The Munroist's Companion (Hardcover)

A recent joke in a British climbing magazine suggested that if an alien, with the ability to read English, went over to the book section in a climbing shop then they would reach the conclusion that there were only two mountaineering objectives. The first objective is standing on the summit of Everest. The second objective is the completion of the Munros in Scotland. It is certainly true that there is a proliferation of books on these two subjects. In the case of the Munros this ranges from guidebooks of the technical variety through to more witty accounts of TV presenter's summer holidays.

There are nearly 300 mountains in Scotland above 3,000 feet (approximately 913m). They are named Munros after the Sir Hugh Thomas Munro (1856-1919) the Scottish pioneer who first attempted to climb them all. To an alpinist or mountaineer familiar with the greater ranges these are pitifully low hills and their ascent requires no technical expertise by modern standards.

In Britain 'Munro fever' has broken out and increasing numbers of people attempt to complete or 'bag' every Munro. I love Scotland and Scottish Mountaineering. In my view Scottish winter mountaineering is quite unique and the Scottish hills offer great days out all through the year. I have absolutely no interest in 'bagging' (at this stage in my life at least). Enthusiasm is a good thing but, in my view, many baggers are ridiculously evangelical about the Munros. A large number are boringly restrictive about mountaineering and will only entertain doing new Munros. I loath the 'trainspotterish' tick system approach that accompanies this mentality.

A virtual Munro industry has grown up around the whole activity. Robin Campbell's book, however, offers something a bit out of the ordinary. If you only own one book on the Munros it should be the Munroist Companion. Campbell has been a long standing author of Scottish mountaineering literature. As a former President of the Scottish Mountaineering Club and activist in the Scottish mountains his credential for such a project are impeccable. This book is surely the most seminal work on 'Munro culture' and it is modestly priced given the book's size.

This is an edited book and Campbell draws in material from a wide variety of sources. The early chapters are historical and cover the pioneers and early completers. This might not be everyone's cup of tea. I quite like the historical sections in British climbing guidebooks so these chapters are right up my street. A large part of the book is very technical and there is more information than you would ever need on the classification of the mountains and the construction of the Munro list. Some of the sections are not confined to Munroing, for example, the section on Naismith's rule (a speed, time and distance formula) will be of interest to hillwalkers in general.

The breath of coverage of this collection is quite amazing (for example see the chapter on 'Drug Addiction in Scottish Mountaineering'). There are some esoteric sections such as the separation of Munros (distinct mountains) from tops (summits about 3,000 feet). Less committed readers might want to skip sections such as the Variorum Table of Munros and Tops. But other sections will be read and re-read (for example, Campbell's section on Sir Hugh T. Munro's posthumous mountaineering excursions). Like me you might find yourself compelled to read 'A Poem on Kedgeree - or a windy day in the Cairngorms' out aloud.

The Munro completers that I have met have generally been a pompous bunch. Campbell has not attempted to bag the Munros and mercifully we are spared the usual smugness of a completer. I read it from cover to cover, in attempt to ward off the tedium of being delayed in an airport lounge, but it is the sort of book that you will find yourself dipping into time and time again. Buy it and enjoy it, preferably over a dram of your favourite malt whisky beside a roaring fire.

There are nearly 300 mountains in Scotland above 3,000 feet (approximately 913m). They are named Munros after the Sir Hugh Thomas Munro (1856-1919) the Scottish pioneer who first attempted to climb them all. To an alpinist or mountaineer familiar with the greater ranges these are pitifully low hills and their ascent requires no technical expertise by modern standards. In Britain 'Munro fever' has broken out and increasing numbers of people attempt to complete or 'bag' every Munro. I love Scotland and Scottish Mountaineering. In my view Scottish winter mountaineering is quite unique and the Scottish hills offer great days out all through the year. I have absolutely no interest in 'bagging' (at this stage in my life at least). Enthusiasm is a good thing but, in my view, many baggers are ridiculously evangelical about the Munros. A large number are boringly restrictive about mountaineering and will only entertain doing new Munros. I loath the 'trainspotterish' tick system approach that accompanies this mentality. A virtual Munro industry has grown up around the whole activity. Robin Campbell's book, however, offers something a bit out of the ordinary. If you only own one book on the Munros it should be the Munroist Companion. Campbell has been a long standing author of Scottish mountaineering literature. As a former President of the Scottish Mountaineering Club and activist in the Scottish mountains his credential for such a project are impeccable. This book is surely the most seminal work on 'Munro culture' and it is modestly priced given the book's size.

This is an edited book and Campbell draws in material from a wide variety of sources. The early chapters are historical and cover the pioneers and early completers. This might not be everyone's cup of tea. I quite like the historical sections in British climbing guidebooks so these chapters are right up my street. A large part of the book is very technical and there is more information than you would ever need on the classification of the mountains and the construction of the Munro list. Some of the sections are not confined to Munroing, for example, the section on Naismith's rule (a speed, time and distance formula) will be of interest to hillwalkers in general.

The breath of coverage of this collection is quite amazing (for example see the chapter on 'Drug Addiction in Scottish Mountaineering'). There are some esoteric sections such as the separation of Munros (distinct mountains) from tops (summits about 3,000 feet). Less committed readers might want to skip sections such as the Variorum Table of Munros and Tops. But other sections will be read and re-read (for example, Campbell's section on Sir Hugh T. Munro's posthumous mountaineering excursions). Like me you might find yourself compelled to read 'A Poem on Kedgeree - or a windy day in the Cairngorms' out aloud.

The Munro completers that I have met have generally been a pompous bunch. Campbell has not attempted to bag the Munros and mercifully we are spared the usual smugness of a completer. I read it from cover to cover, in attempt to ward off the tedium of being delayed in an airport lounge, but it is the sort of book that you will find yourself dipping into time and time again. Buy it and enjoy it, preferably over a dram of your favourite malt whisky beside a roaring fire.