Orion M.C.

MEET SELECTION FOR SUMMER 2009 & WINTER 2009 - 2010

It’s time to select the meets for 2009 - 10. Your selection can be made by posting your votes on the forum, emailing me or by filling out the form, in the pub, on Thursday 22nd January. Remember, if you select a venue please endeavour to go.

Winter Meets (Oct 2009 – March 2010)

It would be sensible, I would suggest, to pick a variety of geographical locations. Please select a total of 6 venues from the table below (allowing for one per month from Oct to March). In addition to this I will book the CIC hut for 4 places, or more if interest dictates. I have only listed bunkhouses that have been used for meets in the past or have been on the selection list in recent years, so feel free to suggest others if you wish. If anyone has any other suggestions for meets i.e. different locations and venues please let me know, but no bothies as these are unsuitable for club meets.

Summer Meets 2010

Last year we had a few official summer meets all of which turned out to be rather successful. I have listed a few suggestions for summer meets this year. Please vote for any that may interest you and suggest any other ideas that you may have. I will then try to put a programme of summer meets together.

Once I have all the results, I will inform you of the selection. Oh, and I intend to start booking asap, so I would appreciate if you could all respond reasonably quickly. Thanks.

WINTER 2009 - 2010

Arran

North High Corrie Croft (Bunkhouse)

Southern Highlands

Inverardran Cottage (Crainlarich)

Central Highlands

Alex Macintyre Memorial Hut, North Ballachulish
Blackrock Cottage, Glencoe
Clashgour, Stob Ghabhar
Inbhirfhaolain, Glen Etive
The Smiddy, Glen Nevis
Lagangarbh, Glencoe
Manse Barn, Onich
Steall, Glen Nevis
Station Lodge Bunkhouse, Tulloch Station, Roy Bridge

Western Highlands

Glen Affric Backpackers (Bunkhouse), Cannich
Glen Lichd House, Kintail
Morvich Outdoor Centre (Bunkhouse) Kintail
Strawberry Cottage, Glen Affric
The Knoydart Bunkhouse, Inverie
Tigh Iseabeal (Bunkhouse), Camusluinie, Killilan, Kintail

Northern Highlands

Assynt Outdoor Centre (Bunkhouse), Inchnadamph
Invercroft, Achnasheen
Ling Hut, Torridon
Naismith Hut, Elphin
The Smiddy, Dundonnell
Badrallach, Dundonnell (campsite/bunkhouse)

Cairngorms

Carn Dearg Hut, Glen Clova
New JMCS hut nr. Laggan, due to open 2009
Milehouse, Kincraig
Mill Cottage, Feshiebridge
Muir of Inverey, Braemar
Raeburn Hut, Dalwhinnie

Skye

Coruisk Memorial Hut, Loch Scavaig
Croft Bunkhouse, Portnalong
Glen Brittle Memorial Hut, Glen Brittle

Southern Uplands

Borders Bothies Association bothies
Any other suggestions?

Lake District

Club Huts, see list on BMC site http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Download.aspx?id=12
Any other suggestions

Wales

Club Huts, see list on BMC site http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Download.aspx?id=12
Any other suggestions


SUGGESTIONS FOR SUMMER 2010
(vote on a max. of 5 you would provisionally be interested in and add any suggestions below)

Skye, probably camping in May…always a winner!
Other islands (possibly camping on Arran, Rum, Jura or even Eigg)
Summer Solstice Meet, camping
Club BBQ (any suggested locations?)
Torridon, camping
Lake District, camping
Snowdonia, camping
Club Cycle Meet (one day meet e.g. cycle round Arran)
Any other suggestions?

David has suggested a summer trip to Knoydart, so that is now added to to the list that you can vote for.

Ok i'll go first on the forum:

Winter meets

Manse Barn, Onich - access to the ben, glencoe etc
Invercroft, Achnasheen - i've got lots of munro bagging to do
Carn Dearg Hut, Glen Clova - ditto, nice Glen will be new to some members
Raeburn Hut, Dalwhinnie - good location for going west or to the northern Gorms
Lake District hut, anyone - why not, winter climbing unlikely but you can certainly rock climb all year round and great walking and quiter than summer.

Summer meets

Cylcing trip around arran
Jura - bag the paps!
BBQ on west coast beach

Cheers Scott

It might be worth considering huts where we can camp or that have say 16 places bookable given the numbers that are currently turning up.I like Manse Barn and it would be good to help out the Lomond MC witha few bob but bed spaces are strictly limited .
What do you all think

Defo up for the Lakes though

Is that the extent of your voting

As for camping at huts, off the top of my head I can only think of 4 that you are officially allowed to camp at...Inbhirfhaolain, Mill Cottage, Milehouse and Steall. Oh, and I suppose you could camp at Coruisk and of course Clashgour and Glen Lichd, but nobody ever wants to go to those last two huts.

Lakes...anywhere in particular you would like to go, also as you haven't used the voting form properly you haven't indicated what time of year

You want us to pick the months as well? Hey thats your job Scott

Ok i see i have only voted for 5 winter meets so my 6th is the a Border Bothy.

