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Revision as of 08:57, 30 April 2004 by David Edgar (talk | contribs) (added ref to Ben Lomond; formatting fix for 'Cairngorms')(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)A Munro is a Scottish hill with a height over 3000ft (914m). They are named after Sir Hugh Munro (1856 - 1919), who published the first exhaustive list of such hills, known as Munro's Tables, in 1891. Other classifications of Scottish hills exist, including the Corbetts, the Grahams and (in the south of the country), the Donalds. However, the Munros are unique in that they lack a rigid set of criteria for inclusion. Since the list's initial publication, much debate has taken place over how distinct two hills must be if they are to be considered as two separate Munros. The decisions of the editors of the Tables have often been criticised for being subjective and erratic, with some hills being removed from the Tables in one revision, only to be graced with Munro status again in the next.
Despite their relatively low height, it is widely accepted that winter ascents of certain Munros can provide among the most challenging ice climbs in Europe. Sadly, some walkers are unprepared for the often extreme weather conditions on the exposed tops and many fatalities are recorded every year, often resulting from slips on wet rock or ice.
Some hillwalkers climb Munros with an eye to climbing every single one -- a practice casually known as "Munro-bagging". Having climbed all of them, a walker is entitled to be called a Munroist.
Probably the most famous Munro is Ben Nevis in the Lochaber area. It is the highest peak in Scotland and the entire U.K, with an altitude of 4,409 ft (1,344 m). Other famous Munros include:
- Lochnagar, a mountain near the Royal Castle of Balmoral in the area of Glen Muick
- Sgurr nan Gillean, Sgurr Alasdair and the Inaccessible Pinnacle, in the Cuillin Hills on the Isle of Skye
- Liathach in Torridon
- The Devil's Point, Cairn Gorm and Ben Macdui in the Cairngorms
- Ben Lomond
Fastest Round
The middle Sunday of July 2000 saw Charlie Campbell, a postman from Anniesland in the west end of Glasgow, scamper across the upper slopes of Ben Hope in Sutherland, clamber on to the summit cairn and so complete, in 48 days 12 hours, the fastest round of the Munros.
On a more mundane level, jaunts of seven in a day are reasonably possible.
The Aonach Eagach in Glencoe boasts 2 of the trickier Munros:Sgor nam Fiannaidh & Meall Dearg
