ptarmiganmc.org.uk

The Ptarmigan Hillwalking and Mountaineering Club website belongs to a friendly, Edinburgh-based hillwalking and mountaineering club. Its main draw is a monthly Sunday bus to the Highlands — occasionally to the Borders or the Lake District — where members walk their own routes at their own pace and can leave or rejoin the bus at any point. The site is aimed at people with some hillwalking experience who are considering joining a trip or the club itself.

What the Club Actually Does

The club's core activity is the monthly Sunday bus outing. Because the bus can be joined and left along the way, members can plan through routes and variations that would be awkward with a car — and someone else handles the driving. The bus convener records the day's routes and the groups of at least two or three people walking them.

Membership spans a wide range of ages, abilities and interests, from hill-running and serious climbing to low-level walking, geology, bird-watching and botany. The club notes a depth of experience among members, including several who have completed the Munros, Corbetts and even Grahams.

What the Website Covers

The navigation reflects how the club is organised:

What You Need Before a Typical Day

The club describes a typical day as about six hours in the hills. Prospective members are expected to have some hillwalking experience and the necessary equipment, including:

• Basic first aid and an emergency whistle
• Food, drink and clothing, including full waterproofs
• An OS map of the area (or equivalent) and a compass — and the knowledge to use them
• In winter, extra clothing, an ice axe and crampons are often essential for safety

The club does not "lead" walks or provide formal tuition, though experienced members are happy to pass on advice. As a Mountaineering Scotland affiliated club, members can get discounts on formal summer and winter mountaineering courses at Glenmore Lodge near Aviemore.

How to Try It Without Committing

Potential new members start as guests with no commitment. To book a place on a bus, the site directs you to email Bookings; for general information, email Enquiries. The bus convener can advise on routes and on who to walk with.

The club also has a friendly link with the separate Highways Hillwalking Club, also based in Edinburgh: each lists the other's trips (Ptarmigan usually first Sunday of the month, Highways usually second Sunday), and members of one are welcome on the other's trips.

Who This Site Is For

The website suits walkers based in or near Edinburgh who already have some hill experience and want organised transport to the Highlands without giving up freedom over their own route. If you are a complete beginner, or looking for led walks or formal instruction, the club's model — self-guided routes, no formal tuition — is worth weighing before you book a guest seat.

To book a seat on a Ptarmigan Hillwalking and Mountaineering Club bus, email Bookings. For general information, including membership questions, email Enquiries. You can start as a guest with no commitment before joining. The site does not publish these as clickable addresses, so you will need to send your message through the club's email contacts rather than a web form.

Booking a Place on a Club Bus

The club runs a monthly Sunday bus to the Highlands, and occasionally to the Borders or the Lake District. Booking is handled by email to the bus convener via the Bookings address.

What to include in your booking email:

• Your name and contact details.
• The meet or date you want to join.
• A short note on your hillwalking experience and preferred pace or route type.
• Any questions about equipment or the day's plan.

The bus convener records the day's routes and groups of at least two or three people, and can advise on routes and who to walk with. Expect to sort out the practical details by email before the trip.

Asking About Membership

Email Enquiries for general information about the club. The site describes the club as friendly and Edinburgh-based, with members of a wide range of ages, abilities and interests — from hill-running and serious climbing to low-level walking, geology, bird-watching and botany.

Key points for prospective members:

• The club welcomes potential new members who have some experience of hill walking.
• New members start as guests without any commitment.
• As a Mountaineering Scotland affiliated club, members are entitled to discounts on formal summer and winter mountaineering courses at Glenmore Lodge near Aviemore.

What to Have Before a Typical Day Out

The club describes a typical six-hour day in the hills. Before joining an outing, you should have:

• Basic first aid supplies, an emergency whistle, food and drink.
• Clothing including full waterproofs.
• An OS map of the area (or equivalent) and a compass — and know how to use them.
• In winter, extra clothing, an ice axe and crampons are often essential for safety.

The club does not "lead" walks or provide formal tuition, but experienced members are happy to pass on advice. Members include several who have completed the Munros, Corbetts and even Grahams.

A Related Club Option

Ptarmigan has a friendly link with the separate Highways Hillwalking Club, also based in Edinburgh. Ptarmigan lists Highways trips (usually the second Sunday of the month), and Highways lists Ptarmigan's (usually the first Sunday). Members of one club are welcome on the other's trips — useful if the monthly dates or routes of one club do not suit you.

