Some great outings included a May visit to Sutherland with Hall of Famer Don Reid, ending with a fantastic day on Ben Stack and a stunning view over mountains and the sea, which glistened in the sunshine. The real ale and venison pie in the Overscaig Hotel was almost as stunning. Beinn Bharrain on Arran in September was another highlight, on a still, clear day, with the whole island panorama visible. Visits to Skye included a great day on Marsco and the adjacent Marilyn, Ruadh Stac. There cannot be many better viewpoints in Scotland, with a superb vista of the surrounding Cuillin chain, and an awesome view of the rugged and precipitous north face of Bla Bheinn.
Some remote hills included a hard outing over Beinn Gaire and Croit Bheinn, returning the same way to avoid the boggy depths of Glen Moidart. The cone of Croit Bheinn is a wonderful place to linger for a well-deserved break, with the mountain dropping almost vertically to Glen Aladale.
The Hall was entered in August on a solo circuit of Ben Mor Coigach and Sgurr an Fhidhleir, with a celebration in the company of several skylarks and a bottle of Tiger beer. The best day of the year, and the worst, occurred on a visit to the Outer Hebrides to climb the four Grahams. After a day in the mist on Beinn Mhor on South Uist, the next day found me sitting in my car beside the track to Loch Chliostair, with the intention of climbing Tirga Mor and Oreval. With the parked car bouncing about in the wind and the rain, my resolve was sorely tested. It was not a day to be on the hills, as standing up was a problem, walking on the track was difficult, and there was water everywhere. It was June, I told myself, and the weather must change, so I proceeded on my way, over the dam, holding on tightly to the rails in case of a fall into an early bath. The next five hours were spent in cloud, looking at a map and a compass, trying to walk following a bearing, and praying for the weather to change. I struggled over Tirga Mor, found the bealach at the north of the loch, and managed to hit the summit of Oreval directly, ascending from the northern corrie to avoid the worst of the gale. Most people who walk the hills will have had days like this, many days probably, and although there is pleasure and enjoyment on a warm, sunny, summer day walk, there is a great sense of achievement on completion of a bad-weather day that will always be remembered for the effort and determination to succeed.
An end-of-year push in November and December helped bag a further 20 Marilyns, ending the year with 100 in total; 50 Grahams and 50 lower Marilyns. The Grahams, with 82 remaining, will be my main objective for 2009, and with visits to Mull, Applecross, Glen Affric and Knoydart already planned, should provide another great year's hillwalking.
