My aim of doing my last 25 Grahams in fine weather didn't happen. Surely I'll be in the right place at the right time to do the last ten this year. Apart from the first week in May and the month of September, the weather was mince, so my Marilyn bagging was done where the weather dictated. I do like my view from the top. This tactic took me to some new areas of Scotland that I hadn't yet explored, so my total of new hills increased surprisingly well. Hopefully I'll avoid being mentioned in the Excuse Annex this year.
I had a quick look back at hills climbed during the year and attempted assigning some to categories. Ended up with a high number of 'favourites', quite a few in the 'wet' category, but none down as 'dull'. The weather suffered over the year might be partly responsible, adding spice to even the worst hills. Or it could be selective memory loss. The least inspiring hill of the year was probably Carn Glas-choire (9A) but even this had some interest (other than the view of the Cairngorms across Strathspey). I've obviously come across the variety of bog where the ground behaves like a water-bed, but never on a slope before, nor so close to a summit.
The high spots of the year didn't involve climbing new (UK) Marilyns - am I allowed to admit this? My first big hills of the year were Rigi and Pilatus (Switzerland) in late January - snow, sun and dramatic views. First Marilyn came a week later and provided a dramatic contrast: The Wolds. Gales and left-over notices from FMD added a bit of spice to the 'ascent'. I had to wait until August for really good days in the UK: on the Cuillin ridge and a day doing all the Mamores. Who says the Munros are crowded? On average I met one person per Munro, on an accessible set of hills not really affected by stalking. Come September and a trip to Ireland, fortunately timed to coincide with good weather on Lugnaquillia. Particularly pleased with this having failed to reach the top on successive days a few years ago.
My favourite hills from the year were either those of fairly obvious appeal (Askival, Trallval, Todun, Ben Tianavaig) or those which provided pleasant surprises, e.g. access actively encouraged, cracking views, scrambling possibilities. Examples include 'S Airde Beinn (17E), Beinn Lora (3B), Beinn Corradail (24C), Carn Daimh and Ben Newe (21A). Largo Law would qualify too if it had more than a single access corridor.
No major access problems to report (other than St Kilda) but I avoided confrontation by adopting very early starts for the likes of Myarth and Carnmenellis - pre-dawn for the latter. Timed a visit to Mynydd Eppynt to coincide with a Six Nations rugby weekend (Wales playing at home). Cruach Lerags near Oban provided unexpected problems: the track shown approaching from NM837276 had a 'Private - keep out' sign but the owner of the campsite down the road (where I was staying) had no objection to me running up the hillside behind the site, though he questioned my sanity.
The weather between May and mid-August obviously resulted in a few soakings. The first was on Creag a'Mhadaidh (5A), when the thunderstorm which had been brewing for much of the afternoon finally rolled in just as I approached the top. Unexpectedly it moved on, so I was treated to the sight of the hill steaming in the sun which followed. Cnap Cruinn (4A) provided no such relief, just relentless heavy rain. But having got very bored with festering in Nevisport, I needed to do something positive. Galloway, mid-July, and a day which, other than for the green hue to the mist, could easily have been mistaken for a winter's day. Lowly, humble, Pibble Hill provided the second-worst soaking of the year. The worst of all was coming off Bidean: approaching from Beinn Maol Chaluim (interesting scramble), the cloud which had been gently drifting and building round the hills suddenly started to shoot upwards. Crossing the swollen Allt Lairig Eilde on the way off the hill proved chilly but didn't noticeably make me feel any wetter.
Most restricted view: toss up between Cademuir Hill (28B) and Hill of the Wangie (9A).
Most surreal experience: tracking down the Bedfordshire county top less than a week after that day on Bidean.
My most notable Marilyn day of the year was an end-to-end traverse of the three highest in South Uist (Hecla, Beinn Corradail and Beinn Mhor) followed by an 18-mile cycle ride back at the end of the day. Despite the modest height of these mountains, the walk included a little of everything that epitomises the Scottish mountains - waist-deep heather with hidden holes, coastal and island views, traverses across impossibly steep grass, long descents to deep bealachs, and a fine rocky ridge to finish.
A number of encounters of the Get-On-My-Land variety during the year:
A pleasant return to more normal times after 2001, with widespread trips throughout the year.
A long-overdue trip to the Isle of Man started things in March after more than 30 years of prevarication. Even delays with the ferry failed to dampen spirits (toxic gases from old Victorian sewers in Douglas near the ferry terminal). Weather was moderate but still enjoyable days, although the best was probably on North Barrule, a non-Marilyn. Snaefell was a bit eerie with buildings and transmission masts looming out of the mist in the last few yards.
A damp trip in May for the Cowal and Luss Grahams was followed with a trip to the north with changeable but cool weather in June, the highlights being a good clear day on the peninsula between the Loch Brooms. Beinn a'Chearcaill (13A) was also far more rewarding than its modest height suggests; tremendous views all round, especially Beinn Eighe's northern corries. The huge summit rock plinth was also a very impressive situation.
A third raid north of the border in August again met with disappointing weather. The exception was a day in Strathfarrar with the Muices and the round of Loch Toll a'Mhuic - marvellous situations without another walker all day, even on the Munro.
Weather improved on the way south and I managed a fine day for The Cobbler proper, having avoided the summit rocks on a windy day about 20 years ago when concentrating on the Munros, and having turned a blind eye ever since. Nowhere near as bad as anticipated, in fact I almost enjoyed the final scramble. Only Meall na Fearna left to complete the Corbetts; the first list of hills I'll have managed (except for the Welsh Hewitts), assuming I make it.
