Saturday the tenth of October 2015 was a big day for me. Three and a half years after reaching the summit of Ben Macdui I had made it to my fiftieth munro – Meall Buidhe in Glen Lyon. Back in the Cairngorms in 2012, at the start of my journey, I had no idea what a munro was. I was participating in a winter mountaineering course and was really interested in climbs rather than summits. We were walking from the Aviemore ski centre over to the Hutchinson Memorial Hut, which was to serve as a base for climbing in the Loch Avon basin the following day. Our objective was Castlegates gully. I accorded no real significance to the ‘top’ of Cairn Lochan or the ‘munro’ of Ben Macdui that we passed en route to the bothy. In retrospect it brings a smile to my face to think that I climbed my first munro almost by accident. Later that year though, my Dad bought me a book on the munros and almost immediately I began to think about the long term goal of climbing all of them.
Castlegates Gully, February 2012, I had climbed my first munro (Ben Macdui) the day before without even realising it.
Living over four hundred miles from Fort William it was clear from the start that this would be a long journey. However, over the course of 2014 and 2015 I started to establish something of a routine. Leaving work on a Thursday evening and jumping aboard the train to London City Airport I can pick up a rental car at Glasgow before 9pm and be resting my head at a B&B in Crianlarich before 11pm, leaving Friday and Saturday for walking. Inevitably, most of my first fifty have been south of the Great Glen, though I’ve been fortunate to climb all of the Skye munros over two separate trips to that enchanted island. I’ve also admired the north face of Ben Nevis in winter from the summit of Carn Mor Dearg. Sadly I was unable to make it onto the ridge and over to the Ben itself after injury of my companion that day forced a retreat. Having seen the impressive north face, an ascent via Tower Ridge is high on my list and the CMD ridge itself may have to wait until my munros are completed.
Over my first two years of ‘bagging’ my navigation and general hill skills have improved considerably. Sometimes I have walked alone in quite testing conditions. The satisfaction that comes from safely guiding oneself up and down a mountain in hard weather and poor visibility is immense. Walking with others is an equal pleasure though and I have been lucky to meet some great people who share an enthusiasm for the hills. I have also benefited greatly from the experience and knowledge of Max Hunter (on winter days and rock climbs near Fort William) and Paddy McGuire (on the Cuillin) to the point where I now feel confident alone in winter conditions or on a summer scramble. I am also indebted to Robin Thomas, my guide on the Martin Moran winter mountaineering course in 2012 that first introduced me to the munros.
On my way to number 50 in Glen Lyon, October 2015
Recently pouring over my munro chart I wondered how long it would take me to climb the next fifty. It’s silly really but for a committed peak bagger, it sometimes feels as if only the numbers matter. The numbers game means that baggers can occasionally find themselves climbing hills that don’t always seems worth the effort. Fine though my fiftieth munro was, Meall Buidhe is a pretty uninspiring mountain compared to some of its neighbours. Were it not a munro, it would surely see much less traffic. Still, I’ve set myself the goal now so there is little point in grumbling about the less interesting hills on the list. As I move forwards I have to make sure that I strike a balance between the bog trots and the classic, rockier routes. Besides, even on a rainy day, squelching in bog, there is pleasure to be had in simply being out in the open and so close to nature. Even when the clag is down there are the sounds of the hill to enjoy, whether it be the howl of the wind, the call of a grouse or ptarmigan or bleating of a sheep.
Soon after I began climbing munros I started to make more frequent visits to Wales as well. The mountains of Wales provide an interesting counterpoint to their Scottish cousins and have become a ‘second front’ in my peak bagging campaign. The Ogwen valley is now familiar territory to me and the sight of Tryfan rising like a sentinel at the head of the valley stirs me just as much as that feeling you get (rain or shine) as you drive along the A82 into Glencoe. When I think of those wonderful views I realise that even for peak baggers, it isn’t really about the numbers at all. I just love being in the hills and for me (as I suspect is the case for most baggers) the list just provides a convenient framework that probably gets us into the hills more frequently than might otherwise be the case. A non list ticker might never bother with Allt Lwyd, an obscure Nuttall at the eastern end of the Brecon Beacons. But thanks to Allt Lwyd I was gifted the most amazing day in the Beacons recently, providing me with views of a snow capped Pen y Fan that will rest in the memory for a long time.
Brecon Beacons, December 2015
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