Update to The Relative Hills of Britain

April 1998

Alan Dawson

This update sheet summarises the most important changes to The Relative Hills of Britain (RHB) since the book was published in April 1992. These updates will make little sense to anyone without a copy of the book.

Acknowledgments

I should like to thank E.D.Clements for several suggestions which prompted discovery of new Marilyns, and everyone else who has been in contact with helpful comments, notably Stuart Benn, Ann Bowker, Colin Donnelly, Charles Everett, Dave Hewitt, Graham Marett, Jeff Parr, Tony Payne, David Purchase and David Smith.

Changes since April 1997

There are no changes to the list of Marilyns since the April 1997 update sheet, so the total remains at 1551. The status of Abberley Hill and Milk Hill is still doubtful, but they have retained Marilyn status pending further research. The main changes in this update reflect increasing membership of the Marilyn Hall of Fame.

Additions

The seventeen new Marilyns discovered since 1992 are listed below. The drop column refers to the difference in metres between the summit and the col connecting the hill to the next Marilyn (c means the drop is estimated from contours, in the absence of spot heights). Cheriton Hill becomes the easternmost Marilyn.

Deletions

Eight hills listed as Marilyns in RHB are now known to have less than 150 metres drop all round. It is still possible to enjoy climbing 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 on the Isle of Man). Black Mountain is in both England and Wales.

Replacement

Four hills listed in RHB have been superseded by a nearby summit:

Relocation

The highest point of ten summits has been relocated to a nearby grid reference on the same hill:

Renomination

Ten hills have been given new names. In many cases the general hill name is preferred to the summit name.

Renumbering

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. Numerous hills have therefore changed height by one, two, or three metres. Six hills have gained or lost five or more metres:

Munros and Murdos

In 1997 the Scottish Mountaineering Club published a new edition of Munro's Tables, in which three Marilyns were promoted from Tops to Munros (Spidean Coire nan Clach on Beinn Eighe, Stob Coire Raineach on Buachaille Etive Beag, and Tom na Gruagaich on Beinn Alligin). This means all 205 Scottish Marilyns over 3000 feet are now Munros. Five non-Marilyns were also promoted from Tops to Munros. 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

There are now 219 Marilyns from 2500 to 3000 feet high with a drop of over 150 metres. This is one fewer than in RHB, as Beinn Talaidh has dropped below 2500 feet. The 1997 edition of Munro's Tables lists 220 Corbetts, with Buidhe Bheinn (see below) being the additional summit. However, this is a not a Marilyn as it is the same height as Sgurr a'Bhac Chaolais, and the drop between the two is around 120 metres. Although Corbetts require a drop of 500 feet (152.4 metres), there are no hills of Corbett height with 150-152m drop.

Twin Peaks

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

Grahams

The Scottish Marilyns from 2000 to 2500 feet were referred to in RHB as the Elsies (short for Lesser Corbetts). This subset of the Marilyns has now been renamed Grahams in memory of the late Fiona Torbet (née Graham) who published her own list of Scottish hills between 2000 and 2500 feet in The Great Outdoors magazine (TGO) in November 1992 (six months after publication of The Relative Hills of Britain). Fiona Torbet's list had no precise definition; 54 of its 244 hills had a drop of less than 150 metres, and 16 had less than 100 metres drop. There were also numerous inaccuracies, and 34 current Grahams were omitted altogether. Fiona had been unaware of the RHB list but soon realised it was more accurate and complete than her own. She therefore readily agreed to accept the relevant Scottish Marilyns as the definitive list of such hills, provided the name Grahams was used and that Mid Hill and Mam Hael were renamed. The 224 current Grahams comprise the 222 such hills listed in RHB plus Ladylea Hill (1998 feet in RHB, now 2001 feet) and Beinn Talaidh (2502 feet in RHB, now 2497 feet). The official list of Grahams is available in The Grahams and the New Donalds, published by TACit Press, and in the 1997 edition of Munro's Tables. These two lists are identical, and are the same as that published in RHB, apart from minor amendments to heights, names and grid references. The only contribution from the list published in TGO is the name Grahams.

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 10 hills in the south of England. There are 21 SubMarilyns with a drop of 149 metres (i.e. within one metre of being Marilyns). A list of all SubMarilyns is available on request.

Hewitts and County Tops

The RHB list of Summits of Wales and England Above Two thousand feet (Sweats) has been revised and renamed Hewitts (Hills of England, Wales and Ireland over Two Thousand feet) to allow for expansion to cover Ireland. There are now 314 Hewitts in England and Wales (and a further 211 in Ireland). Full details of all Hewitts are available in three booklets published by TACit Press: The Hewitts and Marilyns of Wales, The Hewitts and Marilyns of England, and The Hewitts and Marilyns of Ireland (the first listing of all 453 Irish Marilyns). All three booklets include an up-to-date list of the relevant County Tops.

Marilyn Hall of Fame

Rowland Bowker remains the world's leading Marilyn bagger, though Ann Bowker is now very close. Both have climbed over 90% of the Marilyns. Membership of the Hall of Fame, which increased from 10 to 21 in 1997, is open to anyone who has climbed over 600 Marilyns and is willing to provide the type of information shown below. There are thought to be at least three associate members (two deceased, one anonymous).

Further Information

If you wish to receive any future update sheets, or a list of SubMarilyns, or register for membership of the Hall of Fame, or have any other comments, please write to Alan Dawson, 49 Airthrey Avenue, Glasgow G14 9LY or send electronic mail to a.dawson@strath.ac.uk