He may be only ten years old, but one young hiker has conquered more Scottish mountains than most of us will in a lifetime.
Ben Fleetwood has become a record breaker as the youngest person to climb every one of the 283 peaks in Scotland that stand at more than 3,000ft.
With the help of his dad, Ben conquered the so-called Munro mountains, the collection of peaks named after mountaineer Sir Hugh Munro, in a little over three years.
The pint-sized schoolboy from Garnett Bridge, near Kendal in Cumbria, marked the end of his challenge with celebratory photos and by placing a
stone at the summit of his final mountain - Ben More on Mull.
'It felt like, wow,' he said. 'My friends don't understand what it takes, but I've learned the secret - you just have to keep on walking.'
Ben is no stranger to Britain's most famous peaks, aged just six he stormed into the record books for completing Cumbria's 214 Wainwright summits.
His proud father, John Fleetwod, said: 'He's very good at keeping going when
we're out walking.
'I've seen him walk his way through several pairs of boots. He walks in them until there are holes in the soles and they've completely fallen apart.'
The Munro peaks all measure over 3,000ft and are named after the 4th Baronet who first included them in an official list of such hills, known as Munros Tables, in 1891.
Ben's Munro quest began the day after his sixth birthday, when he climbed the central Highland trio of Beinn na Lap, Chno Dearg and Stob Coire Sgriodain.
Despite his 4ft 7in height, he went on to tackle the Inaccessible Pinnacle on the Skye Cuillin Ridge, and completed Ben Lui by climbing ice in its central gully.
Father and son have pushed through 70mph gales, fog and snow that reached Mr Fleetwood's waist, and practically engulfed Ben.
Despite the tough conditions, both Ben and his father said they would miss the adventure.
'This was something we could do together and I'm sure we'll always remember it,' said Mr Fleetwood.
Ben will have more time for his other interests - playing the drums, creative writing and canoeing.
'We might also plot a few walks in the Alps too,' added his father.
Ben Fleetwood has become a record breaker as the youngest person to climb every one of the 283 peaks in Scotland that stand at more than 3,000ft.
With the help of his dad, Ben conquered the so-called Munro mountains, the collection of peaks named after mountaineer Sir Hugh Munro, in a little over three years.
Aiming high: Ben Fleetwood has conquered all 283 of the Munro mountains in Scotland
'It felt like, wow,' he said. 'My friends don't understand what it takes, but I've learned the secret - you just have to keep on walking.'
Record-breaker: Ben climbed the peaks with his
proud dad despite some adverse conditions, including 70mph gales, fog
and snow that reached Mr Fleetwood's waist
THE MUNRO MOUNTAINS
- There are officially 283 Munro mountains in Scotland, of which Ben Nevis is the most famous.
- The name refers to mountains with a height of more than 3,000ft.
- A Munro top is a summit over 3,000ft which is not regarded as a separate mountain. According to the Scottish Mountaineering Club, there are an additional 227 subsidiary tops to the 283 Munro mountains.
- The collection of peaks are named after Sir Hugh Munro, 4th Baronet, who produced the first list of such mountains, called Munros Tables, in 1891.
- Before his study, it was believed there were only 30 peaks over 3,000ft.
- The Munros of Scotland are known for presenting challenging conditions to hikers, particularly in winter when a number of fatalities are reported each year.
- 'Munro Bagging', is a popular practice among walkers, the aim being to climb all of the listed Munros.
- As of 2009, more than 4,000 have reported completing their round.
- The first continuous round of the Munros was completed by Hamish Brown in 1974, while the current holder of the record for the fastest continuous round is Stephen Pyke who completed his 2010 round in just under 40 days.
'I've seen him walk his way through several pairs of boots. He walks in them until there are holes in the soles and they've completely fallen apart.'
The Munro peaks all measure over 3,000ft and are named after the 4th Baronet who first included them in an official list of such hills, known as Munros Tables, in 1891.
Ben's Munro quest began the day after his sixth birthday, when he climbed the central Highland trio of Beinn na Lap, Chno Dearg and Stob Coire Sgriodain.
Despite his 4ft 7in height, he went on to tackle the Inaccessible Pinnacle on the Skye Cuillin Ridge, and completed Ben Lui by climbing ice in its central gully.
Father and son have pushed through 70mph gales, fog and snow that reached Mr Fleetwood's waist, and practically engulfed Ben.
Despite the tough conditions, both Ben and his father said they would miss the adventure.
'This was something we could do together and I'm sure we'll always remember it,' said Mr Fleetwood.
Ben will have more time for his other interests - playing the drums, creative writing and canoeing.
'We might also plot a few walks in the Alps too,' added his father.
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