An 81-year-old St Andrews hillwalker is inspiring others to take to the mountains having become a dedicated Munro bagger as a grandmother.
Margaret Squires, who used to run a bookshop in the town, has completed all 282 of the Munros in Scotland.
Her husband Roger, 80, a retired university lecturer, has also completed all the summits.
Having been busy looking after her family in her younger years, Margaret said she “didn’t really get going” until she became a granny in her early 50s.
She is now a regular contributor to the Walkhighlands website, where she shares her adventures with the hiking community.
“My husband’s always been bitten by the bug and he’d done 240-odd Munros before I joined him,” she said.
“I never thought I’d finish the Munros because of the Inaccessible Pinnacle.”
The infamous Inaccessible Pinnacle, also known as the “In Pinn”, on the Skye Cuillin requires a rock climb and abseil.
But with a bit of assistance, Margaret made it to the top of the In Pinn at the age of 64.
“I didn’t really think I’d do it, but the guide seemed to think I was going to do it so he slammed a hard hat over my sun hat and that turned my sun hat into blinkers,” she said.
“I just scrabbled up immediately after the guide.”
Last year, Margaret marked her 80th birthday at the summit of A’Mhaighdean, east of Poolewe, which is regarded as Scotland’s most remote Munro.
She said she did not do much physical activity before the age of 40, but built up her fitness by cycling to work.
“When I was 40 we went to the newly opened Olympia pool in Dundee and I could only swim half a length and I was out of breath,” said Margaret.
“I thought if I don’t do something I’ll be dead by the time I’m 60. So I started biking to work.”
As well as ticking off all of Scotland’s Munros, which are mountains over 3,000ft, Margaret has climbed all 222 Corbetts (2,500ft to 3,000ft), all the Grahams (2000ft to 2500ft), all the Donalds (over 2000ft and with a prominence of 100ft) and 1552 of the 1557 Marylins (hills with a prominence of 490ft) in the UK.
She said husband Roger had accomplished the same, “some with a very dodgy knee”.
Margaret is well known in St Andrews as the proprietor of the former Quarto Bookshop in St Andrews, which closed in 2006. The shop stocked a good selection of golfing books and was popular with tourists.