Ptarmigan Hillwalking and Mountaineering Club is an Edinburgh-based club that runs a monthly Sunday bus to the Highlands, and occasionally to the Borders or the Lake District. On a meet you choose your own route at your own pace, and you can leave and rejoin the bus at any point along the way. The bus convener records the day's routes and groups of at least two or three people, so you are not walking alone unless you choose to be. The format suits hillwalkers with some experience who want transport and company without a guided, fixed-route walk.

The monthly Sunday bus

The core of the programme is one bus day a month, usually on a Sunday. The destination is normally the Highlands, with the Borders or the Lake District appearing occasionally. Because the bus is the transport, you get through routes and variations that are awkward to arrange by car, and someone else handles the driving.

You set your own route and pace

The club deliberately gives members freedom to do their own routes at their own pace. You are not tied to a led walk or a fixed group. Leaving and rejoining the bus at different points is allowed, which is what opens up linear and through routes rather than only circular walks.

How groups are organised

The bus convener notes all the day's routes and the groups of at least two or three people walking them. In practice this means you can join a group heading for a route that matches your ability and interest, or walk with people you already know. The convener can also advise on routes and on who to walk with, which is useful on a first outing.

What a typical day looks like

Expect a roughly six-hour day in the hills. The monthly newsletter suggests a variety of walking routes, which helps you pick something before the bus leaves. Members' interests range widely, from hill-running and serious climbing to low-level walking, geology, bird-watching and botany, so the routes on offer are not all summit days.

Kit you need to bring

The club states that you should have the necessary equipment for a typical six-hour day, including:

• Basic first aid supplies
• An emergency whistle
• Food and drink
• Clothing including full waterproofs
• An OS map of the area or equivalent, plus a compass, and the knowledge to use them

In winter, extra clothing, an ice axe and crampons are often essential for safety. The club does not lead walks or provide formal tuition, but experienced members are generally happy to pass on advice.

Joining a meet as a guest

Potential new members start as guests without any commitment, so you can try a bus day before deciding on membership. The club welcomes people who already have some experience of hill walking.

To book a place on a bus, email the bookings contact listed on the site. For general information, use the enquiries contact. Both addresses are given on the club website.

Who the meets suit

Related club link

The club has a friendly link with the separate Highways Hillwalking Club, also based in Edinburgh. Ptarmigan lists Highways' trips (usually the second Sunday of the month) and Highways lists Ptarmigan's (usually the first Sunday). Members of one club are welcome on the other's trips, which effectively doubles the Sunday options in a month.

As a Mountaineering Scotland affiliated club, Ptarmigan members are entitled to discounts on formal weekend and week courses in summer and winter mountaineering at Glenmore Lodge near Aviemore — relevant if you want instruction beyond what the club itself offers.

Ptarmigan Hillwalking and Mountaineering Club is an Edinburgh-based club whose members span a wide range of ages, abilities and interests — from hill-running and serious climbing to low-level walking, geology, bird-watching and botany. The club's activity centres on a monthly Sunday bus to the Highlands (occasionally the Borders or the Lake District), and it keeps a friendly link with the separate Highways Hillwalking Club, also based in Edinburgh, whose members may join Ptarmigan trips and vice versa.

Who the members are

The club describes itself as friendly and draws members with very different goals and fitness levels. The range includes:

• Hill-runners and serious climbers looking for demanding days out.
• Low-level walkers who prefer gentler routes.
• Members with specialist interests such as geology, bird-watching and botany.
• Experienced hillwalkers — several members have completed the Munros, Corbetts and even Grahams.

That spread matters if you are deciding whether the club fits you: you are not expected to keep up with the fastest group, because the bus model lets people choose their own routes and pace.

What members actually do

The monthly bus

The core activity is a monthly Sunday bus to the Highlands, or occasionally to the Borders or the Lake District. The key feature is freedom on the day:

• Members do their own routes at their own pace.
• You can leave and rejoin the bus at any point along the way.
• This opens up through routes and variations that are harder to arrange by car.
• Someone else handles the driving.

The bus convener records the day's routes and the groups of at least two or three people walking together. A monthly newsletter suggests a variety of walking routes.

