Glossary

Scottish outdoor glossary

Plain-English definitions of the Scottish hillwalking and outdoor terms walkers actually need — with etymology, Scotland-specific nuance, and links to the relevant detail pages.

Scottish hillwalking carries a vocabulary that's genuinely unique — half Gaelic terms for landscape features, half organisational acronyms, half practical calculation methods. This glossary covers the 20 most-asked-about terms with full editorial depth: definition, etymology, Scotland-specific context, related concepts, and 2-3 FAQs per term.

This is the "what does that word mean?" resource walkers reach for when a guidebook or weather forecast uses a term they haven't met before. If a term you want isn't here, tell us at hello@outdoorscot.co.uk.

Hill lists

Compleation

Also: Compleating

Compleation is the SMC's traditional spelling for completing all 282 Munros. A walker who has done so is a 'Munroist' or 'compleater'. Submission to the SMC enters you in the official Compleaters register; around 250-300 new compleations are recorded each year. Roughly 7,000 people have compleated since records began in 1901.

Corbett

A Corbett is a Scottish hill between 2,500ft (762m) and 3,000ft (914.4m) with at least 500ft (152m) of drop on all sides. The 500ft re-ascent rule separates Corbetts from subsidiary summits along the same ridge. There are 222 Corbetts in total.

Donald

A Donald is a Scottish hill in the Lowlands (south of the Highland Boundary Fault) over 2,000ft (610m). 89 in total. The list excludes the Highland 2,000-footers (which appear on the Graham or Corbett lists depending on prominence) and the Cheviots.

Graham

Also: Fiona

A Graham is a Scottish hill between 2,000ft (610m) and 2,500ft (762m) with at least 150 metres of drop on all sides. Currently 231 Grahams. Some older guidebooks call them Fionas after the original compiler.

Marilyn

A Marilyn is any British or Irish hill with at least 150 metres of topographic prominence — meaning it rises at least 150m above the lowest contour that separates it from any neighbour. Marilyns have no minimum height: a 200m coastal stack qualifies. 625 Scottish Marilyns; 2,011 in the full British and Irish list.

Munro

A Munro is a Scottish mountain over 3,000ft (914.4m) in height with sufficient prominence to be considered a separate hill rather than a subsidiary summit. The current list contains 282 Munros, ranging from Ben Nevis (1,345m) to Beinn Teallach (915m). The list is maintained by the Scottish Mountaineering Club.

Bealach

Also: Pass

A bealach is a Gaelic term for a mountain pass — the low point between two summits where a walking route crosses from one glen to another. Pronounced approximately 'BYAL-uch' (with the final 'ch' as in loch).

Bothy

A bothy is an unlocked stone shelter in a remote part of the Scottish hills. They have a roof, four walls, sometimes a fireplace — no booking, no key, no warden, no fee. Most are maintained by the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA); the rest are kept open by private estates as a courtesy to walkers.

Coire

Also: Corrie, Cwm

A coire (anglicised as 'corrie') is an armchair-shaped hollow scooped into a mountainside by glacial action. Steep walls on three sides, an open downhill side, often holding a lochan. The same feature is called a cwm in Welsh and a cirque in French.

Meall

Meall is a Gaelic term for a rounded, broad-shouldered hill — typically grassy, less dramatic than Sgurr or Stob summits. Pronounced approximately 'MYAOWL' (one syllable, the 'eall' is a diphthong). Common in central and eastern Highland names.

Sgurr

Also: Sgùrr

Sgurr is a Gaelic term for a sharp pointed mountain summit — usually narrower, more rugged and more dramatic than the rounded summits described as 'meall' or 'cnoc'. Pronounced approximately 'SKOOR' (one syllable). The accented form 'Sgùrr' indicates a long vowel sound but the meaning is identical.

Stob

Stob is a Gaelic term for a pointed summit or peak — similar in meaning to sgurr but more typical of central-Highland names than west-coast ones. Pronounced approximately 'STOPP' (rhymes with 'stop'). Common in Glen Coe and Mamores hill names.

Naismith's Rule

Naismith's Rule is a formula for estimating walking time in hilly terrain: allow one hour for every 5 km of distance, plus an additional hour for every 600m of ascent. For most fit walkers carrying day kit on good paths, this gives a usable baseline figure. Various corrections exist for fatigue, descent, snow and pack weight.

Scrambling Grade

Scrambling grades classify mountain routes that fall between walking and rock climbing. The British system uses three grades: Grade 1 (basic hands-on movement, easy escape routes), Grade 2 (more sustained, more exposed, sometimes wet or loose rock), and Grade 3 (sustained scrambling approaching easy rock climbing; a rope may be advisable). Grade 4 exists informally for routes at the rock-climbing boundary.

Tranter's Correction

Tranter's correction adjusts Naismith's Rule for fitness level and fatigue. A walker rated Fitness Grade 25 (very fit) takes the Naismith baseline time; a walker at Grade 15 (less fit) takes a multiple of the baseline, increasing as the day progresses and fatigue accumulates.

Winter Munro

A Winter Munro is a Munro climbed in winter conditions — snow on the ground, ice on rocks, and the technical demand for ice axe, crampons and avalanche awareness. Scottish winter conditions typically run November to April, with the peak season December-March. Winter ascents account for the highest-risk Scottish walking outings.

MWIS

Also: Mountain Weather Information Service

The Mountain Weather Information Service is the standard daily mountain weather forecast for Great Britain. MWIS produces region-specific forecasts focused on what matters to walkers: wind speed at altitude, cloud base, freezing level, visibility and precipitation type. Forecasts are issued by 4pm for the next 48 hours.

SAIS

Also: Scottish Avalanche Information Service

The Scottish Avalanche Information Service issues daily avalanche forecasts for six Scottish mountain regions during the winter season (typically mid-December to mid-April). Each daily forecast covers avalanche hazard level (low / moderate / considerable / high / very high), unstable slope aspects, snowpack stability and weather influences.

SOAC

Also: Scottish Outdoor Access Code

The Scottish Outdoor Access Code is the statutory guidance that sets out how the right of responsible access granted by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 should be exercised. The Code governs wild camping, walking, cycling, water activities, horse riding, dog walking and other recreational access across most of unenclosed Scotland.

MBA

Also: Mountain Bothies Association

The Mountain Bothies Association is a registered charity that maintains around 80 mountain shelters across Scotland, England and Wales. Founded in 1965, the MBA is run almost entirely by volunteers and funded by member subscriptions (around £30/year) plus donations and small grants.