




As my first report in my shiny new account I thought I’d make this one public and share my ‘story’, more as general interest than a specific trip report as Gill’s got that covered

Realising my growing teenage boys no longer needed/wanted me to be a part of everything that they did (that was my choice in raising them – almost all my hobbies were theirs), I found myself looking for new interests. I tried a few things including bungee jumping and water skiing, but walking and the outdoors were always a big pull for me. So I asked work colleagues if I could join them on their next hill walk, thinking I was fairly fit through all my exercise classes and power walking. However 2 days before the planned walk I was whipped in to hospital for a minor op under general anaesthetic


Saturday 10th Sept 2011 – fipriestley’s first Munro (after much encouragement, given my cries of ‘go on without me’ and ‘get me on the way back’, and worries about bursting stitches!) was Beinn Tulaichean closely followed by Cruach Ardrain in the clag, high winds and driving rain! Here I realised that being generally fit just isn’t the same as being hill fit. Yet when we got back down to the landrover track I was ready for powerwalking again



Always up for a challenge, rather than putting me off completely, this walk made me so focussed and determined to become hill fit that it was almost 3 months later before I missed just one week in the hills! With the changes in my job my whole work-life balance shifted and I was fortunate to have very knowledgeable walking companions who were happy to let me tag along and learn from them


Meanwhile my confidence was building – I joined in with a walk organised by WH member Scoob, despite my son’s warnings about ‘lone female heads off to meet group of strangers in remote location’

I continued to walk every week, sometimes on my own and sometimes with others and began building up some pretty tough routes e.g. Glen Lyon 4+1 and Forcan-SGS Ridges in prep for my fundraising 45-miler from Forres to Cairngorm (followed by brilliant week off!)
Scoob had also been building up his own bigger, tougher routes e.g. all 9 Fannichs leading to his 3 Bens Challenge which happened to be on the weekend of my first WH meet, in Braemar. We’d kept in touch since first meeting but always about hills really. With only a brief chat in the passing at this meet we arranged to walk the following week to catch up… and so began the adventures of Scoob and Fi, including our Compleation where Scoob proposed, and 2 years later we’re now the second couple to marry after meeting through Walk Highlands!



So there we have it… very therapeutic, hill walking means all things to all people but I believe we all have to find our own reasons e.g. ‘it’s not a race’, or ‘you have to go back for the views’… don’t listen!! Decide for yourself

By walking in the hills every week I have seen some amazing scenery, overcome physical challenges, pushed out my comfort zone, built up even more confidence and belief in my instincts, become even more at peace with my own company and inner voice, learned to trust my own abilities more (bring on the river crossings!




