It was a surprise to realise that our President had not been interviewed before. He has been a prominent member of the Club for at least 15 years; perhaps too prominent to be interviewed under the “old rules”. We met on Jura, marshalling for the Islands Peaks Race; me a novice, he leading the team. Later we discovered we had a close connection with a Minister of the Church of Scotland, practising in Benderloch, Argyll – of which more later. Colin has lived in Edinburgh for as long as I have known him but I’ve always considered him to be a World Traveller, as well as a hill runner.

Is my perception of you as a traveller correct?
Yes, I suppose it is. At 14 I was cycle camping in Europe with friends. I got to know something of Scotland when I was 17. In fact when I was 17 I organised hill excursions from the CHA Guest House at Knockderry Castle on Loch Long. Also at 17 I went to Canada with a W.H.Rhodes Trust school party and later, while at University, did a vac job in Canada. After I graduated, I went to New Delhi to do a PhD, and did a lot of exploring in the Himalaya. The Indian Institute of Technology was supplied with staff by the UK. I was invited to go to New Delhi and under the Commonwealth Scholarship Plan.

Where were you brought up and educated?
My Dad was a Methodist Minister so we moved about a lot. I have two brothers and a sister. My first memories were of Bradford when I was extremely young. Primary school in Kirkby in Ashfield, another primary school in Widnes and secondary school in Manchester. I cycled to school, which was next to the Reg Harris cycle racing stadium, from Sale. No, I wasn’t a racing cyclist: we used to go biking in the steep lanes of East Cheshire and Derbyshire on a minimum gear of 42 inches! It seems amazing in these days of very low gears.

And University?
Cambridge, to do Natural Sciences – Chemistry, Physics, Maths followed by Chemical Engineering and for my PhD, found myself in New Delhi. What was your PhD thesis subject? Mass transfer in spray drying. I’ve always wondered how it is decided which College you go to in Cambridge. In my case, I applied to Emmanuel and had to sit their entrance examination, regardless of my success in A levels.

How did you first get into the mountains?
We went walking in the mountains on family holidays in North Wales. As a teenager I biked all over Snowdonia and climbed all the hills, then took up rock climbing. The mountains were a natural place to be, it has always seemed to me. Oranising walks near Loch Long was a natural extension, really. Whilst at University I climbed in the Dolomites and the Alps – Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, that sort of thing; then graduated to the Himalaya and made some first ascents.

Did you enjoy your education?
Oh, yes, very much. It expanded my horizons hugely. At the time it was the end of the National Service system and there were lots of mature students at Cambridge, which added to the interest. The whole experience was most enjoyable.

Tell me about your own family.
Anne and I were married in 1969. We met via a mutual friend and discovered that we had both been working in New Delhi at the same time. She had been teaching there. Our daughter Joy arrived in 1970. Living in Coventry in the early 70s we became aware of an acute need for adoptive parents. There were lots of children with parents from the Indian sub-continent who were now alone. We adopted Stephen, a 1972 leap year baby, when he was six months old; then Tony in 1977. Our own son, Matthew, was born in 1978. We were fortunate to befriend many other families with adoptive children at that time – they’re still our closest friends. There are problems, though, when children are adopted after being passed around foster homes or in and out of care. These manifest themselves in destructive behaviour patterns, often years later. Anne’s a teacher so we naturally became interested in how children develop and respond to their environment. Did you know that in their first 3 years, a child’s brain is forming on average 1000 new neural connections a second?

And how did it come about that you knew Norman Macdonald (my son-in-law’s father)?
Yes, of course, it was a big surprise when we discovered that, wasn’t it. Well, I moved from my Plant Manager’s job in Coventry to become Director of the Church of Scotland’s Society, Religion and Technology Project. That’s how I came to Edinburgh. I had trained as a Methodist local preacher, and spent a month with Norman as his summer assistant in North Connel. It was a wide-flung parish, as you know, with a huge manse in a sensational situation on Loch Etive. I loved and respected Norman a great deal. My daughter was married there – by Norman of course. He was Padre to the Scottish Horse Regiment and served in Italy and at the Anzio landings. His descriptions of those times were harrowing.

How do you come to be lecturing in the University of Edinburgh?
In 1978, after 3 years in Edinburgh, I took a lectureship at the King’s Buildings. Then in 1979 I was seconded to the University of Dar-es-Salaam and started up the Chemical Engineering Department there. That was a 2-year secondment – and a great experience for me and the family. Now my former students are lecturers and professors, and have invited me to be External Examiner for 2000-2002.

