My interest in Marilyns began... because, sad to say, bagger's maps became available online. I had finished the Munros and almost accidentally drifted into doing Corbetts and Grahams, as I was now visiting all of those hills and areas that I had never got around to previously. I had been vaguely aware of the concept of Marilyns since the early 2000s but being able to see them all represented on a map made them ten times more interesting, as there were infinite new combinations of hills available to do.
My favourite Marilyns are... those on the west coast of Scotland, which has always been my favourite part of the UK, ever since we used to go to Ballachulish on family holidays. Hard to pinpoint a specific Marilyn, but I have become more and more drawn to the more rugged, remoter and less frequented hills such as Sgurr Dhomhnuill and Bidein a'Chabair. I could easily list another twenty hills which are just as good.
My least favourite Marilyns are... maybe hills that are covered in conifer plantation, like Hill of the Wangie. However, I do not really dislike any hills - even the most unexciting lowland bumps usually have a decent view of some description. The forested ones usually offer a bit of a challenge to get to the summit, at least. There are plenty of smaller, less exciting Marilyns that do not warrant a long drive to reach, but I often find that combining a couple of these with a long bike ride makes for a good day out.
Do I keep Marilyn bagging a secret? Sort of - partly because I doubt I will get that much beyond the 800 mark, so it is not really a list I am trying to finish. Most folk know I like hillwalking, but I tend to avoid boring them with details like hill lists unless they already have some interest. Ultimately, I am still trying and failing to convince myself that I am not a bagger.
I... am a very dull person and do not really have many interests outside of hillwalking and being outdoors in general. Just ask my wife, who has little interest in either.
