Glasgow HF Hillwalking Club

.......Glasgow HF- On the hill and online.......Glasgow HF- On the hill and online.......Glasgow HF- On the hill and online......

How to join

If you are new to walking or inexperienced you should have a reasonable level of fitness before attending your first walk. We would also recommend that you speak to Keith Moody (on 0141 942 9406) in the first instance to ascertain which walks would be most suitable for you to attend. In most cases he will recommend a C grade or B grade walk.

Experienced walkers who wish to attend the Sunday 'A' walks are asked to speak to the Sunday secretary, John Moore prior to coming on their first walk (0141 647 5133).

Club walks are graded A (being hardest) to C (being easiest). Sometimes a hill is a B walk, and other times it would be graded A, A walks are generally done at a quicker pace. We would ask that you consider coming for a B walk first, which will allow you to judge if you think this is suitable, or whether you would be capable of an A walk.
Many B walks are in the 10 to 15Km range (6 to 9 miles) and we would expect that you could cover this distance comfortably, carrying a rucksack containing your equipment for the day

After you have attended two walks you must become a club member.

Application forms are available from the Membership Secretary (Moya Taylor, 0141 427 6378).

Send your form with your remittance to the Membership Secretary, making cheques payable to:

“Glasgow HF Outdoor Club”.

Please enclose a SAE for your membership card.

Current membership rates (As at Aug 2007).

Ordinary members: £12.00

Concession: £8.00

Discounts.

Several shops offer discounts to club members on production of a current membership card.

These include:

The Scout Shop, Elmbank Street.

Summits, Paisley and Hamilton.

Footprints, Woodlands Road, Glasgow.

Travelling by car

Unless stated otherwise the club travels to walks by members cars.

If insufficient places are available in the cars for those attending, the leader will try to make alternative arrangements so that all may participate.

Boots and wet or dirty clothing should not be worn in members cars and you should bring a change of footwear and clothing for this purpose.

On all outings where members cars are used the journey is costed at 25p per mile.

The mileage is from the pick up point (Glasgow) to the walk and back again.

The total mileage is multiplied by 25p, then by the number of cars. Any parking charges are added to this, and the total is then divided by the number of people attending.

This money is then shared equally among the drivers.

Equipment

When attending you should be properly equipped for the conditions. The walk leader may exclude anyone they believe to be not properly equipped, or who they believe may not be able to complete the excursion in the required time.

You should also have in your rucksack a copy of your own name, address, telephone number and those of anyone you require contacting in event of illness or injury, along with any medical requirements such as any medicines required or allergies.

An example of a basic kit list is given below:

Rucksack

Walking boots

Comfortable outdoor clothing (Avoid denim and cotton)

Waterproof jacket and trousers

Spare fleece or jumper

Hat & gloves

Small Personal First Aid kit (plasters, midge repellent and occasionally sun cream too!)

Survival bag, Whistle, Torch (Spare batteries)

Water bottle (at least 1 litre) and / or flask

Enough food for a full days walking and extra just incase

Also useful are:-

Individual Bothy Bag

Gaiters & Walking poles, map & compass

In winter additional items such as ice axe and crampons should be carried.

What about safety considerations ?

Your leader will be an ordinary club member who is unpaid, however all leaders will be competent navigators and in many cases, will have been leading parties on hills for a number of years. For those interested in higher level climbs, you might be interested to know that some of our leaders have completed their round of all 284 Munros, a few of them more than once. While the leader has undertaken to lead his/her party for the day, you should be aware that you are ultimately responsible for your own safety and should follow their advice, not to depart from the party.

There are few rules, but these have developed over time for the general safety and comfort of club members.

We regret that dogs cannot be allowed on club walks since this may cause problems with landowners and livestock farmers.

Alcohol on walks is also not allowed, for obvious reasons! In fact we usually stop at a pub after the walk for a sociable drink on the way home.

The club has an excellent safety record because of its level of organisation and the broad range of experience that has been built up over many years of operation.

There is no other club in the West of Scotland that offers such a wide and varied programme of such frequency throughout the year.