Meet Munro the cat who enjoys hiking up mountains

Meet the cat who loves nothing more than joining her owner for hikes up mountains in the Highlands.

Aaricia Wiesen, 24, adopted little Munro last April after struggling with loneliness during the pandemic.

The feline started to accompany Aaricia for her daily walks around Glasgow during lockdown before taking on more challenging routes once Covid travel restrictions eased across Scotland.

Munro splits her time between admiring the view from her owner’s backpack and trotting up and down mountains on a lead.

The pair have explored the likes of Ben Lomond and Loch Lomond, and also climbed Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh.

Munro stays on the lead or admires views from her owner's backpack. — Munro stays on the lead or admires views from her owner’s backpack. SWNS via SWNS

Belgium-born Aaricia said: “I really love hiking and there are no mountains in Belgium so when I came here to Scotland, I fell in love with the mountains and ‘Munro bagging’ which is how Munro got her name.

“Because I was living by myself for a couple of months, I was feeling a bit bad.

“I’m not really a social person but I also don’t like to be completely alone – so she has brought a bit more life and a bit more activity in my life when she came.

“Munro has always been very curious and will manage to go up every single piece of furniture in the flat, climbing the walls if that’s what it takes.

“And since she really loves it and I love to visit new places myself, we get to explore them together.

“It’s always nice to see how she reacts to different places.”

Aaricia added: “We did Ben Lomond together with my family last summer when they came to visit and Munro spent more of the time in her backpack of course but had fun at the top and part of the way down.

“We went on a road trip to Glenfinnan which is the furthest we’ve ever been from home so far.

“We visited the Cambusnethan house and priory which isn’t too far from Glasgow but was quite different from our usual walks.

“We most recently also went to Arrochar and Tarbet near Loch Lomond and spent a day in Edinburgh where we visited Dean Village and climbed Arthur’s Seat.

“With restrictions lifting, it’s easier for us to go around and visit new places.”