Peter Malone has a lot to answer for. Following the previous day's deluge on a fresh sunny October morning in 2005, I was waiting at Bridge of Orchy station for a train to Corrour to climb Leum Uilleim. In conversation with the other guy on the platform it transpired that he was going to Rannoch station to bag an 'easy Marilyn'. 'What exactly is a Marilyn?' I enquired casually, not realising it was a life-changing moment. Peter Malone, as that is the culprit's name, proceeded to give a precise and accurate definition, and referred me to a web site and a book written by some obsessive called Alan Dawson. He also mentioned a Hall of Fame.
Having completed the Munros, and fast running out of Corbetts, it dawned on me that 1554 hills was a great challenge, and that many of them were closer to Loughborough than most of the remaining Corbetts and Grahams. What is more, many could be easily accessed on a winter's day. The challenge of the Hall of Fame appealed to my competitive nature, and so I rushed home from Scotland, looked up RHB on the web and started ticking off those completed so far. Only 417, but this presented a challenge to complete 600 by the end of 2006.
During the brilliantly dry winter of 2005-06 in England and Wales I was out on the hills at least once a week and added around 160 in five months, having easy access to the hills in mid and South Wales, and everything in England south of Lancaster.
Following three days bagging in the Scottish borders, I achieved the 600th on 1 May 2006, in watery sunshine on Belig on Skye, with some good friends, having climbed Glamaig in a white-out earlier in the day. With the Cuillins topped with fresh snow, and amazing views over the south of Skye and across to the mainland, I couldn't have wished for a better 600th, before going on to the rather hairy summit of Garbh-bheinn. No push-over, even in good conditions. The following morning I was about to stroll out on to Sgurr a'Chaorachain above Loch Kishorn when I became engaged in conversation with a gentleman called Ken Stewart, whom I found is a member of the Hall of Fame. I told him about the 600th of the previous day and he said that he supposed it appropriate to welcome me as a new member. What efficiency and service!
Another target was now essential: 200 in a calendar year. This was passed in September on The Wiss, despite ditching my car on a forest track and having to be pulled out by a kind farmer and his tractor. So yet another target was needed: 250 in 2006. Completed on 11 December. By then my wife was complaining and cursing the day I met Peter Malone (leaving her home alone).
But thanks to Mr Malone I have discovered that less than two hours from the East Midlands there is incredible beauty and solitude in Wales and its borders, and that the south of England has some beautiful rich scenery and is not all suburban sprawl. I am less tempted to bomb north past Kendal and Penrith these days, but more likely to stop at the Lakes or disappear into the northern Pennines. There is also an economy of achievement in that every Corbett and Graham is a Marilyn, while many Marilyns are also Hewitts, not to mention county tops.
Other highlights of 2006:
One big difference with reaching 600 Marilyns as opposed to completing 284 Munros is that there is absolutely no sense of anti-climax following the event. There are plenty more to go at. It's rather like a marathon treasure hunt potentially lasting years, with next to no chance of ever reaching the finishing line. Perverse but true. One hopes that nobody will ever complete them as surely that is one of the major charms of this pursuit. It's amazing how what is essentially a book of lists can give so much enjoyment, as well as keeping me off the golf course.
