Strathfarrer - bike

Rob G said:

I've been reading the back posts on Strathfarrer to see what the
position is re. using a bike to get up the glen. My thoughts are to
lift the bike over the gate rather than wait for the gatekeeper - this
is the only way that I'm going to be able to get to do all four in a
day later in the year. The alternatives are to camp or rent a cottage
in the glen.

By the way can someone remind me when the stalking season ends - I
know they'll carry on shooting hinds after the stag stalking.

Rob

There is no problem with cyling or even walking up the Glen but it is
a fair distance.

An alternative is do drive in, deposit the cycle at the finish, return
to the start and climb all 4 Munros descendingt to your bike. It is
possible between 7-8 hours.

This year the gate opening times have been extended during the summer
months although you will not get through till 9am on the dot. The
gate keeper is not employed during the winter months and during the
last couple of years the MCofS had a combination lock fitted to the
gate and you phoned their Perth Office a few days before your visit
for the combination number. It is far better than the summer
arrangements as you can go in early and come out late without worrying
about the time.

The stag stalking season finishes on 20 October. The hind season
commences the next day and runs to 15 February but normally there is
no problem with access to the mountains during the hind stalking
season. In fact I haven't had many problems during either of the
stalking season. The keepers are on the whole fairly friendly when I
contact them.

Enjoy the trip.

Lindsay
www.caledoniahilltreks.com

Rob G said:

I've been reading the back posts on Strathfarrer to see what the
position is re. using a bike to get up the glen. My thoughts are to
lift the bike over the gate rather than wait for the gatekeeper - this
is the only way that I'm going to be able to get to do all four in a
day later in the year.

You won't need to lift your steed over the gate there is a pedestrian
bypass. Watch out for the traffic at rush-hour, it seems an awful lot
of people drive to work up the glen. Later in the evening watch out
for the deer. It is pretty scary seeing a beast run in blind panic
parallel to your course knowing that at any second it might decide to
cross<yikes!>
--
Phil Cook, last hill: Angletarn Pikes via Beda Fell.
http://www.p-t-cook.freeserve.co.uk/May07/martin9.htm

Phil Cook said:

Rob G said:

I've been reading the back posts on Strathfarrer to see what the
position is re. using a bike to get up the glen. My thoughts are to
lift the bike over the gate rather than wait for the gatekeeper - this
is the only way that I'm going to be able to get to do all four in a
day later in the year.

You won't need to lift your steed over the gate there is a pedestrian
bypass. Watch out for the traffic at rush-hour, it seems an awful lot
of people drive to work up the glen. Later in the evening watch out
for the deer. It is pretty scary seeing a beast run in blind panic
parallel to your course knowing that at any second it might decide to
cross<yikes!>
--
Phil Cook, last hill: Angletarn Pikes via Beda Fell.http://www.p-t-cook.freeserve.co.uk/May07/martin9.htm

Thanks for that Phil - knowing our luck, the evening return might be
in the dark too !

Rob

Rob G said:

Phil Cook said:

Rob G said:

I've been reading the back posts on Strathfarrer to see what the
position is re. using a bike to get up the glen. My thoughts are to
lift the bike over the gate rather than wait for the gatekeeper - this
is the only way that I'm going to be able to get to do all four in a
day later in the year.

You won't need to lift your steed over the gate there is a pedestrian
bypass. Watch out for the traffic at rush-hour, it seems an awful lot
of people drive to work up the glen. Later in the evening watch out
for the deer. It is pretty scary seeing a beast run in blind panic
parallel to your course knowing that at any second it might decide to
cross<yikes!>
--
Phil Cook, last hill: Angletarn Pikes via Beda Fell.http://www.p-t-cook.freeserve.co.uk/May07/martin9.htm

Thanks for that Phil - knowing our luck, the evening return might be
in the dark too !

Rob

As already said, if you can get into the glen when the gate opens, you
should be able to drive up, leave the bike, drive down, do the walk and
then "freewheel" back to your car no problem. I managed this a couple of
years back in April when there was a bit of snow to contend with too
(and I'm an "average" speed person).

Best bit of the day was probably cycling back to the car, when a herd of
deer took off and ran parallel to the road with me. Fantastic feeling
that I was part of the herd as I kept up with them.

druidh

The message <[email hidden]>
from Lindsay <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

The
gate keeper is not employed during the winter months and during the
last couple of years the MCofS had a combination lock fitted to the
gate and you phoned their Perth Office a few days before your visit
for the combination number. It is far better than the summer
arrangements as you can go in early and come out late without worrying
about the time.

