In early 2012 GuideUs embarked on their biggest project yet, the objective to produce a comprehensive map of the Munros with a Munro tick list for walkers to record their progress. Having completed maps on both the Wainwright Fells, Wainwright Outlying Fells and the key mountains of the Snowdonia area (north Wales), the Munros seemed like a natural progression and one that we had been thinking about for some time. We had already received numerous requests from keen Munro baggers to consider this area for our next map and although we did hesitate to begin with (due to the magnitude of the work involved), after careful planning we began to realise that this map was indeed possible and that it would be a fantastic edition to our series of mountain maps with tick-lists.
From the outset we knew that this map would be quite an undertaking; those who are familiar with the Munros will know that they are widely distributed throughout Scotland covering a vast area; 270 are located on the Scottish mainland and a further 12 are situated on the Scottish Islands, Mull and Skye. There are 282 Munros in total (visit our Munro information pages for a list of Munros), the most northerly being Ben Hope of the Coigagh to Cape Wrath Munro area and the most southerly being on the doorstep of Glasgow, Ben Lomond in the Loch Lomond to Loch Tay Munro area; the most westerly is Sgurr na Banachdich on the Isle of Skye and Mount Keen is the most easterly Munro. Due to the huge area covered by the Munros we naturally thought that two adjoining maps would be required, one showing the northern Munros and one showing the southern Munros; however we like our maps to be as simple and accessible as possible for our customers, we like to provide simplified overviews of complex landscapes that can be viewed easily and where possible on one side of paper, and so came the challenge, to fit all of the information onto one side of paper without compromising clarity or visual aesthetic of the finished map.
The Munros are split into 17 well known Munro areas, these areas are very important when locating a Munro on our map; a colour coding system is used to distinguish each area from one another, area letters are also included for clarity. For example 'Loch Lomond to Loch Tay' is indicated by the letters 'LT'. The area colours are also prominent on the Munro information table that runs down the right hand side of the map so that each Munro and the area that it resides can be quickly identified. A key to the Munro area colours is located at the bottom right under the Munro tick list. The Munro information table shows all 282 Munros in height order from largest to smallest and includes the Munro number, name, area and height both in metres and feet. Most importantly it also features a tick box next to each Munro to record your progress.
The Munro Map is a beautifully designed piece of artwork for the home, providing an informative overview of the Munros.