As arduous challenges for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity go, climbing a mountain ranks quite near the summit. Taking on a Three Peaks Challenge is a step beyond that. So how do you top – literally – these?
Simple: you bag each one of Scotland’s 282 Munros.
A Munro, for those not in the know, is defined as a Scottish mountain over 3,000 feet (914.4 metres) in height, and which are on the Scottish Mountaineering Club official list of Munros.
Robin Moriarty, 68, a retired HGV driver, is his mission to climb each Munro for SSAFA, though not, understandably, all within one year, but over several and only during the non-Winter months. He began his Munro bagging in 2021 scaling 23 that year and estimates he will have completed his self-set challenge by 2028.
A resident of Rowlands Castle in Hampshire, the highest point near him is Butser Hill on the South Downs, and while at 889ft it qualifies as a Marilyn*, Robin has had to put in a lot of training to get himself up to match speed for the Munros.
It has not, however, all been plain sailing for Robin, and he takes up the story, saying:
“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.”
Robin had to postpone the rest of the Munro climbing season last year, but is now recovered and raring to go, and he has had some SSAFA “celebrity” company, including Chris Lewis and Dan McNeil both – albeit separately – walking the UK coastline for the oldest tri-service charity in Britain.
Rob adds:
“It was great to meet up with Chris and Dan, and it gave me an extra boost to my preparation, all the more valuable as I’ve just four weeks to before I’m back in Scotland to continue where I left off.
“’Excited’ is not the word; I’m so looking forward to meeting up with so many friends I have made over the last couple of years and excited that some of them will be joining me on my project, and adding to my growing Munro list.”
“Slowly, surely, and safely” is Robin’s mantra for his Munro expedition, and to help him help SSAFA provide the support for veterans and serving personnel, and their families, when, where, and how they need it, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/robin-moriarty.
For more information, visit ssafa.org.uk.
*The Marilyn classification was created by Alan Dawson in 1992 as a punning contrast to the Munro classification of Scottish mountains.
