Of the six classic north faces of the Alps, the Piz Badille is arguably the easiest. The Cassin Route - first ascent in 1937 - gives relatively safe climbing on good rock, largely free of rock fall. It seemed a good place to start.

Typically approached from the Cairnwell Pass, a far better run is to be had by starting at the head of Glen Isla and finishing via Black Hill and Monamenach.

The last Slioch Horseshoe hill race was held in June 2017. Just 33 ran, including Clayton-le-Moors’ Andrew Laycock who finished 8th in 2:31:07. I had hoped to run the race the following year, but it was not to be.

The greatest of the Torridon giants, Beinn Eighe is a vast mountain offering one of the great ridge runs of Scotland…

Taking its name from The Broken, the highest summit in the Harz mountains of Germany, where conditions result in frequent sightings, there is something magical about the Broken Spectre…

In a hard winter, there might be a handful of days such as this in the season. Often it seems there is just one.

The first evening of the year when sufficient light remains to get up on the high fells after work is a much-anticipated affair. Marking a change from the cold, dark headtorch runs of winter, it never fails to lift the spirits.

An extract from: Alone among mountains – Memories of Arran