Bidean nam Bian - owned by the NTS
Teams of staff and volunteers from the charity have pledged to summit every Munro owned by the charity, in time for Sir Hugh Munro’s 155th birthday on 16 October 2011, spreading the word about the charity’s vital countryside conservation work. The Trust owns and cares for 46 of Scotland’s 284 Munros, at locations from Torridon in the north to Ben Lomond in the south.
The Trust is also searching for companies to come forward and take part in a final co-ordinated climb of all 46 peaks on 16 October 2011, to mark this important date in mountaineering history.
The hills due to be conquered on the climb on 5 November are Meall Greigh, Meall Garbh and An Stùc. Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers were peaked at an earlier visit on 1 October, when the weather was particularly inhospitable.
The project was the brainchild of avid Edinburgh-based hillwalkers David McKinnon and Angus McKinnon, who both work in the charity’s Development and Commercial Services directorate.
David, the Trust’s Corporate Relationships Manager explains, “So few people seem to know that the Trust owns 46 Munros, so we’ve decided to take action and spread the word about the fantastic countryside that is in our care. Our plan is to get groups of Trust staff and volunteers involved in climbing every one of the Trust’s Munros over the next year, starting at Ben Lawers today.”
Gus McKinnon who heads up the Trust’s design and production team is a keen mountaineer and walker, having climbed Scottish peaks for decades. He has also walked across Scotland 11 times, as part of the TGO Challenge.
Gus said, “This is a great opportunity to talk to other hill-walkers and tell them how much time, money and work the Trust puts in to looking after Scotland’s hills, which so many enjoy every day. We hope that we’ll encourage a few fellow walkers to contribute to our cause, on the way.”