Stirling University is going to be a fantastic location for next year’s AOG. The quality of the accommodation is excellent and all the other facilities we will be using are conveniently located in one building less than five minutes’ walk away. The space where we will be having our meals and entertainment is light and spacious with direct access to an outdoor terrace and a panoramic view of the Wallace Monument.

The campus is about two miles from the centre of the historic city of Stirling and is connected to the railway station by a frequent bus service. It is also within easy walking distance of the shops and cafés in the attractive town of Bridge of Allan.

Plans for outdoor events are well underway. There will be a variety of mountain and lowland walks, two cycle rides and a women’s walk. We also intend to run a coach outting to the Trossachs with a trip by steamer on Loch Katrine. This will be a great opportunity to get a flavour of classic Highland scenery.

For our Saturday evening entertainment we have been lucky enough to book one of Scotland’s best ceilidh bands led by the legendary Sandy Brechin. Sandy’s unique and humorous style of dance-calling should get everyone up on the floor. The Edinburgh Gay Men’s Chorus, who sang so well for us at our 40th anniversary in Comrie, have kindly agreed to come and entertain us once again.

All the rooms we have booked on campus have a small double bed and will be available for either single or double occupation. This will be particularly good value for couples who do not need a huge amount of space and prefer the convenience of being on site. Bookings will open on 1 February and details will be provided in the February edition of this magazine.

With a packed programme for the AOG weekend, you may wish to extend your stay by booking additional nights direct with the university. This will give you time to explore the many local attractions including the Wallace Monument and the imposing Stirling Castle - one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally – without which no visit to the area would be complete.