Sir Hugh MunroHugh Thomas Munro was born in 1856, the son of Sir Campbell Munro of Lindertis near Kirriemuir. He was a man of many interests and accomplishments, and when he joined the Scottish Mountaineering Club in 1889 as a founder member he was already a world traveller and an experienced walker of the Scottish hills. At the time it was widely believed that there were only about 30 hills in Scotland over 3000 ft in height; however, the very first SMC Journal implied that the number could be closer to the 300 mark, and that many had perhaps never been climbed. Munro set himself the task of drawing up a definitive list of Scottish hills satisfying the 3000 ft criterion. The list was first published in 1891 after a great deal of painstaking research and many long treks through remote regions of the Highlands. A few years later the Ordnance Survey produced revised six inch maps of Scotland and these threw up many inconsistencies in the listing. Consequently Munro started on a revision to the Tables but died in 1919 before completing it. Munro climbed all but 2 of the 3000 ft peaks listed in the 1891 Tables: the Inaccessible Pinnacle of Sgurr Dearg on Skye, and Carn Cloich-mhuillin in the Cairngorms. Although he was not a technical climber it was sheer bad luck that he failed to bag the notorious “In Pinn”, being defeated by atrocious weather conditions on more than one occasion. Ironically the latter peak, which he was keeping for his last Munro, was demoted to a Top in the 1981 Revision to the Tables. |
 The Inaccessible Pinnacle, Although Munro was not a technical climber it was sheer bad luck that he failed to bag the notorious “In Pinn”, being defeated by atrocious weather conditions |
The Reverend
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Archibald Eneas Robertson was born in Helensburgh in 1870, the son of a prosperous Victorian merchant. He climbed his first Munro - Ben Cruachan - in 1889, and by the time he joined the Scottish Mountaineering Club in 1893 had amassed a total of 45 Munros. Over the next few years he accumulated further peaks at a modest rate, mainly at the twice-yearly SMC meetings. However, he embarked on 2 “grand tours” during the spring and early summer of 1898 and 1899 during which he bagged 147 new Munros. It can reasonably be inferred that he undertook these tours with the specific objective of becoming the first Munroist, as his routes were planned so as to link together his unclimbed peaks, whilst avoiding “unnecessary” re-ascents - a sentiment that many a modern peak bagger can align with! He left the 2 Munros bounding the
Aonach Eagach ridge on the north side of Glencoe till the end of his campaign. Although AER completed the Munros without the aid of a motor car, he made extensive use of the developing rail system and many other forms of transport as well, such as steamer, rowing boat (gillie-powered!), pony and trap, mail cart, stage coach, and in particular, the bicycle. He was never without a roof over his head at the end of a day in the hills, and in an era when the glens were more populated, would often overnight at gamekeeper’s or shepherd’s cottages during his longer treks. He developed a keen interest in
photography after completing the Munros, and a fascinating selection of his photographs is
included in P Drummond He was President of the SMC from
1930-32, |
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other Munroists amongst the various ascents since : they have all been climbed in a single expedition they have all been climbed in the winter, Martin Moran
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| the fastest The fastest "Munro round stood at 51 days, 9 hours & 22 minutes was set in 1992 by Rory Gibson & Andrew Johnston until it was broken by Charlie Campbell Charlie Campbell's Munro round between May 29th and
July 16th 2000 Charlie started on
Ben More on mull which he completed before a 89 minute swim to the mainland
and a 70 mile bike ride to Fort William. During the round Charlie swam the waters at sound of Mull, Loch Lomond, and Kyle rhea. The most Munro's completed in a day was 11 which was achieved on two days (one on Skye, and one around the Ben Alder region)
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Completions one person has completed eleven traverses of the Munro's Steve Fallon (Munroist number 1045) completed his 11th crossing on Beinn Allign on 29th June 2003. It was only 99 months after completing his 10th crossing on Ben Vorlich on September 1st 2002
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one view
that the early Munroist did not see Cairngorm Summit 4085 feet, The summit weather station can clearly be seen. The station monitors wind speed temperature etc, and gives regular advice for skiers and climbers on various mediums including teletext and the net
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until the year 2000 only 7 known
people had completed the Scottish "Grahams"
it is thought that 7 more completed them during the year 2000
