First woman completes Munro climb challenge

A mountaineer from Inverness has become only the fourth person – and the first woman – to complete Scotland’s most gruelling climbing challenge.

Anna Wells, 34, reached the top of all of the country’s 282 “Munros” – mountains more than 3,000ft tall – in one winter season. She completed the challenge in an 83 days, starting on 22 December.

Her challenge was to bag each Munro by 20 March, the end of astronomical winter – a challenge she conquered with time to spare.

The mountaineering instructor battled injuries, ill-health and 87mph winds to reach the 282 summits. The Munros include Britain’s highest peak, Ben Nevis (inset).

The first person to conquer the Winter Munro Round was Martin Moran in 1985, before Steve Perry completed it in 2006 and Kevin Woods in 2020. Ms Wells, mainly based in Inverness, travelled from the city to tackle each mountain.

She told the BBC that a serious injury was one of her biggest obstacles.

She said: “That always made me the most worried or upset because it felt like it was totally out of my control. My lowest moments within the round were two specific days where I had different foot problems that I thought were going to completely stop me.”

Ms Wells, who posted daily on Instagram @rocksandtrails, added that the company she kept was one of the best things about the experience.

She said: “It was incredible to have so many people come and support me on the last Munro, and so many people helped me throughout the round as well.

“Martin Moran holds the record for the fastest time, which was 83 days. I managed to equal his record, which was a little pipe dream of mine.”