On the 13th November, I was hospitalised with a severe, life-threatening asthma attack. It was pretty bad and while I was in hospital I was genuinely worried about how long it would take me to recover and get back to cycling and outdoors.

I felt much better and near enough back to normal within a couple of weeks but I still hadn't pushed myself into any physical exertion since I was discharged from the hospital. On Friday I checked the weather on the MWIS and spotted a rare cold clear day with little wind on Sunday.

So I decided I was going to head up Ben Lomond and see how I went.

I was prepared for winter conditions and was carrying more gear than I'd have liked to but I took my time and I summited with no issues. It was good fun getting the crampons back on and scaling an icy mountain. I sat just below the summit and had my lunch, spoke to few others and generally just reflected on how much the escape of the mountains means to me.

Mid-day sun over Loch Lomond from Ben Lomond Sunrise over Loch Lomond from Ben Lomond I was joined at the summit by an excited dog Happy to be back out on the hills