Mountain biker completes epic bid to ride down all 282 Munros

A mountain biker has completed an epic challenge to ride his bike down Scotland’s 282 Munros.

Sean Green, 36, from Angus, believes he is only the second person in history to have taken a bike to the summit of all the mountains measuring 3,000ft (914m) and over.

The quest, which ended in Glencoe on Saturday, took the semi-professional cyclist around eight-and-a-half years.

Like all Munro baggers, Sean climbed to the summit of but with the added weight of a bike on his back.

During the descent the scaffolder cycled down the narrow paths.

He told BBC Radio Scotland’s Drivetime programme the challenge combined his love for the outdoors and mountain biking.

Sean said: “I’ve always been in and around the mountains growing up and, whenever I was walking them, and there was a good bit of trail in front of me I’d just wish I had my bike.

“Eventually I just decided I’ll start taking my bike up them.”

Sean said he enjoyed putting himself “in the pain cave” and just focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

The father-of-two said the hardest part of his mission was the logistics and the toll it took on family life.

He added: “I could be up and down a Munro in sub-four hours, but even then there was likely to be a three-hour drive before and a three-hour drive after.

“So even the shortest days were still 12,14 or 16 hours.”

Sean was supported during one of the climbs by Paul Tattersall, who was the first man to complete the challenge in just 81 days.

He said he had a few more adventures on his radar but had been warned by his wife not to take on anything as extreme.

The phenomenon known as Munro bagging was inspired by Sir Hugh Munro.

Munro, whose family were Scottish landowners, was born in London in 1856 and brought up at Lindertis, near Kirriemuir in Angus.

While studying in Germany, he climbed in the Alps and continued his interest in climbing when he settled at the family estate in Scotland.

Sir Hugh was a founder and president of the Scottish Mountaineering Club which set him the task of listing all the country’s hills of 3,000ft (914m) or more.

It is estimated that around 8,000 people have officially scaled all 282 peaks – but only two men are thought to have completed it on two wheels.