Extreme joie de vivre

This is most evident in the extra. My fellow walkers (who had kindly waited for me) are demonstrating their pleasure at conquering Tinto Hill.

The main blip is the extraordinary view, facing approximately north east, I reckon. I unfortunately did not have enough time to look at the directional guide to the different hills visible that was on top of the pillar on top of the cairn on top of Tinto Hill. In the extra, you can also see the trig point, which was a wee bit lower than the very top.

It was good to be at the top, but it was a bit of a trudge, for me, to get there. As others commented, it was quite icy underfoot, so I was grateful to borrow one of hazelh's poles, especially for the descent. The descent was, in many ways, the most difficult as it was very hard on the joints. Tinto Hill is the highest hill I've climbed in a long time. Probably since I went up Schiehalion in about 2007 or 8. Consequently, it was the longest and hardest descent, and I was suffering by the end.

Luckily, there were only rather lighter things to do in the afternoon, such as getting a hot drink in the cafe and popping into the Christmas Fair in Biggar to see Nadine Pierce, a fellow blipper known to many of my book group comrades. And then back to the house, this time without hazelh, who was going back to Edinburgh, for another relaxed evening.