The Relative Hills of Britain

Chapter 3:
The Marilyns by Region

One of the most difficult decisions to make when compiling a list of hills is how to divide the country into different regions. It is an essential task, so that readers can conveniently look up all the hills in a given area. For this chapter the regions defined in Munro's Tables have been used as the starting point, so that Regions 1 to 17 are almost identical to those used for the Munros, with some regions enlarged where necessary to include hills under 3000 feet. The other 25 regions have been arrived at by using an appropriate combination of coastline, rivers, roads and county boundaries. Most of the regions have been further divided into smaller more manageable sections.

Each region is given a descriptive heading to provide a general idea of its location, and a detailed specification of its boundaries. Similarly, each section is given a brief heading followed by details of its boundary within the larger region.

In this chapter the hills are listed in height order within each section. The information is laid out in the following columns:

Height:

The first two columns give the height of the hill in metres and feet. All of the Ordnance Survey 1:50000 scale maps (Landranger), and most of the 1:25000 scale maps (Pathfinder or Outdoor Leisure) are now available with metric contours and heights given in metres. Unfortunately the Ordnance Survey has the infuriating habit of giving some hills different heights on the two different scales of map, and it can not be assumed that the most recently published map is always the more accurate. The guidance offered by the Ordnance Survey is that 'the Pathfinder series should as a general rule prove to be the most reliable source of heighting information'. However, it is not possible to rely solely on the 1:25000 maps, as metric versions are not available for all areas, and also because numerous spot heights are shown on 1:50000 maps but omitted from the 1:25000 maps (and vice-versa). There also appear to be cases where heights have been updated on the 1:50000 map but not on the 1:25000. The heights listed below are therefore taken from both sets of maps, and in cases where a different height in metres is given on the two scales of map, then the higher figure is given here.

Name:

Most names have been taken from the relevant Landranger map, but if a hill is not named on this then the name given on the Pathfinder map has been used. A star in front of a name indicates that the name is not shown on the latest Landranger map. In a few cases a different name is given on the Pathfinder map, but this has only been used if it clearly indicates that the name given on the Landranger map does not apply to the summit. Where a hill has a general name and a summit name, the general name is given first followed by a hyphen, e.g. 'Snowdon - Yr Wyddfa'. Where a hill has two alternative names given on the Landranger map, the second name is included in brackets. Accents have been omitted from the Scottish names, but great care has been taken to get the spelling correct (or as correct as the Ordnance Survey have managed).

Map Number:

This column gives the number of the Landranger (1:50000 scale) map on which the summit of the hill is to be found. Note that a different map may be required for the start of the walk. Where a summit appears on two or three overlapping maps then each of them is listed.

Grid Reference:

This is essential information for all walkers, as it pinpoints the location of the summit of the hill (to within 100 metres). Details of how to use the grid reference are given on all Landranger maps. Summit baggers should take particular note of the grid reference, as it does not always coincide with the position of the spot height or triangulation point on the map. The grid reference can be used to identify the Pathfinder map on which the summit appears, by taking the two letters followed by the first and fourth numbers. For example, Schiehallion has grid reference NN714548 and so appears on Pathfinder map NN75.

Date:

This column is left blank so that you can enter the date on which you ascend each hill. With over 1500 hills to choose from it would take quite a feat of memory to remember exactly where you've been and when. If you're going to keep some sort of record it might as well be here.

The Relative Hills of Britain

Chapter 3:The Marilyns by Region

Height:

Name:

Map Number:

Grid Reference:

Date:

Scotland

Wales

England

Chapter 3:
The Marilyns by Region