spring Newsletter 2008
spring Newsletter 2008
Chairman’s Chat
There is no getting away from the fact that today we live in a hi-tech
world, and like it or not, our lives are dominated by new technology such as computers,
email, the World-Wide Web, mobile phones, and HD digital TV and radio, to name
but a few.
As hillwalkers, we are not immune from such developments, and some of us
feel we have to move with the times and embrace new developments, such as GPS
(Global Positioning System), allowing us to navigate precisely to specific
locations on foot using hand-held units.
Of late, many of us have acquired GPS units, raising the question as to
whether we are all comfortable with them.
Hence, we are grateful to Graham for organizing outdoor practicals with a
dozen attending each, and instructing the group in correct techniques. Manuals are all very well but can be
confusing, and these sessions have proved invaluable. Graham has the patience of a saint!
All new ideas and products have positive and negative aspects. In the case of GPS, there are the benefits of
navigation—knowing exactly where you are, the elevation, distance travelled,
time taken, and so on—but on the other hand, you have to ensure that the
batteries are fully charged or new, and that you can receive satellite signals.
Progress is inevitable, but we should not lose sight of the basics of
navigation—how to use map and compass. What
happens when you lose GPS signals, or your batteries give out? How many can read a map, identify grid references
or set a compass? We should all be
familiar with these basics.
If there is sufficient interest, let us organize training in the basics
of map and compass reading, and encourage folk to develop expertise in all
forms of navigation.
Annual General Meeting
The AGM was on
The
AGM elected the following Committee—
President ........................................................... Frank Kelly
Vice President ........................................... Jim Henderson
Secretary .................................................... Heather Eddie
Treasurer ................................................... Rosemary Kelly
Booking Secretary ................................ Gilbert McCurdy
Committee Members ...... Colin Chapman, Hamish Clunas,
David Garwood, Kris Howard, Bill Marr,
Graham Sangster, Vi Walker, Alan Wallace
Auditors ....................... Marjory McLeod, Fiona Wallace
The AGM approved the program of walks for 2008-09 tabled by the outgoing
Committee. It includes a variety of
through and circular walks, with shorter alternatives to suit all.
Treasurer Rosemary Kelly reported on another successful year, which made
a small surplus on bus outings and on the overall running of the Club. There was no recommendation to increase
subscriptions, which remain good value at £12 for adults and £6 for under-sixteens.
Bus costs for the new season have increased significantly due to rising
fuel prices and new drivers’ regulations, but we hope to mitigate higher costs by
using a 33-seater to ensure a full bus on most outings. Hence, it is important to book early to
ensure a seat, and if you have to cancel, it is equally important to contact
the Booking Secretary as soon as possible, to free up seats for those on the waiting
list. Alex Joiner held this post seventeen
years and now feels it time to stand down.
Hearty thanks are due to Alex for hard work over many years. Phone our new Booking Secretary, Gilbert
McCurdy, on 01224 484361 between
The AGM adopted the Committee recommendation to change the Club name from
Aberdeen Telephones Hillwalking Club
to Aberdeen Hillwalking Club. This may not seem significant, but we no longer have ties to British
Telecom, and our name may have put off potential new Members who thought only
BT staff were entitled to join. Hopefully, with a new name, we can attract additional Members to boost
numbers and maintain the Club’s success.
Finally, donations were approved for Braemar Mountain Rescue Team and the
Mountain Rescue Association of Scotland, and our affiliation to North East
Mountain Trust and Ramblers Association were continued. Overall, the Club is in a healthy state for
the new season.
Discounts
Now may be the time to check out and renew or replace
equipment. Discounts are available at
the following on production of your 2008-09 Membership Card, which you receive
on paying your annual subscription.
Blacks, George Street ................................................ 10%
Craigdon Sports,
Millets, Union Street ................................................. 10%
Nevisport, 186 George Street ..... 10% (selected lines)
Graham Tiso, 26 Netherkirkgate ... Up to 25% on Tiso
club nights only, which are now
quarterly, starting
with Tuesday 4 March. Details circulate
on buses.
Since our report in the Autumn 2007 Newsletter, we have
heard from the National Trust for
Editor’s Chat
There
are two ways of using GPS. Hitherto,
your editor has taken the minimalist approach.
After a cursory glance at the manual, the unit was stowed away in the
bottom of the rucksack, and only taken out when there was some doubt as to
location on the map. Graham’s tutorials
have been a revelation!
Weel-kent
Member, Willie Robb, has been in hospital, but is now home. Willie hopes to be out on hikes soon, and we
hope so too.
