though I were repeating myself.

LTOTM, this Thursday,Globe from 6.30, your erstwhile LTOTM co-ordinator.

Cheers

Angus

PS. For the record, Margriet didn't change at all at midnight.

XXL Sunday Daywalk 22nd May - Monadh Mor & Beinn Bhrotain

2011-05-16T12:57:00.001-07:00

The following note is sent on behalf of Margriet Koers:-

Dear Members,

This Sunday we are gathering for a very long walk to do some remote Munros at the Linn of Dee carpark before 8.30am! The bus will be leaving at 8.30 so if you want to be on it, you will need to be booted up before that time.

The bus will take us to the car park at the end of Glen Feshie which will probably take about 2hrs hours so we will start walking after 10.30

We will walk on the east side of the river as when we reach Auchlean we will be going up the hill on the northerly track toward Carn Ban Bor, which we will be bypassing and continue in south easterly direction to a junction (957m, NN904956). At the junction we take the left turn which will take us around Tom Dubh (which is a top of Monadh Mor if you are interested in those) where we will get off the path and head up to the 974 m point (NN929947) and onwards to Monadh Mor our first target (NN938942) We will have done 11km 950m of ascent and 4 hrs 10 min.

From the summit cairn we will be continuing south for 3/4km to another cairn and than south east by grassy tundra for 1km, then descent quite steeply to reach a narrow col at 975m (NN947927). From there southeast up a boulder strewn slope for about 3/4km to reach the summit of Beinn Bhrotain. (14km 1130m ascent, 5.10hrs)

Than back to our cars which will take a while. From the top we will go in easterly direction to hit the track that follows up from the Lairig Ghru to White Bridge (5.5km) and then from WhiteBridge back to Linn of Dee (5km).

It will be nearly 30km = ~7.5 hrs + 1130m of ascent = ~2hrs so count on a long day of 10hrs. Plenty of food and water. And perhaps some food and drink in the car as we may miss dinner otherwise. I expect to be back at the cars at 20:30pm.

I have booked a bus for 16 people, and there are a few places left on the bus. Please bring £15 for the bus.

Currently I have 8 people + 1 dog confirmed: Phil Woodmansey, Stuart Young, Bob Jones + dog, Kenny Stott, Graeme Reid, Iain Linn, Ian Douglas, Margriet.

2 maybe's, can they please confirm or let me know if they are not coming as there are limited spaces on the bus; Dave Beeden, Peter Dawes.

You will need map 43

My mobile is 07770 646771, the bus is leaving at 8.30 so if you are not going to make it let me know! I will be travelling from Ellon along the back roads and will be leaving at 6am! I probably live the furthest away.

Regards

Margriet Koers

XXL: Daywalk; 22nd May; Glen Feshie to Linn of Dee

2011-04-25T12:17:00.001-07:00

The following note forwarded on behalf of Margriet.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear members,

As we are planning a daywalk on Sunday the 22nd May from Glen Feshie to Linn of Dee and taking in the two remote munroes Monadh Mor and Beinn Bhrotain along the way I am busy organising a bus to take us from Linn of Dee to Glen Feshie in the morning. To be able to assess what size bus I need to get I would like to get an idea how many people are actually coming. A subsidy of 70 pounds will be available to us from the club, so if we have a good uptake the bus fee will go down!

I have set up a little survey I would like you to fill in for that purpose. Please fill it in by Friday cob 29^th April.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GXRJNMC

More details will be forwarded nearer the time.

Regards

Margriet Koers
Direct Tel: 01224 832624
Mobile: 07770 646771

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL: Last Thursday of the Month; The Globe; 28th April

2011-04-25T11:52:00.001-07:00

Ladies & Gentlemen,

The following invitation is circulated on behalf of our LTotM meet coordinator, Mr Angus MacEachran.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you don't wish to read on, that time of the month is upon us once more. 18:30 onwards, The Globe.

The last weekend walk in Strontian was excellent, with overcast but dry weather on the Saturday and I assume, since I didn't walk on the second day, beautiful weather on the Sunday. Gill almost got us lost on a woodland walk instead.

The Ardnamurchan peninsula is a very attractive area, often ignored because of its lack of Munros. Trust me, going up a steep Corbett, starting as sea level, is plenty hard.

