Fionas (and Grahams)
The hills and mountains in Scotland that have a height between 2,000 and 2,500 feet and have a drop over at least 150m on all sides are referred to as Fionas.
The Fionas are a curated list of all distinct Scottish peaks between 2000ft and 2500ft (762m), with a drop of at least 150m separating each peak from any higher ground. The Grahams extend this concept to include all peaks over 600m (1968.5ft). Today, there are 219 Fionas and 231 Grahams.
Historically, Scottish hills in this height range were known as Elsies (short for Lesser Corbetts). In 1992, Fiona Torbet (née Graham) published her own list of these hills. Later, Fiona and Alan Dawson rationalised and combined the Elsies with her list, creating what we now know as the Grahams.
Until 2022, the official lower height limit for Grahams was 2000ft (609.6m). After Fiona’s tragic passing, Alan obtained a registered trademark for the Grahams name. Since then, using the trademarked name requires adopting the 600m lower limit, obtaining commercial licensing and dividing the list into 10 regions as specified by Alan Dawson. Because of these restrictions, I have not included a regional breakdown of Grahams on this website.
The pre-2022 list, now known as the Fionas, preserves Fiona Torbet’s original work. It has no commercial trademark and is free for anyone to use. Some refer to it as the “Old Grahams.” Importantly, this is the same list of hills required to register your ascents of Grahams or the Full House with the Scottish Mountaineering Club. For SMC purposes, climbing the 12 additional post-2022 Grahams is not necessary.
See all the Fionas and Grahams on an interactive map.
More information on the Fionas and Grahams and several other categories of hills in Scotland and further afield can be found in the Database of British and Irish Hills.
