Angus joiner James Robbie has a bit of a tale to tell if anyone asks him if he’s been anywhere nice for his summer fortnight.
Because the 34-year-old former Royal Engineer has spent the past couple of weeks clambering across the ceiling of Scotland in a Munro-bagging charity challenge.
Kirriemuir joiner James chalked off no fewer than 58 Munros in the exhausting adventure.
And his effort on the country’s peaks that stand over three thousand feet has seen his fundraising total climb towards £3,000 – six times his target.
And he climbed almost 65,000 feet as he clocked up 175 miles on Scotland’s hills.
He’s delighted with the money that’s poured in for Kirriemuir Food Hub and Kirrie Connections dementia hub.
But James admits he’s looking forward to a well-earned rest from the physical and mental exertions of the challenge.
It took him from the wilderness of Glen Coe to the more familiar terrain of Angus where family and friends joined him for the weekend finale.
In 2015, James and brother Alex spent a week camped out at the top of Ben Nevis to raise money for children’s charity the Archie Foundation.
He revealed the idea came to him on the long road up the A9.
“I was working in Inverness and on the long drives up there it just popped into my head one day,” said James.
“I’ve always enjoyed the hills, but I’m normally a nice weather walker.”
And as much of the country continued to bask in the end of the heatwave, James found the conditions anything but summery.
“I started off in Glen Shiel with my friend John-Paul Bell from Kirrie and we did seven on that first day,” he said.
“That was the biggest number on a single day and I managed it twice.”
Treacherous conditions
But Mother Nature quickly extinguished James’ hopes he was onto a winner with the weather.
“The next day we were caught in an absolutely epic thunderstorm – there was lightning striking the ground we were walking on,” he said.
“I had two rest days over my fortnight and probably didn’t realise just how tough it would be – both physically and mentally.
“Coming home after a day when it was just raining constantly and knowing I had to do it all again the next day was pretty tough.
“But I’m pretty proud of what I’ve achieved.
“My brother Alex put together a small crew for the final two Munros of Driesh and Mayar near Kirrie so it was a pretty special end to the fortnight.”
He’s planning to keep his fundraising page open for about a week.
Anyone wishing to donate can go to www.gofundme.com/f/munro-challenge
Munro-bagging ambition
And he says it’s a flying start to what’s now the ambition of bagging all of Scotland’s 282 Munros.
“I’d done quite a few before I started this and climbed some of them again, but I think it’ll be a lifetime goal for me to do them all.”
More shots from James Robbie’s summer ‘holiday’ album.
Conversation