The full 508. A Munro Compleation Weekend.

[grantbagsmunros]

May yer feet ne'er rest
Wi' a spring in yer step, 'n views oot tae sea,
O'er rocks, bogs, 'n snaw, may ye roam wild an free.
And till the very last breath that ye ever will breathe,
The Munros'll be there, for thee.

Day one - 3 Munros, 2 subsidiary Tops.

The weather forecast was warning 60+ mph winds and snow. The hills could get cancelled.

For my last 4 Munros and 3 sub tops, I'd hoped to do Pinnacle Ridge to Sgurr nan Gillean, down the West Ridge to Am Basteir, up the Tooth, over to Sgurr an Fhionn-Choire then to nab Bruach na Frithe. Then on the Sunday do Bla Bheinn via the Clach Glas traverse.

On Saturday morning we got up early and checked the weather. Phew, a brief window of calm, but a guarantee of severe wind coming around mid-afternoon. That did not favour Pinnacle Ridge. Nor did the icy ground and a dusting of snow.

I was out with Mike from Skye Guides, and five other guides were along for some Cuillin experience, and he recommended we head up the 'tourist' route. This is still a scramble, and I had hoped for something a bit more spicy, but it was also my friends first time in the Cuillins - or even on a short rope - so it was a good shout.

8 of us met in the morning and discussed the day ahead. 5 young guides would be learning from Mike and might have an opportunity to rope up to me and my friend. As we headed out towards the Slig, it was incredibly sunny and hard to believe that could change.

Our playground

Why have one guide when you can have 6. Lovely bunch.

Surveying the route ahead

After a short walk in we obtained the ridge proper. The scrambling was lovely but straightforward - 'this is stuff I'd do solo' I thought to myself.

Lovely scrambling

The weather begins to close in

Being on my last few Munros, and finding the Tourist route a bit tame, I wondered how I would have felt seven years ago - I'd have probably been bricking it. Near the summit there was a dusting of snow and some slippy ice. I donned micro-spikes for the first time to cross the slabby 'crux'. Micro-spikes are an absolute revelation. How had I managed seven Winters without these? Just goes to show you are constantly learning - no matter how confident.

Winter is coming

At the summit, we peeked over and down to the West Ridge. 'YES!'. Now the fun begins! The scramble down was wonderful. Nice and airy. I enjoyed going down first, roped to my friend and Mike behind - being first the views were unobstructed and I got a chance to evaluate the moves before any direction from Mike. At this point, I'll just say Mike is on another level. His guiding borders on the psychic - knowing the exact steps to take on the entire ridge. He did write the book I guess!

Some of the guys abseiled. We scrambled.

On the way down we encountered the Bad Step. An awkward scramble with small foot placements. However, being roped up it felt super safe.

It wasn't long until we were on Am Bastair. What a spectacular mountain this is. Definitely the kind of terrain I love - and I wish Scotland had more of it. We then abseiled off Am Basteir via an awkward overhang that had me swinging about like a pendulum. I made a bit of an arse of it, but being only my second abseil ever, it was a learning opportunity.

My friend abseiling - better than I did!

From there we skirted round Am Basteir to the col between it and the Tooth. The Tooth is a spectacular feature. A short walk over awkward icy slabs later and we were up on possibly Scotlands most stunning Top. Missing this would be a tragedy.

We retraced our steps and abseiled down King's Cave Chimney. This was a ton of fun and I did miles better with this abseil.

At the bottom I watched my friend abseil down as the weather completely turned. It was like someone flicked a switch and it went from 15mph winds to 60mph and hail. We contoured round towards Bruach na Frithe and took shelter behind a rock. Mike was close to calling it as the wind was strong enough to blow us over. However, the group was resolute - we were only 10 minutes from Sgurr an Fhionn-Choire so we pressed on.

All Winter layers on now. Fleece, down jacket, waterproof, two sets of gloves - damn - wish I'd brought my googles. The route up Sgurr an Fhionn-Choire was nice and scrambly - and my desire for spice was delivered with the weather. Absolutely punishing. The hail blasted any exposed skin. Even my thighs felt the cold. But we tagged the summit and promptly descended back to shelter.

From there it was a short walk out to Bruach na Frithe - my second last Munro. A quick tap of the summit and the weather was ramping up. The mountains were done with our folly. They sent a clear message. Get off. Now.

A photo of all the guys. I'm the camera man.

The wind was so strong now I could lean into it and not fall over. Quite incredible power. We decided against heading down Fionn Choire as the wind would be head on, instead aiming to head down Coire a Basteir using Sgurr a Basteir to block the wind.

