Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2018 i Trail

1 For a walking paradise Scotland is just bursting with heavenly hillwalking, and Kinlochleven makes a superb base from which to sample some of the finest. It’s accessible for those travelling up from the south and set in a truly magnificent mountain stage. The celebrated West Highland Way runs through the town on its 151km journey from Glasgow to Fort William. If you’re up for some seriously scary scrambling action, you are positioned slap-bang between the legendary Mamores’ Ring of Steall and the mainland’s sharpest ridge – the Aonach Eagach. 2 To escape the worst Scottish weather Ice Factor is the biggest indoor ice climbing wall in the world and a perfect way to don an ice axe and crampons to hone your winter skills. You can hire all your…

Most of us focus on the radiant colours of the late-afternoon sky and look no further for a visual microadventure than the heart of day. However, if you point your eyes skyward in the lucid transition from dusk to dark on clear evenings you’ll be rewarded with a rare show of colour. And this month is the best time to catch the aurora borealis, Northern Lights or the Mirrie Dancers – whatever you want to call this natural light-fantastic display. Choose a clear night and frosty temperatures to disappear from congested cities and light pollution, migrating to the solitary hills of Scotland. Galloway Forest Park is the only ‘Dark Sky Park’ where you’re likely to get a good view of the Lights, while the Isle of Skye and the Shetland…

Ben Lawers Central Highlands Matthew Alderson and 10-year-old spaniel Ruby, took on Ben Lawers together. Ruby successfully made it up Beinn Ghlas, but struggled at the last leg, so Matt jumped in to give her a helping hand. Many a passing walker admired Matt’s new neckwarmer – several sneaking a cheeky picture! Snowdon North Wales Eight-year-old William bagged his first ever mountain, Snowdon, with proud dad Stuart Kidman. An impressive feat, particularly since a 150ft hill near home was the closest he’d come to a serious climb up until that point. Pausing 50m from the summit, after a successful ascent up Pyg track, William took time out to pose for a scenic picture with this very handy Ordnance Survey/Lifeventure towel – “useful when it got a bit wet at the…

My husband Joe is an excellent man. But he has one problem. He hates hillwalking. “Why,” he asks me, with a quizzical frown, “would you want to walk up a mountain for no reason?” He doesn’t care about the view – “It’s not a cricket pitch, is it?” He definitely can’t be bothered with the physical thrill of a hard-won hill day – “I’ll meet you at the restaurant for dinner instead.” And that’s only if I’ve managed to entice him out of London in the first place. Every year he graciously accompanies me on one of my walking weekends. It’s my special treat. And on that special weekend I’m in full clownish joviality “This is great! See? Are you loving it? Look, it’s starting to rain…” on I go,…

Think of the glorious Peak District and what comes to mind? Rolling grassy hills, rocky tors, and cliff edges. Oh yes, plenty of edges. In fact, there are more edges in this National Park than a rhombicosidodecahedron (that is a real thing, with a lot of edges, Google it). Now don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad thing. Those edges are blooming beautiful; high cliffs of weather-smoothed gritstone swooping off into the distance; great heather crested waves with grey rock froth. Indeed, one edge even starred with Keira Knightley in Pride and Prejudice. But it does lead you to think, “Why isn’t this place called ‘The Edge District’?” I’ll tell you why. Because if you look beyond these exquisite edges, the Peak District is hiding summits more pointed…

When it comes to mountains, photographer Nick Livesey is an old romantic at heart. His stubbled, gruff exterior is a surprising contrast to the soul-searching, philosophical chap beneath, as he tells Trail about how the hills of Britain – and more specifically, North Wales – literally saved his life. THE LOST YEARS Before Nick found the mountains and photography, long hair, drink, drugs and rock and roll in the flatlands of Peterborough characterised his early years as he struggled to find his place in the world. “My adult life before discovering the mountains was one of drudgery and darkness, punctuated by brief glimmers of light brought about by my work as a musician,” says Nick. “There were numerous occasions in my twenties where I got myself into such an appalling…