Great views of Loch Linnhe from the Saturday walk I was on, as I glanced wistfully over to Port Appin, to the Airds Hotel, where Margriet earned that well deserved annual dinner award a few years ago. Best not say what it was for.

The whole weekend was good. Jon had an excellent 30yr old Glenfarclas with him on the Friday, which I'm glad I didn't help him with, not too much anyway. However, that was no excuse for him giving it away to a bunch of students who were with us, a cardinal sin in the XXL club. I trust that the Chairman will take appropriate action and tell him to bring 2 bottles next time. Wouldn't have happened in Peter Dawes' day!

A very convivial meal on the Saturday, with good food, great desserts and cheap wine. Much abuse was flying, quite a lot of it at me for some reason.

Anyway, be there on Thursday!

Cheers

Angus

XXL: Coastal walk from Catterline to Stonehaven; Sunday 24th April

2011-04-14T12:46:00.001-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

It has been pointed out to me that in sending the previous note about the daywalk on Sunday 24th April I neglected to attach the maps. Many apologies for the oversight on my part. Please find attached the missing information.

Very best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

===========================================================================================================================
Dear XXL Coast Walkers,
April's offering is not suitable for dogs, children or anyone with a fear of heights. This is a section of coastline that the club has not traversed previously.
It is a challenging walk much of it on rugged cliff tops where for the most part, there is no path. There may be field boundary fences or walls to climb. So if you are sure-footed with a good head for heights, you'll thoroughly enjoy it.
The Crawton Nature Reserve walk has a good path as does the section all the way from just before Dunnotar Castle to Stonehaven. The rest (approx 3kms) is pretty rough going but offers spectacular cliff scenery.
We will be walking from the famous award-winning Creel Inn in Catterline to their sister establishment, the Marine Hotel at Stonehaven Harbour which does coffee, excellent food and an incredible selection of real ales and fruit beers as a reward at the end of the walk. So that should be enough incentive.
Meeting point/Parking
The plan is to meet at the carpark (one just round from the harbour. If you head straight on (instead of turning right along the front where the Marine hotel is) past the Tolbooth restaurant, there is car parking off to the left (see attached map for details) in Stonehaven at 10am (Allow 30 mins journey time from Aberdeen centre), pile everybody up in fewer cars and go to the Creel Inn, Catterline. Having never previously been to Catterline nor indeed its famous fish restaurant, I cannot advise on the parking situation.
I suggest we park as close to the Creel Inn as possible. It's a case of what options there are.
Contact me by email or on 01224 318204 or 07940807676 to let me know as soon as possible:
If you are joining us. How many spaces you can offer in your vehicle. The number of people in your party.
And, I'll try and organise car shares as required.

Route Described Summary And Statistics
Map: OS Landranger Sheet 45 (1:50000) – Stonehaven & Surrounding area. Distance/Ascent: Approximately 10km with very little significant ascent. Expected duration: 3 - 5 hrs. Please note that this is a coastal promenade or stroll. It is not intended to be a march. We should take time to look for Puffins, Dolphins etc which are often sighted along this coastline. We can also take a look at the castle rock and spend some time at the War Memorial. No climbing is required, apart from the occasional field boundary fence or wall. These typically stop well before the cliff edge. It is an undulating walk, no hands involved but requires a reasonable head for heights and a certain degree of sure-footedness.
Description of Route
Our walk commences at Catterline. We can either walk via the narrow cliff tops to Crawton (Fowlsheugh) Nature Reserve or just inside the field boundaries or more likely (sensibly), we will use the quiet inland roads heading North for this section. There is a path heading ESE along a field boundary stream to Crawton which is marked on the 1:25,000 map.
Continuing northwards from Crawton, there is a good path which follows the cliff tops. We may be fortunate enough to spot the odd Puffin. Even though it is a little early in the season to see them in great numbers, there may be one or two perched on the cliff. The path stops at the end of the nature reserve.
North of this is a rugged section which is pathless for about 3 kilometres. My recollection of traversing it is that it was like walking on a ridge-like, grassy mound, pock-marked with rabbit hole trip hazards. There were dykes with electric fences delineating the field boundaries on the landward side. On the seaward side, the cliffs had dramatic drops down to wave-cut platforms or the sea below. It was on a very stormy day. The wind was strong enough to blow the spray up onto us occasionally from the waves crashing below at the bottom of the cliffs.
It is unlikely that you would go over, even if you tripped up. Nonetheless, I would not recommend this walk for kids or dogs.
I know there has been some upgrade work done on some sections of the Nortrail Coastal path since I last walked this route. When I did it, it was pretty rugged and I suspect some sections still will be. For much of our walk, we will savour tantalising glimpses of mighty Dunnottar Castle, if we are not staring at our feet! This cliff top stronghold once housed the Scottish Crown Jewels – the honours of Scotland. Dunnottar Castle is a formidable fortress, set high on a massive outcrop of pudding stone - giant pebbles cemented naturally together - conglomerate. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puddingstone_%28rock%29

