The UK mountains are a peak-bagger’s dream. They come in all shapes and sizes, with terrain covering everything from peaty moorland and grassy summits to ankle-churning scree and razor-sharp rocky ridges.
The challenges are pretty much endless, too. Whether you want to climb the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales in 24 hours, bag all 214 of the Lake District’s Wainwright fells, tackle a winter round of Scotland’s mighty Munros, or walk up every hill with a drop of at least 100m on each side – you’re in luck.
To help you choose your challenge, we take a closer look at nine of the best UK hill lists and peak-bagging challenges below.
What is a peak-bagging list, anyway?
If you’ve ever ticked off a summit and felt that buzz of satisfaction – maybe even scribbled it in a weather-beaten notebook or logged it online – congrats, you’re a peak-bagger. But what exactly is a hill list?
In short, it’s a curated collection of summits that hillwalkers challenge themselves to climb, one by one. Think of it as a mountain-themed bucket list. The idea is to 'bag' each peak on the list – climb it, stand on the summit, and usually record the date and route. Once you’ve done them all, you’ve 'completed' that list.
The UK has dozens of such lists, ranging from the well-known Munros (Scotland’s 282 peaks over 3,000ft) to more obscure but equally satisfying challenges like the Wainwrights in the Lake District or the Marilyns (hills with 150m prominence, regardless of height).
Some lists are based on height, others on prominence, geography, or even personal taste – Alfred Wainwright’s list, for example, is purely subjective. Whether you're chasing the Nuttalls of England and Wales, tackling the Corbetts, or eyeing the ultra-tough Scottish 'Munro Round', there’s a list to suit every kind of hillwalker – from casual wanderer to summit-obsessed.
For many of us, a peak-bagging list adds purpose to our days on the hill. It’s not just about going somewhere – it’s about going everywhere, gradually building a deeper connection with the mountains and your own grit along the way.
So pick your list, lace your boots, and start ticking, one summit at a time. But beware, you might just get hooked, and this article could lead to some very unnecessary and prolonged uphill activity...
The Wainwrights: 214 peaks
Where are they? Lake District, England
What are they? The Wainwrights are the 214 Lake District hills and mountains immortalised in Alfred Wainwright’s seven Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells.
Written over a period of 13 years from 1952, Wainwright researched and illustrated each peak before producing incredibly detailed handwritten guidebooks that millions of hillwalkers have used to explore England’s most mountainous National Park.
This is basically a greatest hits tour of the Lakes. Bagging all 214 Wainwright fells is a lifelong obsession for many people, although some manage to do it in far less time.
The fells don’t have to be climbed in any particular order or by any specific routes; all you have to do is stand on top of each peak to bag it.
The Munros: 282 peaks
Where are they? Scottish Highlands
What are they? The Munros are Scottish mountains over 3000ft high, and they’re collectively called the Munros in recognition of Sir Hugo Munro, who catalogued them. His list was first published in 1891 and includes all of the giants of the Scottish Highlands.
The list can get slightly confusing in terms of defining which peaks are actually Munros. For example, Ben Nevis is a single Munro in its own right, whereas other well-known Scottish mountains such as An Teallach, Buachaille Etive Mor and Beinn Alligin all have multiple summits and more than one Munro. (Then there are the 227 Munro Tops: summits over 3000ft that are considered subsidiary tops of a nearby Munro.)
But once you’ve got your head around it, this is probably Britain’s greatest mountain tick-list. The Munros have been completed in a record speed of 39 days, and the youngest person to complete them was a 10-year-old, in full winter conditions. However you choose to attack this list you can guarantee you’ll have a great time doing it.
The Corbetts: 222 peaks
Where are they? Scottish Highlands
What are they? The Corbetts are Scottish mountains between 2500ft and 3000ft high, with a drop of at least 500ft between each peak. They were originally compiled by John Rooke Corbett, a district valuer based in Bristol and a keen member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club.
As is the case with the Munros, the number of Corbetts has changed over the years as a result of hill heights being altered by Ordnance Survey, with the current total standing at 222. Although Corbetts are often viewed as ‘lesser hills’ than their Munro counterparts, that isn’t necessarily true, and by focusing purely on Munros you run the risk of missing out on some of Scotland’s greatest mountains.
The distinctive rocky summit of The Cobbler (above) in the Arrochar Alps, and the awesome viewpoint of Merrick in Galloway are prime examples.
