What I've loved about the Marilyns is the opportunity to bag some smaller peaks as my family have grown up. With only 29 Munros to go, I'm still being side-tracked by the fantastic Hebridean hills. This year was no exception, having climbed Meall nan Eun (surviving the bulls on the way back), on the way to the Western Isles. We climbed a fantastic hill in South Uist, Roineabhal, right on the southern tip overlooking Eriskay. We asked a retired English couple if we could go through part of their garden to access the beach, and they recommended walking the beach as far as possible before climbing up the hill. There we are, how about that? A tip for the top from people who aren't even Marilyn baggers. It was an absolute delight, much better than slogging through loads of long wet grass and heather, which I'd originally planned. It kept the kids more amused, and they loved cliff jumping onto the soft sand on the way back. The views across to Eriskay and Barra were stunning, which made up for the gale-force winds, making it difficult for my usual pedantic searches for the actual highest point.
The highlight of the year was undoubtedly Eaval on North Uist. I'd done four of the seven North Uist Marilyns on previous trips, and North and South Lee will have to wait, but this hill has got to be the best I've ever done anywhere, never mind in the Outer Hebrides. Yes, I've done Clisham, Suilven, A'Mhaighdean and Beinn Sgritheall and all the Cuillins, with arguably some of the best views. But Eaval would definitely get my vote for 'best view in Britain'. We climbed it on a perfect day; blue skies, crystal clear, no clouds and warm. Less than 350m high, but a remote walk via some tricky tidal stepping stones, skirting a lochan over the purple heathery moorland, near gorgeous seascapes, and ascending steep tussocky slopes to a rocky summit vista with thousands of lochans spread beneath our feet. Near the summit the cliffs fall away almost vertically, offering a fantastic platform for spectacular shots of the unbelievable landscape / waterscape, with views across to Harris, Skye, the rest of the Uists and, most impressively, St Kilda out to the west.
Eaval from the north (photo: Phil Dant)
Another great walk was up Beinn Tangabhal on Barra, again with excellent views, this time of all the uninhabited islands just south of Barra. On the ferry back home we bumped into 'island man' Andy Strangeway. He's been on television and in the newspapers. He is the first man to have slept on all 162 Scottish islands over a certain number of hectares. It was great talking to him, and I'm looking forward to getting his book when it comes out. Other highlights of the year:
Another contender for a wee gem is Moidart's Beinn Bhreac, also climbed on a perfect day in May. A top ten view definitely.
