The Munros: Scottish Mountaineering Club Hillwalkers' Guide

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However I did complete some memorable sole trips (36% of all Munros were completed on my own) that will live long in the memory and it is these which I describe in more detail below. 1991 Ben Alder A 2 day walk over the Alder 6 from Dalwhinnie These days, there is a wealth of information on-line of how to walk the Munros, as well as maps that can be used as GPX files on various map reading apps. Yet, still, I do like an actual map to look at.

The descriptions of the routes are much clearer than I recall from the previous edition and also give the total distance, height gain and estimated time for the full route. The Munros book was previously criticised for giving only the time to the summit and not the return or the whole route. The figure then turns to face north-east with the merciless wind now thankfully behind him. The manic, turbulent gusts are now whipping up snow The weather was better the following day but bitterly cold. Snow was on the ground so the distances felt longer than they are. These four do make the easiest day on the Munro calendar with two positioned on the top of the ski slopes. An Socach is the only Munro which is harder to get to but this was mainly because of the snow lying in the gully between it and the other three. Slogging up snow slopes is difficult but a high start made this a comfortable day. 1999 Assynt. A dramatic descent A high ‘footage’ day north of Cluanie included a real introduction to the Tops. Lunndaidh was not actually a difficult day and not particularly memorable To begin logging your ascents or writing your own account of your experiences on the Munros and other walks, or to also show Munro Tops, Login or Register now - it's free!

Scottish mountains over 3,000 feet high

When I first started walking Munros with my (now) husband, it was Gordie that showed me the routes in his 3rd edition (revised in 2006) of the SMC’s The Munros book. He would plan every walk after poring over the routes and descriptions. (The book is now quite tatty but it looks great because it is obviously well-used.) I parked on the north side of the Linn of Dee and started the long walk in past Derry Lodge to Derry Cairngorm. Even at this stage it was clear that water was going to be important as the weather was sunny and getting hot. The Plateau can be a very dry place. Once on Derry Cairngorm the scale of the walk was evident. I crossed to Beinn Mheadhoin and then spent a further hour circulating to one of the tops. The long climb up to the summit of Ben Macdui also took a while but in reality I did not need to summit it apart from the fact it was on the way to a top I needed. The summit of Ben Macdui is vast but I was really pleased to view it all in good weather – I am a fortunate person! I dawdled on the long descent towards Carn a Mhaim, at this stage the day looked like it was coming to an end with plenty to spare.

Profits from the sale of the book go to the Scottish Mountaineering Trust, which is a charity that provides grants to recreation, education and safety projects in the outdoors. For many years I took two short visits a year to Scotland to supplement the main tour although this did drop to one after the children came along. In addition I ‘made use’ of other visits whether with Helen or with work. We were on a lads golfing trip to St Andrews when myself and JP dragged Mike over six easterly Munros round Glen Doll whilst I took life and limb in hand on a ski trip to Aviemore I set off for Ben Macdui over the snow clad slopes, becoming seriously tired on the return as darkness started to fall. Concerning the second point, Munro had a passion for long cross-country routes through remote areas, often lasting several days. These were the days before motor transport dictated one’s return to their starting place. Undoubtedly, the advent of the motor-car opened up large areas of the Highlands to the general public, but contrarily became a ‘millstone’ for those wishing to indulge in long through-routes. Hamish’s Mountain Walk by Hamish Brown. Although published in 1975 this was my inspiration. Hamish climbed the Munros in a single journey and the book captures all the flavour and pleasures of walking Scotland’s higher lands. you appreciate the content we offer then you can help us by becoming an official UKC Supporter. This can be a one-offNow as a much more experienced Munro bagger I can appreciate the routes in the old SMC book but I far prefer the look and details found in the latest edition. The total to aim for varies, as re-surveys and reclassifications add a hill here and take one away there, but the total as we write is 282 and won’t vary by more than a few. The mapping of Scotland’s mountains has been closely intertwined with the 40-year life of HARVEY Maps, so we have included a little about the history, the people and the philosophy of the Company.

The accompanying map has colour-coded routes. A solid red line is the principal (or more frequented0 route and red dashed lines are variations and extension routes. A yellow, or yellow dashed line, shows secondary routes and extensions. A day which started gloriously with a great crossing to Lapaich from the Mullardoch dam but ended in a lot of pain on the long walk down Glen Elchaig. . . Day 1 The final tour to complete the Munros on my 40th birthday. We overnighted in Glenfinnan below Streap and after the Corbetts before travelling down to the Kingshouse for the final and 184th Munro. Day 1

Which munro routes guide book ?

The Munros – and the 227 subsidiary ‘Tops’ – were originally listed by Sir Hugh Munro, who published his first tables of mountains over 3,000 feet in 1891. The list has grown and shrunk over the years - in 1984 it was 277, in 1997 it grew to 284 and in September 2009 it returned to 283 after Sgurr nan Ceannaichean was re-measured and found to miss the magic height by 1 metre. I'd also highly recommend Ralph Storer's ultimate guides. Great wee books which include helpful pictures showing cols, weaknesses in crags etc that are described in the route descriptions. Three to go. From the Glenfinnan monument we aimed up Sgurr nan Coireachan. The crossing to Sgurr Thuilm was achieved with little fuss and nothing memorable happened. We camped at the coll between Thuilm and Steap which was a good spot. Day 2 Every one of the 282 Munros (Scottish mountains with a summit of more than 3000ft) is marked on a map. Some maps have just one Munro and most have multiple Munros in one area.

Looking at a few guidebooks maself so folk can buy me crimbo presents I've had the Munros by Cameron Mcneish for years. Hardly look at it. I also have "The Grahams, Andrew Dempster. Rab Anderson edited the previous SMC guidebook to The Munros, as well as The Corbetts. He has written or contributed to various guidebooks for the SMC, most recently the Climbers’ Guide to the Outer Hebrides (co-author) and the acclaimed Hillwalkers’ Guide to The Grahams & The Donalds (co-author and co-editor). Rab lives in Edinburgh. Having found myself with some spare work time (!) I naturally travelled up for a few days in Scotland, the culmination being a long day on the big hills of Affric. The weather was poor throughout and I did not have a tent so the options I had were a little limited. Affric is a lovely spot but always seems a little midge friendly to stay. The midge are without doubt the hidden menace of Scotland. You have to have suffered at their hands to understand the misery they inflict and it is impossible to explain to others who have not experienced them how evil they are. Sir Hugh did not manage to complete an ascent of all the summits on his list; instead the Rev. A. E Robertson became the first person to complete 'The Munros' in 1901. Now, over a hundred years later, there are over 5000 people who have registered as ‘compleaters’, with completions recorded with the Scottish Mountaineering Club. Compleaters also become eligible to join The Munro Society.

A straightforward 2 north of Spean Bridge in fairly ropey conditions finished a tour which was a little disjointed but did give a good sense of achievement 1998 North Cluanie and Lunndaidh There’s a huge pull to the Munros: Scotland’s mountains above 3000ft (914m). Most hill-goers, even if they claim not to be collecting the set, will have a fair idea how many they have done.