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Last Munro for compleaters

Last Munro for compleaters


Postby Walkinmyfootsteps » Sun Aug 02, 2020 5:16 pm

What was it and why? Or for those of us who haven’t yet achieved a full round what one do you want to complete on?
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Re: Last Munro for compleaters

Postby iain_atkinson_1986 » Sun Aug 02, 2020 6:08 pm

Ben Nevis by the tourist path for me. Basically because I never wanted to go up Ben Nevis and also wanted a munro my dad could do without keeling over. It was a stupid plan as when the day came there was probably 2000 people on the hill doing some charity walk.

:lol:

Second time round, I'm not sure yet. Ben Lomond maybe.
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Re: Last Munro for compleaters

Postby nigheandonn » Sun Aug 02, 2020 6:42 pm

Dave Hewitt has done some serious stats on this - I seem to remember that Mull's Ben More is winning by quite a bit.

I started on the most southerly, so would quite like to keep the most northerly for last - but if I never get to the end, it seems too good a hill to miss out...
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Re: Last Munro for compleaters

Postby Lightfoot2017 » Sun Aug 02, 2020 10:32 pm

This very topic has come up on a number of threads over the years. But always worth a dusting down I feel, as it's interesting to get folks thoughts on this.

I don't expect I'll ever compleat. I don't have a head for heights, so that rules out about 30-40 scary / airy ridge walks.

However, if I were to compleat, I like to think it would be on some dull, non descript, unfashionable Munro somewhere. I see my Munro bagging as very much a personal endeavour. (I've done the vast majority of my Munros solo.) The last thing I'd want is to drag along friends and family to help me 'celebrate'. And the prospect of a group of people / strangers (a walking club!! :shock: ) on the summit as I bagged my last Munro would be just terrible.
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Re: Last Munro for compleaters

Postby Dave Hewitt » Sun Aug 02, 2020 11:59 pm

nigheandonn wrote:Dave Hewitt has done some serious stats on this - I seem to remember that Mull's Ben More is winning by quite a bit.

In brief: I haven't as yet collated stats for the past couple of years (SMC very helpful in this regard) and of course it's an inexact science because goodness knows how many unlisted/unknown rounds there have been. But from what's known (around 85% of listed rounds plus a lot of unlisted ones), Ben More Mull is miles clear - 10 per cent of all Munro rounds end on Mull. Ben Lomond is comfortably in second place (but a long way back), with Beinn na Lap in third and gradually closing - changes to the train timetable in recent years appeared to have boosted its last-Munro popularity.

Ladhar Bheinn is perhaps rather surprisingly in fourth, and last time I did an update the In Pinn was just clinging on to fifth - it used to be third but these days so many people (slightly dishearteningly in my opinion) hire a guide to "clear out" Skye in a week mid-round that it's become relatively rare for a round to finish on the Pinn. It is about to be - and might already have been - overtaken by Ben Hope, and Schiehallion and Slioch aren't far behind either. But BMM is absolutely dominant - I know of almost 700 first rounds that have finished there and the true figure could well be up around 1000.
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Re: Last Munro for compleaters

Postby gammy leg walker » Mon Aug 03, 2020 5:01 pm

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Re: Last Munro for compleaters

Postby Csm8 » Mon Aug 03, 2020 6:17 pm

I did Ladhar Beinn for my last one because, well, it’s Ladhar Beinn :D
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Re: Last Munro for compleaters

Postby Fiona Reid » Mon Aug 03, 2020 7:01 pm

Bidean Nam Bian first time - started from the Clachaig and finished there... That was why it was chosen and also it was the only one we had left in any proximity to the Central Belt so mates could join etc.

Second time, Lurg Mhor, followed by Meall Mhor to complete the Munro Tops on the same day. No mates on them, just me and other half. Stunning hot weather, our summit companions were horseflies (yuk) and a ptarmigan and her chicks.

Third time will likely be just us again (I prefer walking in decent weather these days and organising final Munros means you get whatever weather the chosen date chucks at you) and just whatever hill we've left till the end. We'd done 175 of round 3 before lockdown and probably would have finished round 3 in 2021 or 22 but who knows now.
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Re: Last Munro for compleaters

Postby Ian Johnston » Mon Aug 03, 2020 9:00 pm

I compleated on Stuchd an Lochain in 2006, a fairly unused compleation hill. It does have some advantages as a final hill though; being a relatively short day, decent views and not too high so the necessary Victorian style provender could be carried up - game terrine, port, smoked venison, that sort of thing.....