It is almost completely surrounded by sea. It is a truly spectacular site with an incredible history and an amazing cast of famous visitors including William Wallace, Mary Queen of Scots and Mel Gibson! See
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/stonehaven/dunnottarcastle/index.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunnottar_Castle
http://www.dunnottarcastle.co.uk/
Next, we traverse the neck of Bowduns Head which has a near-impossible to spot, Iron Age promontory fort. On its north side in Strathlethan Bay is Dunnicaer (and to be honest, many people won't ;>). See http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/158044. It was a Pictish ritual site perched precariously on a rocky sea stack. At one time, there were unusual Pictish Symbol Stones around its perimeter edge. These were recovered after wild local farmer boys tossed them into the sea below. See http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/Archaeology/sites/forts/dunnottar.asp After wandering up Black hill to its Greek temple-like war memorial, we descend to the road which is currently closed to traffic due to subsidence. From here, there is a marvellous view, across Stonehaven harbour and round the shingle bay to Cowie at the North end.
There are steps which lead down to the harbour and we will end the end our day in the Marine Hotel, Stonehaven. It is an excellent hostelry with a fine selection of real ales, fruit beers and serves nice coffee, soup, bar meals or perhaps even have a meal in their new restaurant upstairs. The owners also own the much-revered, award-winning fish restaurant called the Creel Inn at Catterline where we began our walk.
Background Info: Dunnicaer Pictish Symbols Stones – Where are they now?
The story the book I have relates that they were recovered from the sea and are now housed in the walled garden of Beannachar House (formerly Banchory House) on the South Deeside Road. It appears to be a centre for Young adults with Special Needs these days. See
http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=7113 http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/20282/drawings/beannachar/?&sort_typ=archnum&sort_ord=desc
http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/search_item/index.php?service=RCAHMS&id=20282
http://rockartuk.fotopic.net/p38309303.html
http://rockartuk.fotopic.net/c1200692.html
Apparently, there is also one in Marischal Museum which is currently closed whilst Archibald Simpson's Marischal College masterpiece is being refurbished to become Council offices.

Martin Scoular

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

XXL: More Discount Shopping Opportunities for Club Members

2011-04-11T12:09:00.001-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

Cicerone guidebooks and Tiso outdoor equipment are both offering discounts to XXL members.:-

Cicerone publish over 280 guidebooks to walking, trekking, mountaineering and cycle touring in the UK and across the world (there is one on Crete that might be of interest to those heading that way in June.) The XXL club rate means that members can get a 20% discount on their entire range of books. Cicerone have set up a voucher code for XXL use on their website ( http://www.cicerone.co.uk ). All you need to do to get the discount is add the voucher code - "XXL" - to the shopping basket page on their website.

Tiso's are advertising a discount evening at their store in John Street, Aberdeen on Tuesday 10th May - see details in the attached email.

Happy shopping !

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Richard Openshaw <Richard.Openshaw@tiso.co.uk>
Date: Mon, Apr 11, 2011 at 3:53 PM
Subject: Tiso Discount Evening This Spring
To:

Hello everyone,

It's that time of year again!

TISO in John Street, Aberdeen is happy to invite you and your friends to their spring discount night on Tuesday 10th May. We will open at 6pm and close at 8.30pm Realising that many clubs/organisations don't issue membership cards any more, you will not need these for entry.

