June 2024 saw the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Carn Dearg Mountaineering Club. After the Second World War, many ex-servicemen brought home an enthusiasm for outdoor life making use of various bothies, howffs and youth hostels. Given their economic position, travelling to the hills was always a challenge and in Angus the proximity of Glen Clova to Forfar and Kirriemuir whetted many aspiring mountaineer's appetite for the hills. Regular weekenders realised that the only way to access the hills and mountains further afield would be to get organised and run buses on a regular, and cheap, basis. 

At a meeting held in the Rover Den in Forfar on 15th June 1949 the attendees decided to form a mountaineering club, and given their association with Glen Clova, the scene of their early rock climbs, the name “Carn Dearg” was adopted. Mike Sutherland was elected as the club’s first president with the indomitable Davie Glen invited to be Honorary President.  Bill Wyllie also justifies recognition for his enthusiasm and hard work as the first Secretary-Treasurer, the most arduous office bearer, and this still continues to be the position today. 

In February 1950, the club became a member of the Association of Scottish Climbing Clubs, a forerunner of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland.