Munro Bagger

Shh! Don’t say it out loud
don’t admit the task
there’s nothing in it to make you feel proud
at all costs avoid the question,
the number, if asked

Hide all your lists
and the maps with crossed out peaks
don’t mention the ones you’ve missed
and when they ask you, “Why there?”
make up an excuse, don’t admit what you seek

Of the ones you’ve climbed, no one on this earth cares
apart from you, and only then at a certain age
when you are suddenly aware
that you’ve actually only got a few left
in the Torridon range

Finding reasons to head North to Fisher and Fannich
“Why are you heading there in rain and gales?”
a nice trip to Mull, just one more thing, I’ll be quick.
Buying an e-bike, the last red flag,
to ride up those remote trails

Nearly done with More, Dearg, and Bens.
A few more left, my mantra “no regret”
but what will I do, with my time, when it’s come to an end
hmm, “Have you heard of the Corbetts?”

Creator’s biography

Eddy Tomkins is a mountaineering and climbing instructor based in North Wales, spending his winters working in the Scottish hills. A former Army medic and member of RAF Mountain Rescue in north-east Scotland, he now runs Eddys Mountain Company, a small guiding outfit with conservation at its heart. The company supports a wide range of environmental projects, from planting seagrass to habitat restoration on Snowdon and tree-planting with the Woodland Trust.

Eddy’s spoken-word poetry is shaped by life in the mountains. Influenced by John Cooper Clarke and David Jones, his work draws on the characters he meets outdoors, encounters with wildlife, the routes he climbs, and the folklore and mythology that colour each landscape.

Scottish Mountaineering Press
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