And joining Carnethy?
The rock- and alpine climbing went off the boil when I moved to Edinburgh though I did a lot of hill-walking and ran at lunchtimes from KB. It was JBF who suggested I join the Club – that was about 1985. I had been hill running for enjoyment (and only very vaguely aware that this was also a competitive sport) from age 17. I can’t remember my first hill run, it is back in the mists of time. The Ben Nevis race was an early target and one of my first races. At that time I ran with JBF, Bill Gauld, the usual suspects.

You have run abroad a lot.
Yes, I did a lot in Switzerland and the Czech Republic. That was how the Czechmate scheme came about. When the Communist regime came to an end, so did their funding for international competition. We had teams running in Snowdon, Melantee, Half Ben. They are doing very well now. They were in force at the World Cup in 1999 at Kinabalu. I stayed for the week and did the Kinabalu race – a 7500 ft climb to the 14,170ft summit. That was some race: I had trained and acclimatised for it and completed it ok – but shattered. A long way behind Holmes, Booth and Jebb, of course. Same race, different league – but a rare experience.

Are you generally injury-free?
Most of the time I am fit and healthy, and largely free of knee and ankle problems. In fact, now you come to mention it, I am remarkably injury free, despite enjoying my downhill! Hope that isn’t tempting providence.

What are you reading at the moment?
My reading is wide ranging, perhaps eclectic. Travel and exploration – Peter Mathieson, Tim Severin, William Dalrymple, Joe Simpson - people who simultaneously explore the inner and outer worlds. David Quammen for his magnificent “Song of the Dodo”. And John Keay for “The Great Arc”, an account of the survey of India and the meticulous work of William Lambton, the predecessor of George Everest. I’ve read a review of that one - and the huge towers needed are still there? Last year I visited many of the locations associated with the Survey, from Chennai to Dehra Dun and the Khumbu. I’ve still not found time to sit down and write about it all! I’m also a Trustee of the charity “Engineers Against Poverty” and try to keep abreast of development issues, as well as engaging with them when visiting developing countries.

Do you like music?
I don’t play an instrument, but Anne and I enjoy singing with the Choral Union. This year I started the “Friends of King’s Buildings Music” - my new role as a concert impresario, organising professional-standard concerts of a wide range of music – choral, vocal, instrumental, quartets, duos, anything. And dancing? Only ceilidh dancing. During dinner, Anne had pointed out that some Carnethy members were now learning Lindy-Hop and having great fun and what about it, then?

You don’t have any motivation problems.
Not really. Why run in the hills? It gives the illusion of immortality! It is sheer enjoyment, almost joviality. I can’t envisage life without running in the hills. What would you do if you couldn’t run freely? Don’t even think about it . . walk, I hope . .

How do you view being President?
It’s a great honour. It’s better than having the MBE. The politics are the downside. Recently all the members of the Hill Running Commission have resigned en masse, which will continue the uncertainty and political furore of the last two or three years. I suppose it’s the inevitable result of progressive disenchantment with SAL, the impossibility of influencing the Scottish Athletics management for the benefit of hill running. The choice of what to do next can only be made on the basis of what is best for Scottish Hill Running. One possibility would be a Federation of Hill Running Clubs throughout the UK. It is in the nature of hill runners and hill running that it works informally and by agreement. It has to continue like that. Those are the wider issues. As President of the Club I see my role as helping to unify a diverse group of people with common goals, common aims, a common interest. I think the diversity of members of the Club is one of the best things we have. Long may it continue.

Have you any heroes?
Oh yes, but they’re mostly clubmates – too embarrassing to name!

What would you like to change about the Club?
I’d love to devise happenings that would involve more of the Club – along the lines of the handicaps, journey runs and Burns supper – to help cement new friendships and so on. To my shame, I still know only a fraction of our members, and often turn up at events to discover that transport could have been shared. We still haven’t got that right.

What is your most satisfying athletic achievement (to date!)
My first ascent of Papsura, (6500m?). But that was long ago! I’ve recently returned to climbing at altitude and that gives me the biggest buzz. But the best is yet to come . .

Are you worried about the Access Bill limiting the freedom of hill runners to get into the hills?
Some of the more restrictive provisions have been removed from the draft, but “the price of freedom is eternal vigilance”. We owe a lot to the “mass trespasses” of the 30s which helped to secure the right to roam.

Tell me about your dreams and ambitions, athletic or otherwise.
Oh-hum. Hadn’t thought of myself as ambitious. Perhaps now is the time to announce the result of the “next career” competition that Nigel and I launched in the February Newsletter. I’ve registered for a part-time MSc in Outdoor Education - and who knows where that may take me?

Predict what will be happening in 2012.
You really don’t want to hear this – it’s very gloomy indeed, and a desperate prospect for our children, let alone theirs. Working to remove the causes of racial and religious hatred is the only influence I can have.

Whom should I interview?
How about Serena Micalizzi? She has a great story to tell!