BBC ALBA films Kevin Woods doing all 282 Munros in 98 days

[Update 11th June: photo locations detailed below] Many people who climb Scotland’s iconic Munros aim to ‘bag’ them all over a period of time – sometimes that takes a lifetime.

21 year old Kevin Woods from Glasgow, however, set himself the ultimate challenge in the summer of 2013 to climb all 282 mountains in less than 100 days filming his journey as he went along.

BBC ALBA’s Trusadh: Two-Eight-Two programme follows Kevin on his remarkable journey – an epic of highs and lows of all kinds as he travelled the length and breadth of Scotland in his attempt to complete this extraordinary feat, with each mountain peak standing at more than 3,000ft.

From the snow covered remnants of a landscape battered by a hard winter and the wind and rain of early summer, to exhausting mid summer heat, it wasn’t without its ‘struggles, stress and endless fatigue’, however, ‘it’s the pleasure you remember, the hard stuff is mostly forgotten’ and……. ‘the Scottish mountains really had become a bit like home’, recalls Kevin. It’s a home in which he will have lived intensely for that 100 days.

The journey over these legendary mountains saw Kevin start on Ben More on the Isle of Mull and finish over three months later in August 2013 on Ben Hope in Sutherland, the most northerly Munro – and, with its sister mountain, Ben Loyal, two land waves breaking on the sea.

Travelling over rugged, steep peaks, remote plains and through truly stunning scenery, Kevin climbed every Munro, camping out across the length and breadth of the Highlands.

His total ascent was 141,025m and of the 98 days he took to complete his challenge:

• nine were rest days;
• two were days he ventured out but was turned back by poor weather or unfavourable ground conditions – experienced at Bidean nam Bian and Seana Bhràigh;
• and one whole day was spent walking into Barisdale from Kinloch Hourn.

This left a total of 86 days spent getting to the 282 summits – an astonishing feat.

Munro climbing legend, Hamish Brown, the first person to complete the Munros in a single round in 1974, shares his view on Kevin’s endeavours in the programme; and we hear from fellow climbers and Munro enthusiasts about their passion for the mountains.

Trusadh – Dhà-Ochd-Dhà / Two-Eight-Two goes out on Monday 16th June at 21.00.

Note: The photographs above show Kevin Woods:

• Top, on Beinn a’ Chlaidheimh, Fisherfield. An Teallach in the background.
• Middle: standing on the summit of Sgurr Dubh na Da Bheinn, the Inaccessible Pinnacle is visible in the far background and the biggest one in the background, is Sgurr Alasdair. Credit and © Liam Dickson
  
• above:  on Tom na Gruagaich, Beinn Alligin, in Torridon – looking out over the Minch at sunset.