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| My last Munro - Ben Lomond |
In 1976 I was working for Countrywide Holidays Association as a Kitchen Porter at Creag Mhor near Onich on the shores of Loch Linnhe. Having done my A levels, I didn't want to spend a long summer in London arguing with my parents so I'd taken this job in the Scottish Highlands with a company running walking holidays. They let the staff go on the walks on their day off so I joined the walk up Ben Nevis via the Carn Mor Dearg arete. That was my first Munro. 42 years later, I was at the top of Ben Lomond having ascended all 282.
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| My first Munro - Ben Nevis and the CMD Arete |
I heard about the Munros and the fact that people tried to climb them all in 1988. This sounded like a great idea for a lifetime project. Could I do them all? I bought a copy of Munro's Tables (revised 1984) and ticked off the 34 that I was 100% sure I'd been up. At the time there were 277 Munros but in 1997, the Scottish Mountaineering club added eight peaks and removed one, bringing the total to 284. Because of improved surveying techniques, in 2009 Sgùrr nan Ceannaichean was found to be only 2,996 feet 10 inches high and in 2011 Beinn a' Chlaidheimh was found to be 2,998 feet 8 inches tall so they were struck off the list; bringing the total down to 282.
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| Celebrating on Ben Lomond |
Munros are hills in Scotland with summits that are over 3000 feet above sea level. There is no strict definition of how much drop there has to be between two of them for them to qualify as separate peaks. However, Corbetts (mountains in Scotland between 2,500 and 3,000 feet above sea level) do have a strict definition. There has to be a re-ascent of at least 500 feet on all sides. "In 1992, the publication of Alan Dawson's book Relative Hills of Britain, showed that three tops not already considered summits, had a prominence of more than 500 feet (152.4 m). Given this they would have qualified as Corbett summits had they been under 3,000 feet." (Wikipedia). This forced the Scottish Mountaineering Club to revise the list of Munros so they took the opportunity to have a more sweeping review and that is why the list was revised in 1997.
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| The crack team ready for the final ascent. L to R - Wendy, Moya, Dorothy, Ann, Me, Liz and Gerry. |
At present 6,419 people have registered their names as 'compleatists'. The list can be viewed here. Once I have sent off my letter to the SMC my name will be added to the list. There will be many more people who have done it and don't want their names on the list of course. Before the internet existed, the names were printed in Munro's Tables. The 1984 edition lists 304 people.
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| Eating a slice of The Last Munro Cake with Dorothy (L) and Liz my sister (R). Thanks Moya. |
'Munrobagging' is becoming increasingly popular. It has its critics. Many people say that they'd prefer to concentrate on the more interesting hills and aren't interested in their height or whether they are on someone's list. However, the list has taken me to many places I might never have had the incentive to visit and I am pleased to have done them in my lifetime.
What now? The Corbetts, The Munro Tops or another list ? I don't think so. I can go back, with Dorothy to revisit some of the best Munros that she hasn't done like Liathach in Torridon (as featured in the wonderful The Munro Show - check it out.). I can also pick out the hills I've wanted to do but de-prioritised because I was too busy Munrobagging.