Q I suffer from Raynaud’s disease – is it worth purchasing hand warmers? Will they help? Owen Mayhew, Morecambe Rob says I also suffer from Raynaud’s, but personally I’ve never found hand warmers to be particularly helpful. For me, keeping my core temperature up is the key to avoiding a problem in my hands. Once our core body temperature drops, the body shuts off the blood supply to the extremities. Putting an extra layer on such as a gilet, an extra jacket or even a hat will keep the core temperature up and the blood supply flowing to your hands. Once my hands do go purple or white the only way I can ‘get them back’ is to do some wild swinging of my arms and start working hard to get…

PART 1: THE AXE Q The winter mountains feel out of my reach because I don’t know how to use an ice axe and crampons. It all looks pretty scary and technical. Is it? Jon, via email No! We’re not going to say it’s easy, but it’s not as hard as it looks. The security given by being able to correctly use an ice axe and crampons (see page 60) on a slippery slope is addictively smile-inducing, and the potential this opens up – to keep enjoying the hills in the most stunning weather imaginable – far outweighs the small investment of time and money it takes to learn these two basic skills. WHY DO I NEED AN AXE? Axes act as a balance – a portable handhold to bite…

Before you turn the page, wondering why on earth we are encouraging you to sleep on a campsite in the depths of winter, wait. While glamping might not be the done thing for hardy hillwalkers, who can argue with the romance of a yurt surrounded by mountains, with the comfort of a wood burning stove, a feather duvet and fairy lights? Sykeside is set in the idyllic Dovedale Valley of the Lake District at the head of Brothers Water. It’s hard to think of a better base for exploring the Lakes, with central access to all of the Lakes. Pack our Ultimate Weekend with its three routes around Brothers Water (page 111) and you’ll be set for one heavenly walking weekend. Fairfield, Hart Crag, High Street, the gorgeous Angle Tarn…

Incised into the high moorland of the North Pennines is a huge cleft in the landscape. It's as if a meteorite has gouged a deep furrow, threaded at its base with a shiny string of water and ringed by steep ,grassy slopes topped with dark, sharp-edged cliffs. This is High Cup, with High Cup Nick at the valley head. The high, edge-top cliffs are part of the Whin Sill – a huge layer of igneous rock which rose up from the earth’s interior some 295 million years ago across the North Pennines. It didn’t reach the surface, however, instead cooling as a layer of rock between limestone, sandstone and shale underground, and has since become exposed to the landscape through erosion of the overlying layers. More recently, geologically-speaking, the ice…

Glen Nevis is one of the most accessible places in the Highlands. The countless mountain playgrounds in and around the Fort William area underline its status as a mecca for walkers and mountaineers of all levels. The most famous peak is also the tallest, Ben Nevis, offering views to the Grey Corries and the mountains beyond. With the ski slopes on their northern flanks, the Aonachs have become an increasingly popular destination with visitors – many of whom are spared the strenuous walk to the summit of Aonach Mor via the gondola. To truly experience what the range has to offer, and to gaze at Ben Nevis from a spectacular perspective, tackling the Aonachs from Glen Nevis is a day not to be missed. In full winter mode, it offers…

1 SE038992 From the wide green in the centre of Reeth, walk west alongside the B6270 for 300m and turn right up a walled track named Skelgate Lane. This bends left sharply after 180m and continues for another 800m to a gate leading onto open moorland (Open Access land). Walk west-northwest for 1.3km, over gently rising ground called Riddings Rigg, and aim for an isolated length of wall which leads the way towards the cairn on top of Calver Hill. 2 NZ012003 From the summit, walk due west for approx. 850m to meet a bridleway. Turn right, then veer right after 600m, onto a track which turns north-east and descends to a cattle grid by the road at Raw Bank House. Turn left for 300m and take a narrow lane…

he High Street range has long been used for its more sheltered alternative through the fells rather than romping around on the top in poor weather. A valley, with waterfalls below it and crags and cloud overhead, gives a fantastic walk featuring a bracingly brief crossing of the high ridge, before dipping down into another hollow. The little valleys on day one of this trip are the unnamed one approaching Blea Water, and the quite delightful Threshthwaite Glen leading down to Hartsop. The half-way day (if your weekend is a three-dayer) takes you through Deepdale and Dovedale, the wildest valleys of Fairfield’s eastern flank. And then it’s back across the High Street ridge, by way of Fusedale and Martindale – two cosy corners tucked away in Ullswater’s elbow. ROUTE 10…

