It might seem strange to those who haven’t tried it but walking in the mountains at night can be a rewarding and uplifting experience. One of the biggest fans is Alan Rowan, a Scottish journalist, who has just had his book Moonwalker: Adventures of a Midnight Mountaineer published.

The book tells the story of Alan, who while working full-time on Scotland’s Daily Record newspaper as a sports editor, bagged numerous Munros by moonlight. Some of these summits make up his two rounds of the Munros and a round of the Corbetts.

I’ve known Alan for many years and have walked Munros with him.  Had I been working at the Record – I joined a few years later – when he was at his most prolific walking Munros at night I would no doubt have joined him. Friends of mine, including Ellen Arnison, did and they feature in his new book.

Moonwalker is a memoir of Alan’s midnight walking adventures. It describes the emotions of walking at night. It reveals the views, often stunningly different from the daytime, and the advantages, according to Alan, of making the most of this busy life by walking after work at night.

There are numerous great stories that feature people I know and some brilliant escapades. Sadly one of the main cast, Fergus, has recently passed away after a short battle with cancer, and reading about him makes the book all the more poignant.

Getting out to enjoy Scotland’s great outdoors, whether in the day or night, is a fantastic thing to do. Inspiring others to do the same by writing a book is one step better.

I’m off to Alan’s book launch in Glasgow this evening.

Find out more about Moonwalker and the Moonwalker book published by BackPage Press.