Cracking Ben Cruachan: one of the finest peaks in the Southern Highlands

February 11, 2026 Trip reports ben cruachan, britain, glen awe, hill walking, munros, scotland, stob daimh 0 Comment

We saved the best walk for the best day. Edita and I had spied Ben Cruachan’s airy summit and hair-raising summit ridge from the top of Ben O’Cockle two days earlier. I could also see from the map that the walk across its top and that of its companion Munro Stob Daimh featured an enormous ridge.

Ben Lui: the finest peak in the Southern Highlands (my arse)

January 28, 2026 Trip reports ben a chleibh, ben lui, britain, glen lochy, hill walking, munros, scotland 4 Comments

A short distance east of our previous day’s Munros lay Ben Lui, a mountain considered by many to be the finest peak in the Southern Highlands. I once took a photo of it from the north-east, rising majestically like a marble throne above arctic tundra. From that moment I wanted climb it. But would it live up to the promise?

Beinn a’ Chochuill and Beinn Eunaich: fowling our way up the hooded peak

January 21, 2026 Trip reports beinn a chochuill, beinn eunaich, britain, glen awe, hill walking, munros, scotland 0 Comment

It was the fifth year in a row that Edita and I would be spending the Christmas period in Scotland trying to get up some hills, and our expectations weren’t high. Icy blizzards, deep snow, freezing fog and murderous summit winds had been our usual fare for the previous four. Would this year be any different?

The Doctor and the Apprentice: the Jeeves and Wooster of mountaineering literature

February 26, 2025 Reviews and tributes book reviews, geoff dutton, ken wilson, mountain literature, mountain rescue, mountaineering ethics, scotland, scottish highlands, the ascent of rum doodle 2 Comments

A few years ago on this blog, I posed the question Where are the humorous mountaineering books?. Towards the end of last year, I discovered a hidden gem of witty mountaineering literature quite by chance: a collection of whimsical short stories that I believe would have had P.G. Wodehouse chuckling appreciatively.

Why xenon and the noble gases have a noble mountaineering pedigree

February 12, 2025 History acclimatisation, albert mummery, alexander kellas, cuillin ridge, everest, furtenbach adventures, himalayas, inaccessible pinnacle, isle of skye, john mackenzie, nanga parbat, norman collie, scotland, sgurr alasdair, sgurr nan gillean 0 Comment

There’s been some controversy in mountaineering circles about the noble gas xenon after mountaineering operator Furtenbach Adventures announced that they’ll be offering it to their Everest clients. It’s entirely appropriate that somebody has got around to using a noble gas to aid in mountaineering, for reasons I will explain.

Christmas in Glen Coe III: the Hillwalk Terminator

January 15, 2025 Trip reports aonach eagach, beinn a bheithir, britain, glen coe, hill walking, meall dearg, munros, scotland 5 Comments

It was the third year in a row that we’d chosen to spend Christmas in Glencoe in the hope of bagging some winter hills. But, as we’ve discovered, hoping for good weather in Glencoe over Christmas is a forlorn hope. Still, you’ve got to put your chin up and get on with it. With an unpromising weather forecast, would we manage get up any Munros?

Why The Salt Path is one of the great books about long-distance hiking

August 7, 2024 Reviews and tributes britain, cape wrath trail, iceland, laugavegur trail, long-distance trails, raynor winn, scotland, south west coast path, travel writing

I don’t often read Sunday Times bestsellers, but this year I read three in quick succession, all by the same author, including one that has struck a chord with so many people over the last five years that it has transcended its niche and broken into the mainstream. The book in question is The Salt Path by Raynor Winn.

Is this the world’s most expensive boat trip? Climbing the Mullardoch Munros

July 24, 2024 Trip reports boat trips, britain, hill walking, munro bagging, munros, peak bagging, scotland 3 Comments

We left the longest walk of the trip until the second week, when we hoped to be more mountain fit. Even so, when we stood on the summit of Toll Creagach and looked across Loch Mullardoch to its four associated Munros (the ‘Mullardoch Munros’), we could see quite clearly that it was going to be a loooong day.

Peaks and pine forests: exploring the Glen Affric Munros

June 12, 2024 Trip reports affric kintail way, britain, glen affric, hill walking, munro bagging, munros, scotland 1 Comment

There are quite a few Scottish glens (or valleys) that get described as ‘the most beautiful in Scotland’. Obviously, they can’t all be, but Glen Affric is certainly up there among the best. There are 16 Munros in the surrounding area. Our plan was to climb as many as we could in two weeks.

At long last, a guidebook to cycling Scotland’s North Coast 500

March 20, 2024 Reviews and tributes britain, cicerone guides, cycling, feet and wheels to chimborazo, north coast 500, scotland 2 Comments

Back in 2017 when Edita and I cycled the NC500, there wasn’t much information available and almost all of it was aimed at people with a vehicle. Imagine my delight when I was contacted by Cicerone’s marketing team asking me if I’d like them to send me a copy of their new guidebook.

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