I decided to go on a Winter Mountaineering course with Martin Moran, based in Loch Carron near Torridon. It was to be a week-long course in winter skills, with a chance to lead my first grade 1 climbs by the end. As it was I’d already done that before I started, and it was not as scary as I thought!

I drove up and camped at Loch Etive on the Friday night,sharing a few whiskies with a fellow camper from Glasgow. It was strange, spending a few hours talking to someone, and having no idea what he looked like, as it was so dark! I lay in my bed that night listening to the crack and rumble of rockfall in the gullies of Ben Starav, across the loch, and wondered what the following week would bring.

The winter climbing in the Lakes cannot last much longer and so I have just been reflecting on this excellent season’s excitements, which have been modest in terms of grades but all atmospheric and very arctic at times. We were keen to get as much axing as possible before the Rjukan trip in February and it certainly paid off as we breezed up a grade 5 at Vemork Bridge at the end of our week in Norway.