September saw excellent weather for the Shropshire hills and the Welsh borders. Again some very enjoyable lower hills, including the summit rocks of Stiperstones and Caer Caradoc Hill.
Finding the trig point amongst the vegetation on Burton Hill (38B) was the easy bit. The highest point was a silly walk through knee-deep brambles; difficult to decide the actual location but the GPS readings bracketed the grid reference. Give me The Cobbler any day.
Struck lucky in north Wales judging from previous Marhofn reports, as I only had one full day (a Sunday) but managed a trip to Bardsey Island for Mynydd Enlli in perfect conditions. The summit's a great situation with views from Holy Island to St David's Head, although little seabird life in September.
The rest of the year was spent with the usual re-ascents of the Cumbrian hills. Coniston Old Man now past the 100 mark and Helvellyn into the nervous nineties; pity they only count once as a Marilyn.
Now deep in planning mode for the year ahead - nearly as enjoyable as the trips themselves and about as time-consuming.
Seven fewer Marilyns than last year. The overall trend is downwards since a high in 1997 when we were sailing in Scotland. Enthusiasm still there but new hills get further from home and we have been in foreign waters for the past two summers.
Did not make a start until March when I gathered in nine east of the Brecon Beacons. It seemed to be a lot of dashes from the car in very wet weather, but reading the diary reveals that strong winds were more of a feature than rain.
Week before Easter we were with relatives near Aberdeen. Last year Helen McLaren reported a noisy bull on Turin Hill. We had a bullock dragging a large metal calf-feeding unit round a field. It had succeeded in getting in and had to fight its way out. Tap o'Noth made for a good multi-generation outing, as did a repeat ascent of Lochnagar.
Camping trip to Scotland again in May, with closet bagger Jean (she doesn't record closets visited, but she doesn't record tickable hills either) turned into a bunkhouse bonanza. Nine Marilyns, most of them Munros, in five days using train, a couple of lifts and our own two feet. Tulloch bunkhouse / hostel highly recommended.
The next week on my own in very mixed weather yielded another eleven ranging from Meall a'Bhuiridh and Creise to lesser things towards Mallaig. Reached the halfway point on Carn a'Ghobhair (10D). Crawling under dense rhodos on a precipice below Sgurr na Dubh-chreige and above the small loch to the west, I wondered how a mountain rescue team might extract me if I broke a leg and the SARDA dog managed to find me. Shortcuts have their perils. Summer lay-off followed, sailing in Sweden and Finland.
The Duke of Westminster's access corridor led me to Ward's Stone in Bowland on my way to Scotland in September. Ten wet days in the Oban area with below-average energy levels brought another ten. Good day on Beinn a'Chochuill and Beinn Eunaich restored my belief that I might yet finish the Munros. Got mistaken for a down-and-out while drying my tent under the colonnade outside Tesco in Oban. Manageress bustled out to move me on.
Long weekend in November added Drygarn Fawr (31C). New Year saw us back in the Builth Wells area. The open artillery ranges enabled modest Mynydd Eppynt and lots of trigs to be visited in safety. It was damp and grey on Carneddau on the afternoon of new year's eve. Chap dashing up ahead had to be a Marilyn bagger. It was Chris Peart from Frome. A cheering end to the year even if I was three short of 800. That significant number had to wait until the next day.
Alan Dawson adds: I was on Carneddau on 1 January. Would have been a day earlier if I'd known. Pity about that.
To announce plans in advance when not necessary is always an error. Last year we declared a target for 2002 was to bag the top ten Corbetts, all new to us. Fortunately we qualified that with 'or as many of them as we can'. That proved to be just one - Leum Uilleim from Corrour. All the same a good year again, with over 100 days out on the hill. Inevitably Scotland proved to be the most productive bagging ground, but a fair few ascents were made in England too. Wales hardly featured with only a handful of new Marilyns.
The first Scottish trip of the year brought some fine weather in the Rannoch/Tummel glen, where we managed to wipe out all but one of the remaining Marilyns. On Mull the weather took its revenge and we were blown about and doused on nearly every day out. Having said that the weather was the best we've ever had on the island - a measure of how poor things have been on previous visits. From Mull we moved to Arisaig. In the last few years a fair bit of time has been spent in region 18 and section 10D - hills sadly neglected during the Munro-bagging days. Concentrating on the lower Marilyns of the Morar area we had the best of the conditions, as Corbetts to the east were generally well clouded and showered. What a splendid collection of hills these are; rampantly steep and aggressively rugged, they gave us superb walking and views, especially out west to the islands. We had an unusual meeting with an Edinburgh-based group of Spaniards as we made a non-residing visit to Peanmeanach bothy beyond Cruach Doir'an Raoigh.
Surely the two best days of the year were both non-bagging Munro days on club meets. Stob Ghabhar in May and the pinnacles of An Teallach in June, both days were exquisite. The An Teallach outing was from a base at Poolewe when we had the best run of good weather days in the north-west Highlands for some years.
August saw our wettest ever Alpine trip - hutting on and around the Gross Venediger in Austria - and a thin month for Marilyns, though Sighty Crag gave us one of the most tedious and wearying bags of the year.
A hefty load of snow at the end of October made our week near to Spean Bridge interesting; several Grahams and one of the Glen Roy Carn Deargs claimed then.
Some late-year mopping-up of mid-north English Marilyns plus a few gathered earlier takes us to having very few English ones within easy range of home. Sue reckons we need a jaunt down to the south; easy pickings that way but it's hard to contemplate - 300 miles south would have us in Kent, 300 miles north would mean Glen Affric or Glen Shiel.
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