BlackPanther wrote:Not much choice in the remaining 22 though
It's always interesting to hear about the point where people decide on a last Munro. Some don't bother - they just drift along and end up with one semi-randomly - but that's unusual, I think. Surprisingly common are people who leave one very early on - a Donald or a Calum leaving Sgorr Dhonuill or Beinn Challum, or who leave one because it's next to the one they started with - eg finishing on CMD having started with the Ben has been done quite a few times, as has finishing with either Stuc or Vorlich after starting with the other one. (Similarly the two ends of the Cruachan ridge years apart, as HMHT is considering.)
Certainly big standalone western Munros see a lot of completions - not just BMM, but things such as Sgritheall, Slioch, Sgulaird, the main Glen Coe ones, plus Ladhar Bheinn and Sgurr a' Mhaoraich as already mentioned - which implies a bit of pre-planning, I think. The An Teallach pair seem more popular than the Torridons. Seana Bhraigh sees steady trade, while further south Schiehallion and Tarmachan are old favourites for finishes.
Skye sees a lot - even with the In Pinn (which used to be sort of the default last one before the Cuillin became so commercialised) having slipped down the rankings, the nearby ones still often get left. Bla Bheinn might well soon have seen more finishes than the Pinn, and Sgurr nan Gillean has a lot too. Nowhere near so many on the easier Skye ones - or in the eastern/central Highlands for that matter, although Chonzie and Mount Keen remain popular.
In my case I didn't really give it much thought until I'd managed the In Pinn, which was no.249 of the then 284. Still had Sgurr Mhic Choinnich (another popular last one) to climb, but once I'd done that I was confident of finishing so began to make plans. Fancied a big western thing with lots of ways up - didn't want to trail up in a big party, better to say to people to meet on top by whatever route they fancied. Also wanted it to be the highest thing in its group, and reasonably roadside-ish given that I'm fairly sociable and fancied having a load of pals along (in the end it was 50-odd). Given that the choice was down to only 20 or so by then, it was quite easy to choose the Saddle, so I kept out of the way of that (and Sgurr na Sgine alongside) until completion day - which turned out to be the only cloudy-on-top one in a run of ten completely clear days...