After several years of mostly damp, wet and unsettled conditions, the fine warm sunny weather had to be the highlight of 2003. The most memorable of the year's excursions were trips to the Lake District, Torridon and Moidart. Another day I'll certainly never forget was my Corbett completion on Ben Ledi in June, in perfect conditions. Accompanied by 42 friends, one of whom entertained us on the summit with some rousing tunes on his bagpipes, drams were poured and the champagne uncorked. Later in the evening a folk group played in the bunkhouse I'd hired, and other musician friends played and kept the party going well into the wee small hours.
At Easter some friends travelled up from the Midlands for their first visit to Arran. Catching the early-morning bus from our base at Lochranza youth hostel, we alighted at Corrie, climbed Goat Fell and descended to Brodick. There was just about enough time for a quick coffee in Brodick before the Lochranza bus was due. We offered to pay there and then to make a quick exit for our bus, but the cafe owner would hear none of this. If we missed the bus, he would personally drive us to the ferry or we could borrow his car! We felt we had to explain that we weren't bound for Brodick pier but for Lochranza. We reflected on how wonderful it was that someone would offer the use of their car to a total stranger, and how incidents such as this enrich that special island experience.
