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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 19/03/2026

There are worse views to wake up to than Ben Lui

A sun lit rough field surrounded by trees on a hillside slope. Behind the trees, the silhouette of Ben Lui sits beneath a blue sky. The sun is visible in the top centre above the hills.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 13/02/2026

It's a lovely day in Fort William. Almost sad I don't have my boots to go up Ben Nevis.

Snow-topped Ben Nevis under a clear blue sky

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 07/02/2026

Today's plan mostly involves watching films. Blue and Red.

Tour magazine for the Banff mountain film festival

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 30/01/2026

Disappeared north into the Scottish Highlands in my van for a few days this week. Weathered a storm by Creag Meagaidh, hiked into the snow in the Fannichs, and felt the burn hauling myself up the slopes of Glen Shiel. Three great days away.

Snow-covered mountain ridge showing Sgurr nan Spainteach and neighbouring peaks under a dramatic winter sky, with rocky crags breaking through the snow cover and dark clouds overhead.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 19/01/2026

First Scout camp of the year done and dusted. Here's the dishwashing station they built (I may have tightened the lashings when they weren't looking). It was built to Scout height, but I ended up doing the dishes so the Scouts could go sing songs at the campfire. My back will take days to recover!

A wooden structure built from brush handles and tied together with rope. At either end is an A-frame built from three poles. The A-frames are joined together by four horizontal poles to form a long shelf. On the shelf sit three washing basins. Two dish towels are draped over poles extending from the right-side of the structure.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 05/01/2026

A fun trip up Beinn Dòrain with Leon yesterday. Managed to do some crampon practice on the frozen ground.

A hiker walking along a snow-covered plateau. The sun is showing weakly through an overcast sky.

A hiker in an orange jacket and black trousers wearing crampons, standing on a patch of ice. Snow covers the ground behind, with tufts of brown grass poking through the snow.

Silhouette of rounded mountains with an orange sunset visible behind.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 30/12/2025

A Christmas cold laid me low for the past couple of days. Took a trip up to the Drumochter Pass today and got paid back beautifully with the view down Loch Ericht, from the back of Geal-charn. This view more than made up for two days being ill!

Mountain landscape showing Loch Ericht stretching into the distance, surrounded by multiple ridges and peaks with patches of snow. Brown heather moorland covers the hillsides, with a dark coniferous plantation visible in the middle distance. The foreground shows frosty ground on the hillside, and the scene is lit by bright sunshine under clear blue skies

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 25/12/2025

I'm not the target demographic for K-pop Demon Hunters, but I loved Derpy, and wanted one for my van dashboard. Et voilà!

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 24/12/2025

Pressies all wrapped. Time to properly start Xmas. Merry Christmas, everyone! 🎅🎄☃️

A bottle of port, glass, and a Christmas mince pie sitting on a table in front of a TV. The TV shows the character John McClain from the Die Hard series. To the left is a Christmas tree decorated with lights.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 25/10/2025

Plenty of wind up Ben Gulabin this afternoon. Out with Leon, having a slight Blues Brothers vibe.

Two hikers with red and orange waterproof jackets on, wearing sunglasses. Both have hoods up making it look like it's cold. In the background are Scottish hills under a grey sky.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 23/10/2025

Starting my long weekend away in the best possible way.

Top down photo of a wooden table. On it is a mug of black coffee and a copy of New Mountain Magazine.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 14/10/2025

On Sunday, the summit of Glas Maol proved atmospheric. It was nice to get out and introduce someone new to hillwalking in the Cairngorms. Oh, views were had later. This was just a thin bank of cloud around the summit.

A moody black and white photo of two hikers and a dog walking through the mist towards the sun.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 28/09/2025

Happy Sunday evening folks. Here's how I'm celebrating running the Linlithgow 10k today.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 25/09/2025

I finally bought a rack to take the bikes to the hills. It's only taken 18 months... I didn't miss the good weather, did I?

The back of an orange transit van with a bike rack fitted. On the bike rack are two mountain bikes, one red and one black.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 12/09/2025

Scout camp this weekend. Makes for an important choice: which tent to take. 🤔 (I'm still waiting for the Big Agnes replacement inner to arrive)

Close-up view of a shelf stuffed with several bags containing tents.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 17/08/2025

I went paddleboarding with my family to Lochore in Fife. We had a great day out on the water. My wife now wants an inflatable kayak with a comfy, padded seat. I've started thinking about what adventures could be unlocked. If I do get one, it needs to be able to carry two people plus camping gear...

