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Blogs on Scottish Munros and other tales from walking trips... by Munro Bagger 'Normal Neville' Wiseman & Co


The Oldest Munro Blogger? Podcast now live...
From Munro Bagger to Munro Blogger! The only climbing related "pod" that I knew until recently was my one-man 'PeaPod' tent... which we occasionally squeezed three people into! In addition to blogging regularly I now appear to have made a Podcast! Whatever that is...
Mar 2


Rising to the Ultimate Challenge!
An award winning & published account of a high level crossing of Scotland- from Shiel Bridge to Montrose... The 'Ultimate Challenge', ... was a cross-Scotland long distance walk sponsored by The Great Outdoors Magazine & Ultimate Equipment Ltd. It was not a race, but a challenging self-supported backpacking trek across Scotland starting on the west coast & finishing on the east coast... covering at least 12 Munros or Corbetts. An observant an honest story by a prolific writer
Feb 20


Remembering Gerry's Private Bunkhouse between Achnasheen and Achnashellach...
Remembering Gerry's Private Bunkhouse between Achnasheen and Achnashellach... On 3rd November 1985 we had decided to stay at our first ever Private Bunkhouse. We had all been members of the YHA for upwards of 30 years, but they were spread a bit thin in obscure parts of the Highlands. On the other hand Private Bunkhouses/ Hostels were just coming into being, and we thought that we should try one, especially as we were venturing into territory that had little other accommodati
Jan 27


The call of Scotland. In the beginning... and then there was light!
The call of Scotland. In the beginning... and then there was light! My first trip ever to Scotland was by steam train from Blackpool to Aberdeen with my Grandmother. The year was around 1950 when I would be 11. As a trainspotter I spent the entire journey getting smoke in my eyes, and a black face, from standing with my head out of a corridor window (then openable!) so as not to miss an oncoming train. We stayed a week in the Granite City with friends. Most of my days were s
Jan 27


Lonely, wild hill days. An honest view of failed attempts!
Over 70 years of climbing there are only a handful of days where we failed to meet our Summit. But there were some... where the weather or map-reading errors serve as a lesson, even for hardened climbers...
Most notably:- 1. Ben Griam Mor and Ben Griam Beg (not even Grahams). 2. Am Faochagach (a Munro). 3. Cruach nan Capull, (a Graham)
... The Munro Am Faochagach... We stayed at the Aultguish Inn around 1985 shortly after they had started to operate a bunkhouse adjacent to th
Jan 27


Is there life after bagging all of the Munros?! What's next?!
As you draw closer to completing a round of the Scottish Munros, you will probably start wondering “What's next?”. How do we follow that?
You will probably have very mixed feelings, with the excitement and achievement of having successfully completed a considerable challenge, and nagging doubts about how to fill all those hill days still to come.
Jan 24


A brief encounter with a ladybird. Ben Lawers...
A brief encounter with a ladybird. Ben Lawers... One thoroughly wet & windy day, 7th February 1981, to be precise, two of us (Malcolm and I) were out all day on the Ben Lawers Range. Ian missed the trip as he was in breeding mode. However, to us, the day was not regarded as a washout. Far from it, as we had successfully bagged three new Munros. These Munros were numbers 46-48 for me. They were Meall Corranaich 1069ft, Bhain Ghlas 1103ft and Ben Lawers 1214ft. We had started a
Jan 24


Changing habits! As a Munro & Corbett bagger, I've been heading for the Scottish hills for 70 years. A few of our habits have changed in that time!
Since 1976 when we started our Munro excursions, the intervening years, (approaching 50), have seen some significant changes in our behavioural routines.
Sep 18, 2025


A Crown arouses a Viking. A true story from Munro Bagging near Cannich.
... our intention was to head up to the long, lonely Loch Mullardoch and return having picked up three new MUNRO Tops, whilst repeating two MUNROS.... He was in a shed, busy wielding a large axe... here was a man not to be crossed, not to fall out with.
Sep 16, 2025


Reflections on Ambleside Mountain Rescue
A small number of locals would respond to Sid's phone call about an incident, and Rescuers were recruited by Sid visiting his busy Bar
Aug 12, 2025


Corbetts versus Munros! Which is the bigger challenge? As someone who's bagged them all, I have the data and stories to answer this question.
Having completed a round of the Munros and also a round of the Corbetts and being a Chartered Accountant, I thought about the Statistics.... Over the years I naturally kept a brief diary of hills done, height gain, time taken, weather etc etc... One obvious question stuck out a mile...
Aug 2, 2025


Thousands of lives impacted by Munro's Tables...
An article by Normal Neville's daughter, Susan Baria, primarily reflecting on how one small book must have impacted thousands of lives. There's a book that lists Scottish Munros, which are mountains in Scotland with a height of 3,000 feet (914.4 meters) or more. There are currently 282 Munros listed in it and they're named after Sir Hugh Munro, who first catalogued both Munros and 'Munro Tops' - the subsidiary peak(s) of a Munro that are also over 3,000ft. This enabled the Sc
Jul 10, 2025
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