Sam & Claire’s Munro
Mountain Experiences
A Munro is a mountain in
Scotland with a height over 3,000 ft (914.4 m). They are named after Sir
Hugh Munro, 4th Baronet (1856–1919), who produced the first list of such hills,
known as Munro's Tables, in 1891.
As of the 2009 revision of the tables, published by the Scottish
Mountaineering Club, there are 283 Munros. Below are the mountains that we have
climbed with our own pictures and a brief description of our climbs. Each climb
and walk we have done in Scotland has been fantastic; the scenery and the
landscape are just our favorite place to be!
Cairn Gorm M6 ‘Blue Hill’ 1244m/4081ft NJ 005 040.
23rd October 2007
Although this is a high mountain it’s not at all
difficult to climb, we started from the car park by the ski centre base station
(which is already at 600m), followed the path next to the funicular railway
(nice…) then up a very well walked path to the summit; not an ‘escapism’ walk
this!
However, once away from the summit we made our way around
the horseshoe to Cairn Lochan then we swung around north to follow a good path
back to the car park, all of this bit of the walk was great; we had fantastic
weather and the views across the Cairngorm plateau are amazing. Afterwards we
walked along the beach of Loch Morlich with a beautiful sunset – it was like
being in the Caribbean! Then we stopped for a well earned cup of tea at a café
on the road only to see lots of Red Squirrels!
Ben Lawers M10 ‘Loud, from a stream’ 1214m/3983ft NN 635 414. 14th July
2008
Only a 4½ hour walk, and two Munros for the price of
one!. Clear paths all the way from the NTS vistors centre near Killin, quite a
busy walk, but then this was a good weather day in July. The return route to
the west of Beinn Ghlas had some great views up the Allt a’ Chobhair glen and
then through a lovely enclosed nature reserve section just north of the vistors
centre
See below for Beinn
Ghlas M47
Beinn Ghlas M47 ‘Greenish-grey hill’ 1103m/3619ft NN 625 404. 14th July 2008
See above for Ben
Lawers M10
Meall nan Tarmachan M89 ‘Hill of the ptarmigan’ 1044m/3425ft NN 585 390. 15th July
2008
This was the first walk we did from Cameron McNeish’s
excellent book, ‘Scotland’s 100 Best walks’, walk #2 ‘The Tarmachan Horseshoe’.
An excellent 4½ hour walk starting from a parking point north west of Lochain
na Lairige, first heading west to the north ridge of Meall Garbh across open
moor land. Once on the ridge we then followed it around in a ‘horseshoe’,
occasionally scrambling over rocks until completing the traverse of the ridge
to the summit before following the broad ridge back down to the car. No real
paths to follow but navigation was really easy as it’s obvious where we were
heading at all tmes.
Beinn Ime M118 ‘Butter Hill’ 1011m/3317ft NN 255 084. 2nd November 2009
We did our own walk that took 4½ hours for this mountain starting
from a parking place by Glen Kinglas on the A83.
There were no paths until we reached the very top as this
wasn’t ‘a usual’ route. We made our way up to Bealach a’ Mhargaidh following
the stream then walked around the south west face of the mountain to meet the
path to the summit. It was quite a miserable, wet day and was very misty at the
top, but still an exhilarating walk. We made our way back the same way but,
unfortunately we decided to keep to the north of the stream hoping to cross a
bridge over Kinglas Water at NN 239 099, this bridge wasn’t there so we had to
walk for 2km north along the river to cross and then back again along a track
on the other side. The saving grace for this was that, along the track back to
the car, the sun finally made an appearance and it was a very pleasant evening
stroll along the river!
An Diollaid ‘The Saddle’
M121 1010m/3314ft NG 936 131. 7th October 2010
This mountain is walk #69 in Cameron McNeish’s
‘Scotland’s 100 Best walks’ but we made our own 8 hour walk from our cottage in
Ratagan. From Shiel Bridge we walked right along Gleann Undalain to Coire
Uaine, had lunch then made the 400m very steep climb / scramble up to Sgurr na
Creige, from there it is a walk right along the ridge to a small loch just below
the summit. The decent we cut more across the mountain before returning along
the Gleann.
