The Scottish running community was saddened to hear of Charlie Ramsay’s (1943 to 2025) recent passing. He was 81 years old. Charlie was an excellent mountain runner best known for creating the Ramsay Round.
“The Ramsay,” as it is also often called, is a circuit of the mountains of the Lochaber region in northwest Scotland. It comprises 24 summits over an approximate distance of 56 miles (90.123 kilometers) with 28,500 feet (8686.8 meters) of climbing. The challenge is to complete it in under 24 hours.
Charlie Ramsay (1943 to 2025). Photo: Carnethy Hill Running Club
The Birth of the Ramsay Round
On July 9, 1978, Charlie Ramsay completed the circuit now known as the Ramsay Round in 23 hours and 58 minutes — just under the 24-hour mark. His final descent of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, has become legendary. Ben Nevis is the final summit of the round when its run in a counterclockwise direction. Runners have to descend almost 1,400 meters in three and a half miles to reach the finishing point, the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel, at the foot of the mountain.
With less than two minutes to spare, one can debate whether Charlie was cutting it fine, or it was perfect timing!
The history of the round is well documented on its website. In short, the experienced walker and mountaineer Philip Tranter created Tranter’s Round, a 36-mile circuit with 19 Munro summits in Lochaber. The Munros are all the Scottish mountains over 3,000 feet (914.4 meters), and according to the Scottish Mountaineering Club’s latest survey, there are 282 of them.
Tranter completed that circuit within 24 hours, mainly hiking. With a hill runner’s mindset and moving faster whenever possible, Charlie simply extended this round — taking in further summits in the east and north to make a difficult challenge a wee bit harder. The 23 Munros Charlie climbed in the effort also represented the Scottish 24-hour Munros record at the time.
After a gap of nine years, Martin Stone became the second person to complete the Ramsay Round. He commented: “When Charlie extended Tranter’s Round in 1978, traveling a substantial distance further east, he created a round comparable in distance and climb to England’s [famous] Bob Graham Round.”
The Ramsay Round has inspired 272 other folks thus far to emulate Charlie in under 24 hours. After Charlie established his round, Paddy Buckley created his round in Wales, the Paddy Buckley Round, a few years later. Together, the Bob Graham Round, Ramsay Round, and Paddy Buckley Round are the “big three rounds,” and [completing all three] makes a great challenge after the first round is complete.
By nature, Charlie Ramsay was a private, humble person. The Ramsay Round website does not tell you an awful lot about Charlie. It almost plays down his role while making the round itself the main story. Charlie and the fell and mountain runners of the 1980s would never think of what they did as anything special. They were simply doing what they loved, challenging themselves and enjoying the mountains and open spaces without seeking any accolades.
Charlie himself epitomized this. He was there to offer help and support to the early pioneer completers of the round, and his support continued into recent years as the round grew in popularity. Charlie would have been in contact with most of the people who have attempted the round by email or phone and made a personal appearance at many attempts.
Harvey, the well-known Scottish map makers, even produced a map of the Ramsay Round, and Charlie — through talks at various mountaineering events and with local running groups — was eager to promote the round and encourage experienced runners to take on the 24-hour challenge.
Charlie Ramsay and six-time Ramsay finisher, Graham Nash, at one of Charlie’s talks to runners organized by Edinburgh Running Shop Run and Become in January 2020. Photo: Adrian Stott
He was just as enthusiastic in encouraging mere mortals to run or walk the round in stages of their choosing — either over a long weekend or coming back at different times to tackle shorter stages — as he was to advise elite runners aiming to challenge the records. At a talk to a group of runners and outdoor adventurers in Edinburgh, he proudly let it be known that his wife, Mary, had completed the round, but not in 24 hours.
There is a list on the website of the 273 completions of the round in under 24 hours to date. If your attempt was successful, you would write to Charlie with brief details, and he would add your name to the list, all treated as equals. One Ramsay-ist has described it well: “There is a strange dedication and obsession just to have your name listed on a pretty niche website that only crazy hill runners look at anyway!”
For that dedication and obsession, many owe thanks to Charlie for being the original inspiration.
Tributes to Charlie Ramsay and His Legacy
Many tributes have been offered to Charlie.
Andy Spenceley, Carnethy Hill Running Club
Andy Spenceley, a good friend and leading light in the Carnethy Hill Running Club, posted on the club website:
“Charlie Ramsay, one of the most well-known Scottish hill runners, died a few days ago at 81. Charlie had been hill running since the 1970s, initially for Lochaber AC, with many completions of races such as the Ben Nevis Race, the Ben Lomond Hill Race, and Carnethy 5 Hill Race, and, of course, he was the founder and first completer of the Ramsay Round in 1978 … He then joined and ran for Carnethy, which was his local club, and later was awarded life membership. He was still running races for Carnethy well into his 60s, his last Carnethy 5 being in 2008.