My vote is still for Manse Barn, its small, but has a better atmosphere than some of the more cavernous chalets we stay in.

Nope, I just want to know when Alex votes for the Lakes does he mean winter or summer. The Lakes appear under both headings...if you had bothered to look

Lakes in winter and summer

Winter meets...

Invercroft
Glen Affric Backpackers (Bunkhouse), Cannich . Cheap and no problems with numbers going.
Mill Cottage.Room for all.
Border Bothy.Stanhope Hope
The Lakes.Leave it up to you to book.Can you book one with enough bedspaces ?
McIntyre Hut Glencoe.Loads of space again.

Tigh Iseabeal (Bunkhouse), Camusluinie, Killilan, Kintail .This one has only 6 spaces according to his website and all the other additional bedsapces in adjoining buildings are closed for 2009 .

Summer Meets...just some suggestions.

Rum.Before the midge season.
Jura.Can be done in a normal weekend if we hire the ferry from Tayvallich to Craighouse.Probably don`t want to go on the May weekend on which the Paps ( childish snigger ) of Jura fellrace is on though.
Skye before the midge season.
The Lakes.Still got a couple of Classic Rock ticks to do there
Quite like the sound of Eigg as well for a spot of relaxation.Would it be too much to make this the Club BBQ destination

Up for a bike trip...will have a think for an option that includes all abilities and not a John Burton type epic of 80 miles

Ladies and Gentlemen....that concludes the voting from the Blantyre contingent

Alex, you seem to be worried about not enough space in some huts for future bookings, well it looks like Milehouse in couple of weeks might be poorly attended. I know that your probably thinking that there is plenty time left, but there are a few folk who have already confirmed to me that they will definetly not be coming.

Also, some of the larger huts require payment up front meaning that there is a potential for the club taking a hit, so I shall continue to book for only about 12 places apart from the few larger huts that you only pay for what you use.

One busy winter doesn't mean that next year will be just as busy. It's only a few years ago that I remember going to a meet and only three of us attended and it wasn't the weather...we had blue skies and tons of snow.

PS You can already feel apathy creeping in...only 3 of you have voted so far for next years top destinations

Cunningly addressed in my response

Glen Affrick backpackers....we only pay for what we use and can book extra last minute.
Mill Cottage...camping available.
Stanhope Hope.Same as Auchope...
McIntyre.We book 12 and then additional ones as we need.There is an online availability chart and there are usually free spaces over the winter.
Lakes....depends on what hut we book.I`ll download the list later.The one in Borrodale at the Bowderstone was minging the last time we were there.Reeking of damp and that was in September as well.
Invercroft is the only dodgy one.Are there still members beds available if we need them



I know.I expected a flurry of postings regarding the last Meet but it`s just the usual suspects again

Afew years ago we had meet at bunkhouse in Cannich. Andy calls it the 'Bates Motel' certainly had a chilliy feel. There was about 7 of use and there was stacks of room. Advantage has a pub nearby.

There is a mistake in the list of huts above Under the Central Highlands section, the location of The Smiddy should be Glen Etive, and not Glen Nevis.

Well done Julian for spotting the deliberate mistake

There has been a poor response to the selection process so far. I was wondering if our newer member felt that they couldn't vote as they didn't have the knowledge as to details and locations of huts...well have no fear, go here to find the Scottish Clubs' Huts Directory http://www.mcofs.org.uk/assets/huts/hut ... v2_dec.pdf

Although, as I will probably just book the venues I want to go to, your vote may prove to be irrelevant

Hi, when's the deadline for voting? Sorry I couldn't make it to pub on 22 Jan.

I would suggest the Gritstone Club's hut in the Lakes, where I stayed in September - not sure how many beds it has, I think there were 9 in the room I was in (Alpine style triple decker bunks). But it has a few other beds upstairs. Also it's near to lots of the famous crags.

A non-midgey location for club BBQ would be great after last year.

I'll need to have a wee look at the other suggestions before I throw in my tuppence worth.

Wondered though about meets abroad - as some members had been suggesting springtime climbing hols in Spain. I guess that's more for individuals to organise between themselves, due to the logistics?

Well I am already trying to put the winter meets together, although I haven't finalised anything and not many folk have expressed their preferences, so your vote may influency the decision making process.

I am not familiar with the Gritstone Club's hut and it's not on the BMC list. I am currently looking at a few in the northern lakes for the winter, including the Borrowdale area. We may have another Lakes meet in the summer (there seems to be the desire) but that would be camping.

Trips abroad have traditionally been organised by individuals, although the Cham long weekend a few years ago almost turned into a full club meet with more and more folk signing up to go.

Scott - sorry I haven't gotten round to reponding and posting my votes. Just back from my mates Stagg weekend in Krakov and I am struggling to operate a computer. After 38 hours drinking in 4 days I think it might take a couple of days to recover......

...although the social evening in the borders bothy was a good craic, I was not too impressed with the coutryside. If we are also going to the lakes I would prefer to keep the rest further north. I'll post my official votes tomorrow!