We
hope you enjoy this Newsletter, and if you have any interesting articles or
stories with a hillwalking theme, please send details to Editor Kris Howard or
Secretary Heather Eddie for the next issue.
We thank all contributors to this edition. Gilbert, Graham, Jim and Kris supplied photoes.
For brevity, we reserve the right to edit submitted texts, but every effort is made to retain the author’s meaning.
The
Club has available a copy of the Accommodation
Guide of the Ramblers’ Association, listing B&Bs all round the
BBC1
............................................................... about
Radio
Sat
Sun
Mountain
Call East .................................... 09068500442
Mountain
Call West ................................... 09068500441
AA
Roadwatch ............................................. 09003444900
Mountain
Weather Information Service
http://www.mwis.org.uk/forecasts.php
Finally,
if you have a good source, let us know
kris.howard@btinternet.com
Reporters’ Notes
7 October: Auchallater
Circular
With
a great forecast, the 27 on the bus were about equally divided between the
Tolmount and Creag nan Gabhar walks, but Stan Stewart opted for
Lovely
weather kept our spirits high, and we lunched on Tolmount. After skirting peat hags west and north of
this Munro, we reached the lip of spectacular Corrie Kander and descended
steeply to its beautiful lochan under towering cliffs, surely one of the most
idyllic spots in all the Grampians. A
pleasant walk down Glen Callater returned us to the bus—fifteen minutes late—but
what a day! Others talked of similarly
superb walks. Taking a quick refreshment
and toilet stop in the Braemar Fife Arms,
we arrived home twenty minutes late after, arguably, the best outing of the
year, weather-wise. Graham
21
October: Tomintoul to Glenlivet
25
October: Social Night at Royal Hotel
Marie in Social
Mood
We
had an excellent turnout for our annual supper, once again at the Bath Street Royal Hotel. The food was to its usual high standard and
the claik even better—pity about
Graham’s jokes! Thanks are due once
again to Heather for organizing a most popular event. Graham
4
November: Peter Hill
At
With a new Polish driver on the bus, there was a
slight delay at
[The driver’s three-point turn in a restricted
situation was interesting, as the
Chinese say— normally, I am stolid in such circumstances, but in this case, the
sound of somebody panicking behind me was disturbing! Ed.]
The day was dry, sunny and warm, and before we
knew it, we were at the top of Peter Hill, where we had elevenses. Then we were off downhill through peat hags,
squelchy bogs and, of course, the ever present heather. [No disrespect to our Secretary—Ed.] Reaching the top of Baudnacauner, we looked
back and saw Jim walking in the wrong direction. We found out later he had left his walking
poles at the top of Peter Hill, and, due to the delay, had to revise his route
off the hill. Gilbert
Peter Hill
With
quite a few regulars missing, the turnout of 28 was not bad. It was a lovely, windless day as we commenced
our walk from Haughend Sawmill to Peter Hill.
Views from the summit were superb, all over Aberdeenshire and west to
Ben Avon 32 miles away on the horizon. We
traversed hefty peat hags on our way west to Cock Hill, and there were complaints
of Faa suggested this route? As we descended to
21
November: Presentations at Health Board Club
Despite a very wet evening, 34 attended. President Frank Kelly welcomed Members and
introduced the speakers. Moira West gave
a superb presentation of digital stills of her April 2007 walking holiday in
Graham
9
December: Inverbervie to St. Cyrus
Turnout
was 33, though many regulars were missing.
The original walk was St. Cyrus north to ‘Bervie, but the forecast was
for rain on north-easterly winds, so we reversed the walk, from ‘Bervie southwest
to St. Cyrus. The day was reasonably
good with several blustery showers, but overall, it was an enjoyable coastal
walk with elevenses at the
Graham
[I must have been on a different walk! It was pouring when we started off, and I was glad to abandon the walk halfway at Johnshaven, where Gordon had kindly waited with the bus. Ed.]
David Enjoys his Pint
Frank was in charge. Margaret Leslie met up with the 34 of us on
Gordon’s coach at Donview Carpark. Weather
was overcast but dry as we commenced, with some heading up Millstone Hill, and
others skirting east of Millstone to Mither Tap.
[Today’s
walk started from the Donview Carpark (or Osprey-view Carpark—from parts of the
carpark, an osprey nest is visible at the top of a tall tree in a remote part
of Paradise Woods across the Don). Low
cloud, intermittent rain, and ice on the carpark dissuaded me from climbing
over-familiar hills, and I turned attention to the riverbanks, and Paradise
Woods across the river, where I might look for the elusive osprey tree.
