My interest in Marilyns began... after I had been climbing hills for many years. I only started recording hills when I joined a friend for his last Munro in 1991. I acquired a Munro wallchart and enjoyed colouring in the triangles and monitoring progress. By 1995 I had completed all on the wallchart, plus many Corbetts, mainly because they were nearby. I had bought probably the first copy of The Angry Corrie and was a regular reader, and got a copy of RHB. My work took me all over Britain and I looked up a hill wherever I was to climb after work. There was no pattern and no real planning. When I met people like Andy Sutton and Rob Woodall, I became aware of the hill-bagging website and Marilyn bagging became a more serious pastime.
My favourite Marilyns are... difficult to say - but scrambling on Stac Pollaidh was enjoyable on a warm dry day. Swyre Head - now demoted - I climbed at dusk and spent a pleasant summer evening watching the world go by from the summit. Generally, if the weather is decent and there is not too much bog and heather bashing, any hill is good. Climbing hills at night is enjoyable.
My least favourite Marilyns are... none that spring to mind - they are usually not as bad a few days after. Long boggy and heathery plods in dire weather with nil visibility are generally the worst. On a nice day, the same hill might be quite different.
Do I keep Marilyn bagging a secret? I tell a few people, but generally do not go into much detail - it is generally known that I climb hills, but I do not try to enlighten people.
I... have a cat called Tinto. When I am not climbing hills, I run and cycle to keep fit.
