The man behind the ‘Munro bagging’ craze revealed in Inverness exhibition
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A former Inverness man who started climbing the Munros with Inverness Royal Academy’s Outdoor Club in 1971 is pleased to be bringing an exhibition of the man behind the list to the city.
Alan Watt volunteers for the Munro Society and has coordinated the exhibition since its inception in 2019. From Monday, the Munro Legacy Exhibition will be on display at Inverness library.
“Most Scots have heard of ‘Munro bagging’ but few will appreciate the origins of how the term Munros came about and the scale of the numbers who embark on the quest to climb all 282 of them,” Mr Watt said.
“Hill walking has undoubtedly become one of the largest outdoor participation sports in Scotland and takes walkers and climbers to some our most rugged and inaccessible corners.”
The Munros are Scotland’s highest mountains that reach 3000 feet or more above sea level. The original list of the hills was compiled by Sir Hugh Munro (1856-1919).
He managed the family estate of Lindertis near Kirriemuir and from there undertook long expeditions into the hills, often in winter when estate business was less demanding. His first recorded 3000ft peak was Ben Lawers in May 1879.
Ten years later he was among the founders of the Scottish Mountaineering Club, eventually becoming its president.
Munro’s Tables, as the list was called, included all the mountains and tops over 3000ft and has since become something of a challenge for hillwalkers to complete them all.
Nearly 8000 have registered their completion of the peaks and the record for doing them all in one round was smashed last year by Jamie Aarons in 31 days, 10 hours and 27 minutes. This was not just a female record but the overall fastest time for a self-propelled round of all 282 Munros on today’s refined list.
Mr Watt has twice completed the Munros, first in 2006 then again in 2023. He said the exhibition tells the story of Scotland’s mountains as a source of recreation from its 19th century beginnings to the present day and, in particular, the contribution of the man whose name is used to describe Scotland’s highest mountains.
This exhibition runs in Inverness library from Monday until June 21. It comprises roller banners, posters with text and panoramic mountain photographs which together tell the story of Sir Hugh’s life, the birth of the Tables, the growth of completers, the pioneers, the working class movement, the post war years, recent times and the Munro Society.
The exhibition has been on tour across Scotland for nearly five years and has been updated twice due to its popularity.
Susan Appleby, network librarian at High Life Highland’s Inverness library, said: “We are delighted to be hosting this fascinating exhibition at Inverness library, looking at the legacy of Sir Hugh Munro. It offers people an insight into the life and work of Sir Hugh and the other early mountain pioneers like him. Anyone with an interest in the history of exploring Scotland’s mountains will thoroughly enjoy this event.”