Many riverbanks are public places. Anyone in possession of a fishing permit
expects to traverse the waterside, and the rest of us who do not want to catch
fish are free to follow, but access to the Don is rather restricted
hereabouts. I followed the road downstream
to NGR 682 173, where a Public Footpath
sign directed me to the riverbank.
Across the river was a similar track and signpost, suggestive of a bridleway
involving a ford—but, lacking a horse, I was not tempted.
The road-bridge was not far downstream along the
riverbank, but just short of the bridge, a substantial drainage ditch blocked
progress. Maps show a footbridge upstream
at NGR 678 178 connecting Ramstone Mill with Ord Mill, but not only was there no
sign of a footbridge, but no sign of where a footbridge might have been
sometime in the past. A little further
on, countryside merged into the
Though anything but a big day, I’d seen various interesting
things—a red squirrel crossing the road; a brown (field) hare; a salmon jumping
out of the water for no apparent reason (just for the fun of it?); in Ramstone
garden, a miniature door and doorway fitted to the foot of a tree, looking like
something out of Wind in the Willows,
or Beätrix Potter; and an impressive gate consisting of two yetts of interlaced
wrought iron at Place of Tillyfourie. Ed.]
3 February: Corsedarder
to Scolty Carpark
John, David
& Wallaces at Scolty Indicator
Only
25 were on our last walk of the 2007 program.
It was dry but windy as we started up through forest from Corsedarder. There were great views from Tom’s Cairn
(310m, the highest point on our walk)—north over Deeside, south to Feughside
and west to snowy Cairngorms. We met
quite a few walkers on Scolty summit enjoying a pleasant Sunday, and noticed that
this is one of the few places in Aberdeenshire where you cannot see Bennachie,
as it is hidden behind Hill o Fare. Many
of us left our packs in the bus at Scolty Carpark, and walked into Banchory for
refreshments. We were home on time after
a lovely outing. Graham
Refreshments in Banchory
2 March: Dunnottar to
Inverbervie
Ian, Tracy,
Graham & Linda
We
had 28 on our first walk of the 2008 program.
Weather was exceptionally good for the time of year, and we set off from
Dunnottar carpark at
Spirits
continued high in glorious weather and scenery, and our group relaxed in
sunshine for lunch below Todhead Lighthouse.
Our route south continued truly scenic as we passed
[Although
in the past, there would have been a footpath the length of this route to
facilitate customs officers in their duties, and it is planned to revive this
footpath, in the meantime, a route outside field boundaries was frequently
impractical, due to barbed wire fences against precipitous drops. Many fields were ploughed up to the fences, but
the soil was dry, at least. Crossing
barbed wire fences between one field and the next was difficult until it
occurred to me to use my sit mats in double thickness, but by this time, I had
punctured both my trousers and skin. Consequently,
many will be disinclined to repeat this walk in the near future, but there was
plenty to see—too bad I did not have my camera with me!—and I for one am keen
to do the reverse walk, ‘Bervie to Dunnottar.
Looking
rather out of place at Fowlsheugh, there was a flock of a dozen jackdaws, but
Jim was more interested in groups of birds sitting on the water out at sea,
which he said were rafts of Guillemots returning to nest. There are Devonian lava flows among the
pudding stone at Crawton, where you can look for geodes (but of course,
anything worth souveniring has long since been souvenired!).
In
the vicinity of Whistleberry, there were castle remains, but a Web search raised
doubt as to whether it was Whistleberry, Adam or Cadden—all a mere hundred or
two paces from each other—or Kinneff, not much further off. In places, there were snowdrops in profusion,
and celandines. Pauline had a nasty
nosebleed, and someone was unkind enough to advise her to stop sniffing
cocaine.
A
couple of brassica fields were covered with monofilament net curtaining, which
Jim said was agricultural fleece to keep off some insect pest. The gateposts of some brassica fields had EU
notices announcing Hordium vulgare—barley,
presumably last year’s crop rotation. In
the corner of one pasture, a flock of sheep stampeded at me from the far side,
abruptly halted five metres away, briefly hesitated, then turned, and fled back
where they came from.
Most
reached the bus before the forecast rain.
For future reference, the end of the walk runs through a gully under
Craig David, high on Bervie Brow (the hill with a mast). There a gate and track lead to Kinghornie Farm,
where one can descend directly to a footbridge over the Bervie Water.
