rarely be access problems for most of the routes described provided you act responsibly and try to avoid conflict with other countryside users. Every effort has been made in this guide to give up-to-date contacts for every walk (see ‘Access’ in the box at the start of each walk), but it should be remembered that, just like other sorts of property, estates do sometimes change hands. For smaller estates where the contact may be a stalker’s home number, both the person and the phone number can change fairly often.
A number of routes are accessed by crossing railway lines, and at the time of writing Network Rail are proposing to close some 600 unattended railway crossings to the public on the grounds of safety. There have occasionally been accidents involving walkers crossing railway lines, and walkers should make sure that they cross only at designated places or have the necessary permission to cross from Network Rail. Future Munroists should be aware that new legislation in this area might necessitate changes to the start of some walks.
HILLPHONES SCHEME
This scheme provides hillwalkers in a number of areas in upland Scotland with daily information about deer-stalking activities. Recorded messages indicate where stalking is taking place and which walking routes will be unlikely to affect stalking, and give a forecast of stalking activity over the next few days. The messages are generally updated by 8am each day and are charged at normal call rates. Walks in areas covered by the scheme have the hillphones number in the ‘Access’ section of the box at the start of each route.
For further information contact www.hillphones.info.
Paths
The passage of many feet has left paths on most of the popular routes, and in some places on the lower slopes these paths are robustly constructed. Many walkers may prefer not to travel on such paths, but it should be remembered that constructed paths are there to prevent unnecessary erosion in a fragile landscape. They also limit the disturbance to nesting birds and other wildlife. In some of the walks in this guide you are strongly urged to keep to the described route; this may be because of the particular vulnerability of certain landscapes or to avoid conflict with other land users such as stalkers and shooters at particular times of the year. Path repair and management projects are not there to make the walking easier but to protect the quality of the mountain landscape and its ecology. On the other side of the coin, the Munroist should never assume that there will be a path – particularly on the higher slopes – or that, if there is, it can easily be followed. Anyone who has such an expectation will be quickly disillusioned.
Beinn Narnain from Beinn Ime (Route 68)
Throughout the guide a distinction is drawn between roads, tracks and paths. ‘Road’ is used to indicate a tarmacked public road. ‘Track’ is used to denote a forestry road or a private estate road or landrover track where the public does not have a right of vehicular access and where the road surface is usually rough (sometimes very rough), but where a bike could perhaps be used. ‘Path’ is used to denote a constructed footpath, or one that has formed over time by the passage of many feet. Bikes should not be taken on these. Some paths are startlingly obvious features cutting brashly across the countryside; others may be almost non-existent.
Bikes
The use of mountain bikes by hillwalkers on estate roads has become very widespread in the Highlands. There are hills which lie so far from any public road that the use of a bike to approach the hill along a forestry track or estate road can save many hours of walking. Opinion is split on whether or not this is a good thing. Some people prefer the long walk in. The National Trust has been trying to encourage a pedestrian approach: in some cases – for example in the Mar Lodge Estate in the Cairngorms – by digging up some of the estate roads and turning them back into footpaths.
My own view is that the wilderness character of remote areas needs to be strenuously protected from vehicular access and other sorts of development. There seems to be little restraint even today on the creation of new private roads in Scotland’s fragile wilderness areas; but as long as there is a road leading to the hill, used by estate workers and their clients in their heavy four-by-fours, I can see no valid reason why a bike should not be used on it too. Whatever one’s position on this, there is widespread agreement that mountain bikes should not be taken beyond these tracks onto footpaths.
Leaving Word
Walkers should always leave word with someone about their intended route and expected time of return. Youth hostels throughout the Highlands have specially printed route cards. These can be filled in and left with the hostel in case you have an accident. Police stations throughout the area have similar forms, and in hillwalking areas the police are usually very helpful to walkers. They are, after all, the first point of contact if a mountain rescue team has to be called out. In preparing this book I did all the Munros solo and frequently left details of where I was going at local police stations.
Bear in mind, though, that many of the smaller police stations in the Highlands – even in major climbing centres like Braemar – are not manned every day. Always speak to an officer just to be sure, otherwise the scribbled note you put through the letterbox describing your proposed route may not be picked up for several days. It may be better to contact one of the larger regional stations such as Fort William or Inverness. These are always manned and many of the staff will be knowledgeable about routes and well versed in rescue procedures should the need arise. It is of course essential that if you leave a route card with someone, you must return or ring them up to let them know you have got back safely. Mountain rescuers never mind going onto the hill to search for someone in trouble, but they do not take kindly to searching for someone who has gone home and forgotten, or simply not bothered, to tell anyone that they got back. The time and effort that go into such searches is often considerable.
In the event of an emergency, contact the local police or ring 999 and be prepared to say where the emergency has arisen, with a grid reference if at all possible. If you are carrying a mobile phone bear in mind that in large parts of the Highlands it is not possible to get a signal. Your best chance of getting a signal in many mountain areas may be high up on the summits, but even here it may not be possible.
When to Go
This guide has been written with the summer walker in mind. Summer conditions will usually prevail between May and September, although deep-lying snow can last into the summer in some high places, affecting the safety of otherwise ‘easy’ routes. ‘Winter’ storms are not uncommon in May or September – I have been caught out by snow in June! You should always obtain an up-to-date weather forecast from one of the many specialized forecast services before venturing into the Scottish hills. Avalanche warnings for specific areas are available on the internet at www.sais.gov.uk.
Beinn Narnain summit rocks from southeast approach (Route 68)
In winter conditions many routes may not be possible without strong all-round mountaineering experience. Navigation becomes more difficult, simple scrambles can become technical climbs, daylight is short and deteriorating weather can quickly lead to arctic conditions. Whilst a covering of snow can greatly add to the beauty and atmosphere of these mountains, remember that paths, cairns and other markers can quickly be obliterated; corniced ridges, snowdrifts and iced-up rock can make simple summer routes slow and fraught with danger. The Scottish hills should never be underestimated.
Enjoy them safely. Happy climbing!
THE MUNROS
NEVIS
To paraphrase Dickens: it is the best of hills, it is the worst of hills. The magnificent mountain architecture on the north side of Ben Nevis (or just ‘the Ben’ as it is affectionately known) offers one of the most awesome and impressive vistas in Britain – a huge and complex cathedral of rock, born of volcanic forces and massive intrusions of granite, relentless weathering and