The Marilyns – 1557 peaks (we think)
Where are they? All over Britain
What are they? This is where things start getting a little trickier to get your head around. The list of Marilyns was first published in a 1992 book by Alan Dawson titled The Relative Hills of Britain.
Rather than focusing purely on height, Dawson was more interested in hills that were relatively high in comparison to their surrounding area. That resulted in the creation of the Marilyns hill list, which focuses on peaks with a drop of at least 150m on all sides.
The original list focused on the mountains and hills of Scotland, England, Wales and the Isle of Man; and the same concept has since been applied to Ireland. With so many peaks to bag, the list of completers is relatively small, although in 2016 Jenny Hatfield from Cumbria became the first woman to climb all 1557 peaks, finishing on 632m Cruinn a’ Bheinn in the south Highlands.
The Furths – 34 peaks
Where are they? England, Wales, Ireland
What are they? In a nutshell, this list includes every mountain in the British Isles outside Scotland that would otherwise be classed as a Munro or Munro Top.
Therefore, every Furth is over 3000ft (914m). You’ll travel from Cumbria to the Atlantic coast of south-west Ireland, bagging summits from Helvellyn and Tryfan (above) to Carrauntoohil and The Big Gun.
This is a list for people who love big, iconic peaks and exploring the best mountain regions in the British Isles outside Scotland. The name is interesting too, with furth being a Scottish word for ‘outside’.
The UK County Tops: 100 peaks
Where are they? England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
What are they? ‘What’ is a very good question with the UK County Tops, because the counties themselves are notoriously difficult to define. However, the list was given a bit of clarity in 2017 by the then 21-year-old Alex Staniforth, who climbed to the highest point of all 100 UK counties in just 72 days.
Alex’s list included 48 ceremonial counties in England, 13 historic counties in Wales, six historic counties in Northern Ireland and 33 historic counties in Scotland.
The peaks range from the lowlands of Norfolk to the summit of Ben Nevis in Inverness-shire and across the Irish Sea to Slieve Donard in County Down. You’ll also visit the Scottish islands and the Isle of Wight, on a complete tour of the glorious UK countryside.
The Tumps – 17,000+ peaks
Where are they? Britain, Isle of Man
What are they? A Tump is a hill of any height in Britain or the Isle of Man with a drop of at least 30m on all sides. This is a quirky list to say the least, and the fact there are thought to be over 17,000 Tumps means it’s a list you’re very unlikely to find time to complete.
Indeed, there’s no evidence that anyone has climbed all of the Tumps, and some of them have likely never been climbed at all, as the list contains sea stacks with no record of ascent.
Several people have climbed over 4000 of them, and Rob Woodall – who did a lot of the initial research in terms of compiling the list – has climbed more than 9,600. So if you’re up for it, there’s possibly a world first out there waiting for you!
The Deweys – 426 peaks
Where are they? England, Wales, Isle of Man
What are they? We’ve included the Deweys as an example of how inventive the definitions of British hill lists can be. Are you concentrating?
Good, because the Deweys are a collection of 426 peaks dotted across England, Wales and the Isle of Man with a height between 500m and 609m (2000ft), and a drop of at least 30 metres on all sides. Once you’ve got your head around the slightly random nature of the list, you’ll find there are some cracking hills to walk here.
First published in a 1995 book by Michael Dewey titled Mountain Tables, a complete round will take in the likes of Lancashire’s haunted Pendle Hill, Y Gribin in Snowdonia, Simon’s Seat in the Yorkshire Dales, and Mam Tor and The Roaches in the Peak District.
The Trail 100: (As the name suggests), 100 peaks
Where are they? Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland
What are they? The Trail 100 is a tick-list compiled by our very own Trail magazine, celebrating the 100 UK mountains we believe you absolutely MUST climb in your lifetime. Some of them are big and obvious, some of them are small but equally stunning, and all of them deserve your time and attention.
To complete the Trail 100 you’ll crest the Isle of Skye’s legendary Cuillin Ridge, feel the full force of the elements on the subarctic Cairngorm plateau, set sail for the extraordinary Isle of Rum, knock off dozens of Wainwrights, and tackle the rocky ridges of north Wales.
You'll stand on the shapely summits of the Brecon Beacons, lose yourself in the green folds of the Dales and the dark moors of the Peak District, and explore the weird tors and wild ponies of Dartmoor. Up for it? You can find the full list HERE
About the author
Oli Reed, our editor, is a lifelong hiker who's climbed hills and mountains everywhere from the Lakes and the Dales to the Dolomites and Yosemite.