Sgurr Eilde Mor M123 ‘Big Peak of the Hind’ 1010m/3314ft NN 230 657. 10th
October 2010
We had a great 7 hour walk for this one from the car park
next to St Paul’s church in Kinlochleven. The start was a bit confusing finding
our way along all the paths behind the village but eventually we found our way
folowing some great paths up to the amazing Coire an Lochain. This, like the
Coire Mhic Fhearchair behind Beinn Eighe, is a great place on earth, with good
weather you could just hang around in a place like this for hours. We also
bumped into Cameron McNeish about 20m below the summit!
Sgor na h-Ulaidh M149 ‘Peak of the Treasure’ 994m/3261ft NN 111 518. 15th October
2006
This was our first Munro, having not climbed Beinn Eighe
in 2005 as we; a) didn’t have maps or b) really know anything about ‘The
Munros’. So this was our honeymoon holiday week and the weather was fantastic.
If you look really carefully behind us at the peak you can see Ben Nevis in the
distance. This was quite a hard walk which we made up ourselves, so we never
really followed any paths and it was quite a tough long climb to the ridge.
We started from our cottage and followed a track up Gleann
Leac na Muidhe then headed east up and across open moor land to Aonach Dubh a
Ghlinne then due south to the peak of Stob an Fhuarain at 968m. We then carried
on along the ridge to the Munro then back home more or less the way we went up.
Druim Shionnach M160 ‘Ridge of
the Fox’ 987m/3238ft NH 074 084. 8th October 2010
A 7½ hour walk from the car park of the Cluanie Inn on
the A87 just east of Glen Shiel. We climbed this along with Creag a’ Mhaim (see below M218). A
grey, slighlty damp, but not raining day with very good visibility apart from
the top which was quite misty.
The walk starts along the old road to Glen Loyne, cross a
stile and follow a good, well used stalkers’ path up the hill. The path fades
near the top so we found our own way onto the ridge, once there there was a
clear path to both summits. The final approach to Druim Shionnach required a
bit of moderate scrambling along a narrow, rocky ridge. The decent, after
retracing our steps to the summit of Creag a’ Mhaim, was down an excellent, zig
zagging path back to the old road. Great views across to Loch Loyne.
Beinn Sgritheall M183 ‘Scree Hill’ 974m/3195ft NG 835 126. 5th October 2010
A 7 hour walk using walk #68 from Cameron McNeish’s ‘Scotland’s
100 Best walks’. We had a little problem with the start as the starting point
is further down the road than expected, so we found our own way up first
following a track then forcing our way up through a steep wooded area breaking
out onto a steep heather meadow then up to the ridge. Good weather (although
very windy at times) GREAT views from the top.
Sgorr nam Fiannaidh M188 ‘Peak of the Fian Warriors’ 967m/3173ft NN 140 583.
18th October 2006
We started this along the road just east of Glencoe
village, first walking on a track, crossing a bridge and then along a path up
to Cnap Glas, then climbing along the rocky ridge to the summit. It was a bit
misty high up and navigation was difficult as the path fades in the rocks so
finding the cairn was a bit tricky. We weren’t the only ones having problems;
we met some German walkers coming out of the mist from the east saying that
they thought the summit was back the way they had come, but it infact turned
out to be to the west – who knows where they had been? – They disappeared back
into the mist continuing west which was a VERY rocky decent! We had great views
of Loch Leven and Glencoe on the decent.
Buachaille Etive Beag,
Stob Dubh M201 ‘Small herdsman of Etive, black peak’ 958m/3143ft
NN 179 535. 16th October 2006
Our second Munro and a ‘two peaks for one’ climb! Again
we made our own walk up for this, starting from a parking place on the A82 in
Glen Coe we walked on a muddy path along the Allt Lairig Eilde for about 1km
then we headed up the hill south-easterly up ‘Man Buidhe’ to the ridge. Once on
the broad ridge good paths take you to either summit with great views all
around, again we had great weather for this 5 hour walk.
