Perhaps the ascending of hills and mountains has more written about it than other outdoor activities?
I have an old 1914 copy of a book, Walks and scrambles in the Highlands, of the holiday ascents and journeys made by Arthur L Bagley. Nothing much is said about the gentleman in the book but I guess he must have been a man who held down a job in the city. Definitely not a schoolteacher since he had limited holidays and obviously tied to make the best use of his days in Scotland.
He seemed to climb alone and did not, as he says, have nailed boots.
I think that there was a rudimentary list of some of the Scottish hills from around the early 1890's but it was not until 1921 when the first organised list came into print.
He was drawn to Skye where several tops were visited but there was also some more interesting things done...Sgurr nan Gillean by the Pinnacles, Elgol to Glen Brittle over the Dubhs, Clach Glas and Blaven traverse and getting himself onto the Cioch. Many other areas containing some of our celebrated Munros were included in his holiday adventures.
Being alone he appears to have had many problems in awkward situations to overcome. I must confess that his dilemma at the third Pinnacle on Gillean I overcame on two occasions with the use of rope for an abseil.
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- His description of the Pinnacle Ridge in part.
Later in the passage Gillean was reached and he descended via the West Ridge to complete the exciting part of his day out in the hills.
