My interest in Marilyns began... when I obtained a job as senior lecturer at what is now Nottingham Trent University in 1976. I shared an office with Ann Bowker for a few years. Therefore, I frequently heard about her exploits over the years and about Marilyns at a very early stage in their history. I started climbing Wainwrights in 1978 and Munros in 2000, but did not target Marilyns until 2008.
My favourite Marilyns are... sharp pointy ones with a definite summit and good views, e.g. Grisedale Pike.
My least favourite Marilyn is... Easington Fell in the Forest of Bowland. I lost my wife's car keys between the road and the summit and despite retracing my steps to the top could not find them. It cost £150 to replace them. Summits hidden in forests can be particularly unpleasant.
Do I keep Marilyn bagging a secret? I usually mention Marilyns to friends and other walkers if it is relevant to the conversation.
I... have other hobbies including birding, mathematical recreations, Gilbert and Sullivan, board games and collecting Rupert Bear books. I usually enter the Cumbria Bird Club Winter Bird Race, subscribe to the Journal of Recreational Mathematics, attend the Gilbert and Sullivan festival in Buxton, enjoy playing Carcassonne and various card games and am a member of the Followers of Rupert.
