A Fife climber has finally conquered all of the country’s Munros exactly 50 years after scaling his first.
Brian Mitchell, from Dalgety Bay, was a schoolboy when he completed his conquest of Cruach Adrain, at Crianlarich, in 1963.
Now a grandfather of 11, the 67-year-old IT worker has just completed the 282nd and last of Scotland’s mountains over 3,000 feet.
Mr Mitchell, chairman of the Cioch Mountaineering Club in Dunfermline, was treated to a guard of honour by more than 20 fellow members when he reached the summit of Stuc a’ Chroin.
He is the oldest member of the club to have bagged all of the Munros once, and the person who has taken the longest to do so.
He said: “I climbed my first Munro on a school trip to Crianlarich in 1963. Originally, I was determined to do them all by the time I was 50, but life got in the way.
“I revised that to 50 years, but in July I still had 16 to bag so it’s been a busy few months.
“It can be quite expensive and time-consuming involving weekends away as some of the Munros are quite remote, but I just enjoyed the hillwalking and caught the bug.
“I was so pleased that so many friends turned out on a cold and windy summit to give me the traditional guard of honour a tunnel of walking poles as I completed the set.”
The outdoors enthusiast and Scout leader has taken several expeditions in to the hills, and has climbed Ben Nevis 10 times.
He added: “I’m very interested in the outdoors and it keeps you fit while getting to see some marvellous scenery.”