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Getting to the Munros

Getting to the Munros


Postby sgpnut » Sun Mar 18, 2012 4:16 pm

I'm planning to try and get to all the Munros this coming summer and I've began thinking about transport between each Munro.

I was thinking of either:
a) renting a car
b) taking trains, buses, walking

In you guys' opinion, which would be the better option? Price-wise, travel-wise, everything-wise.
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Re: Getting to the Munros

Postby SMRussell » Sun Mar 18, 2012 4:43 pm

If you're feeling ambitious and fancy walking read Chris Townsend's "The Munros And Tops" (although there were 277 Munros and 240 Tops back when he did it). Saw him give a talk in Dundee about it just a few weeks back - great stuff :D

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1840187271?t ... tions.html
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Re: Getting to the Munros

Postby gammy leg walker » Sun Mar 18, 2012 4:49 pm

Best of luck "getting to all the munros" this summer,its a big ask.
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Re: Getting to the Munros

Postby NickyRannoch » Sun Mar 18, 2012 8:09 pm

obviously a car is going to be the most convenient option but you would probably be cheaper buying a car than renting one for the summer.

any reason why you want to do it all in one summer?
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Re: Getting to the Munros

Postby clivegrif » Sun Mar 18, 2012 8:39 pm

I would also recommend buying a bike - that would speed things up a lot. There are many tracks you can use to get you to the foot of a hill it would otherwise take hours to reach.
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Re: Getting to the Munros

Postby Kevin29035 » Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:46 pm

If you're talking about really all in one go-style, your tactics need to be geared more towards long through-routes, back packing. But if you take a car it's got the advantage of chasing the best of the weather, drying off, spending the night in a pub and all those advantages if you can afford it. For specifically all in the Munros in one, a bike isn't the way to go for efficiency since you'll need to return to it and cycle all the way around the hills you'd be climbing to get to the bottom of the next ones.
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Re: Getting to the Munros

Postby RicKamila » Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:55 pm

This was an article in the Evening Express (Aberdeen) last year. A guy was planning to do all the Munros over winter.

Evening Express wrote:A North-East man hopes to bag all 283 Munros in a single winter. Ben Hunter will scale the peaks during a four-month expedition. And the 25-year-old, who came up with the idea while bedridden with swine flu, aims to become the first person to use only a bike and kayak to reach every mountain.

He said: "I spend a lot of time in the Scottish hill but this is the biggest expedition I've done by far - I just can't wait to get started. The difficult part in some ways is now, as I'm busy working out all the timings, planning routes, who will be bringing food and when."

Mr Hunter, who lives in Aberdeen, has been granted fee use of the boulder and climbing facilites at Robert Gordon University's sports complex as he prepares for his challenge. He will begin by climbing Ben More on December 1 and plans to reach the most northerly Munro, Ben Hope, four months late.


He had to postpone it because he was being sponsored over the four months and his sponsor went into administration. WIll you have enough funds to complete this over summer? Remember, accomodation will be at its most expensive in Summer and you'll have many more people in the hills. The Inn Pinn will be popular if the weathers nice. Also, you need to feed yourself, this costs money too.

Good luck anyway. I see you have done 2 Munro's so far, just make sure you really are ready for this challenge though.
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Re: Getting to the Munros

Postby Kevin29035 » Sun Mar 18, 2012 11:18 pm

Some books to check out (the best way to work out what you need to do imo - they all have very helpful information at the back) - I don't own the last one but I've heard it's good.

Hamish's Mountain Walk - Hamish Brown
Munros in Winter - Martin Moran
The Munros and Tops - Chris Townsend
Hell of a Hourney - Mike Cawthorne
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Re: Getting to the Munros

Postby clivegrif » Sun Mar 18, 2012 11:22 pm

Sorry, obviously didn't make myself clear - you'll need a car AND a bike. Drive to the start of a track, bike up the track to the hill.
For example An Sogach and Carn Ealar at the top end of Glen Feshie have a guide time of 11 hours or so from Linn of Dee. I used a bike and did them in a morning, and then went on to do Driesh and Mayar in the afternoon.
Other good examples are the hydro road to the south side of the Fannichs and the estate road that runs almost to the foot of Ben Alder.
Driving to the right place and then using a bike cuts hours off walking time on quite a number of hills.
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Re: Getting to the Munros

Postby Liathach » Sun Mar 18, 2012 11:27 pm

If you think that trains and buses are an option when trying to walk the Munros, it begs the question as to whether you have the experience to tackle something like this. I think you need to give it more thought.
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Re: Getting to the Munros

Postby RicKamila » Sun Mar 18, 2012 11:35 pm

Liathach wrote:If you think that trains and buses are an option when trying to walk the Munros, it begs the question as to whether you have the experience to tackle something like this. I think you need to give it more thought.


Here here!!
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Re: Getting to the Munros

Postby MG1976 » Mon Mar 19, 2012 12:09 am

RicKamila wrote:
Liathach wrote:If you think that trains and buses are an option when trying to walk the Munros, it begs the question as to whether you have the experience to tackle something like this. I think you need to give it more thought.


Here here!!


RicKamila & Liathach, I'm confused !!!

Is it automatically a given that, because someone asks about the notion of using means other than a car, their experience or ability to climb a mountain (or 283 of them), should be called into question???

Why not just a simple "no, sorry the likihood of baging all 283 Munros by public transport alone, never mind in a single summer, would be a logistic nightmare"

I don't drive, a stroke in 2005 ended my chances of ever driving again. I'm well aware of how difficult it is to get to and from some of the remotest areas of Scotland without a car. That doesn't mean i can't climb hills, it just means that doing so is slightly harder, and take a whole lot longer, than I might otherwise be.

Give advise by all means, but leave people standing on their feet.
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Re: Getting to the Munros

Postby RicKamila » Mon Mar 19, 2012 12:46 am

I'm agreeing with Liathach about making sure they know what they are wanting to undertake and have the means to do it properly. They are a student from overseas studying here and I for one would hope they aren't thinking its an easy thing to do on a students budget. It needs serious thought and planning.

Good luck to him/her if they can achieve it anyway. It takes guts to even attempt to do this.
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Re: Getting to the Munros

Postby andyfitz » Mon Mar 19, 2012 12:56 am

OK. Everyone reading this is thinking "aye right", you have no idea what you are talking about. But, hey, give the guy, girl a chance. My first reaction is the same but this could be the fittest guy ever to come out of Malaysia for all we know. Go for it and I look forward to seeing the TR's.
If trying to do it without a car why not stick your plans on here and try and cadge as many lifts from fellow walkers as possible.
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Re: Getting to the Munros

Postby MG1976 » Mon Mar 19, 2012 12:57 am

RicKamila wrote:I'm agreeing with Liathach about making sure they know what they are wanting to undertake and have the means to do it properly. They are a student from overseas studying here and I for one would hope they aren't thinking its an easy thing to do on a students budget. It needs serious thought and planning.

Good luck to him/her if they can achieve it anyway. It takes guts to even attempt to do this.


Hey Ric, I was gonna PM you, but I see no reason to not post my response here. I am happy to apologise (publicly) if I have taken both yours and Liathach comments out of context; but the way i was reading them did make me think that they whole idea was being "poo-poo'd" a bit.

As I said, I am all for people being given opinion and advise, especially from those who have experience to speak from.
Maybe i'm just a little over-sensitive on the whole "without a car" thing.

If my post offended you, then I am sorry.
MG
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