Climbing & Riding Scotland’s 282 Highest Mountains – Video
The full discography of the Highland's Rugged Majesty.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
While they may not be the worlds’ tallest peaks, Scotland’s highest mountains are rugged, remote and real. Those over 3,000 vertical feet are defined as Munros; 282 of which dot the stunning Scottish landscape. This is the story of one rider’s journey to bring himself and his bike (a Deviate Guide, whose sibling we happened to review HERE) to the top of each and every one of Scotland’s highest mountains.
From Tommy Wilkinson: Sean Green is a well-recognised face on the mountains of Scotland. With an eclectic mix of tattoos, his grizzly frame, and often with a bike on his back, a shrinking violet he is not.
A childhood spent drawing patterns on himself while dreaming of the rugged peaks, whirling dervishes and esoteric endeavours that the Highlands provide left Sean with a drive to summit them all – “bagging” as it has now commonly become known as.
While he isn’t the first (Paul Tattersal can claim this feat) to make all 282 summits by bike, and is only just over halfway through on 145, Sean is a working guy with a young family – requiring a deft ability to juggle his own ambitions with the responsibilities of family life – that makes his project both long, arduous and at times, at risk of going unfulfilled.
In Sean’s own words the dream he is chasing goes beyond the physical experiences. “I often get asked about my favourite descent. And that’s a really hard one to answer. I reckon there are maybe 6 or 7 that would battle it out for the top spot. What makes it so hard is the romanticism of these mountains and the emotions they evoke. Some of the best days on my bike, haven’t necessarily been on the best trails that these mountains offer, but instead, a combination of sights and feelings which filled me with nothing but ‘euphoria’ for want of a better word.”
“Standing atop the summit of Binnien Mor at 10.15 PM on a summer night, watching the sunset over the mighty Ben Nevis. Not a breath of wind, clear skies for 100miles in every direction, a feeling of true solitude and ultimately insignificance In this world. A clear mind to focus on nothing but your surroundings. All that matters is me, my bike, and making it off this mountain with the biggest smile on my face.”
“Those are the days I yearn for, the slithers of golden singletrack never before ridden, are just a bonus.”
Video by Dwaco.