Ailie on Simonside

We met at 9.30 in the car park (a 3 mile drive so we think we’re local!) for 4.5 miles up Simonside. We wanted to avoid the crowds. We didn’t go to the top as there’s a lot of snow drifts still about. It was good to get out. On the way back we met 2 lads with their bouldering mattresses on their backs. They were cheery and stopped for a chat. By the time we got back to the forest track there were packs for people coming up.

I’ve made some Dahl for later - Ailie and I were chatting about our various travels in Nepal which made me think of it. She asked if I could go back to one of the 70+ countries I’ve visited where would I chose. If money was no object it would be a close call - South Georgia/Antarctica or Japan. As it is we’ll be lucky if we get 30 miles up the road to Scotland.