I overheard a seasoned Munro bagger speaking to my parents.

“How far are you walking?” he asked.

“Oh, only about 10 miles,” answered my father. “Just over the hill and back again with our three girls”.

The man glanced at my mother’s tiny rucksack and shook his head. “You need to be much better equipped for that distance” he instructed.

He was right. I remembered how CM would always take an ice axe for the shortest of distances, even in mid-summer. I would have to go back indoors and switch my flimsy sandals for sturdy walking boots.