Having rather belatedly discovered that Troweir Hill has been deleted, our totals dropped in 2015. Frances, however, bagged Moel-y-gest so remains on the same score as the previous year. She had gone to Porthmadog for the day with the intention of hiring a bike but it was no longer possible. Her map helpfully had the Marilyns indicated in pink highlighter, by me, so she had a walk, a sea swim and an ice cream instead.
We did add 11 each to our Irish totals that now stand at 249 and 248. All of these were gained on trips to Mayo and included Mountain Common on Inishturk; with Derreen and Knockmore on Achill Island we completed section 46C. The most notable aspect of these 11 was that most were done in dismal conditions. Mayo has bogs for good reason.
The evening before these words were tapped out we had been to see the latest Star Wars film, our first of the seven in the series. The final scenes show heroine Rey and her starship on a rugged island rising sharply from the sea. Then she climbs a series of steps to find the long-lost Luke Skywalker dressed in monk's habit. The costume is appropriate for this is Great Skellig Island (aka Skellig Michael), inhabited by monks in 600CE. It is also an Irish Marilyn.
2015 saw the passing of our long-time friend Tony Rogers. We had known each other for almost 40 years, having first met at the CHA centre in Borrowdale at new year. For several years in succession this was our only contact, however as we got to know each other better we sometimes met in the summer on Scottish trips. We completed the Munros in the same year but not at the same time. After Tony and Dee relocated to Grasmere, our meetings became more frequent. Inevitably, most of our walking was Lakes-based but we introduced him to northern Irish bog and some of the fine hills that grace the land. He enriched our lives and we have lost a good friend.
Adder-free Croagh Patrick (photo: Peter Wilson)