1 NY403119 Follow the path to left of A592, to pass Brothers Water. At its end, follow the pavement beside the A592 to the Hartsop lane end. Turn right towards Hartsop, then in 50m take a lane left. It soon becomes a walled track, crossing Angletarn Beck by a footbridge (now going only halfway across due to damage sustained in Storm Desmond). In 600m, a small track forks up right, with a blocking boulder at its foot. 2 NY405145 This track slants up the valley side with great views. It crosses Stonebarrow Gill and turns uphill, with a sheepfold on the other side of the stream. As the slope eases, a cairn marks a point where seven paths converge. (One of them is the coast-to-coast long-distance route, which can be…

1 CONVERT YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER Unless you’re in the lucky minority who has a partner with an equal love of the great outdoors, pick a rewarding hill and plan a weekend of outdoor bliss with some romantic touches that can’t fail to convert them into a hill fanatic. If there’s absolutely no hope, or you’re single, then aim to make a friend’s life more mountain-fulfilled instead! Hopefully you’ll have more success than Mary-Ann Ochota (p25)! 2 BRING HISTORY TO LIFE When Trail visited the Isle of Eigg we found a previously undiscovered skeleton of a teenager who had been massacred in the 1500s (see page 40). Mountains have secrets, so make it your mission to go on a historical walk to gain an appreciation of times past and unravel the…

1 WEEK 6 HOURS FLIGHTS FROM £370 ANYWHERE WITH A name that translates as ‘New Scotland’ has a lot to live up to – and Nova Scotia, on the wild Atlantic coast of Canada, has a vibe and a scenic atmosphere that is as electrifying as it is bracing. Windswept bluffs, ancient forests, lighthouses that stand isolated and wink out at the Atlantic’s roughest seas (there is no cuddly Gulf Stream to keep the coast warm here) and the steely, clapboard charm of Eastern Canada – this is a place which lives and breathes the coast. The Nova Scotia coast is split into regions, with South Shore, Fundy and Cape Breton Highlands being the best choices for exploration on foot. The last-named of these is famously beautiful: a place where…

10 DAYS 5 HOURS AROUND £500 FROM LONDON STRICTLY BY DEFINITION, a desert could be anywhere with poor soil, low vegetation cover and little rainfall. It could be hot or cold, high or low. But when most of us think of desert we go with the romantic image: cloaked figures hunched amid steepled tents, anchoring up camels and cooking aromatic food while a huge sun slides behind dunes and arid mountains. This is of course classic, cinematic middle-eastern desert: atmospheric, adventurous and a complete cultural departure. You can spend a night in a yurt in the Gobi, or a mud hut in the Atacama of Chile. Given the current dangerous climate in the Middle East, this may be a temptation, but there is still a place where you can have…

First, the good news. Soft, tough and exceptionally lightweight, the Mini Sleeping Bag is made in the UK (Yorkshire, to be precise), features Snugpak’s Softie insulation and costs just £19.95. The bad news? You have to be quite short to use it. Very short, in fact. Less than 26cm (10in). Which, unless you’re smaller than this magazine, probably rules you out. However, Action Man, Barbie and smaller stuffed toys take note: if you want to join your owners on their camping adventures, ask them to tuck you into one of these. > www. snugpak. com…

When it comes to Andy Kirkpatrick, it’s probably best to expect the unexpected. He looks and sounds like an ordinary bloke but, describing himself as “a danger to other people”, he’s an intriguing character who has made the impossible possible, breaking the conventions of the climbing world, mountain literature and – now – film. Andy is a mountaineer, specialising in soloing the hardest technical climbs worldwide. In 2014 he spent two weeks at -30 deg C to ascend the south ridge of Ulvetanna Peak – the ‘wolf’s tooth’ – in Antarctica. He’s climbed America’s hardest big wall, El Capitan, in Yosemite over 24 times, including once with this 13-year-old daughter, and most recently on an 18-day ascent that forms the backdrop of his new film, Psycho Vertical. Psycho Vertical began…