Skills and advice

The club does not "lead" walks or provide formal tuition, but many experienced members are happy to pass on advice, and all members are encouraged to acquire and refresh basic mountaineering skills. As a Mountaineering Scotland affiliated club, members are entitled to discounts on formal weekend and week courses in summer and winter mountaineering at Glenmore Lodge near Aviemore.

The link with Highways Hillwalking Club

Ptarmigan has a friendly link with the separate Highways Hillwalking Club, also based in Edinburgh. The two clubs list each other's trips:

Members of one club are welcome on the other's trips, which effectively doubles the monthly options without a second membership.

What this means if you are considering joining

The club welcomes potential new members who already have some hill-walking experience. New members start as guests without any commitment. For a typical six-hour day in the hills you should have basic first aid, an emergency whistle, food, drink, and clothing including full waterproofs, plus an OS map of the area (or equivalent) and a compass — and know how to use them. In winter, extra clothing, an ice axe and crampons are often essential for safety.

If the mix of abilities and the self-paced bus format suit how you like to walk, the club's breadth of members and interests is the main draw; if you want led walks or structured instruction, that is explicitly not what it provides.

You need some prior hill-walking experience, a full set of personal hill kit (including waterproofs, food and drink, first aid, whistle, map and compass that you know how to use), and — in winter — extra clothing plus ice axe and crampons. You do not need to commit to membership first: potential new members start as guests with no obligation. The club is Edinburgh-based and runs a monthly Sunday bus to the Highlands, occasionally to the Borders or the Lake District.

Experience: what "some experience" means in practice

The club welcomes potential new members "who have some experience of hill walking." A typical day out is described as a six-hour day in the hills, so you should be comfortable being out for that length of time and moving over rough ground at your own pace.

You do not need to be a navigator or climber to start. The club explicitly says it does not "lead" walks or provide formal tuition, but the bus convener can advise on routes and on who to walk with, and experienced members are generally happy to pass on advice. Groups of at least two or three people are recorded for each day's routes.

Equipment checklist

The club frames this as the kit needed "to enjoy a typical six-hour day in the hills" — the emphasis is on being self-sufficient rather than on technical gear beyond the list.

Skills: navigation and winter readiness

Two skills are stated directly: map-and-compass use ("know how to use them") and, in winter, the ability to use ice axe and crampons safely, since these are "often essential for safety" rather than optional extras.

The club encourages all members to acquire and refresh basic mountaineering skills. As a Mountaineering Scotland affiliated club, members are entitled to discounts on formal weekend and week courses in summer and winter mountaineering at Glenmore Lodge near Aviemore — useful if you want structured training rather than informal advice from other members.

How the bus format affects what you need

The monthly Sunday bus gives you freedom to do your own route at your own pace, and you can leave and rejoin the bus at any point along the way. That opens up through routes and variations that are harder to arrange by car, and someone else handles the driving.

The practical consequence: you are responsible for your own route choice, navigation and kit for the day, while the convener keeps a record of the day's routes and groups. If you are unsure what suits you, ask the convener before the trip.

Joining as a guest: the actual steps

1. Check your experience and kit against the lists above — particularly map-and-compass competence and winter gear if it is a winter meet.
2. Email Bookings to book a place on a bus. This is the stated route for booking; general questions go to Enquiries.
3. Attend as a guest with no commitment. New members start this way, so you can test whether the club's pace and style suit you.
4. Decide on membership afterwards if the format works for you.

Common sticking points

• No formal instruction on the day. If you cannot yet navigate with map and compass, plan to build that skill before relying on a winter or remote outing — the club offers advice, not tuition.
• Winter is a step up. Ice axe and crampons are "often essential" in winter, so a summer guest trip is the easier first outing.
• You choose your own route. The bus does not set a single group walk; you need to be able to judge what is reasonable for you and stay with at least one or two others.
• Booking is by email. There is no stated online booking system, so allow time for a reply before the Sunday meet.

A note on the wider club

Members span a wide range of ages, abilities and interests — from hill-running and serious climbing to low-level walking, geology, bird-watching and botany — and several have completed the Munros, Corbetts and Grahams. The monthly newsletter suggests a variety of walking routes. The club also has a friendly link with the separate Highways Hillwalking Club, also Edinburgh-based: each lists the other's trips (Ptarmigan usually the first Sunday, Highways usually the second), and members of one are welcome on the other's trips — a useful extra option once you have joined.