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Muir Cottage
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The Club hut, known as Muir of Inverey, is
situated on the north side of the Linn of Dee road, some 8
kilometres west of Braemar, about 1 kilometre beyond the bridge
over the River Ey, shortly before the road comes to the river
(OS grid reference
076896). It is available for use by Club members and guests
accompanying them, by members of other recognised mountaineering
clubs, with whom it is much in demand throughout the year, and
also by 50+ groups and special needs groups. |
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The Club has had the use of Muir Cottage for some sixty years,
beginning with a lease of the original stone cottage. In 1971 it
became possible to purchase the site through the generosity of a
former Club member, Dr. George A. Taylor, who on his death in
1965 had bequeathed to the Club a quarter of the residue of his
estate. The cottage was then considerably expanded by the
construction of a substantial timber extension for the sleeping
accommodation and toilet/washroom facilities, with the old
toilet/washroom becoming a kitchen. In 2004, with funding from
Cairngorm Leader Plus, Aberdeenshire Council and Aberdeen City
Council, Awards for All, the Scottish Mountaineering Trust, and
other donors including Club members, alterations were undertaken
to allow use of the cottage by disabled persons and to form a
larger better equipped kitchen.
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The accommodation comprises a common room a in the original
stone building, a kitchen in a side extension, and four
bedrooms, three washrooms (one equipped for disabled users), a
member's room and a drying room in the wooden extension. The
bedrooms are for 6, 6, 4 and 2 persons in double-tiered bunks,
and each washroom has a shower cubicle. The member's room
contains four beds normally reserved for use by members even
when the 18 bedroom places have been booked by non-members. The
bunks are equipped with mattresses, pillows and ample blankets,
but these must be used with sleeping bags or sheets and
pillowcases. The kitchen is equipped with an electric cooker, a
4-ring hob with oven below, two microwaves, two kettles, two
toasters, a plumbed-in hot water dispenser, two refrigerators
and a wide range of utensils, crockery and cutlery. Space
heating, water heating and cooking is by electricity. For the
bedroom heating 20p coins are needed for the prepayment meters.
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In the summer of 2008 we replaced the built-in bunks which had
served us well for some 35 years with new freestanding ones,
still with the same deployment – two six-bedded rooms, one
four-bedded room and one two-bedded. We also had the flooring
in the bedrooms renewed, with the same material that has proved
so successful in the common room, kitchen and washrooms. One or
two other improvements for the bedrooms, such as new mirrors,
still have to be dealt with.
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Enquiries about availability and booking applications must be
made to David Kirk, the Muir Booking Secretary:
Email:
muir-booking@cairngormclub.org.uk
Weekends tend to become well booked as much as a year ahead,
often more, so early booking is advised. Prospective users who
cannot secure a weekend booking are encouraged to think of
midweek bookings, which could be as much as Sunday night to
Thursday night inclusive.
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Charges are currently £5 a night for members and £10 a night for
others, except where reductions apply. Special needs groups and
50+ groups based in Aberdeen City or Aberdeenshire qualify for a
50% reduction. There is no charge for children under 5
accompanying member parents; otherwise children under age 16
qualify for a 50% reduction. Those taking children accept
responsibility for the safety and welfare of the children, and
for the avoidance of disturbance to other visitors present.
Bookings and payments should be made to the Muir Booking
Secretary, who will send out a key shortly before the arrival
date booked for.
The cottage is also available for day use to members and their
guests accompanying them, the charge being £2.50 per person. Day
use should be booked in the same way as overnight use.
The use of tents and dormobile-type accommodation within the
precincts or on nearby ground is not permitted. Animals are not
permitted within the building.
During the shooting season, mid-August to mid-October, walkers
should before venturing onto the hills check with the local
keepers - Mr. Ian Campbell, Pinewood, Inverey (01339 741368) for
the Mar Estate; Mr. Stuart Cumming, Loin na Veaich, Glen Ey
(01339 741349) for the Mar Lodge Estate.
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Not all mobile telephone networks reach Muir
Cottage. There is a public telephone (coin-operated) just over
one kilometre away, close to the bridge over the Ey. |
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A large number of hills are within close proximity to Muir
Cottage. Within 12 miles, as the crow flies
Eagle soars there are 37 Munros, 8 Corbetts and a Graham.
Click on hill name to display on map
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