Sally Phillips, 31, a civil engineer from Inverness

THE CHALLENGE: A five-day, 160km trek to bag nine 4000ft peaks in the Cairngorms and Nevis range

After what felt like an eternity in lockdown, I finally set off on my expedition. I’d created my own route from Aviemore to Fort William, combining some big hill days with a multi-day hike.

The objective was to climb two groups of mountains over 4000ft – the Cairngorms and the four Nevis hills – and to pass through

Glen Feshie, Ben Alder and Loch Ossian along the way. It all started brilliantly. I had a magical day on the Braeriach Traverse – striding across the sun-drenched plateau with the rest of the hike stretching out ahead. But three days later, I hit a crushing low. Exhausted and

dehydrated after five days of 20+ miles in the blazing sun, I realised I’d pushed too hard and had made myself ill. I bailed and didn’t make the last two summits. I was devastated, but reflecting back now I wouldn’t have done anything differently. The journey reminded me how lucky I am to have access to these mountains, how much Scotland has to offer and how uplifting the sense of freedom is in the hills. For five heady days I barely remembered Covid existed; and, while I didn’t finish the nine summits, I still have amazing memories of a unique adventure.