The Scottish Mountaineering Club was established in 1889 to bring together climbers living in Scotland who aspired to more challenging climbs at home and abroad. It could have started as a mixed Club however it seems only gentlemen turned up at the first meeting and so it was not until 1990 that women were finally admitted to the Club.
In the meantime, a group of Scottish women (who were ‘ladies’ of a certain social standing to have sufficient time and wealth to devote to this leisure pursuit) established the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club (LSCC) in 1908. Their aim is ‘to bring together Ladies who are lovers of mountain-climbing, and to encourage mountaineering in Scotland, in winter as well as in summer’. It is the oldest women only climbing club still in existence today.
A chance find in our Scottish Mountaineering Club library revealed this song safely tucked in a copy of the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club annual record for 1964. A little investigation revealed that it was a song drafted to commemorate the opening of Milehouse Cottage in Kincraig.
Many people would recognise Blackrock Cottage in Glencoe which has been leased by the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club since 1947 to use as a base to explore the nearby mountains. Uncertainty surrounding the lease of Blackrock in the 1960s led to the Club seeking to purchase a cottage it could call its own. Finally, the LSCC secured the purchase of Milehouse Cottage near the Cairngorm mountains.
Nan Miller (née Rae), the first hut custodian, oversaw a thorough programme of repair and renovation, installing modern innovations such as gas cooking, electric lighting and the luxury of an indoor toilet! It was officially opened on 26th October 1963 with quite a party. It began with the blessing of the local minister, and Mabel Jeffrey, founder member and president, cutting a tartan ribbon across the front door. Festivities were recorded in this song sung to the tune of ‘The Song of the Clyde’.
A small exhibition 'Women Rock: an exploration of women's climbing clubs and pioneering mountaineers' is available to view on level 3 of the Andersonian Library until the end of April 2023.
Further information:
Scottish Mountaineering Club library - Archives and Special Collections is home to the Scottish Mountaineering Club library. The collection contains a vast range of journals and books primarily about climbing and walking in Scotland and the United Kingdom.
In 1955, Ladies Scottish Climbing Club members, Monica Jackson, Betty Stark and Evelyn Camrass formed the first all-women's expedition to the Himalayas. They explored the previously unmapped Phurbal Chyachumbu glacier and made a first ascent of a 22,000 ft peak on the frontier of Nepal and Tibet, naming it Gyalgen Peak, after their lead Sherpa.
The Scottish Mountaineering Club was established in 1889 to bring together climbers living in Scotland who aspired to more challenging climbs at home and abroad. It could have started as a mixed Club however it seems only gentlemen turned up at the first meeting and so it was not until 1990 that women were finally admitted to the Club.
In the meantime, a group of Scottish women (who were ‘ladies’ of a certain social standing to have sufficient time and wealth to devote to this leisure pursuit) established the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club (LSCC) in 1908. Their aim is ‘to bring together Ladies who are lovers of mountain-climbing, and to encourage mountaineering in Scotland, in winter as well as in summer’. It is the oldest women only climbing club still in existence today.
A chance find in our Scottish Mountaineering Club library revealed this song safely tucked in a copy of the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club annual record for 1964. A little investigation revealed that it was a song drafted to commemorate the opening of Milehouse Cottage in Kincraig.
Many people would recognise Blackrock Cottage in Glencoe which has been leased by the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club since 1947 to use as a base to explore the nearby mountains. Uncertainty surrounding the lease of Blackrock in the 1960s led to the Club seeking to purchase a cottage it could call its own. Finally, the LSCC secured the purchase of Milehouse Cottage near the Cairngorm mountains.
Nan Miller (née Rae), the first hut custodian, oversaw a thorough programme of repair and renovation, installing modern innovations such as gas cooking, electric lighting and the luxury of an indoor toilet! It was officially opened on 26th October 1963 with quite a party. It began with the blessing of the local minister, and Mabel Jeffrey, founder member and president, cutting a tartan ribbon across the front door. Festivities were recorded in this song sung to the tune of ‘The Song of the Clyde’.
A small exhibition 'Women Rock: an exploration of women's climbing clubs and pioneering mountaineers' is available to view on level 3 of the Andersonian Library until the end of April 2023.
Further information:
Scottish Mountaineering Club library - Archives and Special Collections is home to the Scottish Mountaineering Club library. The collection contains a vast range of journals and books primarily about climbing and walking in Scotland and the United Kingdom.
Ladies Scottish Climbing Club website
Further reading: