A FINAL MUNRO ASCENT

In 1891 Sir Hugh Munro, a co-founder of the Scottish Mountaineering Club, published his table of 283 mountains in Scotland over 3,000 ft high.  These have since been known as Munros and there are now known to be 284 of them, over 914.4m high.  On Saturday, 22 September, 2007, accompanied by 43 OAs, former colleagues, family and friends, GERARD SIMPSON climbed his 284th and final Munro ascent of the 284 Munros on Saturday 22 September 2007, one of the Drumochter Hills near Dalwhinnie in Scotland.  He became the 3951st climber known to have climbed all of them. Gerard taught in the Mathematics Department at Ampleforth for 34 years, from 1971 to 2004. He is now helping to supervise examinations at Ampleforth - and at this time, from November 2007 to March 2008, also teaching again at Ampleforth.

Gerard climbed his first two Munros, though he did not realize it at the time, in 1972 as a member of Fr Timothy Wright's first West Highland Way expedition.  He was then a new maths teacher at Ampleforth but by the following Easter had been drawn into helping with the Sea Scouts on their Easter expedition to Plockton and found himself learning to sail in snow squalls on Loch Carron in between climbing more mountains; though no Munros were climbed that year as the weather was too dreadful.  Over the years, with the Sea Scouts, the Venture Scouts, the Mountaineering Club, with colleagues in the Tryfan Club and with family and friends, he has made 76 expeditions to Scotland, culminating in this particular one

Gerard climbed his first two Munros, though he did not realize it at the time, in 1972 as a member of Fr Timothy Wright's first West Highland Way expedition.  He was then a new maths teacher at Ampleforth but by the following Easter had been drawn into helping with the Sea Scouts on their Easter expedition to Plockton and found himself learning to sail in snow squalls on Loch Carron in between climbing more mountains; though no Munros were climbed that year as the weather was too dreadful.  Over the years, with the Sea Scouts, the Venture Scouts, the Mountaineering Club, with colleagues in the Tryfan Club and with family and friends, he has made 76 expeditions to Scotland, culminating in this particular one.

At 0945 on the Saturday morning at Lay-by 93 on the A9, people from all these groups were greeting one another enthusiastically in the Scotch mist before setting off at 1000 to walk companionably along the metalled road that led to the hut near Loch Cuaich where we all signed a list before starting the climb proper.  We were passed by a couple of cars carrying a few of the older and the very young so that they could start the climb without the 4km walk in.  This privileged access had been arranged by Sandie and Josie Graham, parents of Alistair (C'91), who live in Newtonmore nearby and were there to see us off.

As we started climbing, the drizzle cleared and sun started to appear so that we were able to make the planned stop for lunch just before the summit ridge.  It was windy but dry and the youngest climbers appeared happy eating their lunch inside what looked like an enormous exposure bag.

Then we set off for the final kilometre with a climb of 150m, to the summit.  We all congregated around the summit to enjoy the sight of Gerard striding over the brow of the summit ridge and onto the summit cairn to the skirl of bagpipes (played by an Australian from Glasgow on his first Munro) and the cheering of all of us.  Champagne was served, lots of photographs taken and Tom Francis (H'76) appeared, having caught us up by striding up the mountain in sandals with his two dogs.

Coming down the mountain there were marvellous views as the sky had by now completely cleared.   All sorts of conversations were enjoyed between people who had not climbed together or seen each other for years.  At the hut all the names were crossed off the list.  There had been no call for the services of the three doctors with us, who had come on the AmpleNorth expeditions to Arctic Norway and
Iceland.

Back at the hotel in Newtonmore, Gerard had arranged tea, scones and shortbread and the majority of people were able to stay on for the celebration dinner.  The haggis was piped in by Patrick Arbuthnott, a first year member of the Ampleforth Highland Pipe Band, who had broken his Exeat Weekend to come from Dunkeld for the occasion.

In his speech, proposing the toast of Sir Hugh Munro, Gerard (also a regular canoeist in his Sea Scout days) recalled the mountaineer's equivalent of being up the creek without a paddle: Gerard, Richard Gilbert and Br Basil Postlethwaite had found themselves on top of Ben Cruachan in thick cloud without a compass.  He recounted some of the other adventures enjoyed (or, at any rate, experienced) over the years in his company by many of those present and thanked all those who had supported and inspired him in his  expeditions to Scotland to complete the Munros as well as in the Himalayas, the Pyrenees, the Alps, Arctic Norway and Iceland.  Chief among these was Richard Gilbert, former chemistry teacher and founder of the Mountaineering Club at Ampleforth.  He had been the 101st Munroist, back in 1971, before he started writing his well known series of mountaineering books and his regular column for the mountaineering magazine High.

Richard Gilbert then replied to the toast and, as the senior of several other Munroists present, awarded Gerard his Munroist's tie and a tankard from the Tryfan Club of teaching and climbing colleagues.  (The other Munroists present were Varlien Vyner-Brooks, former parent and John Kerry (T80) who, with his brothers Rob (T81) and Peter (T84), belonged to one of only two sets of brothers known to have completed all the Munros.)  He thanked Gerard for choosing a relatively easy mountain (the A9 takes one over a third of the total height of Meall Chuaich) so that he and others, both old and young (the youngest was 3½), had been able to join Gerard on this final ascent.

Next morning Fr Richard celebrated Mass early in the hotel so that people could get on their way home or enjoy another day on the hill.  Many recalled similar Masses over the years on mountain tops, in boats or under bridges in pouring rain.

This had been a weekend enjoyed by fifty people drawn together by the common threads of Ampleforth and the mountains, inspired by the enthusiasm of one of the teachers.  As another teacher remarked on the way home "This weekend has said a good deal about what keeps people in contact with Ampleforth"

The following members of previous Ampleforth expeditions were present: Richard Gilbert, Paul Hawksworth, Mr and Mrs Mike Barras, Dr Richard Warren, Chris Belsom, Paul Brennan, Fr Richard ffield OSB (A59), Carol Thurman, Dr John Morton, Dr Peter Ticehurst, Dr Mike Titchmarsh, Robert Bishop (A73), Tom Fawcett (B75), Paddy Daly (A75), Tom Francis (H76), Chris Copping (J76), Charles Morton (A77), Ian Lochhead (D79), Declan Morton (A80), John Kerry (T80), Graham Sellers (D86), Mike Killourhy (H89), Justin Knight (H89), Henry Vyner-Brooks (C90).          Rff                                                                                              

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