The year started unpromisingly with a broken ankle sustained on an indoor climbing wall. Five weeks in plaster and three months later I was hobbling round Argyll peaks in the deep Easter snow, using the mountain bike and sea kayak where possible to shorten distances. We ended the week with a fine day-trip to Ailsa Craig.
In early May I had another trip to the west, climbing hills in Morvern, Ardnamurchan and Mull before a week's sea kayaking in Oban. More kayaking at Whitsun, this time on Skye, where I managed to paddle across to Scalpay to climb Mullach na Carn. My wife and I joined Alan Holmes' St Kilda trip in September and were lucky enough to be on the one boat of four that made it across. Conditions and climbing ability were not really up to an attempt on Soay or Boreray, let alone the stacs, but I was happy just to see them and enjoy a fine day on Hirta and a misty morning on Dun. We also took advantage of the supporting boat trips to visit the Shiants, Seaforth Island, Taransay, Pabbay and Scarp. I finished off the mainland Harris and Lewis tops with a couple of long walks on Pairc, which tested the still-weak ankle.
Our final trip north of the year was Christmas in Lochearnhead - a week of gales, heavy snow and the occasional Trossach Marilyn. Outside the Marilyns I completed the English Humps, with the exception of Old Man of Mow Cop, when my son led me up Great Links Tor.
