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 Sir Hugh never managed to complete the ascent of all the summits on his list, and it was left to the Revd A E Robertson to complete the first round of the Munros in 1901. Since then, attempting to ascend all the peaks ('Munro-bagging') has become a popular pursuit among British walkers and mountaineers. 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! 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.) 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

We met Alistair for his first experience of the Tour at Ballaculish. The crossing of’ what we refer to as ‘the Sea’, was straightforward with the views a little better than the previous 2 days. We returned to Fort William. Day 4 An excellent day on Beinn Eighe with JP. Again we headed north in to the coire to the north, the only obvious route up Eighe. An extra Munro had been added since our last visit and we also aimed to ‘walk the ridge’ which involved a scrambled top at the west end (Sail Mhor) and then a long hike along the ridge towards Kinlochewe. The clearest memory of this walk was the clearance as we descended towards Kinlochewe – one of those spectacular moments. Day 4 Murdos are Scottish hills over 3,000ft with a minimum drop of 30 metres on all sides - all Munros are Murdos, but not all Munro Tops are Murdos. There are 442 Murdos. 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. We were based in Loch Carron. We passed a day of absolutely no memories over Lunndaidh and its two neighbours. Nothing to say on the crossing, made in mist. Day 3

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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. However, I've often thought that it could be useful having a wee handbook with routes, comments, data etc with me on the hills along with the usual OS map. I've had a look through threads on WH and in the bookshop but haven't really found what I'm looking for. Sir Hugh Munro himself never did complete all the ascents; at the time of his death he had omitted Carn an Fhidhleir and Carn Cloich-mhuillin (which was demoted in 1981 and which he was saving until last as it was nearest to his home). He never climbed the Inaccessible Pinnacle ("In Pinn") on Skye but this was not regarded as a Munro on his original list - being omitted in favour of the lower summit of Sgurr Dearg from which it protrudes. 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.

A classic round of An Teallach walked in misty conditions. A fantastic hill which many people would say is the best on Mainland Britain I have not really enjoyed it to it’s full on either of my visits. It is a mountain I certainly want to return to. The ridge is certainly good with some enjoyable scrambling over the peaks but I never felt the real feeling of exposure I have felt on other ridges (or the tingling element of danger) such as Liachach, the Aonach Eagach or on the Cuillin. Day 4 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.

And those hills, scattered all over Scotland, from Ben Lomond in the South to Ben Hope in the north, and Sgurr na Banachdich in the west to Mount Keen in the east, offer no end of challenging and immensely enjoyable days out, in all seasons. Views good – Cairngorms and Ben Alder groups, the Glencoe hills, Schiehallion (which does not show to advantage from here), Ben Lawers looking well, with Stobinian over his left shoulder, Ben Chonzie, the Fifeshire Lomonds and Sidlaws showing well, with the smoke of Dundee behind. The special feature, however, is the fine view of the higher peaks of Beinn a’ Ghlò. The terrible night was followed by a pleasant walk up Blaven. Easy compared to the previous 2 days and we did not continue along the ridge to Clach Glas where there are some considerable difficulties. Drove down to the Kinghouse for the night. Day 4

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 This is a smart looking book that will appeal to walkers as both a guidebook and a coffee table book. ALL Clothing Casual Baselayers Down Insulation Synthetic Insulation Fleece Hats & Gloves Legwear Softshell Proofings & Repair Waterproofs

I really enjoyed Attow or Beinn Fhada as it is sometimes called. Intermittent rain and cloud meant that navigation was a little difficult. This was particularly so as we headed for the eastern top, two and a half miles from the summit. Little Glas Bheinn was taken out on the return to midge infested Strath Croe. My suspicions have always been that Days 3 and 4 are the most difficult on an extended trip and that there will become a stage when a routine is set and the mind settles to a regular beat. It also physically becomes easier. 2003 Glenfinnan and Completion Please help UKClimbing continue to provide varied and free content by becoming a UKC Supporter, or UKC Supporter Plus which Instead, the Reverend A. E. Robertson became the first to complete the summits, in 1901. The final mountain reached was Meall Dearg (on the Aonach Eagach) - where the Revd famously kissed first the cairn, and then his wife. Recently some doubt has been cast as to whether Robertson was truly the first to complete the round as some researchers believe he may have missed the summit of Ben Wyvis. In 1923 another Reverend, Ronald Burn, became the second Munroist as well as the first person to climb all the subsidiary Tops. The book includes full routes to and from the summits, as well as potential extensions and variations. The maps are clear and simple and offer a good guide from which you can then plot your route on the ground by OS Map.

I like the book because it offers lots of route options and ideas for extending the routes to take in other summits. While I am still very likely to continue to use Walk Highlands as a resource, it’s great to be able to refer to The Munros guidebook as well for other ideas or combinations of ideas and routes. Perhaps if I do a Munros round again I will take in the Munro Tops as well. 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. A strange post foot and mouth tour dotting up and down the A9. The Glen Lyon 4, Braeriach and the two to the south off Courour Halt were all completed Day 1 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 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

About the authors

Sir Hugh had been planning to revise his list of Munros, and after his death the SMC took over the job of keeping the list upto date. The first revised edition was publised in 1921, and several further changes were made - the most recent revision being in 2012. There are currently 282 Munros and 226 Tops. In addition to Munros, there are also Munro Tops and Murdos. Munro Tops are summits that are over 3,000ft, but considered to be a subsidary top of a nearby Munro. This book provides a compendium of maps including coverage of every Munro (hill over 3000'). It will assist the planning of countless days of hillwalking. By its nature it is a picture of the upland topography of Scotland. The view northwest from the summit of A’ Mhaighdean – perhaps the finest view from any Munro. Photo: Andrew Dempster