I thoroughly enjoyed 2005 - finally a whole year with no illness or injury allowed me to visit 47 Marilyns of all shapes and sizes. Getting over the 200 mark was a good feeling, and the whole Marilyn bagging thing seems to have taken on more impetus. Time is becoming freer as the kids get older, so no longer does each outing feel quite as much the stolen time it used to. Being at this stage, with a bit behind me but with so many more new areas to look forward to, is really exciting. I managed to get three trips up to Scotland and finally got my Munro tally going again after an eight-year gap. Highlights included getting out to Beinn Fhionnlaidh (11A), discovering little gems like Moel y Golfa (31B) and catching some snow late in the year in north Wales and the Yorkshire Dales. Lowlights? None, I loved every minute of it, even the sapping slog back from Fhionnlaidh and ending up waist deep in Peak District bog. Oh, scrambling bikes, they're a lowlight - I only suffered badly once this year though. Infectious stuff this Marilyn bagging lark, and I'm really looking forward to even more new areas and capers in 2006.