When I learned the phrase “Shifting Baseline Syndrome” it profoundly altered the way I look at the natural world. The phrase describes the way that each generation perceives their own experience of the environment to be normal and is willing to tolerate a small decline in those standards. Continued over generations this results in environmental catastrophe: for example, eroded mountain paths, over-fished oceans, concreted landscapes. The principle of Shifting Baseline Syndrome also applies to the way we engage with the outdoors and participate in adventurous activities. I use it to remind myself that as I become older and busier I should not shift my baseline feelings of how often I want to get into the mountains and what I do in them. When I was a lad, here’s some of…

Mam Tor 517m Grassy slopes leading to an always windy, often slippery cobbled summit, topped with a pleasing trig point. Views of the Dark Peak for miles around, to Kinder plateau, along the ridge to Lose Hill and beyond to Win Hill. SK127836 Lose Hill 476m A heart-pumping scramble up a rock staircase leads to this nicely triangular top along the high ridge from Mam Tor. Use the bronze-engraved cairn top to help you name the 360° view of surrounding, less pointy mountains. SK153853 Win Hill 463m Distinctively wedge-shaped from Lose Hill’s summit, grassy Win Hill is topped with scrambleable rocks. It’s here that a outnumbered band of Northumbrians are said to have defeated Wessex forces on Lose Hill. SK186850 High Wheeldon 422m This grassy cone high above the rolling…

Q Should I get boots for my dog if I’m taking him into the mountains? Scott Emerson, via Facebook Graham says This really depends on your dog and the route. Certainly rough ground can cause some dogs to get sore pads, but this is often due to the dog spending most of its daily walks on grass rather than spending time on concrete or other rough ground. So one of the most important ways you can prepare your dog for the mountain is to do daily walks that extend onto pavements, loose gravelly paths or other rough terrain rather than simply keeping him on grass. In really cold locations, sled dogs often wear boots to protect their pads from snow collecting between their toes and also to protect the pads…

SALEWA PUEZ TW CLT HALF ZIP JACKET £225 The TW CLT component of this pull-on hoodie’s name stands for TirolWool Celliant, a ‘reflective hybrid insulation’ made from natural TirolWool (from the Dolomite-dwelling sheep of south Tyrol) mixed with Celliant (a polyester with thermo-reactive, heat-reflective minerals). Housed in a water-resistant nylon shell, the Puez is warm and breathable, making it a great extra layer for our cold, wet winters. www.salewa.com FALKE WOOL-TECH LONG SLEEVE SHIRT £99 Created for use in cold to extremely cold conditions, this base layer is woven from a mix of merino wool and man-made fibres for excellent moisture and temperature regulation; it also remains odour free. The zip neck is useful for venting as needed, and the cut is great for active use and remains comfortable under…

Viewing Sugar Loaf’s conical summit from afar you would be forgiven for thinking it is volcanic in origin, but that's far from the case. Its geology is determinedly sedimentary in make-up, mostly being the same old red sandstone as the nearby Black Mountains. This is part of the pleasure of this easy-going hill, which presents very few technical difficulties, although the summit has (easily-avoidable) craggy outcrops and is exposed to bad weather. The gently rolling, broad, grassy finger-shaped ridges to the south make for a perfect horseshoe and moderate ascent/descent. There are fantastic views in every direction – Skirrid to the east, Blorenge and the Usk Valley to the south, the Black Mountains to the north and the Brecon Beacons to the west. And if you’re lucky enough to encounter…

Huge yet graceful, Ben Lui is the reigning monarch of the Southern Highlands. Far overtopping its near neighbours, the mountain stands at the hub of five radiating ridges, which between them provide many possible combinations of ascent and descent. But for adventurous and well-equipped winter walkers nothing beats the approach from Dalrigh. Rising at the distant end of a desolate glen, Ben Lui’s eastern aspect boasts a striking symmetry, its twin peaks throwing down two sharp spurs that define the high bowl of Coire Gaothach. Under snow the scene is almost Alpine, and the circuit of the corrie’s ridges fully lives up to this impression. Offering a real sense of seriousness and exposure beyond its modest technical difficulty, this classic mountaineering round deserves its status as a Grade I winter…

