IT is a time that might have some people climbing the walls or feel like running to the hills, but lockdown has meant Scotland’s mountains are out of bounds.

Although for some climbing enthusiasts there really is no stopping them and they have come up their own inventive ways to scale new heights.

Mountaineering Scotland member Brian Smith took matters into his own hands and made up the Beinn Coibhidh. He proposed that a new hill was temporarily added to the list of Munros and announced it to be exactly 914 metres high (the qualifying height for a Munro, equal to 3000ft).

Mr Smith, from Edinburgh, said: “It can be climbed in any form – stairs, garden etc. If out of one’s own home it may need to be climbed in stages during daily exercise outings and in accordance with rules. My own garden has a five-metre rise requiring 183 laps to reach the summit.

“It does seem a good way to keep fit and virtually in touch with our beloved Scottish mountains. If you think merit in this perhaps it could be promoted to other members.”

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Fellow climber Alan Mackay hasn’t been slow on ideas either. During his time in lockdown he has managed to climb the equivalent of Schiehallion (1083m/3553ft) and Ben Nevis (1345m/4411ft).

Mr Mackay, from Bonnybridge, near Falkirk, said: “I am working from home at the moment as part of my role with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. We have been trying to keep the young people going and motivated online. I also do volunteer work with Black Dog Outdoors, a charity supports people with mental health issues. With this lockdown period I was up for a challenge as well and I know how important it is to keep active.”

It wasn’t long before Mr Mackay realised the answer was right there in his home.

He added: “I realised if I can’t get outdoors the stairs was the next best thing. I am off on a Wednesday so I have made that my day to set myself a challenge. I have already climbed the equivalent of the Schiehallion and Ben Nevis.

“I worked out how many flights of stairs I would need to climb for each one. It was roughly six steps a metre. Schiehallion worked out at 355 flights of stairs while Ben Nevis was 384 flights of stairs. I’m already planning on doing Ben Lomond this Wednesday. I approach as I would any climb. I take water when required to stay hydrated, have a break, but it is great to be climbing Ben Nevis in my slippers on the stairs.”

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Just days before movement restrictions were imposed, there was images of people flocking to remote areas while supposed to be maintaining social distancing.

But Mountaineering Scotland were keeping people updated with advice and adapted as days went on. Now they are trying to ensure that people are fit and in shape to head back to the hills when restrictions ease.

Through their development arm ClimbScotland, which is a programme by Mountaineering Scotland to help inspire people of all ages and abilities to get involved in climbing, both indoors and outdoors, they have been trying to keep enthusiasts engaged during lockdown

With members of Mountaineering Scotland and Climb Scotland craving ways of keeping fit in preparation for returning to climbing when lockdown ends, Jamie Smith, development manager for ClimbScotland, said they started to look at ways they could offer advice and came up with the idea of #Quarantraining. A number people have been posting their own activities on the Facebook page showing the kinds of activities they have been doing.

He added: “People were wanting to know what they could do and that is when we came up with the idea of quarantraining. We have a programme which involves a daily word and people can do exercises linked to each letter of a word we post on social media. We have YouTube videos which show how you can keep fit while doing everyday tasks such as making a cup of tea.”

Already Climb Scotland is thinking ahead to the days after lockdown.

Mr Smith added: “We are having conversations about that at the moment and I think there will be need to be a phased approach. Any return to climbing or hillwalking will have to be done gradually and safely. If you have had a month or two off from climbing, you are not going to be as fit and have the same strength back immediately. Finger strength is very important for a climber and that can be one of the first injuries when people make a comeback as it needs to be done gradually.

“We have to make sure that people return to the sport safely. If you have had a break from any sport you need to ease back into it and mountaineering is no different.

“Given that people have been in lockdown, it many well spark interest from newcomers to the activity as I am sure people will want to get outdoors and enjoy Scotland’s beauty.”

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