My son Jimmy and I are both licensed radio amateurs and participate in the popular SOTA programme (Summits On The Air). We accelerated our progress in 2008, as we looked to complete sections and regions, adding southern England and the northern Pennines to 33, 35B, 38B and 39. We also completed the Antrim Hills region of the Irish Marilyns. The difference of one between our totals is due to Loughrigg Fell, which I climbed while staffing a school trip in 1993.
Grasmere from Loughrigg Fell (photo: Ann Bowker)
During the year we climbed the four national summits of the UK - Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Slieve Donard. Highlights of the year were probably the ascents of Ben Nevis and Slieve Donard, while the lowlight was an all-day drenching on a circuit of Y Lliwedd, Snowdon and Yr Aran. Another high point was our walk on Wild Boar Fell, a glorious fell and walk that surpassed all expectations.
The Cloud (or Bosley Cloud as it is known in these parts) sits conveniently on my commuting route and is therefore often climbed as an early morning wake-up call. I discovered that walking up and down it five times a week was sufficient for me to cancel my expensive gym membership and save a huge amount of boredom and a significant amount of money.
