Blairgowrie & Rattray Hub Magazine Winter 2023

Blairgowrie
& District
Hillwalking
Club (BDHC)
As this piece was being written there were
reports of snow falling in the northwest of
Scotland and snow forecasted for the northern
Cairngorms for the end of next week. Most
hillwalkers look forward to walking in the
white stuff and the membership of BDHC is no
exception. Winter gear will be being dug out
and checked to ensure that it is in good order
for the winter ahead.
All very different from the weather enjoyed
by a large group of club walkers during their
recent autumn weekend. The group was
based in the Onich area and enjoyed some
memorable days in what is one of our most
popular mountain regions.
One member in particular, Jinty Smart, had
been looking forward to the weekend for a
very specific reason, the completion of her
round of the 282 Munros. Jinty’s final hill was
Carn Mor Dearg, and at 1223mtrs, is one of the
highest. So it was on Saturday 16th September,
a glorious day, that a large group of BDHC
members accompanied Jinty up her ultimate
Munro. The traditional tunnel of walking poles
was raised in recognition. A very enjoyable
meal was enjoyed by all that evening.
in particular
our hills and
glens but
including our
coast. There
is a social
dimension
to club
membership,
not only on
our walks,
held every
three weeks,
but also the
regular social
events that
take place
throughout
the year.
It is worth noting that the BDHC celebrated its
45th year anniversary at the end of October
with a meal at Little’s Restaurant that also
served as a useful fundraiser.
If any reader has thought of joining likeminded
people in the hills, why not consider
joining your local hillwalking club? We offer
two trial outings before the need to commit to
joining. Please visit our website at
www.bdhc.org.uk where all the relevant
information is available to view. This includes
a blog section where reports and photographs
from all recent walks can be found.
Ian Richards
This has brought the
club’s total of completers
to sixteen. One of these,
Patrick Hamilton, was a
double Munroist having
finished his second
round in 2009. Sadly,
Patrick died recently and
will be sorely missed by
everyone who knew him
and walked with him.
As a mark of respect,
Jinty dedicated her final
Munro to his memory.
Whilst many of the club’s
members are Munroists,
it is by no means
everyone who seeks
to climb them all, the
common denominator
amongst members is
a love of the outdoors,
PAGE
60 BRDT MAGAZINE - WINTER 2023