Climber, 82, completes 282 mountain challenge

An 82-year-old man has completed his attempt to climb Scotland's 282 Munros - mountains higher than 3,000ft.

Nick Gardner, from Gairloch in the Scottish Highlands, set himself the challenge after his wife Janet went into full-time care.

He was devastated when she developed Alzheimer's and osteoporosis and wanted a challenge to keep himself going.

The grandfather-of-four began in July 2020 and reached his final summit, Cairn Gorm, on Saturday afternoon.

He was met at the top by a guard of honour of supporters and family.

"I'm on cloud nine, it's absolutely surreal," he said. "I have never experienced anything quite like it - it's like a little boy opening his Christmas presents.

"I was walking through the archway thinking, it's all for me."

Mr Gardner was joined by family and friends for the 1,245m (4,085ft) climb in the Cairngorms, near Aviemore.

The former physics teacher had never climbed a Munro previously.

After scaling Cairn Gorm, he has now climbed more than 500,000ft (152,000m), the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest about 17 times.

He has walked 2,000 miles (3,218 km), a similar distance to hiking from Edinburgh to Greece.

Mr Gardner said the toughest part of his Munro challenge was on the Isle of Skye.

He said: "If you're a mountaineer you'll know the Cuillin Ridge. It's not a big area but very pointed and jaggy and very dangerous.

"There are 11 Munros in a line and doing that in one go, it took two days to do it. That was the biggest challenge of the lot."

Mr Gardner has raised more than £60,000 for Alzheimer Scotland and the Royal Osteoporosis Society through the challenge.

"I couldn't look after my wife any more. She had to go into care and I had to get a project to refocus my life, he said.

"I am elated but I've not finished climbing.

"I did it because I love climbing and shall carry on. I have my eye on the Devon and Cornwall coastal path walk."

Mr Gardner thanked all the supporters who helped him to achieve his goal.

One of his two daughters, Sally McKenzie, has nominated him to the Guinness World Records for the oldest person to climb Scotland's Munros.