The year began in good style, without changing my shoes. While visiting friends in Yorkshire, after new year celebrations, I was driven to Bishop Wilton Wold, which involved all of ten metres walking to the trig point. However, I did eventually pull on the wellies and tramp south across a ploughed field to the coppice of trees which looked a little higher. Later in January I had a short trip to Rannoch in the camper van and bagged Drummond Hill, Dun Coillich and Leagag to finish region 2, so I thought. I later discovered the addition of Meall Chomraidh. To make matters worse, when climbing Leagag I had looked at this hill, and thought 'what a nice hill, that should be a Marilyn'. On return, just to avoid withdrawal symptoms from forest bashing, I managed another three hills in 15B, to start 2006 with a grand total of ten for January.
Once again I attended the Munro Society AGM in Dunkeld, the highlight being an excellent lecture by Jamie Andrew; an inspiration to all. Two more Grahams, including Ben Cleuch (a gem), and three more Perthshire hills, contributed to a great long weekend.
June brought the highlight of the year. A close friend with 55 years boating experience offered to take me from Lochcarron to the Western Isles. After loading vast quantities of food and drink aboard his converted fishing boat, we set sail in poor weather for Harris. We anchored at a safe sheltered mooring on the idyllic Loch Bhalamuis, east of Loch Seaforth, in the Pairc region of Lewis. This natural harbour is five hours walking from the nearest road. We watched otters and seals play while enjoying our drams. Gormol, Caiteseal and Ciopeagal Bheag involved short but spectacular walking to splendid isolated hills. Next it was on to the Shiants for Mullach Buidhe, a very exciting hill. To ascend from the isthmus between Garbh Eilean and Eilean an Taighe looks suicidal, but a short scrambling traverse west along the shore rocks leads up a steep but easy grassy gully to the summit plateau. On this plateau I came across the entire bleached skeleton of a ewe in a bog, still in a standing stature, where she had sadly become trapped, to suffer a slow and painful death. A sad sight, and a frightening warning in this place of extreme isolation. A return anchorage on Rona enabled me to bag Beinn na h-Iolaire on Raasay, and then a short drop off on Scalpay for Mullach na Carn. This was a superb day, with spectacular views from the Cuillin to Harris and the Skye bridge. There is no doubt that a friend with a boat is a huge asset to island bagging, but beware of the generous liquid hospitality and camaraderie spent at the evening moorings.
Eilean an Taighe from Garbh Eilean, Shiants (photo: Alan Dawson)
In October we had another trip to Harris, courtesy of Cal-Mac, to finish the Grahams and repeat An Cliseam, once again in foul weather. On a wet Sunday in December, after 50cm of rain in six weeks, I set off once again to Skye for a paddle around Glen Talisker, taking in Biod Mor, Beinn Bhreac and Arnaval, still leaving eight to complete this large island. A Christmas visit to Yorkshire, in an attempt to get away from the rain, ended the year on a good note, adding three more in 35B, in some stunning frosty weather at last.