The discounts are as follows;

10% OFF Maps, GPS, Publications and DVD's
15% OFF Clothing, Children's ware, Shoes, Sandals and Boots, Tents, Sleeping Bags, Rucsacs and Accessories
20% OFF Climbing Equipment which includes Hardwear, Rock Shoes, Helmets, Ropes, Harnesses and Axes

Also as a special offer for this evening we will be giving 20% off ALL waterproof jackets!!!

We will also be offering additional discounts off many of our end of season Autumn/Winter lines with up to 25% further discount coming off the already discounted club night price!!!!

We are often asked if it is okay to come in beforehand and keep goods aside for collection on the evening. This is absolutely fine up to one week in advance. Please choose your goods and take them to the Customer Service desk at the till point, where we will happily keep them for you.

I hope this answers any queries you may have, but as always, feel free to get in touch if I can help any further.

All the best,

Richard

Richard Openshaw

Shop Manager

Tiso Aberdeen

Graham Tiso Ltd

26 Netherkirkgate

Aberdeen, UK

AB10 1AU

t +44 1224 634 934

XXL: Coastal walk from Catterline to Stonehaven; Sunday 24th April

2011-04-11T11:48:00.001-07:00

Please find attached details of this walk courtesy of Martin and Margriet.

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

Tel: 01358 789139

Mob: 07825 988986

Crete; 18th - 25th June 2011

2011-04-04T08:25:00.001-07:00

Ladies & Gents,

Just to let you know that there still some places available at the accommodation booked in Crete. If you are interested and would like some more information then please contact Ian Douglas at ian.douglas@iacd.freeserve.co.uk

Best regards,

Jerry

________________

Jeremy Edwards.

2011-02-22T02:31:00.000-08:00

Send on behalf of Martin Scoular,

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear fellow XXLers,

Our third walk of 2011 will visit two more Marilyns bringing our total on this years Club walks to five. I am not sure whether the Club has tackled Ben Newe previously but I am certain it hasn’t tackled it with Ladylea Hill (which is also a Graham). The lofty view from elevated vantage point of Ben Newe’s summit is stunning on a fine day. The walk will be on a mix of paths, landrover tracks and rough, open hillside.

Meeting point/Parking

Meet at the Public Car Park/Recycling Centre with toilets just beyond the bridge in Bellabeg at 10am. Plenty of parking.

Apart from the loos, across the road is a large earthwork or motte to climb up whilst waiting for others to arrive. Otherwise, you can amuse yourselves taking pictures of the signpost to Lost, if it hasn’t been pilfered/lost.

Text me on 07940 807676 to let me know as far in advance as possible (not email this time):

1. If you're coming

2. How many spaces you can offer in your vehicle

3. The number in your party

The problem is that organising car shares may not be possible as I am staying in a cottage in the Northern Lakes in the week before. I am unlikely to have email access. Therefore, I suggest the party leader or driver texts me the details.

Route Described Summary And Statistics

Map: OS Landranger Sheet 37 (1:50000). I have attached 5 OS 1:25000 maps which cover the walk described below. The Landranger 1:50000 OS Series Sheet 37 Leisure Map depicts the entire route – all the hills and Bellabeg/Strathdon area.
Distance/Ascent: Approximately 19km, roughly 780M ascent.
Expected duration: 6 – 8 hrs. Sunset is at 17.52 hrs that day and there is some light for 20 – 30 mins afterwards depending on how overcast it is.
Time to be in Bellabeg: 10am.
The route will involve getting over fences, some of which may be deer fences and therefore, potentially tall. This could be problematic for dogs but it is really for owners to make that call. Ideally, I would hope to leave cars at either Glen Buchat Castle or Ben Newe car parks and at the Colquhonnie hotel on our way out, so clearly this will require some coordination.

Description of Route

This is an unusual circuit taking in two Marilyns, one of which also happens to be a Graham.

Walk out of the car park and turn right, following the new pavement back towards Bellabeg. Follow the minor road to the right, just before the roadbridge on the A944. Cross the river via a sturdy footbridge and make your way to the site where the Lonach Gathering Highland Games is held annually very August, usually with Billy Connolly and various luminaries who are friends of his. He owns the Candacraig estate a bit further down the road.

