A business trip to Knoydart in May coincided with the best weather of the year and my first new Corbetts for a number of years. I took the opportunity of a few spare hours to climb Sgurr Coire Choinnichean above Inverie, having added Rois-Bheinn on the journey up. A serious illness in August brought an end (temporarily, I hope) to my walks on Munros and Corbetts. Surfing the web while recuperating, I came across RHB and Marhofn. I had been vaguely aware of the category of hills called Marilyns but had little idea which ones they were. So I bought the book. A check of my hillwalking records revealed that I was over two thirds of the way to the Hall. More importantly, RHB opens a new chapter and will urge me to visit new hills in new areas, whether or not I am still able to climb the higher summits. It will make a welcome change from repeating Munros and Corbetts. Towards the end of the year my health had sufficiently recovered to enable me to make slow ascents of a few of the smaller Marilyns - the Knock of Crieff (1A), Conic Hill (1C), Minch Moor (28B), Lendrick Hill (26), Benarty Hill (26) and Beinn Dearg (1C), all great view points. I hope to put my medical problems behind me in 2006 and to tackle some of the other Marilyns, especially those on the islands, many of which look superb.
Tony Watson batting on Lendrick Hill, with Alan Dawson bowling, Dave Hewitt keeping (photo: Anne-Marie Watson)
