2002 Hogmanay, based in a cottage at Tarbet (Arrochar), was blessed with snow and cold. With at least five Munroists in the party, including Stewart Logan, Charles Knowles and myself, the average age was about 100, but activity was 100%, ranging from Loch Lomond to Bute, some of which was duly reported in the January 2003 Scots Magazine. For the rest of the year I seem to have played yo-yos: wintry Kerrera and hills south of Oban being followed by snowy Tap o'Noth, The Bochel and other Moray/Nairn ticks, while in the autumn successive 'dates' in Galloway and Aberdeen allowed bagging, off hours, on Solway hills and a clutch of Dees and Dons -a cycle often helping out. March to June was spent in Morocco, and too much of the summer passed being frustrated for photographic commitments up and down the Glen Coe road or the A9. A friend's last Munro bash on Ciste Dhubh (Cluanie) gave a deluge day. (Out of six such I've only had one that gave brilliant weather.)
The new SMT Corbetts book took away rather many walking days over the last year; repeating them lingers at about 50, but the resolution for 2003 is to make the 1000 up on Dawson's list, which should be aided by a twelve-day raid south, visiting people with rally-cross/hill-bagging between. I mean to say, I'll be on sheet 137. What a start Sassenachs get!
December gave a bonus when business took me to Milton Keynes and Cambridge, so I had interesting Bardon Hill en passant, going down, and the wimping Wolds returning. (Nobody told me the Humber Bridge cost £3.50. Wicked.) The trio of Cleveland hills were good; the van, perched high, had silver stars overhead and gold ones spread below. Magic. Naturally I crossed the transporter bridge, as seen in Billy Elliot. You can't often complete a Dawson section in two days. Maybe I should do more in England, but when a two-hour drive from home takes me beyond the Great Glen I tend to forget that idea. What a start the Scots enjoy!
And the gloat of the year? My local library once had all UK 1:50000 maps (and not old ones either), but having had the Scottish ones surfaced and adding the 1:25000, more space was needed and the complete English and Welsh 1:50000 maps went into the basement. I seemed to be the only person who kept on asking for them (photocopying what I might do) and eventually I said if they'd like rid of the maps I'd happily buy them, if the price was reasonable. No response. Two months later a phone call. They'd sell. Would it be asking too much to ask £50?
Mochrum Fell summit (photo: Richard Webb)
Mochrum Fell (27C) keeps cropping up. 'Wind-throw no longer a problem' in the last Marhofn is simply not true. In November 02 I looked into as big an area of devastation as I've ever seen, but the hill is reasonably open woodland and straightforward enough, starting from Mochrum. The great mossy beeches deserved Lord of the Rings status.
Woodhead Hill (27C), same day, was another matter, the Landranger being inadequate and my older 1:25000 map moving to the fiction shelves. Just beyond Lochaber View (sic) a mountain-bike trail zigzags up open woodland but then bears off, so I had a bit of a thrutch to skirt left and then in for the summit (summit or other) - another bike trail. Following this down was devious, with endless zigzags, ending back at Lochaber View at dusk. (The day had started on Craigenveoch.) But I like such escapades. You don't just follow a path as you do on Munros.
Bainloch Hill (27C). At the elbow above Laggan there are caravans etc (foresters); any significance I wonder? I cut up onto Fairgirth Hill crest and as nasty a jungle mix as anywhere. Following the wall helped a bit but has anybody found an easy way up Painbotched hill?
Bengairn (27C). Room for a car at NX790523 and woods pleasant, till the end where pheasant breeding and cows have made the track for 500 metres beyond into revolting goo. Great hill though. Looks just like Ben Vrackie (from the south). What is the thing like wigwam poles, without any cover, over on the south-east end of Screel Hill? Screel (related to Sgritheall?) was like an ant-heap (Sunday) yet nobody else was on Bengairn.
Cruach nan Cuilean (19C) from the 149m spot height on the road above Loch Striven was a surprisingly tough wee hill in a dusting of snow. Deserves a pipe tune: 'Wi a hundred knobbles an aw an aw'. But then Cruach just means lump and Argyll specialises in cruachs; be warned!
Ben Bowie (1E) must rate (like Ben Lora) as a rather special panoramic viewpoint. No tree problems if one simply wanders up from the Arden-Helensburgh road outside the forest. Wellies recommended between January and December.
Beinn Mhor (9A) was another serendipity viewpoint, coinciding with the big end-of-October snowfall. I parked at the tarmac end in Glen Beg. No driving further anyway, as the bridge had collapsed in a recent spate. Non-conifer woodlands a pleasant change. The view to the 'gorms was astonishing so I drove round and up to Dreggie later (Rinnes like a white shark's fin). A combining circuit from Granton would be worthwhile, or some fiddling with two cars. Easy hill, big reward. Always, always the discovery element is the delight of doing Dawsons.
