Meet Report

23rd to 25th November 2018 - Atholl Arms Hotel, Blair Atholl (Dinner meet)

A great turn out of 29 for the annual dinner meet this year. Long standing (old!), new and overseas members gathered at the Atholl Arms hotel and made their way to the bar on Friday evening, drinking beer, a few wee drams consumed, chatting all sorts of hill nonsense and getting toasted by the roaring fire.  

The next morning after a hearty breakfast a keen party of Martha, Chris R (x2) and Emma C set off to Glen Lyon to do the Carn Mairg group with Emma keen to ensure that no matter what happened she summited the one remaining Munro of the four she hadn't so far bagged. John, Agnes, Bill and Eileen pedalled up Glen Tilt to the falls of tarf and Mike,Fiona, Alison C and Clare also headed up that way to go up Carn a Chalamain.  Kate, Allan, Ewan, Gillian, Margaret and Tim went up Ben Vuirich albeit in two different parties via two different routes. Kenny, Cathy, Fiona C and Anne C went up Meall na Leitreach while not far away Anne and I did a round of the 3 Drumochter munros.  Neil went climbing at Birnam and Claire H went for a hill run over Beinn a Ghlo and back down Glen Tilt.   It was a good day all round, with snow at about the 750m level and while there was a fair bit of cloud about most folk got at least one clear summit.  

Everyone had earned their meal which was an excellent affair in a nice wee room just ourselves with a roaring log fire.  Kenny got a special mention in the Presidents speech for being the first member of the EMC to complete the SMC full house (munros, Munro tops, Corbetts, Graham's, Donald's and the Furths), a great achievement (at time of writing Nigel has become the second EMC member to complete this feat).   The Martin day award this year was presented to Alison C and Neil for a truly epic day at New Year on a climb on Beinn Eighe, very deserving of this award.  

Next day folks went off in various directions, Ben Vrackie, Beinn Dearg, Farragon Hill, Meall Chuaich, and Sgairneach Mhor were all taken in by members to round off another fine weekend.

A special mention to the Atholl Arms Hotel and their staff who looked after us all really well and served us an excellent meal, highly recommended.  

The first of many snowy hill weekends to come we hope......