The climb of my life: Writer on how exploring Scotland’s high country was her greatest escape
she could do what her mum had always urged her – never give up.
So, donning a pair of her mum’s walking boots, Sarah put one foot in front of the other and climbed Meall a’ Bhuachaille in the Cairngorms, sparking a passion that would become her saving grace in times of troubles.
“When I went off on that very first hillwalk in the snow, I was running away from all my problems,” explained Sarah, who lives in the village of Ardersier, on the Moray Firth.
“I was completely inexperienced. My own experience on the mountains and hills almost matched my lack of confidence in myself. I didn’t know what I was doing, so I was completely absorbed in how I would get off of the mountain and stay alive.
“When you are out there, walking just completely absorbs your every thought, so there isn’t any room in your mind to dwell upon the problems of everyday life. I think that’s the amazing thing – regardless of the weather or the terrain, it’s an absolute distraction from real life back home.
“You are concentrating on your route-finding, you’re distracted by the scenery, and you’re just taken right out of yourself.”
Sarah quickly discovered traversing peaks and wading through mud was the best way to exercise her demons, and in the years since that first climb she has rekindled her love affair with the wild.
She said: “I had no particular plan in my mind at the very beginning – I just liked the escapism. I just liked getting away from home and troubles. The mountains seemed to expel the shadows, the grief and the sadness, and I just became a better version of myself. It’s true to say, the more I climbed, and the more physically fit I became, the more mentally strong I became, too.”
In the decade since, retracing climbs and walks she had enjoyed with her mother as a child and teenager, Sarah has completed every Munro in Scotland and, having kept journals and diaries throughout her life, the 47-year-old decided to turn her journeys into a memoir about finding strength and overcoming grief.
Although her writing simply started as a cathartic way for Sarah to document her life and pass stories on to her two sons, Marcus, 21, and Leon, 19, after being published, her book, Just Another Mountain, began to inspire countless readers to embrace their own difficult journeys, with the second paperback edition released later this month.
Sarah said: “Writing the story was a labour of love. I wasn’t under any illusions about getting it published and I wasn’t doing it for material gain. I was doing it for myself and then, ultimately, to pass on to my two boys because I didn’t want them ever having to grow up wondering where they came from and feeling lost, as I had most of my life. “My mother had always encouraged me to keep a diary from a very young age, and she actually said once, ‘ You never know, you might write a book’. And I ended up doing just that. Writing was like stepping back in time and embracing all those memories and experiences.” Three years ago Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer, the same disease that took her mother in 1997. Once again she turned to the outdoors, proving the healing power of nature hadn’t subsided. She explained: “The mountains were my saving grace through all my treatment and chemotherapy. The consultant asked me if I had any questions after he’d given me the lowdown on the chemo, and I just
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said, ‘ Will I still be able to go running and I still be able to hillwalk?’. He cocked his head at me, as if to say, ‘ What on earth is she talking about?’
“I had my first chemotherapy session a couple of days later, self-injected for seven days, and then on the eighth day I got a DVD workout on the go. Then I thought, ‘I’ll just go up a small hill to see if I can do it’. It was hard and it was like dragging two dead horses – my legs were just so heavy and I did feel breathless – but I made it to the top.
“Next I revisited the first hill I wrote about in my book, Meall a’ Bhuachaille in Glenmore, I managed a Munro after that, and I covered some new ground visiting
If Sarah’s journey has inspired you to get out on the hills, here are a few of the summits detailed in her memoir:
(THE SHEPHERD’S HILL) CAIRNGORMS Reaching to 810 metres, the most popular route to the top starts at Loch Morlich, and is a good option for a first walk in the Cairngorms. Accessible and with paths you can follow to the top, you’ll enjoy the stunning views in no time.
(THE JEWELLED HILL), THE HIGHLANDS
The easiest summit of the region’s three famous Munros, Beinn Alligin lies to the north of Loch Torridon and, in good weather conditions, provides views across mountains, lochs and the coast. Experienced hillwalkers should manage the ascent in around seven hours.
WESTER ROSS, ROSS-SHIRE The Fisherfield Forest is home to the most remote Munros in Scotland; Sgurr Ban, Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair, Beinn Tarsuinn, A’ Mhaighdean, Ruadh Stac Mor, and Corbett Beinn a’ Chlaidheimh. Walkers can start and finish at the Shenavall bothy, completing all summits over a few days. (THE BIG RIDGE AND THE LITTLE RIDGE), GLEN NEVIS, THE HIGHLANDS
As two of the highest mountains in the UK, the route to both summits is rugged and challenging, even for regular climbers and walkers – but the views from the top are worth the struggle. The route can be dangerous is poor conditions, so don’t attempt the walk without experience.
(THE COLD ROUNDED HILL), LOCH NESS, THE HIGHLANDS This Graham (a Scottish mountain between 2,000 and 2,500 feet) is a distinctive part of Loch Ness’ landscape. Well-marked paths lead walkers to the summit, and there are plenty of spots providing stunning views.
In the past few weeks, Jews have been reading in the Torah about the construction of the Tabernacle. At the heart of this project is the statement that God doesn’t dwell in the Tabernacle but among the people.
This idea is especially important at the moment. Our physical meeting places have mostly had to close and many people may be feeling abandoned and unsupported at a time when they need support the most. This is especially true for those most vulnerable.
The message of the Jewish community and all religious communities is that this is emphatically not the case.
Our communities not only continue to function, but are strengthening our activities. A community is not a physical building or even physical proximity to each other but bonds of caring and mutual responsibility.
It is in some ways unfortunate that what we are being asked to observe is called “social distancing”. What we are really required to observe is “physical distancing”. Socially we should be engaging more than ever. Many of our communities are already putting in place methods of care and interaction that ensure that everyone is connected, valued and, if necessary, looked after. We are especially engaging our younger generation to join in helping those more vulnerable. By looking after each other, all working together and socially engaging while physically distancing, we will emerge on the other side of this crisis with an enhanced sense of community and a better society.
We are living in truly unprecedented times in the midst of the Covid-19 outbreak and we must be under no illusions about its severity. One of the hardest decisions was to close our places of worship.
Our faith teaches us that “after difficulty comes ease” and even in the midst of calamity, there is beauty. In Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, the smog has cleared and nature can be seen and heard creeping out in the midst of man’s concrete jungle. In
Italy, people from their balconies are talking, singing and engaging with one another again. We must look deeper to our faith and for beauty in the smallest things. Times of crisis can bring out the best and the worst in us all. Panic-buyers have emptied supermarkets, meaning that the most needy and vulnerable people are left without necessities. I urge all of us who are stocked with plenty, to donate some to their local food bank. Those who are hiking up prices know that this is deeply immoral.
Finally, let’s use this time to connect deeper with our faith. Let’s use it to reconnect with nature and understand our duty to look after and preserve the world around us. Let this be the time the best of us shines through and that our common humanity prevails in these times of adversity.