A lake under a clear blue sky. Many people are on the lake on paddleboards, or swimming, and also standing.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 10/08/2025

Returned safely from the Iceland trip. Weather was challenging—locals even said it was bad! Strong gusts flattened our tent around our faces. Advised to skip the Fimmvörðuháls trail, so we had an extra day to explore Þórsmörk. Not a bad thing. The house is a bombsite with gear airing everywhere! 😆

Me and Leon standing on an elevated position with Þórsmörk laid out behind us. The vivid green moss contrasts with the rugged, rocky terrain in the background.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 14/06/2025

I'm not convinced I can muster up the motivation to go out in this.

A rain-soaked car park surrounded by trees. Large puddles litter the rough surface.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 07/05/2025

I've been writing again. munromicroadventures.substack.com/p/the-rise-o...

Words saying, The rise of AI
or, What Not to Bot

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 07/05/2025

This is what May in the Cairngorms can look like. I was loving it.

A head and shoulders photo of a bearded man wearing a black woolly hat and an orange waterproof jacket. His hat and facial hair are coated in windblown snow.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 05/05/2025

Good morning, folks. What a morning to wake to in the Cairngorms!

An orange tent with the doors wide open. Beside sits a large black dog. All around is countryside, with bleached grass, dark heather, distant rounded mountains. All under a blue sky with broken white clouds.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 27/02/2025

I finally found gas powered street lights in London. Mission: Success.

A gas street lamp, in a black metal frame, against a dark sky with the silhouette of branches in the background.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 24/02/2025

Looks like I'm heading in the wrong direction (South) again this week.

The very front of a yellow-nosed LNER train arriving at a platform in Edinburgh's Waverly train station.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 22/02/2025

Lazy weekend at home for the first time in a while. Figure I can use the time to explore this unfamiliar map ahead of my ML refresher with @grahamuney.bsky.social next month.

OS map of the northeastern Lake District showing the area around Hartsop. On the map sits a dark coffee mug.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 17/02/2025

This weekend saw me and Leon above Glen Shiel. This picture was taken looking back to the summit of Sgùrr a' Bhealaich Dheirg, one of the Brothers of Kintail.

A snowy mountain view. In the foreground is a sharp ridge leading to a peak. A person dressed in a red waterproof jacket with their hood up stand on the ridge. Rocks peek out of the snowy down each slope of the ridge. In the background, other snowy hills are visible, leading down to valleys below the snow-line.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 09/02/2025

Aberdeen beach always looks fantastic, even under an overcast February sky. We stuck the van heating on and enjoyed the views with a coffee.

A wide-aspect photo of Aberdeen beach under an overcast sky. The beach stretches away into the distance while waves crash on the shore.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 03/02/2025

In addition to letting me play in the snow, Sunday's trip to Cairngorm gave me the words I needed to finish this weekend's Substack post. Enjoy.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 02/02/2025

We finally found some snow today. Not really firm enough for crampons, but Leon had fun learning ice-axe arrests. I also had fun practising them. Thank you, Cairngorm.

This is a black-and-white photo of a silhouette of a person walking across a snowy plateau towards a wide, distant peak. The sun is visible almost directly above the summit.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 01/02/2025

A late start at Cairngorms tomorrow means a cheeky wee wine while I sort out the map this evening.

A glad of red wine with a computer screen showing a partial map of the Cairngorm mountains

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 01/02/2025

It looks like windy.com is suggesting "West is Best" if I want to get up high tomorrow. Pictures show 9am and 12pm.

Windy speed forecast for 9am on Sunday, showing the west of Scotland in green for low speeds and the east in purple for high speeds.

Windy speed forecast for 12pm on Sunday, showing the west of Scotland in green for low speeds and the east in purple for high speeds. Purple starts much further east than the other picture.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 24/01/2025

How to cope with this power-cut in Scotland. A tale in one picture.

A dark photo with a wine glass and bottle of Prosecco on either side of a red, lit lantern

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 14/01/2025

I realised the first sentence could go in a very, very different direction than I intended. I assure you, this post is about plotting an adventure. open.substack.com/pub/munromic...

