Peeblesshire News | News | Doug takes the high road to scale new heights

Saturday, 11th October, 2008

Published: Tuesday, 22nd July, 2008 12:00

Doug takes the high road to scale new heights

By David O'Leary

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There ain’t no mountain high enough to beat a determined Melrose Primary schoolteacher, writes David O'Leary.

Last weekend Doug Crabbe, of Innerleithen, reached the summit of Ben Lomond to bag his last Munro and end an 18-month long quest up and down Scotland’s 284 +3000ft peaks.

Doug began his challenge last January after receiving the devastating news of his good friend Jill’s diagnosis with an aggressive cancer. Jill’s plight made Doug determined to help in some way and he decided on ‘bagging Munro’s’ whilst also raising money for the cancer charity Maggie’s Centre.

He said: “I decided I would attempt to complete the round of Munro’s in a year. I first went to climb Ben Lomond and it was flooded so I had to go and climb a different one, which wasn’t the best of starts. I also told as many people as possible so I couldn’t back out of it.

“To be honest I actually underestimated the size of the challenge; having to drive to the mountains which can be many hours away, getting your gear ready, relying on the weather and also trying to fit it in around a full-time job, proved difficult.

“The main problem I faced was tiredness. Most weeks I would be knackered after working and would then have to drive maybe six or seven hours on a Friday night to get to a range for Saturday morning. Most weekends I would climb a Munro on both the Saturday and Sunday, then come home go to bed and start the working week all over again.

“So, I bought an old transit van and put an old mattress in the back and would just lie up in layby as soon as I felt tired. It was like a tent on wheels!”

Doug’s initial aim was to raise #2000 for the charity however he has overshot that amount by some margin. The total should eventually be that of #10000 but Doug feels that what he has gained from the experience himself is priceless.

He said: “I think that fact that I didn’t bag the 284 in a year kind of brought it into perspective that it was never about personal glory anyway. It was about raising money for Maggie’s and for Jill. It was a unique experience and indirectly it’s an amazing legacy that Jill has left me.

“Not only have I raised money for a good cause in Jill’s memory but I’ve personally learned a lot about myself and improved my fitness and immune system aswell as my mountaineering and navigational skills.”

Doug has now joined a small but growing band of ‘Compleatists' in completing his round, the first being a Reverend Robinson in 1901. Of course, such is the nature of the challenge, there here have been a lot of high and lows along the way.

He said: “I did hit a real low once. I was at a party with my wife Alison and sober because I was getting up at 6am to climb some remote hill in Skye. I had a long drive up and of course it was raining. The first part of the hill was steep and pathless and I then reached a plateau where I had to negotiate a path through a peat bog. I just swore the entire way across it!

“I’ve seen the very best of Scotland, areas that are just beautiful. I’d get a full view of the day from sunrise to sunset and the views at times were just spectacular.”

When asked whether he has any other plans Doug replied: “Just the bathroom! I’ve got a growing list of DIY that I’ve managed to postpone for 18 months.

“I was watching the weather the other night and I suddenly realised that i don’t have to know the weather in the Western Highlands anymore. I could almost compare it to an institutionalised prisoner who’s just regimented into the routine of it. It’ll take a while to get used to not having a large mountain range looming over me every weekend.”

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