A Munro (; Scottish Gaelic: Rothach) is defined as a mountain in Scotland with a height over 3,000 feet (914.4 m), and which is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) official list of Munros; there is no explicit topographical prominence requirement. The best known Munro is Ben Nevis (Beinn Nibheis), the highest mountain in the British Isles at 1,345 m.
Munros are named after Sir Hugh Munro, 4th Baronet (1856–1919), who produced the first list of such hills, known as Munro's Tables, in 1891. Also included were what Munro considered lesser peaks, now known as Munro Tops, which are also over 3,000 feet but are lower than the nearby primary mountain. The publication of the original list is usually considered to be the epoch event of modern peak bagging. The list has been the subject of subsequent variation and as of 10 December 2020, the Scottish Mountaineering Club has listed 282 Munros and 226 Munro Tops.
"Munro bagging" is the activity of climbing all the listed Munros. As of 31 December 2023, 7,654 people had reported completing a round. The first continuous round was completed by Hamish Brown in 1974, whilst the record for the fastest continuous round is held by ultra runner Jamie Aarons, who completed a round in 31 days 10 hours 27 min in June 2023. Furths are mountains in England, Wales or Ireland recognized by the SMC as meeting the Munro classification.
Contents
History
Before the publication of Munro's Tables in 1891, there was much uncertainty about the number of Scottish peaks over 3,000 feet. Estimates ranged from 31 (in M.J.B. Baddeley's guides) to 236 (listed in Robert Hall's third edition of The Highland Sportsman and Tourist, published in 1884). When the Scottish Mountaineering Club was formed in 1889, one of its aims was to remedy this by accurately documenting all of Scotland's mountains over 3,000 feet. Sir Hugh Munro, a founding member of the club, took on the task using his own experience as a mountaineer, as well as detailed study of the Ordnance Survey six-inch-to-the-mile (1:10,560) and one-inch-to-the-mile (1:63,360) maps.
Munro researched and produced a set of tables that were published in the Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal in September 1891. The tables listed 538 summits over 3,000 feet, 282 of which were regarded as "separate mountains". The term Munro applies to separate mountains, while the lesser summits are known as Munro Tops. Munro did not set any measure of topographic prominence by which a peak qualified as a separate mountain, so there has been much debate about how distinct two hills must be if they are to be counted as two separate Munros.
The Scottish Mountaineering Club has revised the tables, both in response to new height data on Ordnance Survey maps and to address the perceived inconsistency as to which peaks qualify for Munro status. In 1992, the publication of Alan Dawson's book Relative Hills of Britain, showed that three Munro Tops not already considered summits, had a prominence of more than 500 feet (152.4 m). Given this they would have qualified as Corbett summits had they been under 3,000 feet. In the 1997 tables these three Munro Tops, on Beinn Alligin, Beinn Eighe and Buachaille Etive Beag, gained full Munro summit status. Dawson's book also highlighted a number of significant Munro Tops with as much as 197 feet (60 m) of prominence which were not listed as Munro Tops. The 1997 tables promoted five of these to full Munro status.
A total of 197 Munros have a topographic prominence of over 150 m (492 ft), thus also being classified as Marilyns: these hills have been termed "Real Munros" in some sources. Similarly, the 130 Scottish mountains over 1000 m, with a topographic prominence of over 100 m (328 ft) have been termed "Metric Munros".
Other classification schemes in Scotland, such as the Corbetts 2,500 to 3,000 ft (762–914 m) and Grahams 2,000 to 2,500 ft (610–762 m), require a peak to have a prominence of at least 500 feet (152 m) for inclusion. The Munros, however, lack a rigid set of criteria for inclusion, with many summits of lesser prominence listed, principally because their summits are hard to reach.
Notable peaks
The most famous Munro is Ben Nevis (Beinn Nibheis) in the Lochaber area. It is the highest peak in the British Isles, with an elevation of 4,411 ft (1,345 m)
Other well-known Munros include:
Ben Macdui (Beinn Macduibh), 4,296 ft (1,309.3 m), is the second highest peak in the British Isles; Braeriach (Am Bràigh Riabhach), 4,252 ft (1,296 m), is the third highest peak in the British Isles and Cairn Gorm (An Càrn Gorm), 4,084 ft (1,244.8 m), is the sixth highest peak in the British Isles. These three Munros are located together in the Cairngorms
Beinn Teallach, 3,001 ft (914.6 m), in Lochaber is the lowest Munro
Ben Hope (Beinn Hòb), 3,041 ft (927 m), in Sutherland is the most northerly Munro
Mount Keen (Monadh Caoin), 3,082 ft (939.4 m), in Glen Mark is the most easterly Munro
Ben Lomond (Beinn Laomainn), 3,195 ft (973.7 m), at Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park is the most southerly Munro
Sgùrr na Banachdaich, 3,166 ft (965 m), in the Black Cuillin on the Isle of Skye is the most westerly Munro
Schiehallion (Sìdh Chailleann), 3,554 ft (1,083.3 m), in Perth and Kinross, is a Munro often described as lying at the centre of Scotland
