Walkhighlands

...which do you wish you had? And why?

Do you have a mountain you're saving until last, for whatever reason? The only hill list I've made much progress with is the Wainwrights, and I'd like to leave something special for #214. When I eventually move back to Britain I'd like to get stuck into the Munros and Corbetts, and just want to see what people think.

Seana Bhraigh (almost probably)
Its miles from anywhere, so a big day to reflect on all the hills trudged up and down.
There wont be many (if any) when I compleat, so no need to worry about leaving an "easier" one.
It's got a cool name.
Do this and then, as usual, think of the next hill to go up

As far as the Wainwrights are concerned, I reckon a good one to leave till last would be Castle Crag in Borrowdale. It's awkward to fit into a round of other tops, but by itself is a short, easy stroll in a beautiful setting and with breathtaking views from the top, despite its lowly elevation. I think I actually completed on Yewbarrow, though that was an awfully long time ago.

Munros - have thought about this but really can't decide. Maybe Ben More on Mull just to follow a semi-tradition.

Corbetts - I definitely won't be completing these!

Coop wrote:Seana Bhraigh (almost probably)
Its miles from anywhere, so a big day to reflect on all the hills trudged up and down.

That's an interesting choice. I love the far northwest so much, I don't know if I'll be able to leave any hills unclimbed there by the time I start rolling out the less distinguished names on the list. I hadn't thought about the "time to reflect" - this is in direct opposition to the next reply about Wainwrights, but it bears thinking about. But I like the thought of bringing a few people along for my own compleation if it ever happens, and it seems a bit unfair to expect them to go so far to be there if I do it (it's a very, very, very long way away yet).

dav2930 wrote:As far as the Wainwrights are concerned, I reckon a good one to leave till last would be Castle Crag in Borrowdale.

Munros - have thought about this but really can't decide. Maybe Ben More on Mull just to follow a semi-tradition.

It might seem odd to finish a Wainwright round on such a small hill, but the Wainwrights are such a beautifully arbitrary list that I don't see why not. Personally I have little interest in climbing Scafell Pike (nor Ben Nevis for that matter) so I think it would be easy enough for me to leave that until last, and I think it would be easy to convince a few non-walking friends to join me on England's highest if I completed there. Though the ironist in me likes the idea of leaving somewhere like Mungrisdale Common for last.

As for Ben More, although I'm sure it's a grand day out I think I'd like to keep one of the more special hills for my last. I like the idea of Ben Hope - so far removed from the others, it seems like it would be a good summit from which to reminisce, but I'd have scant chance of getting anyone else to do that with me...

I doubt I'll ever compleat the Munros, but if I do, I suspect one of the Skye Munros will be my final one. I'm intimidated by the hills on Skye, so I'll save them for last.

LaurenAlexandraAgain wrote:I doubt I'll ever compleat the Munros, but if I do, I suspect one of the Skye Munros will be my final one. I'm intimidated by the hills on Skye, so I'll save them for last.

Ditto. I was intimidated by them, and ended up on Sgurr nan Eag with husband and just one friend. Had to work next day afternoon, so managed to get back to Fort William by midnight and home the following morning, I wish I had left Beinn na Lap to last, I think even my non-walking family would have managed that.
Corbetts, similarly disorganised. I finished on Sgurr Innse as it was one of the few husband had done, and I hadn't (he point blank refused to come up the tourist track when I did Ben Nevis for a charity sweepstake and did it then)
You would think I should have been better organised by the time the Grahams came along, but I kept putting of Stac Pollaidh which husband had done. Eventually I did it with a GUIDE as I had torn my shoulder muscles.
A pattern is beginning to emerge. Husband had sneaked out and done some Donalds when he was retired and I wasn't, never thinking we might finish them, so put off to the end the ones he had done and completed on Tarmangie hill
Haven't completed the Marilyns as I can't climb the sea stacks off St. Kilda , but have just got as far as we can on Beinn Dearg near Cape Wrath which was re-measured and found to be one last year. https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=90532
So the general theme seems to be cowardice and pot luck hills that husband had done.
I would love to have done Ben Vrackie as last Corbett...it is so convenient, which is why it was my first.
I would love to have done Suilven as my last Graham as it was my penultimate and husband could get his dodgy knee up it, which he couldn't Stac Pollaidh and it is a cracking hill.

Must sit down and see if I can't get a decent completion out of the Wainwrights....but I have been to look at The Howitzer on Helm crag, so if you have to climb it to complete (Wainwright didn't) I shall never finish.

Binsey for the Wainwrights - I always knew the Northern Fells would be my last book, and it's the only one outside the main cluster. I haven't done the Howitzer, though, so if I go back and do it does that mean I compleat twice?

I have a vague plan of keeping Ben Hope for the end, since I started on the southernmost Munro, but since it's taken me more than 5 years to get into double figures I don't think the chances of actually doing it are very high...

Ladhar Beinn, because it's Ladhar Beinn 😁
This month hopefully!

The very thought of picking the final hill horrifys me,i just don't see the point in naming your last hill,i will just keep doing them till I am down to the last one,only 44 to go.

It is very unlikely I will ever get anywhere near finishing the Munro's or Corbett's, but if there was a theoretical last one, it would probably be the In Pinn, because of its technical demand, and I can't see myself ever being able to do the Cullins without a guide and a couple more decades of hill climbing and scrambling in all weathers.

Our choices were motivated by picking something easy enough to be joined by a big crowd of friends and family. By the time we started planning, there were few suitable choices left and we ended up with the very traditional Ben More (Mull) for the Munros and Ben Rinnes for the Corbetts. Will likely end up with Ben More again or Ben Hope for our second Munro round.

There’s a wide choice of easy Wainwrights if you want to invite a crowd, but no harm in planning early so you don’t get left with Mungrisdale Common by accident!

I will never finish, much prefer choosing the nicest places to spend my few precious Highland days per year, rather than climbing hills that are less exciting or in poor weather.

However, my last Munro would be Beinn Challum, purely because its Malcolm's Hill. Perhaps translations from the Gaelic would bring some inspiration fro Scottish hills? Lakeland fells also still mostly have some meaning behind the name too.

I'm saving Sgurr na Ciche for last Munro - unless I crack and bag it before then!

Coop wrote:Seana Bhraigh (almost probably)
Its miles from anywhere, so a big day to reflect on all the hills trudged up and down.
There wont be many (if any) when I compleat, so no need to worry about leaving an "easier" one.
It's got a cool name.
Do this and then, as usual, think of the next hill to go up

Strongly considering that as my penultimate. Got a good look at it from the Beinn Dearg group last month, looks like a fun time!

Schiehallion will be my last, since I need to bring the family with and they won't make it up anything harder.

Ben more because that's what I had left.
This post got me thinking about my corbett finish and glamaig would be good. Campsite and pub at bottom and its skye. All the corbs I have left are decent options for different reasons apart from maybe carn a chuillin