I visited lots of wonderful places in 2012 and my main objective was to complete the Grahams. I achieved that on 11 August on Meith Bheinn. I had caught the train to Glenfinnan the previous evening, climbed Glas-charn and camped under it, then walked to Meith Bheinn, via An Stac, then fought my way back up to my camp. This really is a superb piece of wilderness, though the walk is brutal, due to going across the grain of the country, the near complete absence of paths, the vegetation, and the warm sunshine. A bonus when I walked out on the Sunday was arriving at Glenfinnan in time to see the Jacobite steam excursion hauled by the mighty Great Marquess.
In May, despairing of Carbisdale Castle YH ever reopening, I had a great week at the five-star Sleeperzzz bunkhouse at Rogart, while finishing off regions 16 and 15. I had sixty minutes of blizzard on Carn Salachaidh, but one benefit of the prevailing northerlies was that there was good snow cover above 2000ft, so that when I did Ben Stack, which has a lovely narrow ridge and a superb even narrower summit, the views of Arkle were very photogenic. Ben Stack is one of the top five Grahams.
For my main summer holiday in June, I was based at the OK Ledgowan Lodge bunkhouse at Achnasheen. Sadly, Carn Breac and Beinn na Feusaige, with their excellent views towards Torridon, Fisherfield etc are about to be ruined by wind farms.
The second week was the highlight of the year. I flew to Benbecula, and then used the wonderful network of school-related buses to get me round the Grahams and a few sub 2000ft tops as well. On my first evening I was able to get up and down Tirga Mor and Oreval, with St Kilda clear to the west, before I camped. Using the buses I did Uisgnaval Mor the following day and headed via the Gatliff Trust hostel on Berneray to Howmore on South Uist. There I did the ridge from Hecla to Beinn Mhor. Hecla was my 778th Marilyn, i.e. past halfway, downhill all the way. Again the views and shapes of the landscape were absolutely stunning, and Howmore is another excellent hostel.
On the way back I left Benbecula at 16:40 and walked through the door of my flat in the West End of Glasgow at 17:45. I would strongly recommend flying and using the bus and ferry network, especially during term time. I will certainly be back for more.
Side Pike from Lingmoor Fell, Langdale (photo: Jim Fothergill)
The hills I did after my Graham completion were an anti-climax. I had a week in the Ponds, based at Langdale YH, but found the hills small and busy, and the weather was awful. Also car parking was extortionate. St Sunday Crag, Fairfield and Seat Sandal made a pleasant morning's stroll on my way back to Glasgow.
I used the Glasgow September Bank Holiday to finally visit the Isle of Man. Again I flew there in forty minutes from Glasgow, and hired a car. It would be quite feasible to do all five Marilyns in a day, as there are morning and evening flights to many UK destinations. If there had not been a car rally on, I could have done airport back to airport in six hours. Snaefell is a tip, but Bradda Hill near Port Erin was pleasant. I stayed at the good King William College dormitory, at the end of the runway at Ronaldsway.
The year ended with hills ruined by the wind farm cancer which is going to kill hillwalking in Britain unless it can be checked. The Scottish government can find no detrimental effect on tourism from wind farms, but the view from Ben Cruachan to the south is now ruined. Also if anyone can tell me they enjoy Steele's Knowe, aka the cynically named Green Knowes wind farm, south-east of Auchterarder, or the even worse Corse Hill, aka Whitelee wind farm, just south of Glasgow, please see a doctor.
Fortunately the Ferranti Mountaineering Club have a carbon-neutral anti-wind farm group which is trying to put the policy into reverse, though all Marhoffers should join in the fight, otherwise it will be the relative holes of Britain for all of us.
