Scotland has 282 Munros – mountains with a height of at least 3,000 feet – and reaching the summit of them all is considered one of the ultimate feats in hiking.

Now, a group of women have completed a continuous relay of Munros – scaling all the peaks in less than a month – and it is believed to be the first time the feat has been completed by an all-female team.

The challenge was undertaken by a core group of 10 individuals, with others joining in for shorter spells. The women, who are aged between 40 and 60, reached the top of the final summit on Thursday after climbing Ben More on Mull.

Records show details for two other Munro relays, both completed by men in 1990 and 1993. The fastest time logged was 11 days and 20 hours.

The women’s Munro relay took 26 days to complete the journey, which started on Beinn Sgritheall, near Loch Hourn, in the Highlands, on June 4. They have collectively run, walked, cycled and kayaked to each and every one of the Munros, travelling more than 1,750 miles and climbing 482,300ft. This is more than 16 times the height of Mount Everest.

The feat took them to mountains as far afield as Ben Hope, Sutherland, in the north, Ben Lomond in the Southern Highlands, Mount Keen in the Cairngorms National Park, the country’s most easterly Munro, and Sgurr na Banachdich, on Skye, the most westerly Munro.

The team has also ticked off famously airy ridges, including the dramatic Cuillin on Skye, Aonach Eagach in Glen Coe and Liathach in Torridon. On top of that, the women faced weather extremes – from one of the hottest days of the year in early June to windchill temperatures of -4C, as well as many days of torrential rain and low cloud. Bad weather halted the relay for three-and-a-half days in total.

To monitor progress, a tracker attached to a toy squirrel was passed between team members.

The relay has been raising awareness and funds for the charity Free to Run, which aims to empower women and girls through sport.

Fran Loots, 63, came up with the idea to celebrate what women can achieve and bagged 20 Munros during the relay. Ms Loots, from Comrie, Perth and Kinross, said: “It has been the most amazing journey, with support from many incredible women.

“It has been tough at times, with the weather conspiring to throw its worst at us and fatigue for heads and legs creeping in.

“The running has actually been the easy part, while the behind the scenes logistics has been the most challenging.

“Without our supporters, logistics brains and the team of leaders sharing the load, we would not have been so successful.

“The relay has been a fantastic celebration of women being active as we age.”

Sarah Dunn, 54, from Deeside, was tasked with planning and logistics for the relay. She spent 80 hours covering 200 miles on foot and climbing a total of 75,500ft to summit 50 Munros.

“By far the toughest part of the relay has been the logistics,” she said. “It has been very complicated to ensure people are in the right place at the right time to take the relay tracker on to the next section.

“It’s an amazing achievement given the distances, complexities and the weather we have faced this month.”

The total time for the Munro round relay was 26 days, 18 hours and three minutes. According to records, the fastest self-propelled round by one person is 32 days set by Donnie Campbell, from Inverness. The fastest self-propelled round by a female was recorded in 2017 as 77 days by Libby Kerr and Lisa Trollope.

To donate to Free to Run, see: https://freetorun.org.