My interest in Marilyns began... after I moved south from the Highlands and it became more difficult for me and Beinn the collie to find new hills to visit. However, when I think about Marilyns it generally (and wrongly) tends to be the hills below 600m - initially those in the central belt of Scotland filled a bit of a gap for a while, though the drives are now increasing in length. Maybe it's time to move again. In overall terms, I suppose it just grows on you. I got to 50 or so Munros and thought why not, and in doing these I also took in some Corbetts, and again thought why not, and so on.
My favourite Marilyn is... so many candidates, however probably Sgurr a'Mhaim, in part because it looks like a classic mountain, especially in winter, and because it was the view from my front window when I lived in Fort William. Aside from Ben Nevis, it is also the Marilyn I have climbed the most times.
My least favourite Marilyns are... probably any when really wet and under the clag all day. Conversely, even a stroll of a few kilometres and an ascent of only 250m on Black Mount near Carnwath can be splendid on a crisp winter day with fresh snow.
Do I keep Marilyn bagging a secret? Not now, it would appear. Seriously, my club, Inverness Mountaineering Club, contains a good number of list completists, so it is not terribly embarrassing.
I... am generally seen in the company of my dog when on the hill, so if a sausage roll is taken from your hand by a tri-colour border collie, I am probably close by. These days I am just as often seen in a sea kayak as on the hill or sometimes even both. A sea kayak is a great way to get to the Knoydart hills, as well as to islands such as Taransay or Ailsa Craig.
I am a Sunderland fan and am related to Bobby Gurney (third cousin), who remains Sunderland's top scorer and the first Sunderland player to score at Wembley (not that there have been many others). In 1937, when Sunderland reached the FA Cup final, he offered my grandfather two tickets to the match. My grandfather declined these as he was a miner and could not really afford the trip from Durham.
