YOUNG Cumbrian adventurer Anna Taylor is the first to complete a continuous round of one hundred mountain climbs featured in a guidebook.
In the course of just 53 days, Anna, 24 and from Windermere, cycled, ran and walked almost 2,000 kilometres to reach the routes described in the book ‘Mountain Rock’, all located in Scotland, England and Wales. She climbed 12,402 metres, tackling most of the routes without ropes (free solo climbing).
Written by climber and author Steve Broadbent, Mountain Rock was published in 2020. The guidebook selects and describes in detail 100 of the best climbs in the UK’s mountain areas, all in the Scottish Highlands, England’s Lake District and Snowdonia in Wales, and at grades that are manageable for many aspiring climbers
Last year, Anna completed a round of the 83 routes that feature in Ken Wilson’s 1978 book Classic Rock. Despite the difficulties of her first experience of combining bike touring with climbing, the adventure gave Anna an appetite for more and she devised her Mountain Rock plan over the winter. During her tour, Anna cycled over 1,600km, with over 12,000m of elevation, and ran or walked almost 340km.
Anna is an experienced climber and although tackling many of the routes without ropes added risk, it also reduced the time that she spent on each of them, allowing her to make quick progress.
Anna’s fiancé Mathew Wright provided support along the way, meeting her at various points and capturing images and footage to document the trip. Anna started her Mountain Rock tour on July 24 on Beinn Eighe in the Scottish Highlands, and topped out on her final route on Cadair Idris in Wales on September 14.
READ MORE: Windermere adventurer Anna Taylor sets out on 1000 mile journey
Anna said: “Being the first person to complete a human-powered link-up of Mountain Rock is something that I’m really proud of, and I certainly hope that I won’t be the last to do it.
"It’s been a long, hard, and at times scary journey, but it’s allowed me to travel to parts of the UK that I never would have otherwise seen, and challenges like this always remind me just how much of an adventure you can have on our little island, without having to fly off overseas."
Anna was able to complete the challenge because of sponsorship from Berghaus. She shared her progress on both the Berghaus and her own Instagram.
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