What are the rules of etiquette in a bothy full of strangers?
How cold, exactly, can a Scottish summer get?
And how many cans of beer can a man carry whilst fording a swollen river?


Second Man on the Rope tackles all these questions and more, a celebrating Scotland’s mountains come sun, sleet or snow, through the stories of a great climbing partnership.


Ranging from the Cairngorms to Glencoe, from Nevis to Knoydart and from the Cuillin to the Cobbler, this book weaves the story of a friendship amongst witty – and often alarming – tales of mountaineering mishaps. These richly entertaining tales will delight all who love the Scottish hills – be they mountaineers, day-outers, Munro-baggers (like the author) or merely armchair ramblers.


Written with a wealth of knowledge, this mountaineering classic is a warm and witty celebration of friendship, forged over many years, between the author and his ‘first man’ – Davie. Together they form one of the great double acts of climbing literature. They face with humour and fortitude all that the mountains can pit against them – winter avalanches, raging rivers, rats in bothies and Brummies in baseball boots.