The Scottish Munro's

some interesting thoughts on Munro's

the long ridges

10 Munro's on the Cullin
7 Munro's in south Glen Shiel

I have not completed the two "big ridge" in Glen Sheil
"the south Clunie ridge" also known as "the south Glen Sheil ridge"

this would add 7 Munro's in one outings

However I have completed the Cuillin ridge

10 Munro's in one day
however these are usually completed over several days

the easy three

I have completed the easy three peaks in Glenshee

where three Munro's can be completed in just three hours

Carn Aosda
The Cairnwell
Cairn a' Gheoidh

how long will it take me to climb the Munro's ?

an impossible to answer question this one

a lot depends on how fast you walk, what time of the year (it's much easier to complete days with ascents of many Munro's in summer than winter)

Are you prepared to walk long days? or would you rather split the walks up over two or more days doing less Munro's per day?

It's personal choice but

as a guide : one of the commonly sold guide books to the Munro's lists 128 days walking to complete the round.
this does not include any routes split over several days or the walk in to bothys and camp sites. therefore taking this into account and the fact that some days you will need to cut your plans short due to bad weather you can realistically expect to spend around 250 days

when I get into the car and travel North, in Summer, I expect an average of ten Munro's in a Saturday to Saturday trip assuming Saturdays are spent travelling, allowing for rest days and assuming that not all peaks completed are Munro's - obviously this number decreases with bad weather.

right
the Ballahulish horseshoe

which is the hardest Munro to ascend ?

I have climbed the
Inaccessible Pinnacle
at 3235 Feet
it is often thought of as the hardest Munro to ascend for the non climber

in-pin-1.jpg (19876 bytes)

which is the most remote Munro ?

the two Munro's in "the great wilderness"
Ruadh Stac Mor & A'Mhaighdean
are generally accepted as the most remote

I completed these two in September 2003

right the view from the summit of A'Mhaighdean

which Munro shall I climb last ?

I am not sure

many people climb Ben More on Mull as their last munro

however
I have already completed Ben More
in 2003

(right
on the slopes of Ben More

which Munro
requires the most effort to climb ?

right how are we going to use as an indicator of effort ?

I will use "time", therefore the Munro that takes the longest amount of hours to ascend will be regarded as the Munro that needs the most effort to ascend.

another question : if for example you needed 13 hours to climb 2 Munro's and on another day 9 1/2 hours to climb 1 Munro
which would be classed as needing the most effort?
you could not climb one of the 2 in 6 1/2 hours!!!

example : the 5 Munro's of An Soach, Glas Tulachean, Carn an Righ, Beinn Lutharn, & Carn Bhac in the western Cairnwell can all be climbed in one long day of 10 - 16 hours (this can be made easier by using a mountain bike for the 8 km approach and retreat)

should you count this as big effort : 10 - 16 hours
or as little effort : 2 - 3 hours per Munro?

I have counted it as big effort as you can not realistically do a 2-3 hour day climbing one Munro (although you could do a 6 - 9 hour day climbing 3 Munro's and then go back another day to climb the other two in another 6 - 9 hour day)

picture in here
as soon as
I find one suitable.....

yet another question :
do you count the walk in to an overnight stop in either a bothie or tent?

example : in Glen Affric there are 3 Munro's that can be climbed from the Alltbeithe youth hostel : An Soach, Sgurr nan Ceathireamhnan, & Mullach na Dheiragain. this would involve a 7 - 12 hour day as well as the walk in and out of the youth hostel which is 2 - 3 hours each way.

Well you could in theory do some peaks on the way in or out of the youth hostel (such as Ciste Dubh, this would take longer (an extra 3 hours) but would mean more Munro's per effort)
also you could spend more than one day at the youth hostel and climb the two Munro's over 2 days of 5 - 6 hours each

no solid conclusion on effort as the options range from
3 Munro's in 3 days - total effort : 11 to 18 hours
to
4 Munro's in 4 days - total effort : 17 to 21 hours

you pays your money
and you makes your own choice

Again
pictures of Glen Affric
in here soon

Which Munro's benefit from an overnight stay in a bothy or tent?

another hard one to answer
as some people would rather walk for a long day than carry the extra equipment and food needed for a multi day ascent.

I will however give some personal ideas below
(I have listed buildings where they exist, you could always camp nearby)

Alltbeithe youth hostel : An Soach, Sgurr nan Ceathireamhnan, & Mullach na Dheiragain

Shernaval Bothy : Ruadh Stac Mor, A'Mhaighdean, Beinn a' Chlaidheimh, Sgurr Ban, Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair, & Ben Tarsuinn

Culra bothie or Ben Alder cottage : two days walking : day one : Carn Dearg, Geal Charn, Aonach Beag, Beinn Eibhin. : day two : Ben Alder, Beinn Bheoil

Eastern cairngorm's :wild camp (as no bothie nearby) : Ben Avon & Beinn a Bhuird (or a very long day of 12 - 16 hours)

Cairngorms : several peaks can be climbed in considerably shorter days from various bothies : for example : Corrour bothy : Devil's point, Cairn Toul, Sgor an Lochain Uaine

Corrour bothy