In May last year Ken Butcher reached the top of Mullach an Eilein on Boreray and so became the first person to climb 1550 Marilyns. Now the National Trust for Scotland claim to be willing to discuss possible visits to other islands of St Kilda. More details on page 2.
This year's main meeting is being organised by Iain Brown and will take place in Builth Wells from 6-8 June. All are welcome, including cellar dwellers, corridor crawlers, high hall honchos and those with neither affiliation nor alliteration. Details on page 2.
Over a year after her disappearance on Coraddie in Cowal, there is still no trace of Jennifer Thomson. Jon Metcalf pays tribute to Jennifer on page 4.
After years of stubborn resistance to the creeping fingers of officialdom, Marhofn finally has its own bank account and official officers. More details on page 2.
After years of pointless resistance, or more precisely having never really thought about it before, Marhofn is running a poll to find out which Marilyns people like most and which ones occupy the other end of the likeableness spectrum. Not just Grahams of course, but the headline was sitting there pleading to be used. See page 23.
A survey by John Barnard has shown that the highest point of Chanctonbury Hill in Sussex is at the west edge of Chanctonbury Ring and is 1.5m higher than the trig point. The hill therefore has a new height, 240m, a new grid reference, TQ139120, and a new name, Chanctonbury Ring. John says that he tried to 'venture into the heart of the ring' to see if any point is higher than the edge of the ring. However it was so full of 'brambles, stinging nettles, saplings etc' that he was unable to survey this area. For details of other surveys see page 7.
Breaking waves: Is NTS still the biggest barrier to St Kilda?
Post Shetland: Phil Cooper and Tony Rogers review region 22
Living in memories: Jon Metcalf remembers Jennifer Thomson
Hall of plenty words: Bagging days of 49 big baggers
Staffing levels raised: John Barnard prescribes more precision
Little tips: Paths, parking, bridges, fences, gates, dates, donts
Ice cream and indecent exposure: Michael Curtis's year
How green you are? Barbara Jones considers a topical issue
Knot in the script: When bagging plans gang agley
Hallmarks, landmarks: Colin Crawford muses on milestones
Hall of Fame table: Last one in the familiar format
Casting aesthetic judgments: Vote for your favourite hills
Humping and trigging: Keeping up, with Rob Woodall
Time for arrest: Brent Lynam's fine tale of ultra corruption
ABCDE of apres-bagging: Art, beer, curry, dogs and emusic
Big tips: Blackspots and hotspots in the Hall of Shame
Burbling under: Baglogs from Corridor, Cellar and Creche
From ignorance to defection: Analytical bag theorising
Meeting and greeting: Eric Young recounts odd encounters
Bolivian epiphany: How Lee Newton went bilbo bagging
The poetry of maps: Marhofn reveals a new genre
North of Aden: Poetic licence trumps cartographic pedantry
Richard Mclellan eleven: The Bill Drummond Challenge results
More questions than answers: A conventional competition
Room at the back: New Hall of Fame members on their feat
This is the tenth edition of Marhofn, the newsletter for Marilyn baggers. Marhofn 183 was compiled, edited and produced by Alan Dawson, with assistance from Bert Barnett (proofreading), and Jon Metcalf (laggard prompting). Marhofn is distributed free of charge to members of the Marilyn Hall of Fame and anyone else interested, although contributions such as stamps, cheques (made payable to Marhofn), Paypal payments and surprise parcels of goodies are welcome. Sincere thanks to everyone who has already assisted. The next issue of Marhofn will appear in May 2009 as long as stuff keeps coming in to fill it. Contributors are encouraged to submit articles, numbers, comments and pictures by 31 January. Contact details:
Email: rhb@rhb.org.uk
Paypal: rhb@rhb.org.uk
Web: www.rhb.org.uk
Mailing list: www.yahoogroups.com/group/rhb
Plenty of copies of Marhofn 93.05, 106.06, 153.08 and 171.09 are available on request, plus a few of 58.03 and 133.07.
Gordon Adshead, Dorothy Wilson, Jon Metcalf, Clem Clements, Gordon Ingall, John Barrowman, Andy Moffat, Jimmy White, Phil Cooper, John Hipwood, Mike Nicholls, Dave Tyson, Mark Trengove, Michael Poznanski, Campbell Singer, David R Smith, Mike Milmoe, Charles Knowles and many other generous contributors. Total donations from 2001 to the end of 2007 amount to a startling £2818, an average of £402 each year. Quite remarkable.
