The club is primarily social and is intended to enable like-minded people to meet each other and share their experiences to support the organisation of independent expeditions.
The list of talks given at previous Gatherings gives a flavour of the expeditions undertaken by our members and beneficiaries of the Scottish Arctic Expedition Fund.
Talks at the Annual Gathering
The 2024 Gathering and Supper, Nethy Bridge
The Thumbnail Climbing Expedition, Torssukatak Fjord, Southern Greenland – Callum Johnson (SAEF grant)
Geology dissertation fieldwork, Southern Greenland, St Andrews University – Urszula Filipowicz, Isla Farrell, Thorfin Gunn, Henry Lodge (SAEF grant)
Workshops and fieldwork in Tassilaq, East Greenland – Holly Carroll (SAEF grant)
Just a Glimpse – Douglas Anderson
Whymper in Greenland – Noel Williams
The North West Passage – Captain Maiwenn Beadle
The 2023 Gathering and Supper
Talks given at the Annual Gathering and Supper, November 2023, Fort William.
Ikasartivaq Ford Mountaineering Expedition – Oliver Smaeje, Eve MacCallum & Harry Newman (SAEF grant)
Arctic Circle Residency on Tall Ship Antigua to Svalbard – Ellis o’Connor (SAEF grant)
Rowing the North West Passage – Tuppence Mellish (SAEF grant)
My time in Tuktoyaktuk: Listening, Learning and Co-developing a Community Based monitoring programme – Louise Mercer (SAEF grant)
Revisiting Sami Reindeer Herders in Kautokeino – Bryan Alexander
A tribute to Robbin Buzza, Svalbard – Jim Barton
John Rae and the Project to renovate Clestrain, Orkney – Fiona Gould, of the John Rae Society
The 2022 Gathering and Supper
Talks given at the Annual Gathering and Supper, November 2022, Carr-bridge.
Rowing the North-West Passage – Mark Agnew (SAEF grant)
Humpback whales, Westfjords, Iceland – Flo Dodds & Jessica Ward (SAEF grant)
Field research in Svalbard – Hamish Rodger (SAEF grant)
Solo ski expedition across Finnmark – Liam Tracy (SAEF grant)
Ice Warrior Project expedition to Northern Pole of Inaccessibility – Kris Law (SAEF grant)
SAC 50th Anniversary Expedition
To celebrate the club’s 50th anniversary in 2020, the club coordinated an expedition to Ammassalik Island, East Greenland. Postponed twice due to covid, 26 (check) club members ranging in age from 6 to 76 finally set out for Greenland in 2022. After arriving on Ammassalik Island, the group formed independent parties who undertook activities appropriate to their abilities: exploring new rock climbing routes, walking across the island, hill walking, botany, whale watching and visiting cultural sites.
Introduction – Stella Spratley
The Climbers – Noel Williams
St Andrews University Mountaineering Club – Bethany Carol and Hannah Mortlock
The Smart/Roy/Smith Family – Jinty Smart
The House Four – Pat Duchart, Sheila Russell, Iain Allison
Stella and the Families – Vingerhagens and Ranfords
The 2021 Gathering and Supper
Talks given at the Annual Gathering and Supper, November 2021, Fort William
Fat biking along the Arctic Circle trail, March 2020 – Huw Oliver (SAC Expedition Fund Grant)
Gardening at 78°N – a summer spent researching the effects of climate change on the Svalbard tundra – Lia Lechler (SAC Expedition Fund Grant)
Bird research and conservation, Skálanes, East Iceland – Lotta Ruha and Avery Holmes (SAC Expedition Fund Grant)
A bit of Scottish Arctic Club history
1950’s Audrey Scott
1970’s Myrtle Simpson
1980’s Bryan Alexander – The Inughuit’s Seasonal Cycle in NW Greenland
1990’s Kathleen Cartwright – Travels in Siberia and beyond
2000’s Douglas Anderson – The Ledge: The Anderson Family’s Expedition to Milne Land, the Bear Islands, Island Fjord and the Liverpool Coast – that was even more dodgy than ‘The Hole’
The 2020 Gathering and Supper was cancelled due to coronavirus.
