WHAT IS THE GENTIAN MOUNTAINEERING CLUB?
The Club was founded in 1974 and is affiliated to the British Mountaineering Council. Originally started by George Watkins, a member of the Stroud Ramblers, we currently have around 90 members, spread over a wide geographical area. We are a national club with no fixed base of our own. Our purpose is to arrange a programme of mountaineering, walking, climbing and similar activities for our members. Also, as the Club constitution says.
"arrange social activities to promote good fellowship amongst the members"
During the year we
have monthly, weekend "meets" in various mountain locations, at which
any member may attend. At certain times we have longer meets, such as the
"Scottish Week". We use simple accommodation, often climbing club huts
or hostels, to keep costs low. We always cater for ourselves and a special
feature of meets is the communal meals. Members also often participate in
overseas and Alpine trips.
A common love of hills and mountains is a major factor in Club membership.
WHY "GENTIAN"?
The Gentian is a blue, alpine flower that grows only in the high mountains. This would seem to be an appropriate emblem for a mountaineering club. The Club has recently changed its name to include "mountaineering" because we kept being contacted by people wanting to buy plants!
WHAT HAPPENS AT MEETS?
A typical meet
starts on a Friday evening when members start to arrive at the venue. Many folk
opt for a pub meal and often we choose a pub to meet in beforehand. Then we
settle into our accommodation and get ready for the next day. In the morning, after a
communal breakfast, those members who have offered to lead routes say what they
are going to do. The others decide if they want to go along and "sign
up" on the route cards. The routes are normally walking routes but sometimes
someone will lead a climbing or scrambling route. Normally there are at least 3 leaders,
depending on the size of the meet.
What follows is usually a jolly good day on the hills!
In the evening the dinner
is prepared by those who have volunteered to cook it. We have a starter,
then Vegetarian or Meat main course depending on choice, followed by dessert.
With wine or beer of course! Sunday follows the same pattern, except there
is no evening meal and the walks
are often shorter to allow people time to return home. Many members travel a long
way to the meets.
GETTING TO MEETS
The Club encourages the use of public transport and of car sharing to minimise the environmental impact of travel. Those travelling by public transport can be picked up by car if they can get somewhere near the meet location. Some members use public transport and then walk in.
HOW HARD ARE THE MEETS?
The Club is probably best described as a "hard walking club". Most members are not in the "super fit" category but we do have many strong hill walkers. We are not the Ramblers!! But we are not masochists either, the idea is to enjoy a good day on the hill. The routes vary in difficulty depending on the location, who is leading and what the weather is like on the day. It is not unusual to be out for 8 hours. Certain leaders seem to like returning in the dark!
(You may wish to look at the "Recent Meets" & "Members Exploits" pages to see some of what goes on.)
HOW DO I JOIN?
That's easy! Just click HERE
