Every mountain, every memory — and then there's us

I'm Karyn. I started climbing UK peaks almost by accident — a friend dragged me up Helvellyn on a grey Tuesday, and something clicked. The quiet up there is different from any quiet you find at sea level. The fells have a way of emptying your head and filling it back up with something better. I got home and immediately started planning the next one.

Then came Toffee and Tia. Two working cocker spaniels who decided, very early on, that the hills were absolutely their thing. Toffee is the enthusiastic one — nose down, ears flying, always twenty metres ahead and wondering what's taking everyone so long. Tia is the thoughtful one — she'll find the patch of sun at the summit, lie down with an air of great dignity, and refuse to leave until she's ready. Between them, they've made every walk funnier, warmer, and a lot more chaotic.

I built Cairn because I wanted somewhere to keep all of it — not just the peaks ticked but the stories attached to them. The day we got soaked on the Cairngorm plateau. The moment Tia decided the Langdale Pikes were beneath her and sat down in protest. The views that stopped me mid-stride and made me feel genuinely lucky. Cairn is my attempt to hold onto those moments, and to share that same quiet joy with anyone else who loves the UK hills.