Following my relative dearth of tops in 2006, I've managed a much more respectable total for the year past. They were grouped in three main areas - Sutherland/Caithness, Shetland, and Lewis/Harris. I mopped up the mainland group in May, in the course of a coast-to-coast walk from Ullapool to Helmsdale. I must confess that my route was very far from a straight line and involved every direction on the compass, sometimes on the same day. A sane person would have taken no more than a week to connect the two towns, whereas my convoluted perambulation lasted nearly a fortnight. I had the welcome company of Chris Peart at times, though with his concentration on Grahams our meetings were rather sporadic. He was with me however for two highlights of the crossing; my 1500th Marilyn on Creag Scalabsdale and my last mainland top on Braigh na h-Eaglaise; a pair of somewhat chilly celebrations.
Shetland in August was quite wonderful. My first visit to this northern archipelago certainly won't be my last. The high points were Noss, Foula and Hermaness. It was also cheering to encounter other baggers, in the shape of Charles and Hamish; a chance meeting in Lerwick campsite. I must have been one of the last folk to enjoy the ferry trip across Noss Sound before the health and safety bureaucrats declared it off limits for the summer, though having experienced acrobatics on the rudimentary landing stages, I can't really question their decision. This was an accident waiting to happen.
On the day I was supposed to take the ferry to Fair Isle, the weather intervened to render a sea crossing impossible. My planned leisurely two days on the island was therefore cut to three hours between flights, the only possibility remaining in the short time I had left. Gaining the nineteenth Marilyn ensured a completion of the tops, but I'll need little excuse to return to this magical place.
And finally, the Western Isles. In several past visits I've never been granted tolerable weather; this time proved no different. I backpacked over the Pairc summits in wind and rain, with only Uisinis offering a brief clearance - very disappointing, as I had high hopes for this remote section. The Uig group gave another foul-weather struggle, arduous at the time but satisfying in retrospect. I had to be content with reaching the main island tops; outlying islands such as Taransay and Scarp would have to wait for more benign conditions. My remaining tops are all the inaccessible islands, so will require forward planning and a measure of luck. I anticipate little progress in 2008.