Follow the fence at the NW boundary of the field, cross the A944 and walk back a short distance along the verge towards Bellabeg. Just before you reach a field, take the signposted path which follows the edge of the plantation uphill, NNE initially. It turns NW as it joins a forest track which goes up past a mast. After the mast it turns back on itself. Walk roughly ENE until you arrive at the third junction, a crossroads.

Turn left and follow the track uphill. At the T-junction turn right and continue up over Corlich Hill. At the forest boundary, take the left fork and head WNW past Grouse Butts and onto Hill Of Cummerton then veer NNW to Mid Hill. At the junction beyond Mid Hill, leave the track and continue NNW skirting round Clashentepe Hill to the col with Ladylea Hill (Marilyn/Graham) and head WNW for the Summit.

Return following the fence marked on the map and head over Clashentepe Hill to its subordinate peak to the SW. From there, follow the edge of the forestry southeast down the Moss of Deochry. Turn ESE through the large gap in the forestry above the Burn of Byesnuik, pass Westertown and continue down to the minor road. Follow the track ESE for Eastertown which swings SSE as it enters the forestry ignoring the two junctions to the right (one early, one late); take the left track at the T-junction.

Bear right at a fork and then left at a T-junction which heads towards the forest perimeter. It will be a question of finding my normal descent route and going up it (might not be that obvious). Alternatively, we can go inside or outside the forest boundary and going up the steep, deep heather if we miss it – not my preferred option, having done it before.

The view from the Ben Newe (Marilyn) trig point is stunning. There is a roughly hewn, wooden bench up there but last time I visited, sadly it was starting to come apart.

Next descend the hill down its NE spur and swing East to meet a track. Follow the track past a mast and head down to Glenbuchat Castle. [We may leave a car here as a contingency]. Head South to where the forest boundary meets the A97 and cross to join a Landrover track. Follow the track along the arc of the River Don to a good footbridge.

Having crossed, follow the excellent track rising past the Glac of Barns. Head up over Cairnbeg Hill, a fine viewpoint, before descending to the Deskry Hill which according to the map has a cup-marked stone, burialcairn and hut circle on it. From Deskry hill, head NW to the bridge where the A97 crosses the River Don.

Cross the road bridge and almost immediately turn left and take the landrover track, heading WSW. The track passes in the vicinity of a souterrain (Iron Age underground passage usually under a hut circle for cool storage or safe-keeping) and the ruins of Newe Castle before we swing back on ourselves and then join a minor road/drive heading West.

Where it eventually meets another minor road, cross the road and continue West through a break in the forestry (where the map indicates there are walks and a picnic area). Once beyond the forestry, cross over fields to reach the Colqhonnie Hotel, beside the famous Lonach Hall. See http://www.thecolquhonniehotel.co.uk/

For anyone that is interested, there is also a ruined castle beside the hotel and a real Totem pole in front. More importantly, the hotels serves beer, coffee and very cheap but excellent bar meals. We will leave a car here to allow drivers to be ferried back to their cars and bring them round. NB The reason we didn’t start from here is because the parking is fairly limited.

I look forward to seeing every one of you there.

Warm Regards,

Martin Scoular

XXL - Change to April weekend

2011-02-08T02:02:00.001-08:00

Hi Everybody

Although we had planned to go to the White House in Knoydart 15/16 April, they had overbooked us and we had to make alternative arrangements.

Instead we are now going to the Ariundle Centre in Strontian. Details on the weekend will come out just before the 1st March.

Sneak preview http://www.independenthostelguide.com/selected-accommodation.php?area=767

Our apologies if you really had looked forward to going back to Knoydart, but do not despair as we'll add it to the 2012 programme.

I have attached a new pdf of the 2011 programme.

Regards

Margriet Koers

FW: XXL Club Day Walk - Little Conval/Meikle Conval Cirular Walk From Dufftown (Sheet 28), Sunday 6th February 2011

2011-01-31T01:00:00.001-08:00

Send on behalf of Martin Scoular (promise it is the last email today!) Please respond to Martin.

Hi All,

Meeting point/Parking

Meet in Dufftown square at 10am. See http://www.morayholidays.co.uk/dufftown/touristinformation.html and http://www.thisismoray.com/dufftown-in-moray-c159.html. Plenty of parking. Contact me on 01224 318204 or 07940807676 to let me know as soon as possible:

If you're coming
How many spaces you can offer in your vehicle
The number in your party

and, I'll try and organise car shares.