The 2019 Gathering and Supper
Talks given at the Annual Gathering and Supper, November 2019, Fort William
Arctic Coastal Heritage, Longyearbyen Svalbard – Laura Ferguson (SAC grant)
Arctic Connections – Hazel and Luke Robertson (SAC grant)
Dog sledding in Sweden and Alaska – Dave King
The 2019 Arctic Return Expedition: Retracing the foot steps of John Rae – Richard Smith
Geological Excursion to Disko Bay, Greenland 2018 – Iain Allison
The 2018 Gathering and Supper
Talks given at the Annual Gathering and Supper, November 2018, Fort William
Fieldwork in Svalbard (SAMS/UNIS) – Regina Huttunen (SAC grant)
Environmental Change in East Finnmark (Uni. Oxford Expedition) – Holly Unwin (SAC grant)
Expedition to the Stauning Alps – Matt Hay (SAC grant)
Bear Island: Staffing a weather station in the 1970s – Dag H-Kjelldahl
Polar Academy – Craig Mathieson and Polar Academy Explorers (keynote speakers)
Greenland 2016: zodiac boat expedition -Peter Talbot
Isostatic Rebound, SE Greenland -Noel Williams
40 years of family exploration in SE Greenland (in 10 min!) – Douglas Anderson
The 2017 Gathering and Supper
Talks given at the Annual Gathering and Supper, November 2017, Carrbridge
Research into waders on Baffin Island, Nunavut, High Arctic Canada – Ronan Dugan
BSci Geography Research in High Arctic Svalbard – Emily Cave (SAC grant)
Research into insect faunas from Tonsnes, northern Norway – Aythya Young (SAC grant)
2017 Expedition to British Stauning Alps, East Greenland – Jennifer Roberts & Oliver Mentz (SAC grant)
Migrating further North – Eider Duck research in Ny-Ålesund (video) – Emily Hill (SAC grant)
The passive igloo project – a year in the Arctic – Peter Gallinelli (keynote speaker)
Revisiting the Serotetto Family – Bryan Alexander
Ellesmere-Island, Sverdrup-Pass, 2000 – Hans-Peter and Brigette Grossman, and Denise Martin
John Rae and the Halkett Boat – Louise Hollinrake
The 2016 Gathering and Supper
Talks given at the Annual Gathering and Supper, November 2016
Fortrose Academy expedition to Ammassilik Island, East Greenland 2013 – Donald MacRae (SAC grant)
Moss, soil and carbon storage – Ny Ålesund, Svalbard 2015 – Nora Mielke (SAC grant)
Chasing the Pole Star – Finnmark 2015 – Paul Quast (SAC grant)
North-west Passage 2015 – Benno Rawlinson (SAC grant)
Dove Bay, NE Greenland 2006 – Hans-Peter and Brigette Grossman
The Wild Bunch: Belgian climbers – Bob Shepton (keynote speaker)
Arctic Eider Project (Canada) – Mairi Fenton
Cruise on the River Lena (Sakha Rebublic, Russian Federation) – Mike Lea
Ballooning in the Arctic: 5 minute film – introduced by Chris Calver
A story from Svalbard in 1630 – Louise Hollinrake
Flying in support of the Worksop College Catalina Expedition to East Greenland – John Thorogood
The 2015 Gathering and Supper
Talks given at the Annual Gathering and Supper, 21st November 2015
An academic session at UNIS, Svalbard – Sam Black (SAC grant)
A multi-media presentation on Svalbard – Felix Butschek (SAC grant)
Geology expedition to Gardar, Greenland – Sue Clark, Ruairidh Mitchell & Jim Thomson (SAC grant)
BES Leadership Training, Svalbard – Matthew Burke & Joshua Key (SAC grant)
Northern Exposure’s Arctic Skills training in Svalbard – Susannah Challinger (SAC grant)
Traditional Life in the Arctic – Bryan Alexander (keynote speaker)
Three years on a BAS base, Rothera, Antarctic Peninsula – Mairi Fenton
Presenting artist Steve McQueen’s pictures, sketches and photographs – Eve Gilmore
Canada’s Northwest Passage – Louise Hollinrake
Shackleton Bjerg 2002 Expedition – John Thorogood
The 2014 Annual Gathering and Supper
Talks given at the Annual Gathering and Supper, Fort William on 15th November 2014
Arctic Finnmark with British Exploring Society – Eleanor Hopkinson (SAC grant)
Harding Ice Field, Alaska, with Banchory Academy – Kirsty Bremner (SAC grant)
Lofoten Expedition with Ocean Youth Trust – Emily Whyte (SAC grant)
Greenland 360 – Climate change, Kangerlussuaq, West Greenland – Cameron Mackay (SAC grant)
Iceland, Winter 2014 – Ashley Buchan and Ronan Dugan (SAC grants)
Russian Taiga, a short film about his 2013 expedition studying black cock – Ronan Dugan
Arctic Reflections – Scoresbysund, landscape, birds, seascapes – Brigitte & Hans-Peter Grossman
Scottish Association for Marine Science’s work in the Arctic – Dr Finlo Cottier and Lucianne Marshall
North Liverpool Land Expedition 2014 – Jim Gregson
Maud (a Dundee whaler) in the Arctic – Mike Lea
One of the grant holders, Dr Joseph Cook, was unable to be with us but he had sent a poster outlining his research on cryonite holes on the ice sheet’s surface and this was on display during the day.
