What's in a name, why the Paisley Hillwalking Club?

Why are we called Paisley Hillwalking Club? The label a club gives itself should define it, tell the world what it is, does and stands for. This club has progressed over the years from a disjointed group of self-taught bumblies to a hard core of dedicated hill-goers obsessed with uplands and highlands alike. We like to walk the hills and we go about it in small sociable groups. We do have the occasional odd-balls who want to try attacking the out-doors in slightly different ways, usually incorporating some form of mechanical device or additional hardship, but even these people have Hillwalking as the main stay of their new found activity. Their quirky approach does induce an enhanced rate of adrenalin production but can also trend toward a higher number of unfortunate incidents.

So why are we not a Mountaineering club? Simple enough. Mountains are massive scary jagged things, some times surrounded by glaciers, usually in remote areas of the globe requiring hard graft to access and need multi day expeditions to tackle. The addition of a parcel load of specialised new skills required for handling them, and a thin atmosphere, put them into another league. In short, we only have hills in Scotland. Anyone thinking differently is either deluding themselves or asthmatic.
Scotland has been known to give its humble hill-goers a hard time, even kill a few. Its reputation for severity is well founded and should always be planned for, even on the calmest of days. An apprenticeship here is regarded very highly around the world but the fact still remains even the most experienced of us can’t gain these additional mountaineering skills without practicing them in the more remote parts of the planet.

Doesn’t the Hillwalking label limit the clubs horizons? Good point, to have ambitions and see them realised is one of the greatest feelings in life. The only limit on the Paisley club’s horizon is, predictably, the sight of that next hill. I know that this all sounds like the ethos of a mountaineering club but in the Scottish context, it certainly isn’t. Whether our chosen hill is the roof of the world, in the footsteps of some bonny prince or other, or a green hill far away, these extremes hold one very defining feature, height gain from sea level. This club’s members have ranged off to the worlds higher peaks and travelling some of its finer long distance routes in far distant lands. Yet all of our members are still obsessed with walking in Scotland. None of them could have achieved any of their goals without experience gained in our own back yard.

Why Paisley and not the Renfrewshire Club? The club was dreamt up by two Paisley boys who punted the idea through the local paper and was inaugurated by them and another four Buddies soon after. The name stuck and has never been challenged.

So, what’s in a name? About one hundred like-minded souls from the Paisley area sharing their love of hills and transport to them.

Duncan Walker - A founding member.

Code of Practice

Paisley Hillwalking Club aims to foster, extend, and broaden the enjoyment of hillwalking and other active outdoor pursuits by providing transport, accommodation and equipment at affordable prices, informative and entertaining events, opportunities to acquire vital skills from experienced members, and companionship from like-minded folk.

We welcome properly-clothed beginners with an appropriate level of fitness, and are committed to helping them acquire the skills necessary to negotiate the hills enjoyably and safely.

Access Rights, Rules and Guidelines

The Land Reform (Scotland) Acts 2003 and 2016 establish a statutory framework of public access rights to most land and inland water in Scotland, translating into law what people commonly regarded as their “right to roam” in Scotland. It states the rights and responsibilities of those exercising access rights, as well as those of land managers and recreation managers. You have the right to access most land and inland water including mountains, moorland, woods and forests, grassland, fields, rivers and lochs, coastal areas, most parks and open spaces, golf courses (to cross them), day and night, providing you do so responsibly. It also requires local authorities to uphold access rights. This Act is supported by the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC). The key messages whether you're in the outdoors or managing the outdoors, are to:

• take responsibility for your own actions

• respect the interests of other people

• care for the environment

Mountaineering Scotland explains your responsibilities under the new code clearly here: http://www.mountaineering.scot//know-the-code.asp

Sue Riches is a member of the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs Access Forum, representing mountaineering and hillwalking interests in the Park as a Participant, working with Mountaineering Scotland. The forum sits regularly to:

• advise on the responsible use of access rights

• advise on responsible land and water management in relation to the new access rights

• promote understanding and awareness of access rights and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code amongst both access users and land managers.

• advise on the development of the Park’s Core Paths Plan.

• advise, as required, on strategic access matters that may arise within the National Park area.

If you encounter any access issues, have any queries or good stories also, please contact Sue on phcwebadmin@paisleyhillwalkingclub.org.uk

The purpose of each access forum in Scotland is: firstly to ensure that access laws are working i.e. that you can go where you want within reason; and secondly that people are educated in the responsible way to use our countryside. We encourage club members and others to be responsible in the way they exercise their rights and can advise in cases where members may be uncertain.

The following links give further information on local and national projects relating to access to the Great Outdoors.

https://www.nature.scot/enjoying-outdoors/your-access-rights

http://www.outdooraccess-scotland.com/

https://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/park-authority/our-board-committees/local-access-forum/

https://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/plan-your-visit/respect-park-stay-safe/

Heading for the Scottish Hills

The Heading for the Scottish Hills service helps you find out where deer stalking is taking place on Munros, Corbetts and other popular hills throughout Scotland, so you can plan hill routes that minimise the chance of disturbing stalking, in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Managing the number of deer and their environmental impact is vital if we are to effectively tackle the nature loss and climate crisis facing Scotland. From 2023, male deer stalking can take place all year round, and the Heading for the Scottish Hills service has expanded to provide stalking information all year. You can help by minimising disturbance to stalking, especially during key busier periods in the autumn (particularly the first 3 weeks of October) and winter (late January to mid-February). Use this website or other information sources on stalking to help plan your routes on popular hills throughout Scotland all year.

https://www.outdooraccess-scotland.scot/practical-guide-all/deer-management-and-access/heading-scottish-hills

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