Litter

In accordance with the principles of 'Tread Lightly' all litter, wrappers, unused food, paper, etc should be taken back to a rubbish bin and disposed of properly.  It is bad practise to bury waste which can pollute water courses, and be dug up by wild animals.

Magnetic Grid Variation

This varies from year to year and also with where you are on the ground.

Variation from Grid North for variations west - Grid to Mag add, Mag to Grid subtract, for variations east  - Grid to Mag subtract, Mag to Grid add) 

Maps

Our walks usually make use of the following Ordnance Survey maps:

Explorer 1:25,000 scale (orange cover)

379 - Dunkeld, Aberfeldy & Glen Almond

380 - Dundee & Sidlaw Hills

381 - Blairgowrie, Kirriemuir and Glamis

387 - Glen Shee & Braemar

388 - Lochnagar, Glen Muick & Glen Clova

Landranger 1:50,000 scale (red cover)

43 - Braemar to Blair Atholl

44 - Ballater, Glen Clova & surounding area

53 - Blairgowrie & Forest of Alyth

Meals

On the Easy Wednesday walks you only need to carry appropriate outer clothing, though a small snack such as a chocolate bar and a small bottle of water are advised.  The longer Tuesday and Thursday walks are usually of at least 3 or 4 hours duration, sometimes up to 7 or 8 hours so it is essential that you bring along a packed lunch and/or snacks with a warm drink, sufficient for the expected duration.  It is also highly advisable to bring along additional water for drinking during the walk.  Hydration is extremely important, even in Scotland and it is good practise to consider carrying and drinking around ½ litre per hour when walking. Please see the fitness note for additional information.

Medical

Any medical conditions that the leaders need to be aware of should be advised before each walk.  Any details will be kept in strictest confidence and will allow the leader to make appropriate allowances as needed.  It is also a condition of joining that emergency contact details are registered.  This is for your own safety in the highly unlikely event of something going wrong.  If you feel unwell at any time during the walk it is essential that you let the leaders know.  All walks are led by qualified outdoor first-aiders, and Mountain Leaders for anything high or remote, but none of us can perform miracles!  If you are in any doubt please err on the side of caution and consult your GP.   In the event of any emergency the walk will terminate and return to the transport as appropriate.

If anyone who has booked and is showing Covid symptoms please let me know and withdraw while you isolate.

No Shows

Due to having no spare seats from time to time, regrettably if someone doesn't turn up for a booked walk with no advance notice more than 2 times any subsequent bookings will be deleted.  On numerous walks we have a reserve list and it is therefore unreasonable to book a seat and not turn up.  So if you have missed a few weeks please check with us beforehand so you do not end up disappointed.

Participation Statement

Hillwalking, Mountaineering and Climbing are activities with a danger of personal injury or death.  Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement.

Photographs

Participants are reminded that photographs will be taken by group members or others.  If you do not wish to be photographed please let the photographer or your colleagues know.  Any photographs taken by participants remain their personal copyright but may be used for publicity purposes or placed in the public domain on this or other websites, printed material etc.

Risk Assessment

As we operate under the guidance of a qualified Mountain Leader we have the ability to work under a 'Dynamic Risk Assessment'.  This means hazards are observed and dealt with as we come across them.  What we do is always dependant on the capabilities of group participants.  A copy of our risk assessment can be downloaded here.

Schedules

Walks are run weekly and our programmes are available in advance.  Occasionally it may be necessary to rearrange a day for matters outwith the organisers control and for this reason all walkers are advised to be prepared with appropriate clothing, equipment and meals as appropriate at all times.  All walks are subject to last minute change, including on a walk!  Wednesday and Thursday walks if changed will always be something of no more general or comparative difficulty than listed, but this does not apply to Tuesdays, where there is an expectation of general fitness, ability and willingness to cope with any conditions and terrain.  All walks will be undertaken within the approximate times advertised.

Smoking

Subscriptions

The Subscription year runs from 1st June to 31st May, though temporarily post pandemic this is suspended pending an operational review.

Easy Walks

A weekly charge of £5 is made.  This covers the cost of town hall hire, refreshments and hire of service coaches.  A loyalty card scheme has been introduced, do ten walks and get £3 off.  From time to time longer or more distant trips may be undertaken and the charge may then be varied depending on the cost of the buses.

Moderate and Advanced Walks

The costs of providing the additional facilities for the Moderate and Advanced walks involve running a minibus.  An annual participant subscription of £35 goes towards the fixed charges of this and runs from 1st June to 31st May in  the following year.  For joint (2 person) memberships the subscription is £50.  For each walk a fee of £5 per person is payable.  Special events and challenges will have a fee appropriate for the specific costs involved.  Charges are continually under review to cater for increased costs.  BaDNS works on a voluntary self-funded basis and therefore there is no scope or provision to subsidise our operations.