1 SE017990 From Healaugh, take the narrow lane leading north towards the open moor. This soon veers steeply left and continues to the farm at Thirns, after which the track forks. Take the right fork, rising gently to pass along the north side of a large-walled enclosure after 400m. Carry on for another 700m and continue west with a wall on the immediate left. Pass through the gate by Cringley Bottom and descend to cross a small steep valley with footbridge. A good path leads south-west, through heather, to an old smelting mill and associated buildings. Continue for another 150m to reach an unfenced road. 2 SD989999 Go straight across and join the track on the north side of Mill Gill for 1.5km until you reach the old lead mine…

1 NY508161 Fork up and right past a phone box. The lane becomes a track which leads to a gate into a wood. The main track turns up right, then bends left above the wood and the reservoir soon appears below. Follow the track, after 2km shrinking to path, along the reservoir shore. At 8km from the start, the path rises over the foot of Long Stile ridge, then drops towards the head of the reservoir, with Mardale Head car parking 250m ahead. 2 NY467108 Don’t cross the bridge over Small Water Beck, but take a good path upstream to the right. It passes through a deer fence, and slants up the valley side, through another deer fence, into the upper hollow of Blea Water Beck. Here the original path…

2 WEEKS 11 HOURS IF DIRECT WITH TUI AROUND £750 FROM LONDON COSTA RICA IS SERIOUSLY on the rise as an adventure destination. Popular with Americans looking for a sultry (and vaguely handy) holiday, this extraordinary Central American country has coastlines on both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as well as a generous helping of volcanoes, inland lakes and a tourist infrastructure that is just the right side of basic. Come here for a holiday and you will guarantee an eyebrow raise from an adventure-savvy acquaintance, but without any associated hardships. What Costa Rica does really well is rainforests and wildlife, and usually hand-in-hand. The country has one of the highest biodiversities in the world, and it’s in the rainforests where the highest concentration of life – plant, insect, bird,…

2-3 WEEKS 16 HOURS WITH A STOP FROM LONDON AROUND £500 WHEN THE best is this accessible, why settle for the rest? Nepal has had a tough few years following the huge earthquake in 2015 that caused massive damage to the capital Kathmandu and devastated high mountain villages with poor transport links. But this country is indomitable in spirit, and today Nepal is as welcoming to (and in need of) tourism as it's ever been. It's every bit the mystical high mountain kingdom you'd expect it to be: prayer flags, shining temples, the sound of gongs echoing around the peaks from high-tucked villages. Nepal is a true feather in the cap of anyone who wants to experience the world's highest country. The Himalayas in all their grandeur are here, and…

10 DAYS 3 HOURS FROM LONDON FROM AROUND £180 ICELAND IS A HOT destination in more ways than one. Pulled slowly apart by the mid-Atlantic ridge and seeping lava from the wound in its middle, this huge island is growing by around 5cm a year. It also has an abundance of both dormant and active (and extremely disruptive) volcanoes. The result is an enormous wasteland, where the two most dramatic geological architects – fire and ice – work together on a landscape that’s comparatively new. Some parts of Iceland resemble another planet, whereas others mirror the more dramatic parts of the Rockies or Alps. But all of it feels like a kind of northern Lost World: a place of canyons, waterfalls, glaciers, moon-like volcanic deserts and you-would-never-believe-it mountains that put…

4 WEEKS 2 HOURS FROM LONDON AROUND £120 El Camino de Santiago de Compostela – the Way of Saint James – is a network of holy pilgrimage routes criss-crossing northern Europe. Pilgrimages as a rule generally started from wherever you lived, so historically the route is quite impressionistic and there are many variations. But the most famous section runs from the town of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French side of the Pyrenees, to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, western Spain. Despite most of the route being in Spain, this is known as the French Way, or Camino Frances. Walking its 769km length takes around four weeks, during which you'll traverse along a route drenched in historical vibe. Legend has it that Saint James’s remains were carried along it, before being interred…

Every mountain region needs its scrappers. These are the terriers – the hills that show off and give far more attitude than their diminutive stature suggests. Sugar Loaf is most definitely one of these. Jumping up for attention on the right as you slide into south Wales from England, 596m Sugar Loaf is the bit pointy, slightly short but doubtlessly tempting hill the shape of – well, we were going to say a sugarloaf; but it isn’t, quite. If you didn’t know, a sugarloaf was the form in which sugar was generally packaged before granulated sugar and sugar cubes were introduced. It was a pretty perpendicular cone shape, with sheer sides and a rounded top – very much like the really famous Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (that…