Route Described Summary And Statistics

Map: OS Landranger Sheet 28 (1:50000).

Distance/Ascent: Approximately 12km, approximately 800M ascent.
Expected duration: 4-6 hrs

Time to be in Dufftown :10am

Conval Maps.doc = 1:25,000

Dufftown.pdf = 1:50,000

Description of Route Alternatives

This is a circuit taking in two Marilyns (see http://theboyhope.com/2009/october/ben-rinnes/2), starting and ending the day in Duftown Square where there are many purveyors of fine spirit, beer and wine. Several screen Dumps of the 1:25000 sheet are attached since most club members are unlikely to own this sheet or even Landranger OS Series Sheet 28 Leisure Map.

From the square, follow the B9009 West. After about 600M, take the third (forked) street on the right, having passed a church on the left. Follow this winding road which heads generally West to it's conclusion at Conval Crofts (marked on 1:25000). Strike up the hillside continuing on a westerly bearing initially. As you rise, swing SW between two plantations until the trig point of Little Conval (552M) is reached. See http://www.scottishhills.com/html/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=7162

Descend the path through heather to the interestingly-named Glach-en-ronack bealach before ascending the heathery summit and cairn of Meikle Conval (571M) - see http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/373979

Head East and descend a path which leads to a Landrover track. Where the track enters the field do a U turn and connects with the track to the southeast (if it isn't a quarry that is). Cross the B9009 and either connect with the bridge on the (yellow) minor road to the South of Convalleys.

The alernative is to use the footbridge marked in the OS Map and follow the winding Dullan Water. However, on the 1:25000 OS Map, there are a few field fences/walls running down towards the river so it may be prudent to join the minor road at some point.

The minor road runs southeast initially then turns northeast where it skirts round the lower slopes of Jock's Hill. After about 2kms, there's a bridge where the path for the local features known as the "Giants Chair" and the "Giant's Cradle" (a pot hole) begins. See http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/moray/giants-chair.shtml and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYMPHZTuoEY

If there are any problems with remaining daylight or the riverside path, we can always continue on the minor road which passes through the Mortlach distillery and we take the road up to the left, just past the ancient Mortlach Kirk and graveyard. Similarly, the Giant's path ends at a road which appears to cross the Dullan Water in at least two places at the Mortlach Distillery. As well as the main road bridge which crosses the river further down, there are several footbridges and bridges for Landrover tracks. See http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=8314

Either way we end up back at our cars in the Square and pick a pub.

Background Info: Little Conval's Unfinished Iron Age Hillfort And Mortlach

There is an unfinished fort comprising four separate lines of defense (incomplete sections) around the summit of Little Conval. These were preparatory workings for what was to be an elaborate defensive set-up and are visible especially at this time of year. Some sections have trenches marking the line of defence. Others walling, sometimes faced. The innermost line has a low rubble wall which is up to 3M wide in places. It has been conjectured that the resonably high altitude may been a factor in it's demise. The inclement/cold weather prevalent at this height may have played a part in it's premature abandonment before it was even half finished. This is one of several unfinished hillforts which lie to the South of the Moray Firth. Certainly the inhospitable, icy, Wintry conditions experienced by XXL members one sunny day the previous January on neighbouring Ben Rinnes bears testimony to this.

Mortlach Kirk is one of the earliest Christian foundations in North east Scotland and the church still retains its beautiful medieval proportions. In Mortlach Kirkyard, there is the Pictish symbol stone known as the Battlestone but it is badly weathered. There is also a collection of fragments of Pitish symbol stones locked in the basement of the Kirk. See http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/search_item/index.php?service=RCAHMS&id=16800

FW: Invitation to XXL AGM - Wednesday 23rd February at the Holburn Bar at 7pm

2011-01-18T07:06:00.000-08:00

Dear People

The AGM is upon us again, on Wednesday 23rd Feb night upstairs in the Holburn Bar on 225 Holburn St at 7.00pm. Shall we say 18:30 for drinks downstairs and start the AGM business at 7:00.

To entice you there , there will be a free raffle for 2 vouchers which we seemed to have missed at the annual dinner in November.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

The outline Agenda is below.

