A Warm Welcome Awaits you in the Grampian Club ..

"A bit apprehensive as it was the first time I was joining such a well established and long running club but was surprised at how welcome I was made to feel and I quickly felt at home and one of the group." DD

Are you interested in taking part in mountain based activities?  Then with an annual program of organised events  that includes frequent Day Meets, Weekend Meets and Indoor Meets we are the Club for you.  Our Day Meets include coach transport with organised groups and there are almost always places available.  Our winter meets try and include a winter skills practice group.  Our Weekend Meets explore more distant ranges and are typically based in hostel accommodation. Our Indoor Meets are organised in Dundee and we welcome a wide range of guest speakers with presentations from around the world. 

 "..range of interesting and exciting walks, likely to get me to places I wouldn't get to on my own."  HG

"On the day of the walk I found the club members to be all very welcoming, the atmosphere on the bus was upbeat (considering the time of the morning) and everybody seemed to be well organised and equipped for the day."  AB

You do not need to make a big commitment straight away as non-members are welcome to attend up to two of our meets before committing to join the Club. 

Please note that the Scottish hills can be wet and muddy and, as a general rule, dirty boots are not allowed on the coach. For your own comfort and to keep the coach clean, it is a good idea to bring along some dry items to change into. Very importantly, our drivers must adhere to the "Rules on drivers' hours and tachographs for passenger vehicles in Great Britain and Europe", therefore you must ensure that you get back to the coach on time as it will not be able to wait for you!

"As you may recall I decided to throw myself into a large pile of mud on the latter part of the descent from Beinn Narnain - luckily I had decided to pack some spare clothing at the last minute which came in handy." AB

"Before actually participating in a club day out, and only having read the details on the website and in particular the "how to join" instructions I did think that the club seemed a bit heavy on rules and requirements, however after actually having participated in a day out with the club I think the overall organisation is great, really thorough and I think I had just not been used to this." HT

The Grampian Club meets, particularly the Day meets, are organised based on people walking as a group. As a mitigation to limit liability, such groups do not have a leader, instead there is a designated organiser whose responsibilities are primarily 'administrative'. All members of the group are expected to be self-reliant and suitably equipped and everyone will be encouraged to be involved with navigation and route choice. However, a responsibility of the organiser is to get the whole group back to the coach on time and this may require alternatives to be considered, for example, when someone is struggling. A very important aspect of self-reliance is having an awareness of your own abilities and to know when, for whatever reason, the planned route is going to be too much for you. It is always better for this decision to be made early as this will increase the number of options and minimise the number of mishaps. In such a situation, self-reliance is having the ability to get off of the mountain safely and with the least impact on other people. The person primarily responsible for your safety is you and when you do have an off day then you should try to avoid this spoiling the day for others.  It is good practice for EMERGENCY CONTACT details to be available to others and it is recommended that you add this to the Route Card provided; and that you also keep a copy in the top pocket of your rucksack.

"Everyone was welcoming and friendly. Bus journeys all went to time. Our group was good in terms of ability and we had a lot of laughs." MC

"No negative feedback everything was great and looking forward to many days on the hills with you all." RH

 In order for the Meet Secretary to place new guests in a group that is appropriate for their ability and experience they are required to complete the following self-assessment:

Grampian Club Guest Self-assessment

(Please select the most appropriate description of your ability)

FITNESS:                       Low level walks / 15km & 1000m / 20km & 1500m

NAVIGATION SKILLS:   poor / could be better / strong

WINTER SKILLS:           poor / could be better / strong

SELF-RELIANCE:          poor / could be better / strong

Additionally, please briefly describe your recent Mountaineering / Hillwalking experience.

Still undecided about joining the Grampian Club? It may help to know that Membership of the Grampian Club includes membership of Mountaineering Scotland including public civil liability insurance cover whilst on the hill, access to a wide range of training courses and events, access to mountain huts and a whole range of discounts – for more information check out the Mountaineering Scotland website at: https://www.mountaineering.scot/

It is worth noting that the Mountaineering Scotland website provides a wealth of information about Hill Walking and Mountaineering and about the clothing and equipment that is recommended for those activities.

If you would like to join the Grampian Club, or just want more information about us, please complete the form found here and we will get back to you as soon as possible.