A background showing snow-covered rocky mountains under a mostly clear blue sky. Snow lies on the ground in the foreground. Over the image is a heading of "Birthday Conflict" and the content of "'What do you want to do for your birthday?' my wife asked as we lay in bed. As always, the question immediately triggered a panic in my head-the fear of choosing something no..."

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 02/01/2025

We had a great view over Loch Lomond just after sunset today. The path down was starting to ice over, making things interesting. #lochlomond

A view over a body of water just after sunset. There are silhouettes of islands in the water. The sky is a golden colour. The few clouds are black.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 29/12/2024

I've no idea what the point of a Skircle is, but I see my photo is in some pretty good company in it.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 24/12/2024

My Christmas eve view over to Bennachie, in Aberdeenshire. My parents used to take me up there when I was little. Allegedly, I would run to the top. Personally, I think that's an exaggeration.

Aerial photo over some farmland, with a wide hill sitting in the distance. The hill has a slight peak on the left side and another in the middle. The sky is pale with a couple of small clouds.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 16/12/2024

I do like it when Grammarly tells me I'm average.

The words "Mastery. You were more accurate than 61% of Grammarly users."

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 14/12/2024

In spring 2022, during a family trip to Iceland, my son and I decided that we needed our own trip to explore a little of the Icelandic highlands. Next summer, we'll go back to Iceland to walk the Laugavegur Trail. It seems pretty straightfoward, but I'd love to hear if anyone has any advice for us.

This is a black-and-white photograph of a river running through a partially snowy, flat landscape. The river drops off a diagonal waterfall and disappears behind a snow-covered ridge.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 10/12/2024

I had my first proper trip to the Swiss Alps this summer. Being up in the alpine meadows was delightful, and the accessibility via public transport was terrific! This cow loves the hills, too. I only exaggerated the slope ever so slightly.

A cow walking down a 45-degree steep grassy slope, with a clear blue sky behind.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 08/12/2024

We had the makings of a lovely sunset as we finished the Elie chain walk today.

A golden-coloured hillside sloping down to the sea on the left. A glow from sunset can be seen on the horizon.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 03/12/2024

Some more photos from my weekend trip into the Cairngorms. I went expecting snow and surely found some. Now, my house looks like an outdoor shop with stuff hanging everywhere to air and dry.

A long narrow loch running diagonally, surrounded by snow covered rough terrain

Snow covered foreground with a loch in the distance just as the view disappears into fog

A small, one storey building surrounded by snow covered ground. To the left and right, hills rise.

A bridge, with no handrails over a river. The rough ground all around is covered in snow.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 02/12/2024

That was something to wake up to this morning. Really not sure how to 'leave no trace' this rectangle...

A winter scene beside a body of water. In the background, at the other side of the water, is a snow-covered slope. In the foreground is a rucksack beside a rectangle of ground which has no snow covering it. This rectangle had a tent covering it.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 01/12/2024

There's a trend on Bluesky to share images of 20 books that influenced you. I don't generally think about books this way, but the first book I was given on hillwalking has a special place on my shelf. It's maybe time for a re-read. It seems this edition just turned 30! Thanks @murielgray.bsky.social

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 30/11/2024

My home for tonight. Cheeseburgers for dinner. #cairngorms #vanlife (part-time)

The side of a van with the sliding door open. Inside is brightly lit. Outside is very dark.

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Munro Microadventures @munromicroadventures.uk · 30/11/2024

I've built up a small collection of stoves over the years. It's fun to show my Scouts the different types. The latest addition is this lightweight titanium cone and alcohol burner. Making a coffee with this is way more relaxed than the frantic burn of my Jetboil (which I also love).

The top of a brown wooden picnic bench. On it is a green water bottle, a small orange net bag, and a ferro rod. In the background is a green hedge.

The top of a brown wooden picnic bench. On it sits a green water bottle, a ferro rod, two long narrow metal sheets with holes punched along one side, a small plastic bottle containing purple liquid, and a metal pot with a lid.

The top of a wooden picnic bench. On it sits a grey mat. On top of the mat is a silvery metal cone formed of two parts with the top half interlocking with the bottom half. Inset into the upper half is a small silver pot with it's handles sticking out to the left.

The top of a brown wooden picnic bench. On it sits a silvery metal cone with a flame showing from the middle. To the right of that sits a metal pot with steaming liquid in it. At the far right sits a ferro rod and small, orange net bag.

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