A week of winter climbing and winter walking in the Cairngorms.
We’ll be staying at the Aviemore Youth Hostel which is warm, clean and spacious and arguably has the best drying room in the UK!
Winter Climbing
The Cairngorms, and in particular the Northern Corries, are a Scottish winter climbing mecca with some of the most reliable winter conditions in the Highlands. The venue is ideal for novices and seasoned climbers alike with many classic routes across all grades.
Winter Walking
The Cairngorms are home to many excellent winter walks and are home to 55 Munroes and numerous bothies.
Accommodation and booking
We’ll be staying at the Aviemore Youth Hostel https://www.hostellingscotland.org.uk/hostels/aviemore/
As well as booking onto the meet we ask participants to book themselves a bed in a dorm room at the hostel. They can do this either online at the website above, or by calling 01479 810345.
We’ve agreed with the hostel that they’ll try and put LMC members in the same rooms so please mention that you’re with the LMC if you book by phone. If you book online, follow this up with an email to aviemore@hostellingscotland.org.uk mentioning that you’re with the LMC.
Please book early to avoid disappointment as the hostel does book up in the winter, especially on weekends. Booking via a 3rd party website is not recommended as this will make it more difficult for the hostel to keep the group together.
At the time of writing a bed in a dorm room at the hostel was £24.50 per night for weeknights and £26.50 for weekend nights.
Cancellation
The cancelation terms for people booking individually, directly with the hostel, are very generous and are the main reason we’re asking people to self-book their accommodation. Participants can cancel independently up until 12 noon on the day before they’re due to arrive and receive a 90% refund. This could be for any reason including if participants feel the weather or snow conditions are likely to make winter climbing/walking impossible.
Travel
Aviemore is roughly a 10 hour drive from London, but having a car on the meet is not strictly necessary as much of the winter climbing and walking can be accessed by public transport, short taxi rides, and even hitch hiking!
The Caledonian Sleeper operates a direct service from London Euston to Aviemore and seats are very reasonable (especially if bought in pairs with a two together railcard).
There are also direct day trains from London.
Prerequisites
The cairngorms are a great venue for winter climbers and walkers of all levels, including novices. But we recommend that anyone that’s completely new to either of these activities do a course beforehand to familiarise themselves with the winter specific skills they need. A weekend course in the Cairngorms or Western Highlands should be sufficient. For winter climbing, summer trad climbing is also a very helpful (arguably essential) grounding.
Guidebooks
Winter Climbing – Scottish Winter Climbs (SMC)
Winter Walking - The Cairngorms & North-East Scotland (SMC) or https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/ is pretty comprehensive and free.