" Mark, I've told you, we've done more than what the Marines do!" - Former Whipping Boy. Pre boot camp Scotland's mountains, in my opinion, are just perfect, they're not imposed on the world stage - you can get up and down them all within a day, they are all mountains in their own right and because of not being subjected to the greedy grasp of commercialism, each one you do is like a chapter in a book, whether with your pal, wife or fellow Marine, they are a source of abiding memories and great laughs. Driving through the Motherland in itself can be a joy. Once North of the Great Glen your cares start to fall off you like Autumn leaves. Wester Ross's mountains tend to be all bunched up like a heaving mass of geometry, whereas Sutherland's hills stand out in striking independence of each other, like giant chess pieces towering over an extravagant water world. We are talking about a land of textures and contrasts. Strabeg - a bothy too far? ...