What is a Munro? And How Many Munros Are There?
A Munro is a Scottish mountain over 3,000 feet (914.4 metres) in height. There are currently 282 of them, and climbing them all — “Munro bagging” — is one of the most popular long-term challenges in British hillwalking.
Where does the name come from?
The name comes from Sir Hugh Munro, a founding member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC). In 1891 he published his famous Munro’s Tables, the first serious attempt to catalogue every Scottish summit over 3,000 feet. Before his survey, nobody was sure how many there were — guesses ranged from thirty to over three hundred.
Ironically, Sir Hugh never completed his own list. He died in 1919 with a handful of summits unclimbed, including the Inaccessible Pinnacle on Skye — by common consent the hardest Munro of them all.
How many Munros are there?
282. The number isn’t fixed forever, though. The SMC maintains the official list, and modern surveying occasionally moves a mountain across the 3,000ft line. Recent decades have seen several changes — Beinn Teallach was promoted in 1984, while Sgurr nan Ceannaichean was demoted in 2009 after being re-measured at 2,997ft.
The full range runs from Ben Nevis at 1,345m — the highest mountain in the British Isles — down to Beinn Teallach at 915m, just two metres over the line. You can browse the complete list of all 282 Munros, organised by region.
Munros vs Munro Tops, Corbetts and Grahams
- Munro — a distinct Scottish mountain over 3,000ft. There are 282.
- Munro Top — a subsidiary summit over 3,000ft that isn’t considered a separate mountain (around 226 of them).
- Corbett — a Scottish hill between 2,500ft and 3,000ft with at least 500ft of drop on all sides (222 of them).
- Graham — a Scottish hill between 2,000ft and 2,500ft (219 of them).
Whether a 3,000ft summit counts as a full Munro or just a Top is a matter of judgement — the SMC weighs distance, drop and character. That ambiguity is part of the list’s charm, and arguments about it have been running for 130 years.
What is Munro bagging?
Munro bagging is simply the game of climbing them all. Reach a summit and you’ve “bagged” it. Finish all 282 and you become a Munroist (or “compleater”, with the traditional archaic spelling) — your name can be recorded in the SMC’s official register, which now lists more than 7,000 people.
A round of the Munros takes most people 10–25 years of weekends and holidays, though some compress it dramatically — see how long it takes to climb all 282 Munros.
There’s no committee checking your claims: Munro bagging runs on honesty. But most baggers keep a log — a notebook, a spreadsheet, or an app like 282 that tracks your progress on a map, remembers your summit dates and photos, and shows you exactly which peaks are still waiting.
Ready to start?
Begin with something friendly — Schiehallion or Ben Lomond are classic first Munros. Our guide to the easiest Munros for beginners has ten great starters, and Munro bagging for beginners covers the gear, safety and skills you’ll need.