“Many Carnethy members and even more from the wider hill/fell running community have received advice and encouragement from Charlie before their attempt at the Ramsay Round. Very few people would do the round without a word with Charlie and getting some insights from him in his affable but straight-talking style — he wasn’t one who wasted words — he liked to tell it how it was! Many will have their own “Charlie Ramsay” stories — like mine of running the Tranter Round with Charlie in torrential rain, causing us to bail out after the Mamores, with streams in spate and uncrossable. We then had a hairy time trying to get back to Glen Nevis, with Charlie being his usual calm, unruffled self throughout.”
Finlay Wild, Current Men’s Ramsay Round Record Holder
Finlay Wild, who set the current men’s record of 14 hours and 42 minutes in August 2020, unsupported, offered his tribute:
“Charlie was a charming, engaging character who always had time for people and enjoyed sharing his enthusiasm for the hills. He will be sadly missed. The Ramsay Round rightly sits at the top table of U.K. endurance hill running. Charlie’s achievement in 1978 not only produced an enduring, much-loved classic challenge but was a big step up for the 24-hour Munro record.”
Finlay Wild climbing Yewbarrow on the Bob Graham Round, England’s equivalent of the Ramsay Round. Photo: Paul Wilson
Helene Whitaker, First Woman to Complete the Ramsay Round
Helene Whitaker (formerly Diamantides), who in July of 1989 became the first female to complete the Ramsay Round and, with Mark Rigby, became the overall fourth and fifth Ramsay-ists, recalled fondly a day on the hills with Charlie, on the route that he created:
“A month after my round with Mark, we supported Adrian Belton, who lowered the then record to 18 hours, 23 minutes. Charlie also came along to support, with Martin Stone. It was a gathering mostly made of the small group of runners to complete the Ramsay Round at that time.
“I think that the Ramsay is the best round of all the circuits in Great Britain. Twenty-four Munros — as it was then — in 24 hours has a very neat symmetry. Even though some of the summits have been demoted from Munro status, each hill is a stonking big mountain in its own right. There are no little bumps and lumps that you have to go over to find the route. It’s a clean, lovely circuit, which was a beautiful design.”
Jasmin Paris, Current Women’s Ramsay Round Record Holder
Jasmin Paris, also a member of Carnethy Hill Running Club, who set the current women’s record in June 2016 of 16 hours, 13 minutes, offered this tribute:
“My Ramsay Round experience is among the most memorable and satisfying of my running career, second only to finishing the Barkley Marathons.
“I didn’t know Charlie that well before my Ramsay attempt, so I was surprised and delighted to see him waiting for me by the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel at the inhospitable hour of 2.45 a.m. when I was due to start. I was equally pleased to see him at the finish, where he shared in the champagne and euphoria of a team of friends and a job well done. That was Charlie.
“He was a true legend of the hills and incredibly generous with his support and time. In the years that followed, I met him many times on his walks over Allermuir, in the Pentland Hills, just south of Edinburgh, when I was out training. After a stop to chat, I’d always run on with a smile. He will be much missed.”
Jasmin Paris (center) with Charlie Ramsay (to her right) and her crew after her successful completion of the Ramsay Round. Photo courtesy of Jasmin Paris.
To Act on Imagination
In his book “The Mountains Are Calling,” Jonny Muir, who completed the Ramsay Round himself, wrote: “Imagination is not to be underestimated, but to act on imagination is the true measure of greatness. That is Charlie’s legacy: giving people an outlet for their dreams. Following Charlie’s initial completion in 1978, no one successfully repeated the round for nine years. Then came the round’s golden era, as five icons of hill running, Martin Stone, Jon Broxap, Helene Diamantides, Mark Rigby, and Adrian Belton, iced the cake that Charlie had created.”
Charlie is survived by his wife, Mary, and children, Grant, Fergus, and Ashley.
With thanks to Andy Spenceley at Carnethy Hill Running Club, for permission to quote from their club notice.
Also, we thank Jonny Muir for allowing us to quote from his book.
Jasmin Paris at the start of her Ramsay Round with Charlie and Mary Ramsay, and Graham Nash. Photo courtesy of Jasmin Paris.
Call for Comments
- Did you know Charlie Ramsay? If so, what are your memories of him?
- Have you completed Ramsay Round?
