I began my 2009 report by saying that many of my hill days were opportunistic ones grabbed whilst travelling to relatives, ferries, weddings, etc. With hindsight, 2010 was similar. The year began with my wife, Ali, and I braving -15C to climb Creag Each by Loch Earn, and the wintry weather continued throughout a January week based in Arrochar when I climbed various nearby Corbetts. A February week spent in a grass-roofed cabin by the shores of Loch Duich provided spectacularly scenic views and I added a great winter traverse of Beinn Loinne, aided by Ali providing a sterling chauffeuring service.
Trips in April and May were much warmer and, after just about deciphering CalMac's timetable, I had a superb week camping on the Small Isles. I inadvertently timed my visit to Muck to witness its largest wedding for decades, with 200 visitors swelling the resident population of less than 40, and the bride arriving on the 1904 pilot cutter 'Mascotte' that featured in the west-coast travels of the 'Three Men in a Boat'.
I then repaid my chauffeuring dues by supporting Ali and her mum for a week on their annual walk, which this year was the west end of the Southern Upland Way. This allowed me to visit many nearby hills, including a farmer-free Pibble Hill via an evening ascent from the north. The summer's highlights:
The autumn saw a push to enter the Upper Hall before the year's end. A trip to Ingleton in November yielded various hills in glorious weather, a fantastic fireworks display and my first GOML case of the year; the owners of Mill House to the west of Calf Top have resorted to lots of barbed wire to prevent you walking the final ten metres or so to join the right-of-way that runs past their property.
Winter required much shovelling of snow, and the ensuing road conditions spoiled plans to climb my 1000th Marilyn on a club meet in the Lakes. The preceding two were eventually bagged close to a road to the south of Edinburgh, and gave rise to the amusing task of reporting an open door on an electrical cabinet belonging to Orange on the top of Broomy Law, to an operative in a Mumbai call centre. It appears that they cannot search by grid reference, but require either their own site reference number or a postcode. I tried to explain that there isn't much call for delivering mail to the top of a hill, and suggested that they search online for Biggar's postcode. Amazingly, this allowed them to identify the correct set of masts.
With my Lakes plans thwarted, my 1000th Marilyn was rescheduled for my 50th birthday, and after negotiating some rather icy roads, Ali and I enjoyed a cold and windy celebration in between snow showers on the summit of Creag na Criche near Perth. A fitting end to another year's bagging.
