The Scottish Mountaineering Club was formed in Glasgow in 1889, as a result of correspondence in the Glasgow Herald initiated by William W. Naismith. Although other Scottish clubs existed at this time, such as the Cairngorm Club, these had only local membership and limited technical aspirations. By contrast, the founder members of the SMC included a good number who already had Alpine experience and wished to use their skills in their native country.
In the early 1960s the SMC formed a charitable trust, the Scottish Mountaineering Trust. Part funded by revenue from the SMC's guidebooks, the Trust has given support to many projects over the years, including to the National Trust for Scotland and of the John Muir Trust and to footpath maintenance projects generally. The Trust also supports Mountaineering Scotland.
Amazon 2018
This is a full colour guide and details some of the very best scrambles and easy rock climbs to be found in the North-West Highlands of Scotland, and the Outer Isles. It is the first ever scrambling guide to cover this wild and spectacular area, which stretches from Sutherland in the North to Glen Shiel in the South, and from South Uist in the west to Caithness in the east. The guide contains 138 detailed route descriptions and has 75 specially commissioned line diagrams.