What are the Munros? And why should I climb them?

What exactly are the Munros?

Mountains in Scotland over 3000ft.

How many Munros are there?

282 – that's a lot of cheese sandwiches and blisters...

Who complied the list?

Sir Hugh Munro in 1891.

Are they really all over 3000ft?

The popular concept of the Round of Munros includes all hills over 3000ft. However, upon starting to climb them, it quickly becomes clear this is not the whole story. There are points where the land rises above 3000ft but is not considered a separate hill, or where it is a separate hill but not accorded Munro status.

Has the original list been modified?

Successive revisions of the list by experts have sought to declassify some hills and upgrade others, not just because their heights have been reassessed but also based on their ‘character’ or ‘remoteness,’ or whether it was felt that climbers should be directed to one hill rather than another. There is not always an obvious logic to the hills that are included or excluded from the list at any given time, and the list has been revised so often that it risks being discredited. For instance, in recent revisions, Sgurr nan Ceannaichean and Beinn a’ Chlaidheimh were downgraded and are no longer considered Munros.

Currently, there are 282 Munros and 227 Tops on the list. Sir Hugh’s original list, drawn up in 1891, differs from the most recent version due to improvements in mapping. For example, Sir Hugh believed the Inaccessible Pinnacle was lower than Sgurr Dearg, so it was not originally listed as a Munro. Even today, the latest satellite mapping techniques may reveal discrepancies in the accepted heights of hills, usually by only a meter. Ben Nevis itself is now officially 1m lower than it was a few years ago.

Is the list still important?

Despite all the argument and lack of clarity about what makes a hill a Munro, and despite the all-too-frequent revisions, there is no doubting the fact that the underlying idea of the list makes sense to most people; it always has made sense and it probably always will. The list stands for something meaningful both to the hillwalker and to the public at large, and that something involves the idea that the Munros are all the highest hills in Scotland.

Why climb the Munros?

Doing the Munros will take you to places of quite extraordinary beauty that you would never otherwise have seen; places that inspire awe, reflection and sometimes fear. The pleasures awaiting the Munroist are many and varied. Navigating your way through the primeval wonderland of Scotland’s mountain landscapes will put the rest of your life into a new perspective. There will be moments of great satisfaction, often in the midst of adversity; moments when you have unforgettable encounters with wildlife, and moments when friendships are forged through shared experience. Climbing the Munros might even give you a greater understanding of your own inner strengths and weaknesses, a discovery of where your own limits lie and a chance to stretch yourself beyond them. There is a lot to be gained from walking the Scottish hills.

What is Munro-bagging?

You may have guessed it... climbing as many of the Munros as you can! If you really want a mega-challenge, the current fastest time to summit them all is 31 days 10 hours and 27 minutes!