This is Granny Outdoors with a foot on the summit of Ben Nevis! But how can this be, you might be wondering? Here’s how: In the Scottish Borders village of Eddleston, south of Edinburgh, there is a fabulous 3-D map of Scotland. The map sits in the grounds of Barony Castle, which is now now the  Barony Castle Hotel. According to the history books in the early 16th century the property came into the hands of the Murrays of Blackbarony, cadets of the Murrays of Falahill, and in 1771 passed to the Murrays of Elibank.

During World War II, the castle was used by Polish forces, and so the theory goes, an outdoor outline map was one of the features used to help plan the defence of the Scottish coastline.

And then came an idea by Polish tank commander General Stanislaw Maczek, who decided to create a 3-D map as a reminder of their role in protecting the Scottish coastline. Sadly the map became overgrown and fell into disrepair until it was discovered by a local man walking in the area.

In recent years the Great Polish Map of Scotland Restoration Committee has been formed (volunteers include Granny Outdoors) with plans to bring the map back to its full glory. Volunteers have spent many hours clearing the site, cleaning up the map and restoring it.

The map is a wonder to see. It reveals the nation’s stunning landscape, including mountains, hills, islands, rivers and the sea. And that’s how Granny Outdoors came to be standing on the top of Ben Nevis! “It’s the only way I’ll make it to the summit of the UK’s highest mountain,” she said, with a smile!