The Munros in a Year

© Andy Taylor and Jamie Aarons

2013 was a Scottish mountain bonanza for one couple, who spent the year bagging all 282 of the Munros in their spare time.

Clearly enjoying themselves  © Andy Taylor and Jamie Aarons
Clearly enjoying themselves
© Andy Taylor and Jamie Aarons

Andy Taylor and Jamie Aarons kicked off the challenge back in early January, with a soggy ascent of Ladhar Bheinn in darkest Knoydart.

'We left the dry comfort of the bothy not long after two 20 year-old lads who nearly gassed us out of the bothy the night before (due to a malfunctioning fuel canister),' they record in their blog.

'After a straightforward slog up a bracken-filled hillside from the bothy we found ourselves in a cloud for the majority of the day. The wind was relentless and we were soaked to the bone, without feeling like it ever properly rained. Given that this was the first one, it was impossible to avoid thinking, “ What the heck have we decided to do?!”' 

Over a succession of weekends throughout the year Jamie and Andy then knocked off the rest, experiencing the full range of conditions from blizzards and winter storms to summer heatwaves. They had plenty of fun on skis and mountain bikes, while their highest bagging total in a day was a healthy 12 summits, and on their biggest single weekend away they clocked up 21. 

In Fisherfield  © Andy Taylor and Jamie Aarons
In Fisherfield
© Andy Taylor and Jamie Aarons

'We finished on Saturday December 14, with Ben Lomond' they tell us. 

'Throughout the [preceding] week the forecast went from bad to worse, ultimately reporting that wind in the western mountains would increase to 80 mph over the course of the morning, with gusts of 110mph expected! Not exactly the balmy day out we had been hoping for to celebrate the end of our epic achievement with our nearest and dearest.'

'A small group of close friends who were willing to get up at 4.30 came with us. We started walking at 6am to miss the forecasted high winds and were back at the car by 10am.'

Andy and Jamie have been raising money over the year for Lomond Mountain Rescue, for whom Andy volunteers, plus Multiple Sclerosis Society Scotland and Give Water.org. See here for details.


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5 Jan, 2014
Awesome. Can relate to that "what the hell...?" feeling from Ladhar Bheinn! 12 Munros in a sitting is some total - where was this?
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