Molly in a canine cairn celebration
A young hillwalker plans to complete an impressive round of 220 Scottish peaks at the weekend.
Five-year-old Molly hopes to summit the 885m (2,904ft) Ardgour mountain Garbh Bheinn on Sunday to tick off her final corbett with a group of friends.
And the corbetteer from Aviemore can be forgiven for being dog-tired as she tackles the last few metres of the hill, which lies west of Corran, overlooking Loch Linnhe.
Molly the collie will take the lead to the top of the mountain with her owner Anne Butler, for a celebration meal of sausages, which will replace the traditional champagne for ‘completers’ of the list.
Less well known than Scotland’s 3,000ft munros, the corbetts are the hills between 2,500ft and 2,999ft. Molly will follow in the pawprints of Kitchy, another collie, which was the first recorded munro completer.
Kitchy and his owner Hamish Brown ticked off their last munro in the 1960s.
Molly the collie's owner Anne Butler reckons she will be the first canine completer of the corbetts
Molly’s human companion Ms Butler, a keen munroist and corbetteer herself, is a member of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland. She has carried out much of the council’s work on its guide to munros and corbetts.
The MCofS’s Mike Dales said: “This dug is a fraction of my age, but she has beaten me to that elusive last Corbett. Well done Molly – give that dug a bone!”
Peter Willimott, vice-chair of the Munro Society, praised Molly’s ‘Dogged determination’, adding: “Congratulations to Molly and Anne.”
Scotland’s 220 corbetts were listed by John Rooke Corbett in the 1920s.
The MCofS has an online guide to both the munros and the corbetts.
Advice on taking dogs into the great outdoors can be found on the Scottish Natural Heritage website.
Charles Britten
11 May 2012The question is: Has molly climbed Beinn a' Chleibh? Although this is still officially one of 283 Munros, the G&J survey last year found it to be 2,999 ft and therefore in lineto be downgraded in the way Sgurr nan Ceannaichean was, when the SMC gets round to its next revision in line with the ONS update.
Dave Hewitt
11 May 2012Congratulations to Molly the dog. Getting a cat round them all might prove a bit harder.
Charles – I think you mean Beinn a’Chlaideimh, not Beinn a’Chleibh – the latter seems to be solidly a 3000ft hill in everyone’s list. I wouldn’t expect Beinn a’Chlaideimh to be changed from Munro to Corbett any time soon – the SMC list-keepers aren’t bound by last year’s surveying efforts, and from what they’ve said thus far they appear to be less than convinced about the claims of accuracy.
Stadler
11 May 2012Jeez, some of you guys take this thing way too seriously...
Anne Butler
11 May 2012Yes Molly has climbed the 'Fisherfield Six' (twice actually)!!
She has ascended 650 Munro's to add to her Corbett tally.
Myrddyn Phillips
12 May 2012In reply to Dave Hewitt's response to Molly's Corbett bagging and the specifics of Beinn a'Chlaideimh. The Ordnance Survey have verified the G and J Surveys gathered data and have used the accurate height on their digital mapping. This will be fed through to all other OS mapping in due time. As custodians of the Corbett listing the SMC can update when they wish. I think Dave we need to be a little patient and leave the SMC to deal with this subject when they deem necessary.
Dave Hewitt
13 May 2012“we need to be a little patient and leave the SMC to deal with this subject when they deem necessary” – agreed, that was my point above (although I’m not sure who “we” are – personally I’m just a mildly curious journalist who covers such matters from time to time). I’m not in the SMC and as far as I’m aware none of the surveyors are, either. It’s a decision for the SMC to make – it’s their list.
Myrddyn Phillips
13 May 2012'We' being you, me and any other person interested in such things. Sometimes Dave a gentler approach can achieve a greater good when compared to a journalistic stirring of the waters!
P.S. Congratulations to Molly and Anne. A fantastic achievement for Molly.
Dave Hewitt
13 May 2012Actually, I more or less agree with the earlier commenter who said that such things are being taken far too seriously. I don’t have any strong views on this either way – personally I’m not bothered whether hills switch between lists, although it does make for good copy. What I am interested in are the various differences and tensions between those with differing views – and whereas the surveyors’ position has received a good bit of coverage both here and elsewhere (eg on the BBC), the SMC’s position hasn’t been aired anywhere near as much. This is largely because they prefer to keep their cards close to their chests, but in journalistic terms I’m interested in trying to tease out what they think – hence I’ve discussed it with them a fair bit behind the scenes / off the record. That doesn’t mean I agree with their view, just that it deserves an airing insofar as is possible. I don’t see how any “greater good” concept applies here – it’s just a list of hills.
Anyway, apols to Anne B for semi-hijacking Molly the collie’s big day.
Outdoors Andy
15 May 2012Collie's are ace! Well done Molly, a top dog ;)