My Marilyn total barely advanced last year, and one of the new ones was Sail Chalmadale, ascended in 2003 but not previously admissible. I suspect that reaching that ever-retreating wall is going to take me a few years yet, especially if the surveyors continue to find Subs to promote.
I await with some dread any new arrivals in the deep south. The upgrading of Creag na Criche was cheeringly local for me, but I suspect that future newcomers are likely to be less convenient.
In mitigation for such a miserable increase, perhaps I can tender a century of repeat visits, a further century of Humps, and an additional 150 Corbett and Graham Tops. This was actually one of my most prolific years ever, with over 400 hills ascended. Over 50 of these were across the water, where I made inroads into my fairly paltry collection of Irish Hewitts. A fortnight of surprisingly tolerant weather put me over the half-way point, so I foresee a return visit this year. As ever on an Irish sojourn, I found myself uncertain whether to envy local walkers or have sympathy for them. During a week in Connemara on refreshingly empty and unscarred ridges, I met only two other hill-goers. However, many of the approaches to the tops were across utterly purgatorial terrain.
The numerous repeat ascents disguise a looming hiatus in my bagging career. Only a tiny smattering of Humps now stand between me and an utter dearth of unclimbed hills within a day's reach. And nor will it be long before weekends can offer little more in the way of novelty. I may have said this before, but for me such a lack of fresh challenge represents an existential crisis of no small degree. So if there is anyone out there who has an idea for a new, exciting and innovative list, I would like to hear from you. Trig enthusiasts need not apply.
