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


Trigpoints & Cairns - Love them or hate them? Top points...
I've collected some interesting facts to consider about Triangulation Points (Trigs) & Cairns. Do you love or hate these man made apparitions that appear on virtually every hill that you ascend?Historically they've been a Love/Hate issue for many people. Getting the Measure of Height: Triangulation Points were designed for the Ordnance Survey in around 1935, nearly 100 years ago, by Brigadier Martin Hotine when it was realised that Britain's mapping was hopelessly out of date
Oct 2


Do you feel like this about Munros and Scottish Mountaineering too? If these words and pictures resonate with you then you probably have an addiction to needing the next summit fix like me. But...
Do you feel like this about Munros and Scottish Mountaineering too? If these words and pictures resonate with you then you probably have an addiction to needing the next summit fix like me. But ... can that ever lead to contentment? See if you agree on my view here.
Jun 6


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 19


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 Munro Society published this story about how the 'call of Scotland' grew for Normal Neville Wiseman from an early age... in their newsletter. The article is entitled 'Scotland- In the beginning.'
As published in The Munro Society Newsletter No.66 April 2026. 'Scotland- In the beginning'. 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 friend
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 entertaining a coach trip. Ben Lawers...
A brief encounter entertaining a c. 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 had recently become a father. 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
Jan 24


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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