I wish there were 227 Munros in Scotland (A gap year for the grounded: 15 ideas for young British adventurers, 12 June). Then there would only be 31 left for me to do and I might have a chance of finishing them. But where’s the fun in that? I would miss out on 55 lovely mountains (Visit Scotland says there are 282 Munros). These numbers may be wrong. Whoever in the Scottish Mountaineering Club decides to demote particular ones has a warped sense of humour. Inevitably, they are ones you have done already.
But Munros are a wonderful way of getting to know Scotland. Instead of being nameless lumps, each has its own identity. You can remember the names and their meanings, gaining a short course in beginners’ Gaelic. You remember the experiences shared with friends and relations; the fun; the weather – good, bad and positively ugly; the epics; the near-death occasions; the embarrassment of calling out the mountain rescue (which I never have); the satisfaction of solo ascents, perhaps turning back for good reason, be it weather, fitness, time or danger. The mountains are always there. At least in my lifetime they will be.
Barbara Gray
Coldstream, Scottish Borders
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