It
always strikes me on coastal walks that the seawater is now much more turbid
(cloudy) than when I was small. A recent
survey of the World’s oceans noted that the
16 March:
GPS Tutorial
On a reasonable
day, 29 started out from the Feughside road-end, giving
Elevenses
Eleven
participated in Graham’s GPS tutorial, including instruction in the basics of
GPS navigation, and what the unit can and cannot do. Members were shown how to insert an NGR
waypoint manually, and how to navigate to that grid reference using the go to
facility. All were quick on the uptake,
though some problems were encountered, but these were there to be analysed,
sorted and remembered for future reference.
From vibes after the walk, all enjoyed the course and learned a lot about
the unit’s capabilities and limitations.
Further tutorials can be organized if desired. Graham
[In Victoria’s time, the Aboyne side of the hill belonged to William
Cunliffe Brooks, a Manchester banker with chapel tendencies and a penchant for
littering the countryside with rocks inscribed with such “uplifting” texts as Oh ye Mountains, Oh ye Waters, Praise ye the
Lord and…
…The
Fear of the Lord is a Fountain of Life.
Between the Huntly
Arms barmaid taking an age to draw a pint, and Jim announcing a 15 minutes
early bus departure, what proved to be a disgustingly warm pint of Guinness was
decidedly rushed, causing me to regret walking past the Boat Inn, which the card said was the end of the walk anyway! It took a conspiracy of three to spoil a
Guinness, so congratulations are due all round! Ed.]
30 March: Ordgarff to
Gairnshiel Lodge
A
In spite of a poor forecast, 30 walkers enjoyed a
lovely day. The hills stood out with
snow and good visibility. The old military
road, built in the 18th Century before John MacAdam, is still in
good nick, with no potholes in the little bit we could see.
Most paths were full of soft snow, good for the leg
muscles, but progress was slow and we left an hour and a half late. However, knowing that conditions caused the
delay rather than anything unforeseen, tea was enjoyed at Gairnshiel, a
charming beauty spot. After recent GPS
tuition, there was a real buzz among the enthusiasts discussing their input and
exchanging info gathered on the walk. I
wonder what General Wade would think? Vi
Following
the success of Graham’s first GPS tutorial on the previous walk, he emailed all
participants a list of waypoints prior to today’s walk. This allowed Members to input the relevant
data to their GPS units, and gave them a personal challenge at leisure to show
what they did, or did not, learn on the initial course. All users had little problem inputting the
data, and were ready at the start of today’s walk. Throughout the walk, all were competent in using
their navigators and, overall, it was a very worthwile tutorial. Continued use of GPS will further enhance competence.
Graham
Twa Puddocks in
Flagrante Delicto
[Everyone must have stepped over them. Ed.]
13
April: Spittal o Glenmuick circular
Broad Cairn and
[Of
the 27 on the bus, some set off for the Dubh Loch, some for Sandy Hillocks and
the Broad Cairn, and a hardy pair for Lochnagar. There was plenty snow up at Dubh Loch, but it
was clear down at Loch Muick. Ed.]
Dubh Loch
Sally's Last Journey (
Sally’s Grandchildren
Sally's wishes were that her ashes be placed on Ilkley Moor, where she
said it all began. I set off with her
ashes in July and stayed with friends in
The barman said he had never had such an unusual
request, but it was all right, provided we were not going to bury anyone! I was sure Sally would have appreciated the humour
of the situation. We proceeded up to the
plateau, at about 1400 feet, and looked for a suitable location. We found a nice dry spot with bilberry, dug a
small trench, and poured in the ashes.
Kaim of Mathers (9 December walk)
Kaim of Mathers
This forbidding
old ruined castle stands on a precipice overlooking the sea, just north of
Woodston Fishing Station, St. Cyrus. All
through the centuries, the waves have pounded the rocks below, and wintry ice
has ripped at the cliff. More and more
has gone crashing down, carrying bits of castle into the sea, until only a
fragment of tower and a small piece of wall remain. David Barclay, courtier and man of action in
the reign of James I of
It sounded
rather a good idea. Barclay called the
angry young men of the Mearns to a meeting to discuss details. Since they lived round windy Garvock Hill—Barclay
and Straton on the south, Pittarrow and Halkerton on the west, and Arbuthnott
on the north—they decided to do the deed there in a picturesque gully, now bridged
by the Fordoun-Johnshaven road. Having
invited the unsuspecting sheriff to join them in a day’s hunting, they filled a
cauldron with water from the stream and brought it to the boil. Having led the sheriff to the spot, they
threw him in and one by one had a sup of the broth. To this day, the gully is called the Sheriff’s Kettle.
If the grisly
lairds expected the king to thank them for a job well done, they were cruelly
mistaken. Refusing to admit that it was
his idea, the king denounced them all as outlaws, and swore a solemn oath that
David Barclay would get peace to live neither on land nor at sea, for the rest
of his life.