Always assuming that you have the good sense to be a member of the MCofS
(or of an affiliated Club)!

Richard

On Aug 2, 10:00 am, Richard Spencer <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

The message <[email hidden]>
from Lindsay <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

The
gate keeper is not employed during the winter months and during the
last couple of years the MCofS had a combination lock fitted to the
gate and you phoned their Perth Office a few days before your visit
for the combination number. It is far better than the summer
arrangements as you can go in early and come out late without worrying
about the time.

Always assuming that you have the good sense to be a member of the MCofS
(or of an affiliated Club)!

Richard

Richard, although a member of MCofS I wasn't aware that you had to be
a member or an affiliated member to get the combination number. I
have never been asked before but maybe things have changed. I will
have to remember that when I make these suggestions in future.

Annyone in Scotland not a member should join. In addition to hut
access, discount on Alpine Huts you get 4 magazines a year as well as
supporting mountaineering in Scotland. You also get free insurance
cover, unless like me you do it for payment, and can get travel/
holiday insurance through the BMC. Richard will no doubt add other
advantages.

Lindsay
www.caledoniahilltreks.com

The message <[email hidden]>
from Lindsay <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

Annyone in Scotland not a member should join. In addition to hut
access, discount on Alpine Huts you get 4 magazines a year as well as
supporting mountaineering in Scotland. You also get free insurance
cover, unless like me you do it for payment, and can get travel/
holiday insurance through the BMC. Richard will no doubt add other
advantages.

I suspect that a good many of us in England are members of the BMC
either directly or as a member of an affiliated club. (I think that is
the way round it is now. When I was active in my local club it was the
clubs that were the members and the individuals 2nd class citizens.

So if membership does matter does it extend to BMC membership as well?
The 2 organisations do co-operate in several areas.

--
Roger Chapman
Nearest Marilyn still to be visited - Great Orme.
89 miles as the crow flies,
considerably more as the walker drives.

Roger said:

The message <[email hidden]>
from Lindsay <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

Annyone in Scotland not a member should join. In addition to hut
access, discount on Alpine Huts you get 4 magazines a year as well as
supporting mountaineering in Scotland. You also get free insurance
cover, unless like me you do it for payment, and can get travel/
holiday insurance through the BMC. Richard will no doubt add other
advantages.

I suspect that a good many of us in England are members of the BMC
either directly or as a member of an affiliated club. (I think that is
the way round it is now. When I was active in my local club it was the
clubs that were the members and the individuals 2nd class citizens.

So if membership does matter does it extend to BMC membership as well?
The 2 organisations do co-operate in several areas.

--
Roger Chapman
Nearest Marilyn still to be visited - Great Orme.
89 miles as the crow flies,
considerably more as the walker drives.

I would expect it to be the case as a member of MCofS I have access to
various offers that BMC members are entitled to which includes
insurance. I don't think it would only be one sided.

Lindsay
www.caledoniahilltreks.com

The message <[email hidden]>
from Roger <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

So if membership does matter does it extend to BMC membership as well?
The 2 organisations do co-operate in several areas.

I'd think so! One of the odder facts (as I am told and verily believe)
is that there are more BMC individual members resident in Scotland than
there are MCofS members! If they would simply join MCofS (whether
leaving the BMC or not) that would "at a stroke" solve the MCofS'
problems.

Richard

MCofS Individual Member
BMC upgrade Member via Open University Mountaineering Society!

The message <[email hidden]>
from Richard Spencer <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

So if membership does matter does it extend to BMC membership as well?
The 2 organisations do co-operate in several areas.

Quoted message said:

I'd think so! One of the odder facts (as I am told and verily believe)
is that there are more BMC individual members resident in Scotland than
there are MCofS members! If they would simply join MCofS (whether
leaving the BMC or not) that would "at a stroke" solve the MCofS'
problems.

BMC does of course stand for British Mountaineering Council so there is
nothing odd per se in Scots being members but do the respective
memberships largely reflect country of origin with the Scots joining the
MCofS and the ex pat English the BMC in which case the legendary and
quite possibly generally unjustified reputation of Scots being tight
might play some part. :-)

--
Roger Chapman
Nearest Marilyn still to be visited - Great Orme.
89 miles as the crow flies,
considerably more as the walker drives.