The wind had other ideas. It was whipping up a frenzy under Am Basteir - and in all my time on the hills I've never felt such violent wind. Armed with hail it was blowing directly into our descent route, the mountain walls themselves accelerating it. It was a punishing descent, but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

After a solid half hour of being battered by the wind, we were under the shelter of Sgurr a Basteir and before we knew it back to the car.

Day two - Final subsidiary Top and Final Munro

It's the day every Munro bagger has at the back of their mind. Compleation day. I'd done a lot of mopping up subsidiary Tops to ensure that the final day of my first round would be one sub Top and one final Munro and over the years I'd carefully considered what hill to finish on.

Bla Bheinn was it. I'd hoped to do it via the Clach Glas Traverse, but the amount of ice on the hills meant that was off the table. So instead I suggested the Southern Ridge, which had the benefit of taking in the sub Top shortly before the Munro.

First approach to the Southern ridge

First approach to the Southern ridge

The ridge is a simple ascent, but there are some nice opportunities to make the ridge run. Short scrambly sections provide options.

When life gives you bypass paths, make your own fun

However, the majority is a straightforward walk rewarded with views that are absolutely out of this world. The Cuillin Ridge is just a wonder to behold. From here, we could pick out part of our route from the prior day.

Parts of the ridge are more of a walk

Incredible views over to Sgurr nan Gillean

Further up, we became one with the clag and made the steep pull up to the Southern Top. I tapped #226 taking a minute to appreciate the Tops. A couple of the guys headed along to find the descent route. Of the two options, direct down the nose or skirting the South, the South was the better option to avoid ice.

The ridge steepens

The guys spot the line of descent

The descent from the Southern Top was much easier than I'd anticipated (and read). A rocky rake made for a secure descent 'chute' and there was an interesting crawling move at the end before climbing back up to the col. Fun!

The descent from the Southern Top

From there it was a brief walk up to the summit of Bla Bheinn. I shot off ahead of the group and tapped the top.

And that was it. 282 Munros, 226 Tops. Done. Last time muttering my prayer to a new summit - 'thank you Munro for letting me walk upon you, look after the next person that comes this way'.

In my head, 'Us and the Rest' by M83 was playing. I think it captures the arc of attaining a life goal. A slow build up, ramping up into a crescendo of Scottishly repressed emotion culminating in melancholic piano leaving you wondering what's next.

https://youtu.be/SBX5LsazDho?si=9ugVcZWPtoK8EeZ0

First Munros and Tops round done - and yes, I made sure to get the trig (and everything else too)

Well, that's that done. What next? Good question.

Internally, I dedicated the achievement to those I'd lost along the way. Louis, Gary, Dad. Gone, but carried yous with me up every Munro.

Future adventures

Clach Glas looking spectacular

Walking off the summit, a chill ran down my spine and the next goal was clear. I began praying to the weather Gods for snow, ice and a long cold Winter. It's time to sharpen the crampons.

[dogplodder]

Congratulations on what is a massive achievement!

Have to be honest some of your photos give me the heebie jeebies, only slightly mitigated by the company of a qualified guide and 5 other guides in training!

Be interested to hear what challenge you take on next.

[Mal Grey]

Congratulations!

A very fine weekend to end with.

[kevsbald]

super effort.

[natubat]

What a dramatic and unforgettable way to compleat! Great read.

[grantbagsmunros]

Thanks for the congrats folks

Have to be honest some of your photos give me the heebie jeebies, only slightly mitigated by the company of a qualified guide and 5 other guides in training!

Be interested to hear what challenge you take on next.

Thanks! Perhaps the one thing I'm blessed with is a head for heights. They don't phase me at all and I actually enjoy them. The rope work however has always been a mystery to me which is why I went with guides for the Cuillins.

My next goal is a combination of developing those rope and climbing skills and hopefully doing a few lower grade Winter gullies / ridges this Winter (if the snow comes). However, first I'll need to find a scrambling / climbing buddy as my friend I've done the majority of Munros is not into all that. After that, I have a list of grade 2 - 3 summer scrambles I'd love to do... and the Corbetts also are calling! Needless to say, I plan to stay outdoors!

[rockhopper]

Many congratulations and a great way to finish

[Sunset tripper]

Well done and a fine achievement. It must be extremely rare for someone to finish the tops before the munros - great stuff and a great hill to round them off.
All the best.

[EmmaKTunskeen]

Congratulations! (Gave me the heebie-jeebies too .) Superb achievement, and I hope you can celebrate with some excellent winter climbing & exploring over the coming months.