From far and wide…

The North of Scotland Branch is the remotest Branch from IHT Headquarters – but its members certainly aim to be fully involved in all the issues which are being pursued by the Institution, both professionally and socially.

North of Scotland is one of IHT’s smaller branches with a current membership of 206, but we're sure we cover the greatest geographical area of any of the UK Branches.

In Scotland there are two branches: Central and Southern Scotland with a membership of over 700, and North of Scotland. Between us we cover an area of 30414 square miles and have a population of five million. Our main territory is based on Inverness, some 500 miles from London; to John O’Groats, the furthest point north on the mainland, it is a further 135 miles. To the north are the islands of Orkney and Shetland, and to the west the Hebrides including Skye, Harris and Lewis.

I have been known to travel over 400 miles in one day on Branch business – from Aberdeen to Inverness, then on to Skye to visit the new and controversial Toll bridge; then onto Fort William and back to Aberdeen. The return may well have been in the small hours of the following day.

While the main meetings are in Inverness, considerable effort is made to cover the whole territory, and we have at least one meeting per session in Fort William (in the west), Stornaway, Wick, Orkney and Shetland, and two in Aberdeen, (in the south). We try to ensure that we have as much contact with our fellow professional bodies and many of our meetings are held jointly with the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Logistics, the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Institute of Asphalt Technology. As an adjunct to this co–operation, CPD is considered jointly by the various bodies involved with a joint calendar being produced in the Inverness centre and in the Aberdeen area. For the coming session there is a variety of topics which reflect the diverse interests of the Institution’s members. The papers for the session include: Use of Bitumen for Coast Protection; M6 DBFO; Guidelines for Public Transport; Waste Management; Rail Infrastructure; Causeways and Bridge,s and Road Safety.

Along with the Central and Southern Scotland Branch, we have set up a Scottish Policy Forum to respond to issues in transportation which are under consideration by the new Scottish Parliament. This has enabled the Institution to respond with a single Scottish voice and we are actively pursuing contacts with the new Members of the Parliament to provide them with information and guidance.

The Branch has a full social programme starting in November with the annual Dinner. This had to be moved last year from our traditional October date to avoid a clash with the Mod – the premier Gaelic festival for speech, drama and music. The numbers attracted to this event continue to grow. Last year we had to have a second room for dinner with video relay. This year, in spite of our more challenging weather, we are holding the dinner in a marquee in the Thistle hotel car park so that the 350 guests can all be accommodated. Note: Last year’s guest speaker now refers to this dinner as the “Whisky Olympics”!

In February there is a Supper Dance held jointly with the Civils. In May we have our annual Golf Outing. A few years back we were fortunate enough to be able to host the Locan Cup Golf Tournament at Nairn, this year’s venue for the Walker Cup, but in recent years, because of the distance to travel, have been unable to field a team. Let’s hope we can raise a team next year.

Within our area we have the highest mountain in the UK – Ben Nevis (4406ft), and one of the deepest lochs (lake in English) – Loch Ness. Using Loch Ness and the great Glen fault line we have an engineering masterpiece of the last century, the Caledonian Canal with 27 locks and a total length of 60 miles able to take boats up to 150ft long, 35ft beam and 13.5ft draught. Our newer transport structures are Kessock Bridge at Inverness, Kylesku Bridge and the Skye Bridge. The most recent or about to be constructed transportation project is another controversial one, the funicular railway to the top of Cairngorm.

The Branch continues to participate fully in the Institution’s work and is actively seeking new members in all sectors of the industry.

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