A bright autumnal round including the Corbett Monamenach accessed from Loch Beanie and return via a high ring of hills with sunny views across the Grampians.

A four day backpack from Killin to Kingussie taking in the Lawers range, Glen Lyon, Loch Rannoch and the Gaick Hills with three wild camps along the way

“These rivers of suggestion are driving me away.
The ocean sang, the conversation's dimmed
Go build yourself another dream...”

I’d really wanted to be on the west coast, striding across the mountains of Fisherfield or Affric, but the weather suggested that south and east would be better with the mountains there escaping the worst of low cloud and drizzle. So it was that I pulled out my Munro map and drew a line between a couple of groups of hills that had unclimbed summits nestled amongst them. I found a start point and an end point served by public transport and that was about it for planning. The rest would be down to weather and willingness. In the end I walked around 75 miles in roughly 73 hours and enjoyed some fine walking and camping along the way.

A fantastic day walk taking in the five Munros to the east of the Bridge of Orchy in the West Highlands with views to Rannoch Moor, Glencoe and beyond.

A high level north-south traverse through the Cairngorms taking in the Fiacaill Ridge, Loch Avon and Derry Cairngorm.

Another modified route, this time taking us through the glens of the eastern Cairngorms from Invercauld on Deeside to Corgarff on Donside via Glen Gairn and Loch Builg.

A planned big route in the Cairngorms cut short by high winds above 900m. After a night on the Corbett of Sgor Mor I wandered around Glen Dee in a mixture of sunshine and showers.

A perfect weekend spent at Sandwood Bay in the far north west of Scotland

My birthday has slowly turned into the quest for the perfect barbeque. Previously we've wandered out to Glen Esk or somewhere on Deeside, but more often than not it has been in the kitchen at home, driven back by the usual July weather. This year we inexplicably threw caution to the wind, stepped up our ambitions tenfold and found ourselves putting together a plan for a weekend camping on a beach in the far northwest of Scotland. Surely this would bring out the very worst in the weather. Can you even light a barbeque inside a closed tent?

A first visit to the Lake District sees me walking the Coledale Round taking in ten Wainrights including Grisedale Pike and Grasmoor on a very hot summer's day.

A scramble up the Stuic buttress to reach Lochnagar, returning to Keiloch via some lesser hills to the south of the Ballochbuie forest.

A day hike taking in the Corbett Ben Gulabin above the Spittal of Glenshee and then returning in a loop via the Munro of Carn a'Gheoidh, Loch nan Eun and then Gleann Taitneach.