Helen Rennard took 80 days and 9.5 hours to complete what is known as a Winter Munro Round, becoming the fastest person to reach the summit of all 282 of Scotland’s tallest mountains. She completed her demanding feat on the UK’s tallest mountain, Ben Nevis.
A Munro is a Scottish mountain of more than 3,000ft (914.4m) and people who aim to reach the summits are known as Munro baggers. A round includes a total height gain equalling a total of 14 times the height of Mount Everest.
Helen, of Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, said: “When I set out to do the round I didn’t tell many people about it. It was a conscious decision to keep the round quiet.
“A Munro round in winter is a daunting challenge – and one I had wanted to do for years – but I wasn’t sure I would be able to finish it. Now having completed it, I feel very proud of what I have achieved.”
The Munros are spread out across Scotland, from Ben Lomond in the south, north to Ben Hope in Sutherland, east to Mount Keen in Angus and west to more than a dozen peaks located on several islands.
It generally Munro baggers an average of 20 years to complete a round. A round in winter is made much more difficult due to shorter days and inclement weather.
Helen also walked some two-thirds of the Munros – 186 summits – solo and she did many long single outings, some between 26.1 miles / 42km and 40.4 miles / 65km distance with between 11,480 feet / 3,500m and / 16,400 feet / 5,000m of ascent.
“I am very familiar with the Scottish mountains because I am a climber and I have done a Munro round before, although over many decades,” she said. “There was some tough weather to deal with, including Storm Éowyn, strong winds, rain and some deep snow and ice.
“I also needed to navigate all the routes myself, which I am very capable of doing but it takes time to do this on your own. I was pleased that I was able to cope with all the many long-distance outings and to keep going day after day.”
Ups and downs of a Winter Munro Round
Helen reports that she felt good physically: “I can honestly say that my legs did did not feel tired at any point. The only issue was a wound I sustained in my shin when I tripped in the middle of February. This needed stitches and I was worried that it would not heal or it would become infected. For a while I thought I had broken my leg until a GP friend assured me it wasn't and I could carry on. In the end, it was okay and I just kept going trying not to think about it.”
However, it was the emotional aspect of the round that Helen found the hardest. She said: “I am not good with sleep deprivation and the lack of sleep mounted up.
“It is hard to get enough time to sleep when you are out on long routes – sometimes two days at a time – and then, afterwards, you need to eat, sort kit, work out logistics and get to the next Munros. I did most of this on my own.
“I also struggled to motivate myself to get going each day and I often left quite late, which meant I was walking into the dusk and then darkness. I saw only one sunrise but many sunsets.
“Being out at dusk makes me feel anxious because it’s a time of day when I am thinking, ‘Oh, I shouldn’t be here; this could be hazardous.’ I often felt alone and vulnerable.”
Setting a new Winter Munro Round record
Only four other people have previously been recorded as completing a Winter Munro Round.
The first was the late Martin Moran in 1985, before Steve Perry in 2006 and Kevin Woods in 2020. Anna Wells become the first woman to achieve the same challenge in 83 days last winter.
Helen’s round was completed with the use of a vehicle to get to and from the Munros, just like the rounds of Moran, Woods and Wells. Only Perry did the Winter Munro Round continuously and self-powered.
A summer Munro round record, which was also continuous and self-propelled, was set in 2023 by Jamie Aarons in 31 days and 10 hours.
There have also been revisions to the Munro list and Moran’s 83-day finish included the then 277 Munros.
While Helen’s round, which she finished on Ben Nevis on March 30, is the fastest, she believes it’s difficult to make direct comparisons with previous completions.
She said: “Weather conditions vary hugely from one winter to the next and also we now have much better access to technology, such as weather reports and GPS, compared to decades past.
“My round was different to all the others and had its own challenges. I am happy with how I managed myself and what I achieved, often on my own. When I reached the summit of Ben Nevis after a very long final day and many Munro summits, I cried. It was a combination of sleep deprivation, reflection on the previous three months and relief that it was done.
“Now, as it sinks in, I feel very proud of what I achieved and how I managed to keep it together and stay safe in all types of weather for 80 days in the Scottish mountains in winter.”
