MUSSELBURGH grandmother Linda Thomson is celebrating after climbing her final Munro in a 12-year challenge which included overcoming a fear of heights.

Linda, who works as a nurse with Marie Curie, was joined by friends and family as she took on Beinn Eunaich at the weekend so she can say she has climbed every Munro in Scotland – including two which are no longer classed as part of the famous mountain group.

Linda, 57, became hooked on the challenge after tackling a couple of Munros while she was a member of Musselburgh Ramblers.

She said that she was delighted to be able to say she had climbed all 284 Munros.

She said: “It has taken me 12 years and I am delighted to say I have climbed them all, even two which have now been demoted.

“It was a challenge but one I was determined to see through.” Linda, who lives on Pinkie Hill Crescent, Musselburgh, said that she first climbed a couple of munros as part of rambling expeditions in her forties, but it was when she joined a friend who was tackling her final munro that she was bitten by the bug and became determined to take them all on.

Munros are mountains in Scotland which are over 3,000ft high.

For Linda, the toughest of all the Munros were the notoriously exposed Cuillins, on Skye, which presented a particular challenge to the gran.

She revealed: “I am scared of heights so the Cuillins were a real challenge.

“People say how can you climb Munros with a fear of heights, but the big mountains don’t worry me, it’s the ledges.

“I was very lucky when I took them on as I had a fantastic guide who helped me conquer them. It was without a doubt the hardest thing I have done.” For the final ascent, Linda was joined by friends and family, including her three grandchildren Cameron, 13, Josh, 10, and six-year-old Corynn, with even Corynn making the summit, to the delight of her family.

And they have given their grandmother inspiration for future challenges.

Linda said: “I was thinking about tackling the Corbetts [Scottish mountains between 2,500 and 3,000ft high] next but my grandchildren have expressed an interest in taking on some munros after their experience at the weekend, so maybe my next challenge is to go back and climb them with them.”