UKC

Are there any statistics on the number of walkers on the Munros (and other hills). I seem to be meeting fewer people than 10 years ago when walking. This may be due to bad planning on leaving the more remote peaks to last in my Munro round but I wonder if outside the honey-pot areas hillwalking is less fashionable than previously?

In reply to MG:
If YOU plan carefully, on the more distant peaks, you should be unlucky to come across other walkers. Perhaps one meeting a day is acceptable

In reply to MG:

Cant comment on the Munros but I have seen good number in the lakes this year.

Then again, I did Cross Fell a couple of weeks ago and saw only 3 others on a chilly but nice day. I havent walked here before but i would have thought that being the highest of its type (ala Snowdon, Nevis, S.Pike etc) it would have been busier. Its not even that difficult to get to.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

I've been up cross fell a number of times, and I always remember it as being quite a quiet place.

In reply to MG:

Can't say I find the Munros less busy than 10 years ago. Still pretty busy.

Completions seem to be slowing down from an exponential rise to a linear increase though so perhaps footfall is stabilising.

See here:
http://www.scottishhills.com/html/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopi...

In reply to MG: I would suggest that it may be the cost of fuel. Not only for those from Englandshire but Scots as well. It certainly for me has become very costly to factor in fuel for a several hundred mile round trip.

The Lakes have become much more attractive (albeit in some instances without the effort) and away from the honey-pots, can be very quiet.

In reply to MG: I would agree with you MG. This past couple of years when I've been out I've felt there were less people around, certainly on the more northerly and more remote munros. It's been a regular topic of conversation between myself and the guys I walk with - we've been wondering whether cost of fuel is making people more choosy about going too far from the central belt of scotland. I live in Inverness and usually visit the hills north and/or west of there. If I was still living in Glasgow then I'm sure I would have curtailed the longer runs north given the cost of filling a tank up. It's all anecdotal evidence I know..but definitely noticeable.

In reply to GerryC:

I have only been walking three years but in that short time petrol has gone up from about 1.05-1.10 to 1.35-1.40.

Back in that first summer myself and a mate decided to do some weather chasing and drove from Dundee to climb Beinn Alligin and back again the same day.

Apart from being bloody knackering I just don't think i could justify the petrol on that these days. Instead of walking every weekend now I'm more likely to go once a month, camp up somewhere and try and get 2 or 3 walks in over a weekend.

Having said that I was up ben More and Stob Binnein two weeks ago and it was like a fair, must have passed close on 30-40 people, so the accessible hills are probably as popular as ever.