Update to The Relative Hills of Britain

April 1997

Alan Dawson

Since this book was published in April 1992 sales have been modest and stocks at Cicerone Press are still plentiful. A printed second edition is therefore a long way off, but purchasers are entitled to have up-to-date information, and so the most important changes since publication are summarised here. These updates will make little sense to anyone without a copy of the book.

Acknowledgments

Many of the updates are the result of new maps being published by the Ordnance Survey, but I have also received a fair amount of help in keeping track of changes to the list of Marilyns. I should like to thank E.D.Clements for numerous suggestions leading to the discovery of several new Marilyns, Charles Everett for discovering and researching the problematic status of Abberley Hill and Milk Hill, and everyone else who has been in contact with comments and suggestions, notably Stuart Benn, Ann Bowker, Colin Donnelly, Dave Hewitt, Graham Marett, Tony Payne, David Smith and Chris Upson.

Additions

Seventeen hills have been elevated from the relative wilderness of the SubMarilyns list to the premier league of full Marilyn status. The drop shown refers to the height difference (in metres) between the summit and the col connecting the hill to the next Marilyn. A c in the drop column means there is no col height shown on any map, so the drop is estimated from the contour lines. Abberley Hill and Milk Hill only qualify by virtue of a railway cutting at the relevant col, so some might consider their inclusion contentious, but I have taken the view that the cuttings must now be considered as permanent features of the landscape.

Deletions

These eight hills are now known to have less than 150 metres drop all round. It is a pity to lose them, especially Sgorr Tuath and Scafell, but there are so many hills queuing up for promotion that a strict policy of eviction has had to be enforced on any hills with less than the required 150-metre drop. It is still possible to climb these hills even though they are no longer Marilyns.

The 17 additions and 8 deletions bring the current total of Marilyns to 1551 - 1213 in Scotland, 178 in England, 156 in Wales and 5 in the Isle of Man (Black Mountain is in both England and Wales).

Replacements

Moving Targets

The summits of these hills have moved to a new location but have retained their old name.

Nominal Changes

Wuthering Heights

Summit heights are now taken from 1:10000 or 1:25000 maps where possible, as the Ordnance Survey have admitted that these are more up-to-date than 1:50000 maps. Details of hills that have changed height by five or more metres since 1992 are listed below, along with a few other significant height changes.

SubMarilyns

A SubMarilyn is a hill with a drop all round of 140-149 metres, i.e. within ten metres of being a Marilyn. There are currently 206 SubMarilyns, including 10 Murdos, 19 SubCorbetts, 23 SubGrahams, 5 new islands (Soay, Tiree, Seil, Colonsay, Lundy) and ten hills in the south of England. The following 21 hills miss out by just one metre; they each have a drop all round of 149 metres. The full list of SubMarilyns is available on request.

Twin Peaks

These hills are of equal height to a nearby Marilyn but the drop between them is less than 150 metres.

Munros and Murdos

The Scottish Mountaineering Club is preparing a new edition of Munro's Tables, in which the three Marilyns currently classified only as Tops are likely to be promoted to Munros, along with five other Tops. Details of the 444 Scottish summits over 3000 feet with 30 metres drop are available in The Murdos, published by TACit Press, 138 West Stirling Street, Alva, Clackmannanshire FK12 5EN (#1.95 inc p&p).

Corbetts

The number of Corbetts is now down to 219, as Beinn Talaidh is less than 2500 feet high and Corrieyairack Hill has shrunk to 892 metres, leaving Gairbeinn at 896 metres undisputed as a Corbett. Buidhe Bheinn is now of equal height to Sgurr a'Bhac Chaolais (Glen Shiel) and a rival candidate for its Corbettness.

Grahams

The Lesser Corbetts (Elsies) have been renamed Grahams in memory of the late Fiona Torbet (née Graham) who compiled her own list of Scottish hills between 2000 and 2500 feet before agreeing to merge it with the relevant Scottish Marilyns. There are 224 of them, as Ladylea Hill has been promoted and Beinn Talaidh demoted. The official list of Grahams is available in The Grahams and the New Donalds, published by TACit Press, 138 West Stirling Street, Alva, Clackmannanshire FK12 5EN (#1.95 inc p&p).

Marilyn Hall of Fame

Rowland Bowker remains the world's leading Marilyn bagger, though Ann Bowker is slowly closing, having amassed 209 new Marilyns in 1996. The end-of-year accounts for 1996 show there are ten members of the Hall of Fame. Stuart Benn's figures look a little unbalanced and nationalistic compared to the others.

Membership of the Hall is open to anyone who has climbed over 600 Marilyns and is willing to provide this type of information. I would be pleased to hear from other prospective members.

Hewitts

The Sweats (Summits of Wales and England Above Two thousand feet) have been renamed Hewitts (Hills of England, Wales and Ireland over Two Thousand feet) to allow for expansion to cover Ireland. The number of Hewitts in England and Wales is now 314. Full details of all Hewitts are available in three booklets in the TACit Tables series: The Hewitts and Marilyns of Wales; The Hewitts and Marilyns of England and The Hewitts and Marilyns of Ireland. All three booklets published 1997 by TACit Press.

County Tops

Further research has uncovered new highpoints for Dorset (Lewesdon Hill) and Lancashire (Green Hill). Local government reorganisation has had a dramatic effect on the list of county tops, with Rutland reappearing from April 1997 and Berkshire disappearing in 1998. Details of the current county tops in England and Ireland, and the council tops in Wales, are published in the relevant TACit Tables booklet.

Further Information

If you have any comments or wish to receive any future update sheets, please let me know by sending electronic mail to alan@staclee.freeserve.co.uk