The Munros in Scotland is the name given to any mountain which exceeds 3000 feet or 914mts. There are 284 of them, first listed by Sir Hugh Munro in 1891 in the first table(s) listing them and their height. It is worth pointing out that Sir Hugh never completed them all to the actual top.
One very famous Munro on the Isle of Skye called Sgurr Dearg - "The Inaccessible Pinnacle" where you have to use rock climbing ability to actually make the true summit, is one that Sir Hugh never made.
What Sir Hugh did however was as an original member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) with like-minded enthusiasts, where he was seen as the right man to establish an accurate list. Obtaining an accurate list had become an obsession within the club. The first publication came out in 1891 and caused quite a lot on controversy.
Sir Hugh had many years experience of walking through out Scoland and used very early one-inch to the mile maps which were at that time quite primitive with little detail. His own recordings of actual summits climbed were used as additional information to support his findings.
Sir Hugh Munro died in 1919 and at the time of his death was working on the first revision of the tables, so might not have been completely satisfied with them.
Other members of the SMC have continued looking at the process of revision over the years, partly to check with aneroid barometer the accuracy of the mountain summits and the development of Ordance Survey maps. Secondly to try and distinguish the most consistent distinction between a Munro and a separate top, close by Munroists
When Sir Hugh Munro first published his tables of mountains over 3000 feet in Scotland he could have had very little idea of the influence that he was to have on later generations of hill walkers and mountaineers.
He could have had no idea that his own name has become synonymous with these mountains, nor could he have foreseen the numbers of climbers who a century later are perusing his work and using his tables as an inspiration for their climbing activities.
There are approximately 100,000 people climbing the Munros in Great Britain and close to 4000 people who have climbed them all, including myself. I love them. My completion number is 3612 and stands in the Scottish Mountaineering Club journal in 2006.
With this many people actively following in Sir Hughes foot steps we have become known as Munroists. I have met many munroists from Spain, Holland and other European countries during my time in Scotland and this adds an international status to Sir Hugh's achievements. The length of time it takes to become a completest is vast and far reaching.
Some people take an entire lifetime if you have to travel up from Southern England and have only one or two weeks per year to spare, between other family commitments, others may be able to take a sabbatical for 12 months to do them, time isn't the issue, it's determination and perseverance.
A sense of achievement
The munros are all over Scotland, the nearest one to Glasgow and is very popular in the summer months is called Ben Lomond, directly at the side of Loch Lomond and close to the site of the Scottish Golf Tournament golf club.
It stands at 974 mts and offers fabulous views of Glasgow 35miles away to the south, Ben Nevis to the north west a further 40 miles away and the surrounding hills and lochs of Southern Scotland.
By contrast the most northerly one in Sutherland is called Ben Hope, 927 mts less than a dozen miles from the north coastline and on a clear day offers spectacular views over to the Outer Hebrides and the many Isles off the coast of Scotland.
The munroist will cover the length and breadth of Scotland, many of the hills being far from the road with over night stops in bothy's (mountain huts) or camping, bivouacking out to save time and repeated journey's.
You are never "just" a munroist you will meet geologists, artists, poets, naturists see plenty of flora and fauna and become engrossed in the lands history, its people and love the great open spaces that you will surely treasure as I do.
So whether you aspire to climb one or all the munros be prepared for life changing experiences. You will see four seasons on many a day, but one thing every munro bagger knows is that to be "true" munroist you have to climb some of them in every month of the year.
The spring and summer are fine for great views, but too feel the sense of isolation, the wilderness, frozen lochs and lakes, ice capped summits and waist deep snow with hunger in your stomach and a biting wind around your ears, all this and more will leave you with a knowledge and experiences only a few will see in their lives.
By : Brian_A_Slater
One very famous Munro on the Isle of Skye called Sgurr Dearg - "The Inaccessible Pinnacle" where you have to use rock climbing ability to actually make the true summit, is one that Sir Hugh never made.
What Sir Hugh did however was as an original member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) with like-minded enthusiasts, where he was seen as the right man to establish an accurate list. Obtaining an accurate list had become an obsession within the club. The first publication came out in 1891 and caused quite a lot on controversy.
Sir Hugh had many years experience of walking through out Scoland and used very early one-inch to the mile maps which were at that time quite primitive with little detail. His own recordings of actual summits climbed were used as additional information to support his findings.
Sir Hugh Munro died in 1919 and at the time of his death was working on the first revision of the tables, so might not have been completely satisfied with them.
Other members of the SMC have continued looking at the process of revision over the years, partly to check with aneroid barometer the accuracy of the mountain summits and the development of Ordance Survey maps. Secondly to try and distinguish the most consistent distinction between a Munro and a separate top, close by Munroists
When Sir Hugh Munro first published his tables of mountains over 3000 feet in Scotland he could have had very little idea of the influence that he was to have on later generations of hill walkers and mountaineers.
He could have had no idea that his own name has become synonymous with these mountains, nor could he have foreseen the numbers of climbers who a century later are perusing his work and using his tables as an inspiration for their climbing activities.
There are approximately 100,000 people climbing the Munros in Great Britain and close to 4000 people who have climbed them all, including myself. I love them. My completion number is 3612 and stands in the Scottish Mountaineering Club journal in 2006.
With this many people actively following in Sir Hughes foot steps we have become known as Munroists. I have met many munroists from Spain, Holland and other European countries during my time in Scotland and this adds an international status to Sir Hugh's achievements. The length of time it takes to become a completest is vast and far reaching.
Some people take an entire lifetime if you have to travel up from Southern England and have only one or two weeks per year to spare, between other family commitments, others may be able to take a sabbatical for 12 months to do them, time isn't the issue, it's determination and perseverance.
A sense of achievement
The munros are all over Scotland, the nearest one to Glasgow and is very popular in the summer months is called Ben Lomond, directly at the side of Loch Lomond and close to the site of the Scottish Golf Tournament golf club.
It stands at 974 mts and offers fabulous views of Glasgow 35miles away to the south, Ben Nevis to the north west a further 40 miles away and the surrounding hills and lochs of Southern Scotland.
By contrast the most northerly one in Sutherland is called Ben Hope, 927 mts less than a dozen miles from the north coastline and on a clear day offers spectacular views over to the Outer Hebrides and the many Isles off the coast of Scotland.
The munroist will cover the length and breadth of Scotland, many of the hills being far from the road with over night stops in bothy's (mountain huts) or camping, bivouacking out to save time and repeated journey's.
You are never "just" a munroist you will meet geologists, artists, poets, naturists see plenty of flora and fauna and become engrossed in the lands history, its people and love the great open spaces that you will surely treasure as I do.
So whether you aspire to climb one or all the munros be prepared for life changing experiences. You will see four seasons on many a day, but one thing every munro bagger knows is that to be "true" munroist you have to climb some of them in every month of the year.
The spring and summer are fine for great views, but too feel the sense of isolation, the wilderness, frozen lochs and lakes, ice capped summits and waist deep snow with hunger in your stomach and a biting wind around your ears, all this and more will leave you with a knowledge and experiences only a few will see in their lives.
By : Brian_A_Slater
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