From the Trossachs to the Cairngorms and all over the highlands, Scotland is a hill walker’s paradise.
With hills and mountains of all sizes and for all abilities, it's no wonder visitors from all over come to ‘bag’ our beautiful hills.
Munros, Corbetts, Grahams and Donalds, all these different names for hills have very different meanings. But what are they?
Are all mountains Munros?
While all Munros are mountains, not all mountains are Munros.
Munros are mountains that are over 3000 ft, or 914.4 metres.
They got their name from London born aristocrat, Sir Hugh Munro. In the late 1800s the mountaineer, who’s family owned land near Kirriemuir, loved to explore Scotland’s peaks.
His published list of peaks has encouraged what we now know as ‘Munro bagging’; as people try to climb, or ‘bag’ as many of Scotland’s 282 Munros.
Of all the mountain classifications in Scotland, Munros are the highest.
Some of the more well known Munros include Ben Lomond and Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain.
What are Corbetts, Grahams and Donalds?
A Corbett is the next highest of Scotland’s mountains, also categorised by height. To be classed as a Corbett, it must be a mountain over 2500 feet, but less than 3000 with a drop of a least 500 feet between each listed hill and any adjacent higher one.
Corbetts were named after John Rooke Corbett who joined the Scottish Mountaineering Club in 1923. In 1930 Corbett became the fourth person to complete the Munros.
There are 221 summits that class as a Corbett.
There are 224 Grahams in Scotland. These are mountains over 2000 feet and under 2500 feet.
And finally, there are 89 Donald’s. These are hills in Lowland Scotland that exceed 2000 feet in height.
Happy hill bagging!
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