Where are you, Hugh MacCoo?

Picture it, Scotland, 2025.

A young hairy coo sets off in the wee hours of the morning to bag a Munro!

He leaves his mum a note saying where he's off to and when he expects to be back. In his pack he has all the essentials--map, compass, Scottish shortbread--all the necessaries.  

Now he's not just bagging any Munro. No! He's off to conquer Ben Macdui, the second highest in Scotland!

The day starts out fine and he has a pleasant journey. At the summit he sits in the warm sun to admire the view and falls asleep. When he wakes, it is well past time he should be home and the heights are shrouded in mist!

What should he do? Whatever will his mum do?

You'll have to get the book to find out.

I will however share some details about some of the things you'll learn about in the book.

What is a Munro?
Many years ago, in 1891, a gentleman by the name of Sir Hugh Munro catalogued all the mountains in Scotland that were over 3,000 feet (or 914 m) in height. An avid mountaineer, the mountains on the list he drew up have been evermore known as Munros.  

There are 282 Munros, and "Munro Bagging" (reaching the peaks of these) is a pastime enjoyed by many a mountaineer and hillwalker in the UK. You become a "Munroist" or "Compleatist" if you bag all 282!

Sir Hugh Munro himself never completed all the peaks. He passed in 1919 having failed to climb the final mountain on the list, Carn Cloich-Mhuillin, which he had saved for last. He passed during the post-war influenza pandemic.

The first person to climb the whole list, is generally regarded as being Reverend A.E. Robertson in 1901 although there is no record of him reaching a couple of the peaks.

The current list contains 282 peaks and 227 "tops". You can learn more about this at the following link to the National Trust for Scotland.

National Trust for Scotland
​a guide to munro-bagging

Is Hugh MacCoo named for Sir Hugh Munro?
Nope. He's named for a different mountaineer who is no less Scottish and no less accomplished. Wee Hugh MacCoo is named after my father-in-law, Hugh MacAskill Noble, father of my own Very Patient Dave.

With his permission, I shall tell you his story another time but I will say that he can spin a tale like few are able and can take you on a journey through history while out walking the glens.

Wait! You mentioned a legend?
Aye, I did! 

When Wee Hugh MacCoo wakes up in the fog on Ben Macdui, he finds he is not alone...He meets someone that I named Greyman. And Greyman is based on Am Fear Liath Mor also known as the Big Grey Man of Ben Macdui.

The Big Grey Man was first mentioned officially in 1925 when J. Norman Collie gave the first recorded account of his experience hiking alone near the summit of Ben Macdui years before in 1891.

J. Norman Collie was a noted hiker, professor and a member of the Royal Geographical Society and therefore, considered to be a fairly credible source. 

I won't go into the whole legend here, but, since J. Norman Collie's account went public, several other recorded accounts have popped up. No photographs have ever been taken of the Big Grey Man so perhaps my illustrations in the book are the first likenesses? 
​
The button below has a link to Folklore Scotland and a great article about Am Fear Liath Mor.   

Folklore Scotland
Am fear Liath mor

I would like to share more, but I don't want to give away all of my bookish secrets today. Make sure you order your copy of "Where are you, Hugh MacCoo?" and find out what all the ruckus is about and meet a true legend...

So when you go hiking, whether it's in Barbados, Canada, the US, Switzerland, Scotland...keep your eyes peeled.

You never know when a legend may be born!