Eric was born in Huntly, Aberdeenshire in 1945. He had a mis-spent youth biking up Clashmach Hill behind the town with his pals. In 1960, his Geography teacher announced, ‘Come to school tomorrow with a raincoat, stout shoes and a sandwich.’ He hired a bus to take the whole class to Deeside and whipped them up Lochnagar—no risk assessment or parental consent! This started a lifetime of hillwalking.
Eric moved to Glasgow in 1963 to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, where he eventually worked as a lecturer, developing a degree in Scottish Traditional Music. Moving to Strathaven, Lanarkshire in 1972, he joined Strathaven Climbing Club which took him to bothies, bens and crags all over Scotland and two visits to the Swiss Alps.
Now retired, he can still manage Tinto Hill—led by his dog.