Failing to plan is planning to fail...

Some readers might remember that back in the middle of last winter, Gail and I set out for a Sunday walk up a hill named Pressendye, but because Gail is a wimp, or at the very least a bad planner, we ended up turning back before gaining the 2034 ft summit.

You know how humans tend to come out with a torrent of excuses when things go awry? Gail explained our failure on that occasion by variously citing freezing temperatures, snow deeper than anticipated on the high ground, bitter Arctic blasts of wind, lack of human company, not enough food and water, failing light, blah blah blah.

So on Friday, when Gail told me to get ready for a nice long walk, the goal once again being Pressendye, I insisted that she complete a risk mitigation plan, to be approved by myself, to ensure the success of the expedition.

I am delighted to report that this time there was no wimping out and everything went well. Here I am with Gail and then our friend Henry at the summit.




It was quite brave of Henry to wear shorts, but as he lives most of the year in Australia I guess he is accustomed to baring his legs.

Although Pressendye is not a huge hill even by Scottish standards, climbing it does give you a superb panorama of Aberdeenshire, from North Sea to Cairngorm mountains. The whole circular walk was over ten miles and in fact I enjoyed it every inch of the way!