I seem to be making steady progress towards the Corridor, as befits an OAP, and have been able to spend some time north of the border, having run out of options within day trip distance of Bolton. Highlights of the year were a perfect day on Beinn Airigh Charr, with peerless views across Fionn Loch to A'Mhaighdean; a long-anticipated traverse of Lochnagar; and completion of the Donalds in September, on the Ochils and up Glen Artney, having done all those in the Southern Uplands in one go in 2006. After reading various comments regarding bagging ethics, I have reluctantly had to recognise that I should delete The Cobbler from my own list. I got as far as the window under the summit on a very wet day and decided discretion was the better part of valour. That was in 1979, long before I had a list to encourage me to take risks. In 2005, when I was doing all the English Nuttalls in one walk, I remember a similar situation on the topmost rocks of Harter Fell (34D), when a slip on greasy rocks would probably have been serious (being alone in rain and mist). The imperative of my own challenge meant I either took the risk or cheated. In the end I went for it. I think the point was well made about the difference between a personal set of rules, which can be whatever you make them, and the standards required by the public in evaluating a claimed first ascent or completion.
