2007 was a year for being patient, in both senses of the word. Firstly, I had to wait till late May for the major heart operation I had expected in February. Then there were three months of convalescence when no hills could be climbed, but I was consoled by the lack of temptation due to the worst summer in years. The final four months were a period of gradual recovery, culminating in my annual visit to Ben Wyvis, on a superb day above the clouds the week before Christmas.
It was a year when I was glad of small hills. Despite the difficulties, I managed to add more Marilyns to my total than I had the year before. An early highlight on a lovely snowy February day was Bidein Clann Raonaild (13B), which gave a magnificent panorama of the Torridon giants.
Torridon from Bidein Clann Raonaild (photo: Andrew Fraser)
A return to Ardnamurchan allowed a long-overdue ascent of Beinn Hiant and Beinn na Seilg, which six months later was complemented by the most easterly Scottish mainland Marilyn, Waughton Hill (21B). A holiday in the remote south in September created the chance to add seven to my English total from Somerset, Dorset and the Isle of Wight. I was struck by how easy these southern English Marilyns are compared to my usual hills in northern Scotland, but grateful too, given my circumstances. Easily the most unpleasant hill of the year was Knockan (21A) from the south-east, which despite the absence of massed conifers could almost be classed 'a wee shite', so rough is the terrain. The main disappointment of the year was that I failed to add to my Graham total, though I did manage a repeat of the 692m Beinn Tharsuinn on the penultimate day of the year. (AD: As I recall, Knockan is the original wee shite; a description first used by Helen Maclaren and since adopted more widely.)
