Solo Munro Bagging: A Practical Guide to Hillwalking Alone Safely

There's a particular quality to walking alone in the Scottish mountains. No conversation to fill the silence, no pace to match but your own, no compromise on route or timing. Just you, the hill, and the sound of your own breathing on the steep bits. For many experienced baggers, solo days are when the mountains feel most alive — when you notice the ravens wheeling in the corrie, the way the light changes on the loch below, the faint path through the heather that you'd have walked past chatting to a companion.

But solo hillwalking demands honesty. Honesty about your abilities, your fitness, the conditions, and the consequences of things going wrong when there's nobody to help. This isn't a guide to talk you out of going alone — it's a guide to doing it well.

Why Walk Alone?

• You move at your own pace. No waiting, no being waited for. If you want to stop for twenty minutes to watch a herd of deer cross the corrie, nobody's checking their watch.
• You sharpen your skills. When there's no one to defer to on navigation, you learn to trust your own compass work.
• You find genuine solitude. Scotland's mountains are one of the last places in Britain where you can spend an entire day without seeing another person.
• Logistics become simple. No coordinating diaries, no car shuttles, no debates about which hill to do.
• It builds deep confidence. Standing on a summit knowing you got yourself there — navigated the route, managed the conditions, made good decisions — is profoundly satisfying.

The Golden Rule: Tell Someone

This is non-negotiable. Every single time you walk alone, someone must know where you're going and when you expect to be back. Not a vague "I'm off to the hills" — a specific plan.

Route Cards

A route card is a written plan of your day. It should include:

1. Which mountain(s) you're climbing and by which route
2. Start point and grid reference of car park
3. Your expected departure time
4. Estimated return time (be generous — add an hour to your best guess)
5. Your car registration and description
6. An escape route if conditions deteriorate
7. The time at which your contact should call mountain rescue if they haven't heard from you

Leave a copy on your dashboard, send a photo of it to your contact, and stick to the plan. If you change route mid-day, update your contact if you have signal.

Emergency Communication

Your phone is your primary communication tool, but don't rely on it blindly. Mobile signal is patchy to nonexistent across much of the Highlands. Consider these layers:

• Mobile phone: Keep it charged, carry a battery pack, and keep both in inside pockets so the cold doesn't drain the battery. Emergency calls (999 or 112) can use any available network.
• Personal locator beacon (PLB): Sends a distress signal via satellite with your GPS coordinates. No subscription needed, works anywhere on Earth. For regular solo walkers, this is the single best safety investment you can make.
• Satellite messenger: Devices like the Garmin inReach allow two-way text messaging via satellite and live tracking. More expensive than a PLB but the live tracking gives enormous peace of mind to the people waiting at home.
• Whistle: Six blasts in a minute, repeated. The international mountain distress signal. Carries further than shouting and costs nothing to carry.

When NOT to Go Solo

Technical Terrain

If a route involves scrambling where a slip could be serious, think very carefully. The exposed traverse of Liathach, the Cuillin Ridge on Skye, or the pinnacles of An Teallach — these are places where a stumble that would be a minor incident with a partner becomes a potential fatality alone.

Full Winter Conditions

Winter mountaineering solo is for very experienced hillwalkers only. Avalanche risk, corniced ridges, whiteout navigation, and short daylight hours all compound when you're alone. If you're still building winter skills, go with experienced companions or on courses.

Unfamiliar Complex Terrain

If you've never done a particular route and it involves complex navigation — multiple spurs, featureless plateaux, or tricky corrie descents — consider doing it with a group first. The Cairngorm plateau around Cairn Gorm and Ben Macdui is notoriously featureless in cloud, and people regularly walk off cliffs there.

When You're Not Feeling Right

Tired, distracted, rushing, upset — your judgment is impaired. The mountains will be there next week. Go home, have a cup of tea, come back when your head is clear.

Equipment Considerations for Solo Walking

Your packing list for solo walking is the same as for group walking, with a few additions that reflect the fact that nobody is there to bail you out:

• First aid kit with extras: Include a splint (a SAM splint weighs nothing), strong painkillers, blister treatment, and a compression bandage. Know how to use everything in it.
• Emergency shelter: A group shelter or bothy bag weighing 200-300g can save your life if you're immobilised. It stops wind chill, which is the primary killer on Scottish hills.
• Headtorch with spare batteries: Even on long summer days. If you twist an ankle two hours from the car, you might be moving slowly in the dark.
• Extra food and water: Carry more than you think you'll need. If an incident adds three hours to your day, you need the calories.
• Trekking poles: They reduce knee strain on descents and provide stability on rough ground. Solo, they're an insurance policy against the kind of stumble that twists an ankle.
• PLB or satellite messenger: For solo walkers, this should be as standard as a waterproof jacket.

Building Confidence: A Solo Progression

Don't go from walking with groups to tackling remote Munros alone overnight. Build up gradually.

Stage 1: Familiar and Straightforward

Start with Munros you've already climbed with others. Ben Lomond is ideal — well-trodden, well-marked, and busy enough that you're rarely truly alone. Ben Chonzie is another excellent starter: a straightforward Land Rover track with minimal navigation demands.

Stage 2: Quiet but Clear

Move on to less popular hills where you might not see many others, but the navigation remains simple. Schiehallion has a clear path to the summit. Ben Lawers via Beinn Ghlas gives you a well-worn route with the satisfaction of two Munros.

Stage 3: More Remote, More Demanding

Once you're confident navigating alone, try hills with longer approaches or slightly more complex terrain. Ben Alder via Culra bothy is a wonderful solo outing — a long bike ride in, a night at the bothy, and a big hill day in remote country.

Stage 4: Serious Solo Mountain Days

With experience, you might tackle multi-Munro ridges or hills with short scrambling sections. The Buachaille Etive Mor via Coire na Tulaich is a classic solo outing — steep and loose but not technically difficult. But always retain the discipline to turn back if conditions change.

Good Solo Munros

These hills share common qualities: clear paths, manageable navigation, reasonable length, and that intangible quality of being rewarding to walk alone.

• Ben Chonzie — The classic beginner solo Munro. Straightforward track, short day, good for building confidence.
• Schiehallion — A clear path, a satisfying conical summit, and views that reward a lingering lunch stop.
• Ben Lomond — Busy enough for comfort, quiet enough for solitude if you go early or midweek.
• Ben Lawers — High start point, well-trodden path, and the option to add Beinn Ghlas for a satisfying double.
• Cairn Gorm — In clear weather, a fine solo outing. Avoid in poor visibility unless your navigation is bulletproof.
• Ben Nevis — Via the Mountain Track in summer, a well-populated route where solo feels safe.
• Buachaille Etive Mor — Via Coire na Tulaich. A steep, honest ascent with one of Scotland's finest summit views.

The Mental Game

Solo walking is as much a mental discipline as a physical one. Without a companion to share decision-making, you need to be your own voice of reason — and that means overriding the ego that wants to push on when conditions say stop.

Develop the habit of regular self-checks. Every hour or so, ask yourself: How am I feeling? Is the weather doing what I expected? Am I on schedule? Do I still have a clear picture of where I am on the map? If any answer is uncertain, that's your cue to stop, eat something, look at the map properly, and make a conscious decision about whether to continue.

Turning back is not failure. It's the mark of an experienced mountaineer. The summit will be there next time. You might not be, if you make a bad call.

Plan carefully, carry the right kit, tell someone where you're going, and trust the skills you've built. The hills are waiting.