Escape Route

Minutes  2010 AGM

Accounts for  2010
Budget for 2011

Membership Status

Appoint New Committee Members
Current members that have indicated to want to stay on the committee ( John Hartley, Jerry Edwards, Martin Scoular, Alastair Govan, Tara Marshall, Ian Douglas , Janette Douglas, Angus Maceachran, Margriet Koers.  Bob Jones and Jon Metcalf are stepping down.  Sue is considering to staying on although she will be relinquishing her role as Treasurer. I will be stepping down as Chairperson. So if anybody is keen to join the committee let us know.

AOB

I’ve included last years AGM minutes with all important stuff.

Hope to see you there as we do need a quorum to vote items through.

Also there will be an opportunity to pay for the new membership year which will be due on the 1st March. If you can't make it I will send a separate email out on how to renew your membership again.

Regards

Margriet Koers
XXL Hillwalking Chairperson

The Holburn, 225 Holburn St, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire AB10 6BL

XXL - February weekend to Mill cottage Fri 11th and Sat 12th February

2011-01-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hi All

It has been quite a few years since we stayed in Mill Cottage at Feshiebridge.

There are 14 beds available (well you have to take your own pillows and sleeping bags) but for £8pppn that is a bargain. We have the sole use of the hut.

Please book your bed with bookings@xxl.org.uk

The hut is situated at Feshiebridge and can sleep 14 people, with a further 8 camping if necessary, might be a bit cold for that though.

LOCATION:-
0.25 miles to North West of Feshiebridge, off the B970. Follow old A9 to Kincraig, between Kingussie and Aviemore, take the side road in Kincraig (turn east), over bridge and past the Loch Insh Watersports Centre. Left at T-junction, and left into Forestry Commission car park, taking left fork onto unpaved track above the car park. Turn down right fork after passing below pylon line. Approx 300 yards from public road.
OS Sheet 35; 1: 50,000, Kingussie; 844 047

ACCOMMODATION
14 persons - 2 rooms with 4 bunks each, 1 room with alpine platform for 6. Mattresses provided. You will have to bring your own sleeping bag.
Please note: The downstairs bedroom has a shared sleeping platform. Persons under 18 years of age, or vulnerable adults, can use the hut only if accompanied by a parent or responsible adult.

FACILITIES
Full cooking and dining facilities, all electric. Shower, toilets, drying room, multi-fuel stove in lounge, firewood and coal. No meter charges.
General Supplies: Pots, pans, crockery, utensils, cookers, dustbin bags, toilet rolls, light bulbs etc.
Parking: Large open area in front of cottage.

for more information click on http://www.mcofs.org.uk/huts-millcottage.asp

Regards

Margriet Koers

XXL Hillwalking Club Aberdeen

XXL: Aviemore Weekend; Fri 17th & Sat 18th Feb

XXL invitation to March Weekend - Castle Douglas, Galloway Fri 16 and Sat 17th March

XXL weekend - Harris 13-15th April - bookings open Feb 1st

Hogmanay 2012 - is anyone interested in a club trip?

XXL daywalk Feb 5th - Craiglich

XXL: Urgent call for any XXL Member who was out in the Cairngorms over the weekend.

XXL: Last Thursday of the Month Meet (26th Jan) / AGM Notification (22nd Feb)

Bill Strang's 60th Birthday Ceilidh; 12 May 2012; ANOTHER Venue Change

XXL: February weekend meet at Aviemore; 17th & 18th Feb 2012

XXL: Daywalk; Sunday 8th Jan; Peter Hill (Banchory)

FW: XXL - January weekend to Tyndrum Friday 20th and Sat 21st January

XXL: 2012 Programme

XXL pudding walk photos from yesterday

XXL: Daywalk; St Cyrus to Hill Of Garvock (the Pudding Walk) - Sunday 11th December

XXL - January weekend to Tyndrum Friday 20th and Sat 21st January

RE: XXL trip to Slovakia 30 June -7 July 2012 - UPDATE

XXL: Daywalk; St Cyrus to Hill Of Garvock (the Pudding Walk) - Sunday 11th December