The message <[email hidden]>
from Roger <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

BMC does of course stand for British Mountaineering Council so there is
nothing odd per se in Scots being members but do the respective
memberships largely reflect country of origin with the Scots joining the
MCofS and the ex pat English the BMC in which case the legendary and
quite possibly generally unjustified reputation of Scots being tight
might play some part. :-)

Devolution for the MCofS came a good deal earlier than it did in the
political field - I think that the MCofS was established as a separate
body in the early '70's (some one correct me, please !) from the
Association of Scottish Climbing Clubs. The BMC Wales Committee has a
good deal of independance and seems to be a bilingual set-up - perhaps
that style might have satisfied the previous generation here - perhaps
not, but not now.

It was ungraceful and ungrateful of me not to mention that the BMC
generously funds near on half of the MCofS' Access and Conservation
work. Not merely is this very welcome, but without it we'd lose our SNH
funding.

The membership figures are skewed, unavoidably, by several big "UK"
clubs, like the three Service ones, as well as the OU Mountaineering
Society, affiliating to the BMC.

Lindsay suggests that I show how "profitable" MCofS membership is for
the Member - although I find my 10% discount at Tiso and several other
outlets quite welcome, that is NOT, in my respectful opinion, what it is
about. We (all of us, members and passengers too, even if they are
unable to admit it) do need some set up to negotiate on Access, to
respond to consultations on Core Paths, Wind Farms, National Park Plans
and a plethora of other things, including the Strathfarrer winter
access.

[And anyone who thinks that the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 solved
for ever all problems in that field, lives in cloud cuckoo land! I
spent much of Wednesday discussing a paper on Access during the Stalking
season for the National Access Forum, and yesterday and today revising
the draft by e-mail. If we didn't do it, a few lairds now, and many more
next year, would effectively "close the hills" from 1 Aug to 20 Oct!]

Richard

The message <[email hidden]>
from Richard Spencer <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

Devolution for the MCofS came a good deal earlier than it did in the
political field - I think that the MCofS was established as a separate
body in the early '70's (some one correct me, please !) from the
Association of Scottish Climbing Clubs.

Can't help with the actual date but it can't have been any earlier. I
have a BMC circular dated 9th June 1970 concerning use of the Glen
Brittle Memorial Hut "The only persons entitled to use the hut are
members and guests of members of constituent clubs of the B.M.C. and the
A.S.C.C. and B.M.C. Associate Members."

I have no idea either when the BMC reconstituted itself so that
individuals were the members, not the clubs other than it must of course
have post dated this circular (and probably by some margin unlike the
Association of Scottish Climbing Clubs name change).

I see Duncan is reading atm so he may be along shortly to give us
chapter and verse on the Association of Scottish Climbing Clubs name
change.

--
Roger Chapman
Nearest Marilyn still to be visited - Great Orme.
89 miles as the crow flies,
considerably more as the walker drives.

"Roger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The message <[email hidden]>
from Richard Spencer <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

Devolution for the MCofS came a good deal earlier than it did in the
political field - I think that the MCofS was established as a separate
body in the early '70's (some one correct me, please !) from the
Association of Scottish Climbing Clubs.

Can't help with the actual date but it can't have been any earlier. I
have a BMC circular dated 9th June 1970 concerning use of the Glen
Brittle Memorial Hut "The only persons entitled to use the hut are
members and guests of members of constituent clubs of the B.M.C. and the
A.S.C.C. and B.M.C. Associate Members."

I have no idea either when the BMC reconstituted itself so that
individuals were the members, not the clubs other than it must of course
have post dated this circular (and probably by some margin unlike the
Association of Scottish Climbing Clubs name change).

I see Duncan is reading atm so he may be along shortly to give us
chapter and verse on the Association of Scottish Climbing Clubs name
change.

Hi Roger.

I had a copy of Irvine Butterfields history of the MCofS to hand. I don't
want to steal thunder, since I understand it's about to be serialised in The
Scottish Mountaineer magazine, but it includes:

........Given this background the 1969 A.G.M. of the Association of Scottish
Climbing Clubs were willing to accept a proposal to wind up the association
and to reform under the banner of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland. It
was agreed that the BMC would represent the U.K. internationally and in
matters Scottish would defer to the newly formed MCofS......

The message <[email hidden]>
from Roger <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

I have no idea either when the BMC reconstituted itself so that
individuals were the members, not the clubs other than it must of course
have post dated this circular (and probably by some margin unlike the
Association of Scottish Climbing Clubs name change).

BMC incorporated, then, two AGMs ago, (?Buxton) after 13 years, did a
root and branch revision, where the "turkeys just voted for Christmas"
as the Climbing Club's rep put it, and now the member is the human, not
the club - Individual members pay more, and get a little more - club
members can pay, as I do, an "upgrade" sub to bring them up to the same
status as full members.

Richard