The 2013 Annual Gathering and Supper
Talks given at the Annual Gathering and Supper, Fort William on 16th November 2013
British Exploring Society’s Expedition to Arctic Finnmark, Northern Norway 2013 – Mairi Gilmour, Ed Lavender, Katie Lumsdaine & Esme Moore (SAC grants)
Northern Exposure – Jenny Newall (SAC grant)
Svartisen Ice cap, Northern Norway – Alexandra Messerli (SAC grant)
South Stauning Alps – Chris Gilmore
East Greenland memories 1961-1990: 30 years of expeditions in NE Greenland – Geoffrey Halliday
Insects and farming in SW Greenland – Ashley Buchan
Schrimshaw and the whaling disaster of 1777 – Mike Lea
East Greenland, Summer 2013 – John Peden
Twenty years in East Greenland – Jim Gregson
Geological fieldwork in southern Greenland – Anna Bidgood (presented by her father, Nigel, in her absence)
Alaska in January – Stella Spratley
The 2012 Annual Gathering and Supper
Talks given at the Annual Gathering and Supper, Pitlochary on 10 November 2012.
BSES Arctic Odyssey Expedition to Finmark, 2012 – Lara Bently & Eilidh McNab (SAC grant)
Qassiarsuk, S. Greenland fieldwork – Ashley Buchan (SAC grant)
Fieldwork in Svalbard while studying at UNIS – Kirsteen Allison & Pail Rhodes (SAC grant)
Fortrose Academy: exchange with Gjoa Haven – Alistair Ferms, Ben Beasley, Tim Milner, Rebecca Ross (SAC grant)
Alaska Maritime Wildlife Refuge – Ronan Dugan
Richard Hamilton’s Arctic Journal – Elspeth Hamilton
St Andrews University Expedition to S. Greenland 1971 – Phil Gribbon
Kongakut River, north slope Alaska – Chris Gilmore
Jameson Land – Pete Nelson
Hold with Hope 1989 – Liz Patterson
Towards the North Pole – Hugh Simpson
The 2011 Annual Gathering and Supper
Talks given at the Annual Gathering and Supper, Fort William on 19 November 2011.
Zooplankton phenology in Arctic waters – Jordan Grigor
BSES Summer (Templefjord) Expedition to Svalbard – Jenny Newall & Susanna Challinger
Canoeing down the Mackenzie River – Steven and Maya Doughty
Shorebirds and spruce trees of Northern Interior Alaska – Ronan Dugan
Flying in Greenland – Sigurður Aðalsteinsson
Tourism in Ittoqqortoormiit, East Greenland – Helana Dejak
An Arctic Alphabet – Nancy Campbell
Mikki’s Fjord Trip and Spring in Sermilik Fjord, East Greenland – Douglas Anderson
The 2010 Annual Gathering and Supper
Talks given at the Annual Gathering and Supper, Dundee on 13 November 2010
The Harding Ice Field, Alaska, 2010 – Banchory Academy
Exchange visit from Gjoa Haven school, 2010 – PDF – 1.4MB – Fortrose Academy
BSES Expedition to Svalbard, 2010 – Timothy Hunter
The Arctic Voice Project – Glen Morris
The Watkin’s Mountains – PDF – 1.7MB – David Matthews
Kong Oscar’s Fjord, 2010 – Kathleen Cartwright
Wildlife in Alaska, 2010 – Ronan Dugan
Expeditions to Alaska and Greenland, 2010 – Chris Gilmore
Svalbard 2010 – PDF – 3MB – Maude Tiso
Stauning Alps Expedition from Dundee University, 1970 – John Peden