XXL trip to Slovakia 30 June -7 July 2012

XXL: Annual Dinner Daywalk: Cnapan Nathraichean; Saturday 26th November

RE: XXL Hillwalking Club 2011 Dinner - Awards - Last Call

XXL: Annual Dinner - Menu Selections

RE: XXL photos needed

XXL Hillwalking Club 2011 - Annual Dinner Award Nominations

Tiso Discount Evening - Wednesday 9th November: 6.00 - 8.30 pm

Doug Scott Lecture; Big Wall Climbing; Inverurie Town Hall; Mon 31 Oct

XXL: 2012 Foreign Holiday; Last Call for Votes

XXL: Annual Dinner; Fringe Gathering at the Moorfield on the Friday evening

XXL: Last Thursday of the Month Meet; The Globe (off Golden Square)

XXL: Dave McLeod Talk at Tiso; Tue 25 Oct

XXL photos needed

XXL: North East Mountain Trust talk; Wed 26 Oct 2011

NORTH EAST MOUNTAIN TRUST

Neil Morrison

XXL: Journal 2010 / 2011

XXL: 2012 Foreign Holiday

XXL: Annual Dinner; Saturday 26th November; Fife Arms, Braemar

XXL: East/West Lomond/Bishop Hill Thru Walk - Sunday 9th October

XXL: Alistair Reid

XXL: Last Thursday of The Month Meet

Fwd: Fw: ACTIVE ABOYNE 2011

Bill Strang's 60th Birthday Ceilidh; 12 May 2012;

XXL: Morvich Meet; Fri 28th / Sat 29th October

Fwd: XXL Ben Vuirich Day Walk/Cycle - Sunday 4th September (Please note the change of date)

Summary And Statistics

XXL: Evening Walk; Thursday 25th August; Coastal Walk from Doonies Farm

XXL Ben Vuirich Day Walk/Cycle - Sunday 4th September (Please note the change of date)

Summary And Statistics

XXL: Dundonnell weekend; Fri 19th / Sat 20th Aug

XXL Hillwalking: Skye Weekend; 23 / 24 Sept (CHANGED DATES)

XXL daywalk 7th August - Tolmount , Tom Buidhe and I am going to throw in Cairn Bannoch aswell!

XXL - LTOTM and other news

XXL: Next daywalk - Mount Keen

XXL - Change to the daywalk programme for September

XXL: Dundonnell weekend; Fri 19th / Sat 20th Aug

XXL: BBQ Sunday

BBQ Sunday - Not Cancelled Now!

Recall: BBQ Sunday - Cancelled

BBQ Sunday - Cancelled

XXL Survey : Bed demand for weekends from August 2011 to October 2012

XXL: Last Thursday of the Month and the Club's Annual Barbeque

XXL: Weekend Meet; Corran Bunkhouse; Fri 8th / Sat 9th July

XXL: Weekend Meet; Corran Bunkhouse; Fri 8th / Sat 9th July

FW: XXL - Sunday 5th June - 2 Munro's in the Cairngorms Beinn Bhreac & Beinn a'Chaorainn

XXL: Ireland (West Coast) - Weekend in Sept 2012

Text to 999

RE: Last Thursday of the Month; The Globe, North Silver Street

XXL: Last Thursday of the Month; The Globe, North Silver Street

XXL Sunday Daywalk 22nd May - Monadh Mor & Beinn Bhrotain

XXL: Daywalk; 22nd May; Glen Feshie to Linn of Dee

XXL: Last Thursday of the Month; The Globe; 28th April

XXL: Coastal walk from Catterline to Stonehaven; ​Sunday 24th April

XXL: More Discount Shopping Opportunities for Club Members

XXL: Coastal walk from Catterline to Stonehaven; ​Sunday 24th April

Crete; 18th - 25th June 2011

XXL - Change to April weekend

FW: XXL Club Day Walk - Little Conval/Meikle Conval Cirular Walk From Dufftown (Sheet 28), Sunday 6th February 2011

FW: Invitation to XXL AGM - Wednesday 23rd February at the Holburn Bar at 7pm

XXL - February weekend to Mill cottage Fri 11th and Sat 12th February

XXL: Coastal walk from Catterline to Stonehaven; Sunday 24th April

XXL: Coastal walk from Catterline to Stonehaven; Sunday 24th April