The Highest Peaks In Scotland

Scotland and her countless of mountains and hills have been a magnet for climbers and walkers for over a century. As a result of the very human obsession to scale to the highest natural landmarks they can, various ways of classifying these peaks according to height have been developed over the years.

The Munros is a term used to classify the highest mountains in Scotland. They are named after Sir Hugh T.Munro. In 1891 he surveyed all the mountains in the country above 3000 feet, which is the equivalent of 914.4 metres. He produced a table in which he pointed out 236 peaks which he deemed to be individual mountains.

As surveying methods have improved over the years, some of Munro’s original classifications have been revised. The latest revision occurred in 1997 and there are now officially 284 Munros and a further 511 ‘Tops’. These are peaks above 3000 feet considered to be part of a ridge or a range of peaks, but not seen as separate mountains.

Munro bagging is a very popular sport amongst climbing and hill walking groups. The term Munro bagging literally means climbing all the Munros. Rev. A.E.Robertson was the first person, recorded in 1901 to have bagged all 300-feet Munros. Since then over 2800 intrepid men and women have equalled the feat.

The highest Munro is part of a group of mountains called the Grampian Mountains close a town called Fort William. It is at the western end of the range and is called Ben Nevis which in Gaelic is pronounced Beinn Nibheis. It attracts thousands of climbers every year and is often referred to as simply Ben. The highest point of the mountain is 1,344 metres which is the equivalent of 4,409ft above sea level. On it lays the ruins of an observatory which used to be permanently staffed when it was in operation between 1883 and 1904. Much of the meteorological information gained during this period is still relevant today and important for understanding the weather on Scottish mountains today.

If you are taking a vacation from work to Scotland and thinking of bagging a few Munros I would suggest you first spoil yourself in any one of the luxury Edinburgh hotel has to offer. There are plenty of them but I would recommend Princes Street Hotels Edinburgh as the place to begin your search.