If you are looking for a gift for a Munro bagging friend, a book, The Munros – The Complete Collection of Maps, could be the perfect gift, especially as Christmas looms. And if you don’t fancy buying this book for a friend or relative, then why not treat yourself?
The details: The Munros – The Complete Collection of Maps
The book was published in 2019 by map-makers HARVEY Maps to mark the centenary of the death of Sir High Munro, the founder of the Munros List. It includes an interesting introductory section that informs the reader what to expect in the book, as well as map symbols and scales; details about HARVEY Maps; and how the maps are created.
All of the 282 Munros (Scottish mountains with a summit of more than 3000ft) are marked on a map. Some maps have just one Munro and most have multiple Munros in one area.
My thoughts: The Munros book
I like the concept of a map-by-map guide to Scotland’s mountains. It’s a simple compendium that names all the Munros, with basic details, including height, the meaning of the names and a grid reference.
The maps are grouped in areas of Munros, such as Glen Affric and Kintail, Glen Cannich to Glen Carron and Glen Roy to the Monadhliath.
It’s the sort of book that you flick through, glancing at pages and then focus more on finding a section or page that you have recently visited or plan to visit.
So, for example, I enjoyed pages 134 and 135, which shows the Creag Meagaidh area where I bagged three Munros and six Munro Tops yesterday.
Then I turned to pages 59 and 59, where the area around Ben Cruachan is located. I traced a potential route with my finger, checking out the rise and fall of the landscape, clearly detailed by the contour lines and coloured areas. I am keen to do a big adventure here taking in Munros and Munro Tops.
As well as the maps, at the back of the book is a section about Sir Hugh Munro and also the list of all 282 Munros.
A great gift: The Munros book
It is a wonderful coffee table book. I have picked it up, looked through, put it down, picked it up again and looked at other maps. It’s a lovely way to go down memory lane to places I have walked before and also to look ahead to places where I hope to walk.
These days, there is a wealth of information on-line of how to walk the Munros, as well as maps that can be used as GPX files on various map reading apps. Yet, still, I do like an actual map to look at. I am sure it will be a welcome gift for any keen walker.
The book is priced £35 from HARVEY Maps and books shops. It sells for less than £30 on Amazon. (I receive a small commission for each Amazon sale.)
- *The book was sent to me without charge for an honest review.