The Christmas meet is one of the greatest traditions we have at the JMCS, and as such, a very well-attended meet. It is not only about going to the hills and enjoying the beginning of the winter season, but also the last meet of the year, and it requires a proper celebration: food (even more than usual) and a bit of time to gather on the long evening hours to share the most impressive experiences of the year.
This year, as expected, the interest was great, and we managed to fill the Muir Cottage in Inverey, a superb location at the heart of the Cairngorms. With members coming on Friday, some got time to get a taste of the hills on the way to the cottage, climbing Carn Ealasaid and found some turkey friends that (luckily for them) were not invited to our dinner.
On Saturday, there were a variety of plans accommodated to all abilities. The forecast anticipated a very tough and windy day on the hills, so most of the crew decided on lower walks around Breamar. Some were on a secret mission and found a mystery bothy, but they didn’t want to share the location, 😉 . On the contrary, others were very happy to share the lovely walk around the Queen Victoria’s cairns and the Prince Albert’s pyramid on the back of Balmoral Castle. Nearby, a third group went for a longer walk around Clais Fhearnaig.
Other members decided to fight the wind and went to higher terrain: bike and hike to Carn Bhac, a brave 30km running loop around the three munros on the area: Carn Bhac, Beinn Iuthanr More and An Socach, corbet bagging in Conacraig, or munro bagging in Carn Aosda from the ski centre.
Once back at the hut, with some kilometers on the legs, we were ready for the main reason we came here: the food and the slideshow! A great team effort made possible to fit 20 people on the limited space of the cottage and, more impressively, to feed them all: ckicken stew, lamb stew, soup, pakora, beef chilly, minnestronne, lasagna, cheese, tiramissu, cakes… A splendid dinner to close the year!
Once the bellies were filled and the glasses served, it was time to share past experiences of the year: Kararoam, Norway, Pabbay and Mingualy, Morroco, Majorca, Switzerland, Finland, Himalayas, Zambia… Trekking, climbing, bikepacking, hiking, winter climbing, safaris… All the activities and the destinations are welcome at the JMCS.
Sunday was a more relaxed day for most of the team, given the forecasted weather. Those who ventured on the hills stayed on low ground.