See below for Stob
Coire Raineach M263
Creag a’ Mhaim M218 ‘Rock of the Large Rounded Hill’ 947m/3107ft NH 087 077. 8th
October 2010
See above for Druim
Shionnach M160
Ben Hope M256 ‘Hill of the Bay’ 927m/3041 NC 477 501. 20th April 2011
Only a 4½ hour walk with clear paths all the way from the
car park near Alltnacaillich. Quite a busy walk as a) It was a very fine day
weather-wise and b) Ben Hope is a popular Munro being the furthest North – from
the top it’s “downhill to Iceland…”. A good walk with plenty of good places to
stop to take in the magnificent views and have lunch. The weather for us was
fantastic so we had great views from the summit.
Beinn Narnain M259 ‘Hill of the Notches’ 926m/3038ft NN 271 066. 31st October
2009
This 3½ hour walk started from the car park beside the
A83 in Succoth. The route followed the track as if climbing ‘The Cobbler’ (Walk
#9 in ‘Scotland’s 100 Best Walks’) but this day instead of turning left before
the col between the Cobbler and Beinn Narnain (after the Narnain Boulders) we
turned right heading north on a good path that then swings around due east to
climb to the summit, we then returned the same way. Not great weather this day;
damp and misty higher up and also a very popular route as many people were
climbing ‘the Cobbler’, however, an easy climb on good paths so easy to
navigate at all times.
Geal Charn M260 ‘White Hill’ 926m/3038ft NN 561 987. 25th October 2007
Starting from a parking spot on the east side of the
reservoir by Spey Dam we walked due north along Glen Markie (a great walk on
it’s own) and then we swung around west up Piper’s Burn to the lovely Lochan a’
Choire. We then climbed the remaining 250m to the north of the mountain up onto
the broad ridge spinning around south to the finely built cairn. We made our
way back down grassy meadows to Glenshero Lodge then back along the road to the
car over 5½ hours.
A very fine walk on a fine mountain with lots to offer; a
lovely Glen, a superb Choire in the bowl of the mountain then a broad ridge
with great views and a majestic cairn.
Buachaille Etive Beag,
Stob Coire Raineach M263 ‘Ferny Corrie Peak’
925m/3035ft NN 191 548. 16th October 2006
See above for Stob
Dubh M201
Ben Vane M282 ‘Middle Hill’ 915m/3002ft NN 277 098. 15th April 2011
We did our own walk that took 5½ hours for this mountain
starting from a parking place by Glen Kinglas on the A83. We walked for 3½km
along the track up Glen Kinglas (marked Ben Vane track) then we headed South
West up Gleann Uaine to climb ther slopes of Ben Vane. Although there was some
low cloud cover and quite a breeze we had good views from the top; especially of
the immediate surounding Munros of Ben Ime, Beinn Narnain and Ben Vorlich as
well as The Cobbler.
Beinn Spionnaidh ‘Hill of Strength’ 773m/2536ft NC 362 573. 17th April 2011
This is a ‘Corbett’ not a Munro (named after John
Corbett, these are hills of a height between 2500ft and 3000ft with a drop of
at least 500ft between each listed hill and any adjacent higher one. The
present list contains 219 Corbetts). Beinn Spionnaidh is the most northerly
Corbett and, indeed, the most northerly high ground of any consequence in
Britain. We took 5 hours to climb this hill from ‘Carbreck’; the cottage we
stayed at during our week in the far North West. Walking first along the track
to the farm ‘Rhigolter’ then making our way up the hill to Cioch Bheag then to
Cioch Mhor then to the summit; windy but a fine day with great views from the
top; a lovely hill!
Links
© Sam and Claire Edwards