Supervision

All of our walks are supervised by appropriately qualified leaders.  For Wednesdays these are people trained as a minimum to the Paths For All standard.  Most of whom will also have an up to date 2 day Outdoor First Aid certificate.  For all other walks supervision is to Summer Mountain Leader standard though Hill and Moorland Leader is an alternative depending on the location and route.  In winter conditions a Winter Mountain Leader will lead the walks.  All of our leaders are very experienced people and their advice should be adhered to, they are there for your safety.  Our principal leader also holds an Advanced Wilderness Medicine certificate, and is an accredited Mountain Training and National Navigation Awards provider.  All our walks are group activities, therefore everyone is expected to generally keep together.  If you wish to take an alternative route to the rest of the group and away from leader oversight please let the leader know.  This avoids disruption and a possible search being undertaken for missing members.  As such we may amend our objectives and change planned routes depending on the group as a whole.  If you wish to go and do your own thing, then please take part in walks organised by groups such as the Blairgowrie Hillwalking Club or Blairgowrie Ramblers.  One of the benefits of being supervised by accredited Mountain Leaders is that we can re-route or investigate interesting alternatives off and away from the planned route, and still be covered through our insurance.

Toilet Stops

Inevitably it will be necessary to relieve oneself when out in the wild.  All excreted waste can cause pollution and disease.  Do not urinate near water courses, which may feed private water supplies.  In particular if it is necessary to defecate in the outdoors a suitable hole should be dug approx 6" deep, with toilet tissue burnt and the ashes buried along with the waste preferably at least 100m from water and footpaths.  Personal sanitary materials must be taken away, and this includes faeces if they cannot be buried effectively.  Ziplock sandwich bags layered inside each other provide an effective means of carriage.  As usual hands should be washed afterwards - dry cleaning gels are suitable for this purpose and do not add further pollution to the environment.  As a last resort wet sphagnum moss (which is naturally antiseptic) can be used instead of tissue, but should also be buried!

Walk Numbers & Transport

For reasons of safety and logistics there are limited places on most walks, either on the service bus on a Wednesday or in the minibus on the other days.  It is essential therefore, that for any walks using transport you pre-book to avoid disappointment!  You are free to turn up on the off-chance but please note that the pre-booked places take priority.  If a booked space is not taken more than 3 times in succession then for subsequent bookings the name will be erased and will need to be re-booked.  This is particularly relevant for Thursday (Moderate) walks as they are increasingly popular and a 'no-show' prevents someone else taking part.

Walk Duration

Walks are planned in advance.  For the more advanced walks these are based on walking at around 4km/h (2½mph) and ascending at around 45secs to 1min per 10metres, with lunch and stopping  allowances, and estimated travel time to and from Blairgowrie.  However, for many reasons the return time can never be guaranteed.  Progress depends on the speed of the group, weather, number of stops for photographs, snacks, adjusting clothing, breathers, etc.  Please do not plan something based on the published return time without allowing for a late return.  Worrying about getting back in time makes the individuals and sometimes the rest of the group anxious and can often lead to accidents and problems through trying to rush.

Walk Grading and Difficulty

The Wednesday Easy walks are undertaken at a leisurely pace of around 2½ kph (1½ to 2 miles per hour) though this depends on the group.  The longer Wednesday walks and especially the other days will require an ability to maintain a speed of at around 4kph (2½mph), sometimes up to around 5kph (3mph).  Please see the grading discussion on the fitness note page.  Published distances, ascents and difficulty are for guidance only, if you have any queries about the walks or indeed any other matter please contact the organisers.  On occasions it may be necessary to negotiate stiles or gates some of which can be locked unexpectedly.  If any member of the group cannot negotiate these obstacles then an alternative route will be taken which may well add to the journey time.  Invariably members of the group assist each other so there is no reason to feel excluded or barred from participation.  The Advanced walks in particular but sometimes also Moderate will go across more uneven and rugged ground, including steep rough heather covered hills, deer fences, burns, on  occasions scree and boulders, and even ice and snow.  Advanced  walkers are expected to be prepared for more extreme weather conditions, as well as the terrain.  The Advanced  and Moderate walks will invariably go into 'unknown' terrain based on a map rather than a defined path, and participants on these walks must be prepared to extend their own boundaries!  The satisfaction of having done so significantly outweighs the exertion at the time.  Breathing heavily is a natural consequence of undertaking any exertion, and affects everybody - including the leaders!  The Moderate and Advanced walks are led by a qualified Mountain Leader (Summer or Winter as appropriate) so you are in safe and highly experienced hands.