Graham reaches the peaks of success

IN 1962, when he was 13, Graham Boswell decided to hitchhike to Scotland and climb a mountain - one of 283 known as the Munros.

Six decades later, now a 76-year-old internationally-recognised mountaineer, ecologist and environmental scientist, Minehead-based Graham has quietly completed one of Scotland’s greatest climbing achievements by scaling all 283 peaks.

Named after Victorian mountaineer Sir Hugh Munro, who catalogued all Scotland’s mountains of more than 3,000 ft in 1891, the Munros range from pleasant walks to crags that should only be attempted by experienced climbers.

Graham said he left one of the easiest until last - the 3,196ft Ben Lomond, Scotland’s most southerly Munro on the shores of Loch Lomond - which he climbed at the end of May.

“Seventeen family and friends came along, including two grandchildren. It was a lovely way to end something that has taken quite a big chunk of my life but has given me a lot of pleasure.

“I didn’t intend to climb all the Munros until the mid-90s. Before that it was just a nice way to see Scotland. Then I got a copy of the almanac which details all the climbs, and began ticking them off when I had time from the other things I was doing.”

The “other things” included teaching environmental sciences, ecology and conservation at university level, becoming an international authority on lichens, chair of the West Somerset Green Forum and a major instigator of its 20-acre Exmoor community woodland project.

But the mountains kept calling him back. The boy from Huddersfield, who joined a Pennine climbing club, became a highly qualified professional mountaineer able to lead climbers and environmentalists on major peaks around the world including the Alps, the Himalayas and South America.

“I suppose I’ve done quite a lot” is how he prefers to describe it.

Graham’s last professional climb was four years ago, taking a group from a sixth form college to the Annapurna mountain range in Nepal. “Because I’m into environmental things I can interpret the landscape and identify animals and plants. Climbing is a wonderful way to see the world,” he explained.

Always in the background were the Munros. According to the Scottish Mountaineering Club, the few climbers who have scaled all 283 peaks took around 20 years. Graham has taken 63!

”Some years I only did one or two depending on how busy I was doing other things,” he said.

“I did many of them in winter and that tends to slow you down. You’re dealing with fog, snow and ice and I did quite a lot of the climbs alone. Others I would never do on my own and there are about five or six on Skye which are really tricky and need a lot of care.”

At 76 Graham has no intention of hanging up his climbing boots. “I’m still reasonably fit - I play tennis and I’m a member of Minehead Cycling Club.”

Will he go back to the Munros? He doesn’t think so. “The enjoyment was doing them. Having done them all is a bit of an anti-climax!”