Bidean nam Bian, 3,771 ft (1,149.4 m); Buachaille Etive Mòr (Buachaille Èite Mòr) (Stob Dearg), 3,351 ft (1021.4 m), at the entrance to Glen Coe, Buachaille Etive Mòr (Buachaille Èite Mòr) (Stob na Bròige), 3,128 ft (953.4 m); Aonach Eagach (Sgor nam Fiannaidh), 3,175 ft (967.7 m)/Aonach Eagach (Meall Dearg), 3,124 ft (952.3 m), are regarded as the two most difficult Munros for extreme exposure while scrambling including the longest and narrowest ridge on mainland Britain, though it competes with Liathach and An Teallach for this title; and finally Buachaille Etive Beag (Buachaille Èite Beag) (Stob Dubh), 3,143 ft (958 m)/Buachaille Etive Beag (Buachaille Èite Beag) (Stob Coire Raineach), 3,033 ft (924.5 m). These seven Munros are located together in Glen Coe
Remotest Munros
Carn an Fhidhleir, 3,261 ft (994 m), from Linn of Dee via White Bridge has a distance of 11.40 miles
A' Mhaighdean, 3,169 ft (965.8 m), from Incheril via Gleann Bianasdail has a distance of 10.98 miles
Beinn Bheoil, 3,343 ft (1,019 m), from Rannoch Lodge via Ben Alder Cottage has a distance of 10.46 miles
Ruadh Stac Mor (Ruadh-Stac Mòr), 3,014 ft (918.7 m), from A832 near Corrie Hallie via Shenavall has a distance of 10.37 miles
Ben Alder (Beinn Eallair), 3,766 ft (1,148 m), from Corrour railway station via Loch Ossian has a distance of 10.34 miles
Mullach na Dheiragain, 3,222 ft (982 m), from A87 near Cluanie Inn via Alltbeithe has a distance of 10.25 miles
An Sgarsoch, 3,302 ft (1,006.5 m), from Linn of Dee via White Bridge has a distance of 10.16 miles
Peak bagging
When compared to continental ranges, such as The Alps, Scottish peaks are generally lesser in height. However, walking and climbing in them can still be dangerous and difficult to navigate the recommended routes due to their latitude and exposure to Atlantic and Arctic weather systems. Even in summer, the weather can change quickly in the mountains and conditions can be atrocious; thunderstorms, thick fog, strong winds, driving rain and freezing summit temperatures close to 0 °C are not unusual.
Winter ascents of some Munros are serious undertakings due to the unpredictable weather, the likelihood of ice and snow, and poor visibility. Each ascent becomes a test of skill, endurance, and determination, as trekkers navigate through snowdrifts, icy slopes, and unpredictable weather conditions. Some hikers try even unprepared for extreme weather on the exposed tops and fatalities are recorded every year, often resulting from slips on wet rock or ice.
The activity of attempting to climb every Munro is known as "Munro bagging". Munro-bagging is a form of peak bagging. A walker who has climbed all Munros is entitled to be called a Munroist. Descending a Munro by funicular is known as de-bagging.
Notable completions
The Scottish Mountaineering Club maintains a list of walkers who have reported completing the Munros. As of 31 December 2023, there are 7,654 names on the list. (The club uses the spelling compleator for someone who has completed the Munros.)
Hugh Munro never completed his own list, missing out on Càrn an Fhidhleir and Càrn Cloich-mhuillin (downgraded to a Munro Top in 1981). Sir Hugh is said to have missed the Inaccessible Pinnacle of Sgùrr Dearg, on the Isle of Skye, which he never climbed. However the "In Pinn", as it is known colloquially within Scottish mountaineering, was only listed as a Munro Top on his list (despite being several metres higher than Sgùrr Dearg, which was listed as the main Munro Top).
The first "completionist" was to be the Reverend A. E. Robertson, in 1901, later minister at Braes of Rannoch from 1907. However, research has cast doubt on this claim, and it is not certain that he reached the summit of Ben Wyvis. Also it is known that Robertson did not climb the Inaccessible Peak of Sgùrr Dearg. If Robertson is discounted, the first Munroist is Ronald Burn, who completed in 1923. Burn is also (indisputably) the first person to climb all the Munro Tops.
The person with the most rounds of Munros is Steven Fallon from Edinburgh, who has completed 16 rounds as of 1 October 2019.
Chris Smith became the first Member of Parliament to complete the Munros when he reached the summit of Sgùrr nan Coireachan on 27 May 1989.
Ben Fleetwood is probably the youngest person to have completed a round. He climbed the final Munro of his round – Ben More – on 30 August 2011 at the age of 10 years and 3 months. The youngest completionist to have done the round without the presence of a parent or a guardian is probably Andy Nisbet, who finished his round in 1972 aged 18 years and 1 month.
In 2024 Anna Wells of Inverness became the first woman to reach the top of 282 Munros in one winter season.
Hamish Brown did the first continuous self-propelled round of the Munros (except for the Skye and Mull ferries) between 4 April and 24 July 1974 with 449,000 ft (137,000 m) of ascent and mostly walking 1,639 miles (2,638 km) – just 150 miles (241 km) were on a bicycle. The journey is fully documented in his book Hamish's Mountain Walk. The average time taken to bag all the Munros is eight years.
Furths
The SMC recognises six peaks in England, fifteen in Wales and thirteen in Ireland that would be Munros or Munro Tops if they were in Scotland. These are referred to as Furth Munros, i.e. the Munros furth of Scotland. The first recorded Furthist is James Parker, who completed on Tryfan (Snowdonia) on 19 April 1929.