The Plan

 

I will start late July 2021 with the most Easterly Munro, Mount Keen, then continue into the Cairngorms and other Munro’s along the A9 corridor. Once these have been bagged, I will head North to the most northerly Munro, Ben Hope. I will then meander South along the West coast. The intention is to have bagged all Munro’s North of the Caledonian Canal by mid-October. At this point I should have bagged 165 Munro’s. I will head home for some well-earned rest.

 

Late October, early November I intend to spend a couple of weeks bagging the Southern Munros close to Loch Lomond (with the exception of Ben Lomond). 

 

There are several Munros which I have classified as “The awkward ones”.  These involve Ferry crossings, train journeys, dirt tracks or indeed it may stand alone on the isle of Mull. These I intend to tackle in April 2022 over the course of a week. 191 Munro’s now bagged.

 

The rest I intend to climb starting in May 2022 finishing in July. The final Munro will be the Southernmost, Ben Lomond and thereby bagging 282 Munro’s in under a year.

 

Accommodation and Timing

 

I will base myself at various campsites in a caravan usually for about a week at a time, enabling me to bag all Munro’s in the area within a reasonable drive. The aforementioned “Awkward ones” however, will require local B&B or hotel depending on availability. There are also approximately nine routes which will require a “Wild camp” due to the sheer distance from a road or indeed a car park. I have plotted a rest day between every 6 to 8 days giving me a little flexibility to shuffle things around should the weather become inclement or any unforeseen issues.

 

The Isle of Skye

 

I have made the decision to hire a guide to help me navigate the Cuillin Ridge and particularly the Inaccessible Pinnacle. This will require safety equipment and expertise, which  I feel it best to pay for professionally.

 

Companions

 

My main companion will be Stanley my Cross-Border Collie (Stanley will not be walking the Cuillin Ridge) and on the whole it will just be the two of us. However, I do have a few friends visiting at various points on the trip. My wife, Carie will also be walking the first and last Munro with me. I am hoping that the friends who have joined me at some point on the trip, will also join me at Ben Lomond .

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Wainwrights

 

In preparation for the Munro’s, I had initially decided to climb some of the Wainwrights. This enabled me to simulate a great deal… I have however, enjoyed the Wainwrights so much, I have also decided to climb all these within a year. Therefore, I must complete them before April 2022.

 

I have practiced plotting routes and then navigating them. I have broken the Wainwrights down into 38 routes varying in time and length. Many mistakes have been made in both my route plotting and indeed my navigation skills. I have found which kit and equipment I prefer. Which kit to carry and more importantly which kit not to carry! I have chosen not to Wild camp in the Lake District; however, I have been wild camping on other training walks which I have completed recently.

 

The Wainwright planning hasn’t been as detailed as the Munro’s mainly down to the proximity of Cumbria to my home in North Yorkshire. Although I purposely started with Blencathra my favourite and I intend to finish with Haystacks , which was Wainwrights personal favourite.