Memories of 2015

Looking back over 2015,  I've once again been blessed with some superlative days in the outdoors.  Sea kayaking trips featured heavily again and included several multi-day trips to islands and areas I'd not previously visited such as Gigha and Cara, and an introduction to the wonderful possibilities on the Solway Firth.

Despite the year being unusually windy and unsettled, there have been some outstanding conditions ranging from the shrivelling cold of a winter day on Loch Leven to the baking heat of a summer camping trip on the Firth of Clyde.

On the hill there have been some great days in a year when I made a conscious effort to explore overlooked areas close to my home in the north east of Scotland - and there's plenty to go at!  From camping trips in the high Cairngorms to moonlit walks right above the house, the hills have continued to touch me deeply. There have been wildlife encounters on both land and sea, though some wildlife was less welcome!

At the end of 2014 I couldn't select just one memory and offered two of my favourite moments.  This year I've failed to whittle it down again (which is a good thing I think!) and so here are a selection.....

Photo: Dr Douglas Wilcox

2015 was the year when I took the plunge and took up sea kayak sailing.  A purchase of a Flat Earth Sea Kayak Sail has brought a new and fun dimension to paddling.  If you try one new thing in 2016, why not make it kayak sailing?!

A hillwalk above the Angus glens on an autumn gold day when everything seemed to combine perfectly was perhaps the best hill day I've enjoyed in many years

Above all, 2015 has featured trips with good friends.  The fires we've enjoyed seem to epitomise this  simple aspect of the outdoors, a group of like-minded folk just getting out there, whether on multi-day trips or meeting up from all corners of the country to enjoy a small adventure together.  We are all conscious of how lucky we are to be able to enjoy the health and ability to undertake our adventures - and the friends with whom I share these experiences with are an outstanding part of this and every year.

I've saved this memory of 2015 for last, simply because it's etched into my mind so sharply as one of the most amazing hours I have ever spent in Scotland's outdoors.  A venture down the length of freshwater Loch Shiel to the sea and then up the coast to finish at the head of saltwater Loch Ailort would be a fine trip whatever, and add in the fact that we finished on the day of a solar eclipse added an unusual experience.

But it was the single hour of utter perfection on Loch Shiel which is my outstanding memory of not only this adventure but of the whole year.

So there you have it - a few moments from another year in Scotland's outdoors.  What's your outstanding memory of 2015?

Happy New Year, very best wishes for 2016  :o)