As a young man George Wood (1909–1995) would spend his two-week summer holiday from work exploring the Highlands with a group of friends. He kept diaries of the adventures and assembled an album of photographs.

These trips occurred in the early years of the 1930s. His companions were mostly work colleagues from the Bank of Scotland head office on The Mound in Edinburgh, but others would sometimes join them. As opportunities to explore the hills were limited considerably by a six-day working week, the expedition during the two-week summer holiday was a highlight of the year.