Hill Bagging

I’ve seen hillbagging compared to hobbies such as stamp collecting by the sort of snobs who think this is some kind of insult. As long as you don’t make the statement in derogatory tones, there is some justification in the comparison. A keen philatelist will try to collect everything in his Stanley Gibbons catalogue (or at least a defined subset of it); a hillbagger will try to “collect”, or visit, the highest point of every hill (or, more usually, a defined subset of hills).

Unfortunately some sections of the walking community fit into the aforementioned “snob” category, and are not content to let others enjoy their hobby in peace. They say that by focussing purely on the completion of the list and racing from hill to hill, baggers miss out on the enjoyment of the walk itself.

What a load of old tosh. Using a list is actually a way of getting you away from the well-trodden paths, and into new areas of the country. Hillbagging tends to take you to the best viewpoints in these fair isles. As a result, hillbaggers probably spend a large amount of time with their backs to trig points, staring wide-eyed at the fabulous view beneath them. Maybe the views of the walking snobs are actually therefore those of walkers who have only experienced tiresome trudges through clay-soiled lowland fields; their views are based on jealousy rather than substantiated fact. For their can be no doubting the joy of straining into the hilltop wind, the world laid out at your feet.

That only leaves that perennial question... what is a hill? What is a mountain? What should be on my list? Well, if you’re unsure, there are a plethora of ready-made lists out there for you to browse. These range from the traditional, subjective lists such as the Munros and the Wainwrights to more modern lists (such as the Nuttalls and Hewitts) which have strict qualifying criteria based on summit altitude and height relative to other nearby hills. The biggest challenge is probably posed by Alan Dawson’s Marilyns; no one has yet completed his 1554 listed summits. Alternatively you could try an area-based list, such as county or hill range high points (although this raises further questions of what constitutes a county or hill range!). Definitions of all the lists and some links to them can be found in our glossary.

There is no need for hillbagging to be restrictive, or a numbers-based race. Choose a list that suits you – don’t set yourself an unattainable target. Better still, design your own list. Take it slowly; enjoy each individual walk on each individual hill. Link the hills together for longer walks. But most importantly, allow yourself to be transported to the more beautiful and less visited parts of these fabulous isles, and learn what a wonderful country we have. Lets keep it that way, eh?