An interesting year with not a few ups and downs. I came back in the spring from Morocco with legs stronger so I decided to try to complete the Grahams, which I'd rather given up on. Hurrah for new hips. Fifty-one was whittled down to 36, but they are all now biggies or awkward ones beyond the Great Glen. Oddly, an autumn tour (partly business, partly social), saw regions 36, 38 and 41 completed, and there was a good haul of ticks in the Outer Hebrides. However, one grand plan came to grief, which I'll mention pour encourager les autres. Loch Veyatie is ringed by listed hills, so to get a canoe on it and do them from the inside seemed a good ploy. Alas, a serious bit of rough river links two accessing lochs, and I'm too old or feeble to man-haul or carry alone. So that was that. I've since bought an inflatable canoe which will at least allow short raids. (MR: The day I paddled the length of Loch Veyatie it was possible to drive to the head of the loch from Elphin and avoid the river link).
When chasing the Grahams a cycle was often used - a mixed blessing as a lot of tracks are surfaced in sharp new stones and the rain sometimes gave vile exits as well - as from Loch na Sealga or the Cona Glen. Most memorable were Todun, Binnein Shuas, Stob na Cruaiche, the Ariundle pair, Meall Mor (Glen Gyle), Groban and a Staoineag visit to check load carrying was OK.
Beinn a'Mheadhoin after a horrendous gale in my van gave fantastic snow storms and rainbows to end November. December and most of January were a washout as far as going beyond the Great Glen was concerned, so it is Morocco for sun and sanity and renewed hope for 2012.
One pleasure was seeing my wee book 'Walking the Mull Hills' published - one Munro, one Corbett, seven Grahams, 18 Marilyns and two near misses described. 2012 will see a book out on Scottish oddities (the 'Oldest Post Office in the World') and a tome on the Atlas Mountains, describing the biggest and best ploys there. In the autumn, a re-issue of 'Climbing the Corbetts' is planned. A lot of this work was done when unable to walk, but I'd rather be romping hills.
A wee aside: when walking was very painful I decided to get a walking stick, and the seventh charity shop I tried had one. Using it on the High Street in Edinburgh, and on and off buses, I was impressed by how helpful people were and how they took care on the streets. Without thinking about it, I'd bought a white stick.