I invited two close friends who I'd done a good number of hills with, though most of my Munros were done solo. It was low key, which sort of seemed appropriate. By the time I was down to a dozen or so to go I just wanted the thing done so I could climb the hills I wanted to, when I wanted to, without "the list" being a factor. It helped me down the last few (the round took over 14 years as I was doing all sorts of other ventures at the same time) to save a couple of superstars as seasoning for the inevitable out-of-the-way summits which seem to accumulate at the end of the round.

Oh, and I was privileged to have been able to join Dave Hewitt on his compleation Munro which, if I recall correctly, was also his 1000th Munro. A quite different sort of hill and a great occasion :wink:

Kind Regards

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Re: Last Munro for compleaters

Postby Dave Hewitt » Tue Aug 04, 2020 9:24 am

Ian Johnston wrote:I compleated on Stuchd an Lochain in 2006, a fairly unused compleation hill.

Very good to hear from you Ian - hope all's well. That Saddle day feels a long time ago now! Congrats on your own finish - Stuchd an Lochain would have been a nice last Munro. The north ridge is a good way up if you're going back and fancying a non-standard route. You're right - I finished on no.1000. Your round was fast compared to mine - I took just under 25 years. Have added another 800-odd Munros since then but only 26 north of the Great Glen - have been out lots but seem to have settled into a mix of daytrip (from Stirling) Munros and Corbetts, lots of Ochils and plenty of Lakes raids too (family connections). Pretty sure there won't be a second Munro round!

Incidentally, of the Munros mentioned in the last few posts, Stuchd an Lochain, Bidean and Lurg Mhor are roughly equal in terms of popularity as completion hills, Sgurr a' Mhaoraich markedly more so (and the Saddle less than all of them).
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Re: Last Munro for compleaters

Postby WalkWithWallace » Tue Aug 04, 2020 2:08 pm

Ciste Dhubh in Kintail.

No reason really, but had to pick one as I got closer to competing. Had a fantastic party in the Morvich Outdoor Centre. :D
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Re: Last Munro for compleaters

Postby BlackPanther » Tue Aug 04, 2020 2:18 pm

For us, if everything goes to plan, it will be Ben Cruachan.

We climbed Stob Diamh in combination with the adjacent Corbett which leaves Cruachan as an odd red balloon on our map, so just as well leave it till last...

Unless He Who Knows It All Best has a different idea... Not much choice in the remaining 22 though :lol: :lol:
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Re: Last Munro for compleaters

Postby HalfManHalfTitanium » Tue Aug 04, 2020 3:43 pm

I doubt if I will ever get anywhere near the end of the list, as I live 200 miles from the border, and also I rarely do more than a single Munro in any walk. To get half way through the list would be good!

But I have witnessed a couple of nice celebrations: one where we surprised the party on Stob Dearg by appearing from the direction of Crowberry Tower after doing Curved Ridge, and one I was invited on - a very relaxed ascent of the Ardlui Ben Vorlich in perfect weather, followed by a few beers at the Drovers Inn. So something like that might be quite nice.

If I ever got near the end, I might choose Stob Daimh as the last one, but climb it via the Cruachan horseshoe. Ben Cruachan was my first Munro, in 1981, so to include it in the final outing would seem quite fitting. Also it has a pub at the bottom (essential) which can be reached by friends arriving by public transport (desirable).

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Re: Last Munro for compleaters

Postby Dave Hewitt » Tue Aug 04, 2020 3:58 pm

BlackPanther wrote:Not much choice in the remaining 22 though :lol: :lol:

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...
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Re: Last Munro for compleaters

Postby BlackPanther » Tue Aug 04, 2020 4:50 pm

A few more thoughts...

I think our case is unusual. My husband was about 100 Munros into his round when we began bagging together, while I was starting from scratch. Because we always wanted to compleat together, anything he had already done (most of the northern Munros) had to be written off. At the moment, the only hill he had already ticked off and I hadn't is Ben Lomond. We picked Ben Cruachan as the final one about two years ago. Before that, we planned to finish on the Strathfarrar M's as they are closest to home. But at some point, we just grew impatient and climbed them...

My in-laws finished their round on Mount Keen, but they started together, I think for them it was just a Munro so far away from home that they kept putting it off until it was the only one left :lol:

I guess the final choice also depends if the compleatist wants a large group of friends/fellow walkers to accompany him/her to the summit. Those who prefer to celebrate alone might pick something more remote or technically challenging.

I never thought the subject of last Munro could be so fascinating :D
Cheers, BP
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