Fifty-nine days on the hill in a calendar year is a new record for me. The relatively modest bag of 72 Marilyns is due to the fact that I am heavily into Donald Deweys, adding 88 during the year - by no means all of them qualifying as relative hills. I also returned to Wales for the first time in several years: I thought that Cadair Idris was over-rated and over-visited, but the Rhinogs were really good.
Highlights: The sensational view from Sgurr an Utha (10D) on a perfect June day, and the view from Sgorr na Diollaid (12B) - almost coast to coast, with Glen Strathfarrar below my feet.
Most bizarre moment: Alone in the mist on Doune Hill (1E), I was suddenly deafened by a public address announcement requesting Euan MacDonald to report to the main gate at Faslane. A visit to Glen Douglas the next day for Tullich Hill and Beinn Bhreac produced the explanation - the extensive array of weapons bunkers and associated security apparatus. They stretch so far that I doubt the option of approaching Doune Hill from Cona Ghleann, as Andrew Dempster suggests in 'The Grahams', would still be possible.
Most disappointing moment: Chickening out of the scramble to the south peak of The Cobbler. Does anyone know an easy route? Some Corbett Tops may be beyond my scrambling capacity.
Most painful moment: The smell of frying testicles as I straddled an electric fence on Blackwood Hill, not knowing it was live.
Navigational nightmare: i) Trying to find eight Hewitts and two SubHewitts on a day of unbroken mist on a round including Moelwyn Mawr and Allt Fawr (30B). This was eventually achieved after ten hours and much GPS work.
Navigational nightmare: ii) My first ever involvement with mountain rescue, for a friend long overdue from An Teallach while I tackled Sail Mhor (14A) in thick mist and driving rain. He eventually arrived before they did.
Unwelcome guests: i) What appeared to be the entire British Army not in Iraq (and its vehicles) carrying out a signalling exercise on Benniguinea Hill en route for Cairnsmore (27B).
Unwelcome guests: ii) A pheasant shoot on Rubers Law (28B). Amusingly there seemed to be far more pheasants scuttling around the empty vehicles at the end of the lane than there were being slaughtered on the hill.
Targets for 2006: I'm always reluctant to offer these as I may fall in the shower and break my leg tomorrow, but I hope to be close to completing the Corbetts (37 left) and to be around the Marilyn 50% mark by the end of the year.
A long overdue picture of An Teallach, from Beinn Dearg Mor (photo: Jonathan Groves)
