Another very enjoyable year of obsessive compulsive ticking, mostly in the company of Derrick Harman, who emerged from the Corridor of Obscurity to enter the Hall of Fame at age seventy. The main focus for me, for 2012, was to tackle all the remaining remote and awkward Grahams, and move up to the 800 mark for the Marilyns. Blessed with excellent weather in late March, I decided to tackle An Stac via Strathan and Glen Pean bothy, which took nearly five hours to the summit. It may have been worth it to take a big pack and camp on the summit, but I headed back to drive along Loch Arkaig, as the sun was setting. The other hill of this duo, Meith Bheinn, was done from the A830 Mallaig road, in just over eight hours.
An Cruachan and Carn na Breabaig were next, and after the cycle ride to Iron Lodge, the additional ten kilometres did not seem too arduous. Perhaps listening to my iPod may have fooled the mind into thinking: it is not that far. After weighing up all the lengthy options of getting in to Beinn nan Lus, I tried the northern approach via Glen Etive, and the track to the col beside Ben Starav. This seemed to give a relatively straightforward route to this awkwardly placed hill, in around seven and a half hours. I did Meall Garbh from Dalmally.
Other highlights of 2012, on many visits to Skye, were Ben Tianavaig, Sithean Bhealaich Chumhaing and the hills around The Storr and Quiraing. A trip across the water to Raasay on a glorious day in June to do Dun Caan and Beinn na h-Iolaire will live long in the memory. I even bought the book, Calum's Road. Also very memorable was the classic circuit on Harris of Tirga Mor and Oreval. The next morning, after a breakfast that would have choked a donkey, it was a bit of a struggle to get up Uisgnaval Mor. There were, of course, some irritating problems of access and many smaller hills done, which no sane person would have attempted. I even managed to do a surprising number of Donalds, which were in the way, as I was trying to get to the Grahams. I wonder if these hills were a bit easier in the past when the heather and bracken were shorter, or at least below Derrick's head.
The Storr (photo: John Henderson)
In late September, a week's trip to the Galloway hills with Andy Lawson included a big circuit around Glen Trool taking in Merrick, Mullwharchar, Craignaw and Dungeon Hill - just over eight hours in t-shirt weather. As we started up the range of the Awful Hand, we were already thinking about the awful legs afterwards. Later, reaching 200 Grahams on Lamachan Hill was very satisfying, especially as the predicted worst weather, in the history of weather, did not reach Galloway. We also did a big north-to-south traverse of the Rhinns of Kells, using two cars, and taking in eight New Donalds. Starting from the Green Well of Scotland, it was a bit of a slog up to Corran of Portmark, but after that we were eating up the miles like custard creams before eventually, eight hours later, dropping down to the Southern Upland Way at Craigencallie. I managed to squeeze in another few days in early October to do five of the rough and heavily forested Grahams in the Hell's Glen/Lochgoilhead area.
This leaves 17 Grahams to do, and having got to 800 Marilyns on Norman's Law in late August, the Upper Hall should be in range in the next two years - hopefully with my own hips. The pursuit of these hills brings a sense of admiration for all those who have already sweated, puffed and slogged their way through the RHB list. All in all a good year, in good company, on the remote, the awkward, the stunning and the half-hour classics. And, just when I thought I had been to most of the best views in Scotland, I discover that there are many, many more.
It is not just the beautiful we seek. The tremendous draws us irresistibly.
