Trip diary

I have been writing up my walking trips in a diary since the late 70s when I was started walking with my Dad. This has spanned about 4 notebooks now (one of which is lost somewhere).

Each trip entry normally starts with a kit list and some practical information required en route. This could include phone numbers, bus and train times, or village early closing days. This is followed by a record of each days walk. Looking back through the pages food and weather seem to take top priority followed closely by under foot conditions. The great thing about them is looking back years later to read the details of a trip. What we had to eat in the café at the end of the trip, the names of the 2 small boys we meet at Lake Stream Hut in New Zealand, the man in the purple Vauxhall Nova who gave us a life back to The Bridge of Orchy.

There are some rules about what warrants an entry.

* No days walks
* No static camping weekends
* No Holidays in the mountains (eg Arabba 2001)

This leaves backpacking trips where at least one night is spend in a tent. bothy, hostel or B&B.

This brings me to the reason why I have been thinking about this issue. In May we are going to Crianlairch for a few days walking, returning to the same B&B each night. Does this warrant an entry? The ruthless could say “It is just a couple of day walks, one after another”.

As we hope to climb a few Munros, these need to be recorded but there are plenty of other places to record the bare facts of the achievement www.hill-bagging.co.uk. Some justification for breaking the rules include “Well I need some where to write a kit list”, “It is nice to look back and remember the small details of trips”.

I am going to use it. It is a self-imposed law so I can approve an amendment without worrying about opposition objections. Or may be I could start a blog ...