12-year-old becomes youngest person to scale all Munros twice

Quinn Young completes round one at the top of Carn Mor Dearg.

A 12-year-old girl has claimed the title of the youngest person to complete two rounds of all 282 Munros in Scotland.

Quinn Young, of Inverness, reached her final summit on the so-called Inaccessible Pinnacle, a narrow rock formation with sheer drop-offs on the Cuillin ridge on the Isle of Skye, yesterday.

Mountaineering prodigy Quinn is delighted to complete double round of iconic peaks but sad that her big adventure with her dad has ended.

She has bagged 564 peaks in two rounds since the age of four, accompanied by her dad Ian, who finished his third Munro round earlier this month.

Quinn said: “I am happy and proud to have finished two rounds but I am also sad because it’s the end of a big adventure with my dad.”

Quinn’s adventure

Munros are Scotland’s tallest peaks, with a height of between 3,000ft (914.4m) and the UK’s tallest mountain, Ben Nevis, at 4,413ft (1,345m).

They spread out 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 on the islands.

The total ascent to bag them all is around 414,000ft, which is equivalent to 14 times the height of Mount Everest.

Walking Mick the dog on the Mullardoch range.

On average, it takes Munro baggers 20 years to do one round, but Quinn has completed two rounds in just eight years. She was keen to finish her latest challenge before becoming a teenager in June.

The youngster, left, said: “I finished my first Munro round when I was 10 and, back then, I became one of the youngest to have done all 282 of the highest mountains in Scotland.

“Dad asked if I wanted to keep going and I said yes straight away. We have lots of great times together in the mountains and I think my dad is very cool.”

Quinn carries her own food, water, waterproof jacket and trousers, spare clothes and other equipment – and the dad and daughter often run the routes to the high summits.

Quinn with dad Ian enjoying conquering Ben Nevis.

They have completed many big outings, such as a 25-mile route with 13,300ft of ascent to reach 11 Munros, including Ben Lawers, in Perthshire, and nine Munros, including Ben Alder, in the remote Highlands with a distance of 26 miles and 10,500ft of ascent.

The pair have also made traverses of many narrow and airy ridges with Munro summits, such as Aonach Eagach, Liathach, An Teallach and the Cuillin ridge.

Happy out on the mountains

Quinn, who has an older brother, said: “I like the mountains with high ridges the best and I really like scrambling on rocky tops.

“I also like the mountains with lots of bog because I enjoy getting muddy.

“Sometimes when the weather is bad I wonder what we are doing but mostly I am very happy being out in the mountains with my dad.”

Ian is an experienced summit bagger and aims to avoid unnecessary risk in the mountains. He assesses the weather reports before heading out and uses safety ropes where necessary.

Quinn also has a sports watch to keep track of her health and fitness.

Ian said: “Some people might think that Quinn is doing routes that are too far, too tough or dangerous for her age but she has built up her strength, fitness and experience over many years. Her mum Fiona and I monitor her activity on her watch and our aim is to maintain good strength and cardio rather than doing something too far after a long break.

“Quinn would tell me if she didn’t want to go on another mountain trip and I don’t think you can push kids to do these sorts of things if they don’t want to.”

He added: “The Munros are just something Quinn has always done and she takes it all in her stride.

“She is very capable and I go at her pace, although there are many times now when she is out front, seemingly skipping along.

“I am very proud of Quinn but I don’t think she really appreciates what she has achieved. I think one day she will better understand exactly what she has done.”

Jamie Aarons, who holds the record for the fastest round of Munros in 31 days and 10 hours, said: “Completing not one but two rounds of Munros at any age is an achievement to be proud of, but to finish two rounds before even turning 13 is absolutely incredible.

“At a time when one could be forgiven for thinking that children’s lives are inextricably linked to devices and social media, Quinn is an inspiring reminder that the Scottish hills are a playground for learning, challenge and adventure.

“Long may she enjoy the outdoors and continue to demonstrate what’s possible with motivation and a smile.

“Huge congratulations to her.”

Quinn tops the Inn Pinn to complete round number two.

Munro bagging was inspired by Sir Hugh Munro, a founder and president of the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC).

The Munros were first listed in his “Munros Tables” in 1891 and comprised 283 summits.

Over the years, the list has both decreased and increased as new measurements have been taken. The current tally is 282.

Sir Hugh never managed to climb all the peaks on his list and three summits are thought to have eluded him before he died of pneumonia in 1919 aged 63.

Today, the SMC keeps a record of people who have completed a Munro round and that sits at 7,971 to date.

Fewer than 500 people have recorded two completed Munro rounds.

Hugh’s tables are inspiration

Munro-bagging was inspired by Sir Hugh Munro, a founder and president of the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC).

The Munros were first listed in his “Munros Tables” in 1891 and comprised 283 summits.

Over the years, the list has both decreased and increased as new measurements have been taken. The current tally is 282.

Sir Hugh, below, never managed to climb all the peaks on his list and three summits are thought to have eluded him before he died of pneumonia in 1919, aged 63.

Today, the SMC keeps a record of people who have completed a Munro round and the total sits at 7,971 to date.

Fewer than 500 people have recorded two complete rounds of the Munros.