Wild Moment: Chris Lennox
How do you compress 68 years of wild moments into 500 words? Dr Chris Lennox - who recently achieved his goal to climb the 1200 summits recognised by Scottish Mountaineering Club - shares his highlights.
This summer, I climbed my last Graham, completing the ascent of all of Scotland’s Munros, Corbetts, Donalds, and Grahams; 1200-odd summits including all subsidiary tops. From Ben Lomond (aged 7) to Creag Bhalg (75), it has been a glorious, slow journey through Scotland’s magnificent mountain landscapes. In many ways, the Grahams were the most enjoyable; almost all are pathless and rarely visited, and many are truly remote. Apart from a summit cairn or occasional trig point, there is no trace of any human presence. I climbed most of the Corbetts and Grahams alone, except for my faithful golden retriever (Hamish), who loved the hills as much as me. This added to the sense of a true wilderness experience.
I am sometimes asked to name my favourite hill – an impossible question to answer. Every experience is different, not least because of the vagaries of Scottish mountain weather. Some of my most memorable days have been in truly appalling weather on hills with no apparently outstanding features, but the challenge of such wildness is invigorating.
Even the bogs have beauty. In summer, sundew, butterwort, marsh orchids and bog asphodel, as well as the ubiquitous cotton grass, brighten the ground, and in winter, sphagnum moss provides colour, while snow adds such enchantment and grandeur to the mountains. April and May are the best months to hill walk, with snow in the corries and lining the ridges, long days, and often great air clarity.
My best wildlife moments? On two occasions stumbling upon a golden eagle, perched just below the summits of Goat Fell and of Seana Bhraigh, and watching them soar effortlessly away; three sea eagles circling almost within touching distance on the summit of Ben More on Mull (much to the bewilderment of Hamish); the evocative, plaintive call of golden plovers on high plateaus; and coming across a baby mountain hare cowering in scree on the Grey Corries with its mother scuttling away to provide a distraction.
And yet, there is reason for regret in this wilderness. In my youth, I read Sir Frank Fraser Darling’s description of the Scottish Highlands as being a “wet desert”. Sadly, not enough has changed, with the sterile uniformity and barren nature of most Scottish hills a result of human interference. In recent years, however, many glens are showing signs of regenerative tree planting (Glen Feshie is an uplifting example), while the young tree growth and vibrant heather and grass on the slopes of Creag Bhalg (on National Trust land) are a stark contrast to the heather slopes scarred by muir burning for grouse shooting on the other side of the Dee.
Although never the object of my years of hill exploration, I have succeeded in raising more than £2000 for the John Muir Trust from friends and family to celebrate my final Graham; a small contribution to the Trust’s efforts to reclaim the “wet desert”.
- Dr Lennox took on the brilliant challenge of climbing all Grahams across Scotland, in celebration of his 75th birthday. His last Graham was Creag Bhalg, near Braemar in July 2023, with family climbing with him to celebrate. He raised an incredible £2,363 for the Trust, and has now climbed every Scottish hill and mountain recognised by the Scottish Mountaineering Club – that’s over 1,200 summits! Find out more about fundraising for the John Muir Trust.
- Inspired to submit your own Wild Moment? Find out how here.
