Walkers and Climbers Enjoy the Munros of Scotland
Scotland is famous for its lochs and mountains which have made it one of the most beautiful countries in the world. The mountain ranges have their own Scottish names and the peaks over 3000 meters in height are known as munros. There are nearly 300 munros in Scotland and hill walking and climbing these peaks is a favorite pastime in Scotland. In fact the ‘sport’ is called munro bagging and serious climbers aim to ‘compleat’ them or bag them all. This may take a few weeks or even decades depending on how often you go hill walking.
The mountains may not be very high by world standards but climbing them or hill walking can be very arduous. The weather play a key role in the success and efforts involved as often one walks in high wind, thick fog or driving rain. Among the famous peaks are Ben Nevis which is the highest peak in Scotland and Lochnagar near the Royal Balmoral Castle. Almost all the munros can be climbed without special mountaineering skills or experience. The exception is Sgurr Dearg on Skye with its Inaccessible Pinnacle.
There are several convenient routes that people take when they go on walking holidays that involves munro bagging. A popular one is to walk along the West Highland Way that runs from the Glasgow suburb of Milngavie to Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis. One can easily bag twenty munros on this route. It is advisable to walk the West Highland Way from south to north. This way the sun will be behind you for most of the route and any wind and rain you may encounter will be behind you or coming from your left-hand side rather than in your face.
Another method is to divide Scotland in several convenient regions such as ‘North of the Great Glen’ and ‘South of the Great Glen’ the great glen being the region from Fort William to Inverness. There are several kinds of accommodation available en route from camping sites and youth hostels to hotels and B&B s. One can plan the walks to end up at one of these every night.
