For the map lover, here is a feast of topographic delight. For the outdoor enthusiast, material for future invigorating exploits. As a planning guide for outdoor activity, the book accompanies the Munro & Corbett Chart, which shows the broad location of each Munro. 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. 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.)

Over the years the lists have been tampered with by the Scottish Mountaineering Club and its associates either due to errors in the actual heights of the hills recognized by the Ordnance Survey or a more arbitrary re-classification based upon ‘fairness’. Whether we have all approved of these changes is almost irrelevant but we are now left with 282 Munros and 225 Tops. Loch Torridon from Liathach The Tops A long day over the Grey Corries in cloudy weather. The ridge twisted and turned which I lengthened by taking in the westerley top. We also drove to the 3 near Loch Quoich which involved the only time I returned to the car for lunch and started again. Day 1 It took me 5 years to follow up the Munros with their associated Tops. I decided to start doing Tops roughly half way through the Munros which led me on to longer walks than anticipated. However it was only after completing the Munros that things became more mentally difficult. Attempting a single Top almost inevitably required a second go at the Munro so the walk was often repetitive but with ‘a little bit extra added on’ I did attempt alternative routes but these were often longer – at least I did provide some companionship for Alistair who was still going for his first set of Munros. 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 1During that winter’s day of 22 January 1891, Hugh Munro had completed a 20-mile mountain traverse from Blair Atholl to Dirnanean. An hour later, a thawed out, bathed and freshly dressed Munro sat before a roaring log fire with dram in hand, awaiting dinner. He would certainly deserve it.

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. 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 I spent hours planning this trip. It was the key to the Cairngorms and needed to be 2 days worth. I very much looked forward to it even though the days planned to be very long. Day 1 The total to aim for varies, as re-surveys and reclassifications add a hill here and take one away there, but the total as we write is 282 and won’t vary by more than a few.Every one of the 282 Munros (Scottish mountains with a summit of more than 3000ft) is marked on a map. Some maps have just one Munro and most have multiple Munros in one area. The most recent revision of the list found Beinn a'Chlaidheimh in Fisherfield to be under the 3,000ft height, therefore bringing the current total to 282 Munros.