The Fionas

History - Fionas and Grahams

The Fionas are the mountains in Scotland between 2000 and 2500 feet high, with at least 150 metres of descent on all sides. These hills were formerly known as the Grahams before that list was trademarked and redefined to include hills below 2000'. The Fionas are the hills you need to climb to register your ascent of Grahams or the Full House with the Scottish Mountaineering Club (who do not record ascents of the hills below 2000').

The hills are named after the late hillwalker Fiona Torbet (maiden name Graham) who came up with the idea of a list of hills from 2000' to 2500', to add to the existing Munros and Corbetts. This extended the work of J Rooke Corbett whose list covered 2500' - 3000' (Corbett's list was the first to include the idea of a necessary relative height before hills were considered to be separate peaks.) Her original 'Grahams' list, which covered only Highland peaks, was published in the Great Outdoors magazine.

Later, a strict 150m separation was agreed between her and Alan Dawson, who had already created a list of all British hills of any height, but with 150m of ascent on all sides. The resulting 2000-2500' hills with 150m separation was agreed by Fiona and Alan, and now extended to the whole of Scotland - they retained the name Grahams.

Some years after Fiona had tragically been killed, Alan Dawson obtained a registered trademark on the use of the Grahams name, and since 2022 use of the now trademarked Grahams name requires abandonment of the historic 2000' criterion, commercial licensing, and can be split only into 10 regions specified by Dawson.

For these reasons - and to keep with the original idea of a list of Scottish hills between 2000' and 2500' - these hills on Walkhighlands are now listed as the Fionas. We regret the legal need to use a new name, but this name - suggested to us by the SMC - retains the link to the list originator Fiona Torbet, and has no commercial trademark or ownership - it can be freely used by anyone.