Scottish Mountaineering
The North and West of Scotland are the most mountainous regions of the UK. Although small by world standards, the rough going and tremendously variable (often wet!) weather offer fantastic challenges.
Most of my activity in the last few years has revolved around completing the "Munros" - a list of 282 Scottish mountains higher than 3000 feet. I "compleated" in August 2009 on Ben Hope, becoming the 4397th person to do so, according to the Scottish Mountaineering Club . I have now also finished the 222 Scottish "Corbetts" - hills between 2500 and 3000 feet, becoming the 739th person to do so.
Wild Camping
Current legislation offers the right to camp anywhere on open land in Scotland providing you are away from dwellings and the road. I take advantage of this to take a small tent to many remote and beautiful spots. In the last few years I have camped in Gleann Dubh Lighe (see above), Knoydart, Glen Carron, Atholl Forest, Glen Etive, Glen Lyon and the Monadhliath. I have backpacked over the Galloway Corbetts, (May 2011) the Fisherfield Wilderness and (July 2011) the Cairngorms (including a camp on the summit of Ben Macdui), Glen Affric and many others.
Mountain Bothies
An alternative to camping that I often use, especially in winter, are a network of open shelters or "bothies" (usually stone-built ex-shepherds cottages). These can offer welcome respite from foul weather in remote locations, though they have NO facilities. Many of these are maintained by the Mountain Bothies Association . Recent examples were a January 2011 round of the Assynt Corbetts, using the Suileag and Glendhu bothies and a January 2012 walk from Glenfinnan to Inverie in Knoydart via the Corryhully, A'Chuil and Sourlies bothies. This January (2016) a friend and I walked around the north of the Isle of Jura.