Robin, 67, on mission to climb all of Scotland’s 282 highest mountains
A RETIRED HGV driver has launched a personal campaign to summit all of Scotland’s 282 highest mountains in aid of an armed forces charity.
Determined Robin Moriarty, 67, has set his sights on scaling each Munro for SSAFA, a charity which supports members of the armed forces community with whatever challenges they are facing.
A Munro is a Scottish mountain which is more than 3,000ft in height and is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club official list of 282 Munros.
Understandably, Robin will not be carrying out this monumental task all within one year, but over several – strictly in the winter months.
Robin began his Munro challenge in 2021, scaling 23 that year, and estimates he will have completed his selfset challenge by 2028.
As a resident of Rowlands Castle, the highest point near Robin is Butser Hill on the South Downs, and at 889ft it qualifies as a Marilyn – a mountain of at least 150 metres.
Robin has put in a lot of training to get himself ready to scale the Munros and it has not all been pain sailing.
He said: ‘My first session of 2022 was cut short due to a stumble and bruised tendons in my right knee, but I managed to bag four Munros [An Socach (Deeside), Mount Keen, Glas Tulaichean, and Carn an Righ] during that first week, adding another £100 towards my base target of £5,000 for SSAFA.’
Despite this, Robin happily reports that with a little more rest to let his injuries heal, he will soon be travelling north again to continue his Munro mission.
‘Slowly, surely and safely,’ is Robin’s mantra for the expedition.
While donations for Robin have come from as far afield as the US, he has had support closer to home including the Parthian Climbing Centre in Southampton, and Mick Cooke of EB Climbing.
Both have have given him the space and the expertise to hone his skills to reach each summit and his goal.
In 2020, teams of SSAFA volunteers and employees helped more than 79,000 people in need, from Second World War veterans to young men and women who have served in more recent conflicts, and their families.
To donate to Robin’s fundraiser, visit justgiving. com/fundraising/robinmoriarty or for more information, visit ssafa.org.uk.