If
you searched the world for a place answering that description, it would be hard
to better Kaim of Mathers, an almost inaccessible eyrie poised between land and
sea on the cliff top near St. Cyrus.
There the cannibal laird defended himself and spent the rest of his life
enjoying a more normal diet—here, he was safe enough. Two centuries ago the Kaim was almost
inaccessible as today, and probably even in his time, a clear head, a sure foot
and a friendly host were needed to get you safe across the narrow ridge from
the mainland to the Kaim [comb or ridge].
Graham
[The current laird, Humphrey Barclay of Ury and
Mathers, was on the radio on 10 April, talking about his induction as a
chieftain of the
Ed.]
Scolty Tower (3 February
walk)
Banchory’s landmark was built in memory of local man General William Burnett,
who fought under
Dunnottar Castle (2
March walk)
The site has
been inhabited since Pictish times (before 700 AD). Dunnottar
stems from the Celtic word Dun,
meaning hill fort or place of strength.
The rock on which
St. Ninian, bringing
Christianity to the Picts in the 9th Century, chose Dunnottar as a
site for a church. During that century,
Donald II died vainly defending Dunnottar from Vikings, who sacked the castle.
The first stone
chapel at Dunnottar was consecrated in 1276, and according to Blind Harry (the
15th Century poet whose epic was the inspiration for Braveheart), William Wallace torched this
chapel with an English garrison inside.
The current chapel was built in the 16th Century.
In 1649, Oliver
Cromwell, Lord Protector—the usual title of a regent in
In 1650, his
young son, Charles II, arrived at Kingston on the Moray Firth, and stayed a
night in Dunnottar on his way south to give battle for the three kingdoms. Cromwell ordered his New Model Army north. Charles II was hastily crowned at
Since Cromwell had
already broken up the English Crown Jewels, the Honours of Scotland were the
most potent icon of monarchy extant, and as such, were next on his list. With the New Model Army fast approaching,
Charles ordered the Earl Marischal to secure the Honours at Dunnottar, and soon
after, Dunnottar was under siege. The garrison
held out for eight months until heavy cannon arrived. Dunnottar surrendered after ten days of heavy
fire, but not before the Honours were smuggled out of the castle under a
woman’s skirts, taken to Kinneff and hidden under the church floor. They remained safe for eleven years, until
the Restoration, when they returned to
In
1715, George Keith, tenth Earl Marischal, was convicted of treason for his part
in the Jacobite rising, and his lands, including Dunnottar, forfeit. The castle was left to ruin until the Cowdrays
purchased it in 1925 and embarked on a systematic repair program. The Castle remains in the family, maintained
by Dunecht Estate and open to the public.
Graham
Fowlsheugh
Nature Reserve (2 March walk)
In
spring and summer, 160,000 breeding seabirds pack the spectacular 160-foot sea
cliffs. Guillemots, razorbills and
kittiwakes breed in large numbers, with smaller numbers of fulmars, herring
gulls, puffins and shags. The reserve is
open to the public at all times.
Graham
Todhead Lighthouse (2 March walk)
Todhead
Lighthouse
As
there is a reference to Fox Head in 1170,
Tod is likely from the old Scots word for fox. Designed and built in 1897 by David A.
Stevenson at a cost of £10,300, it is listed as a building of historic and
architectural interest. It stands 41m in
height, initially with a light output power of 3 million candelas (3 million
times as powerful as a candle) and a range of 18 miles, and has 48 steps to the
top of the tower. In 1973, the original
light was changed to a large wattage electric lamp, and an electric foghorn was
installed, controlled by an automatic detector.
The foghorn was discontinued in 1987, and the light became fully
automated in 1988. The Authorities for
Maritime Navigation discontinued Todhead Light from
The Fungle (16 March
walk)
This is a 13th
Century Drove Road from Aberdeenshire to Brechin market. Both the Fungle and the Firmounth link
Deeside with Glen Esk, and historians are unsure which was older or more
important. Graham
[Part
of the Fungle is sunken, a common feature in the south of
Forest
of Birse (16 March walk)
The Fungle passes through an area called Forest of Birse whose eastern
boundaries are marked by the Finlets and Laird’s Burns, two minor tributaries
of the Feugh (itself a tributary of the Dee).
It has been a hunting area as far back as 8000 years ago in Mesolithic
times but the first evidence of settlement comes from the Bronze Age, about
3000 years ago. By the 10th
Century, it was Kenneth III’s
Birse Castle (16 March
walk)