Have you been inspired by the mountains? Perhaps something amazing, exciting, harrowing, or memorable happened; or maybe just being in a beautiful place gave you a new appreciation of your life. Whatever your experience, we want to celebrate these life-changing mountains with you. So Trail is launching an exciting new competition in association with the John Muir Trust and Mountain Equipment. Whether you’re a mountain lover who’s never put pen to paper, or a blogger, a writer or a literary award winner, we’d love to hear from you. All you have to do is send us your 400-word account of the single most memorable day you have spent in the outdoors, and every month we will publish the best. Every published writer gets a free year’s membership to the John…

“PROTRUDING FROM THE DARK EARTH WAS A ROW OF CURVED RODS, THE SAME TAINTED COLOUR AS THE INITIAL DISCOVERY. ‘THESE ARE RIBS’” Back in the autumn of 2016, photographer Tom Bailey and I spent an incredible night wild camping on the summit of An Sgurr, the lone, monolithic peak on the Isle of Eigg (you might have read about it in the January 2017 issue of Trail magazine). One of the four main Small Isles that sit gathered together in the Sea of the Hebrides south of Skye, Eigg’s human history is as fascinating as its geological past. But one particular event is perhaps the most famous: the massacre at the secret cave (see panel on 45). The atrocity is deemed to have happened long enough ago that the site of…

Q Is it better to wear brighter colours for safety in the hills? Tracy Nobel, Dumfries Graham says There is little doubt, if you need rescuing, that a brightly coloured jacket will be much more visible than a dark one to anyone searching for you. In addition, jackets, overtrousers and rucksacks with reflective tape or piping splashed across them show up at night, really shining out when a headtorch catches them, or even just under moonlight. It’s also easier to keep track of mates when walking in a group if everyone has some reflective patches on their gear; a brightly coloured jacket is much harder to lose than a darker one. In an emergency it’s essential to have something bright to help others find you and a bright jacket with…

Q I’ve read in Trail about staying away from cornices. What are they exactly? June O’Brien, Barnsley Rob says Put simply, a cornice is an overhanging mass of snow found on ridges and the edge of summit plateaus. They collect in the lee of the wind so, for example, if the wind is blowing from the south-west, you’ll find cornices on northeastern edges. It’s worth knowing where they are likely to be before setting out on the mountain so you can avoid going anywhere near them. Sadly, several walkers fall through cornices each winter, often with serious consequences. Cornices become less stable in rising temperatures, so you also need to be aware of when they might be above you. A collapsing cornice can be pretty heavy – you don’t want one…

Q I’m off to Snowdonia imminently, but I’m not confident in the snow. Are there any peaks that might be clear? Paul Prince, Torquay Rob says When the mountains of north Wales are enjoying a rare winter coat of snow we can often avoid it and admire it from afar by heading to the Moelwyns. Moelwyn Mawr and Cnicht are both below 700m and, on a clear day, afford fantastic views of Snowdon. Their lack of height will often mean that they are free from snow when the bigger mountains in the distance look their best in their winter dress. You can get the latest mountain conditions and forecast from the Met Office Mountain Forecast – remember to check the freezing level height because even though the mountains may not have…

“HEADTORCH OFF, DETAIL BEGAN TO EMERGE, STARTING WITH A BRIGHTENING IN THE U-SHAPED BITE OF MICKLEDORE” Let’s start by mangling Jane Austen. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a tired man in possession of a good sleeping bag and fine mat, that cost a fortune, must be in want of a decent night’s sleep.” Yes. I’d agree with that. But, as the female protagonist in Pride and Prejudice finds out, life doesn’t run quite so predictably. My expensive mat refused to stay inflated (it was its third use, so don’t be too hard on the little princess) and as a result my sleeping bag just wasn’t working as it should. I spent a February night, probably in the region of -10 deg C, trussed up in every warm layer…

The Osprey Exos has been a regular winner of the ‘Best in Test’ title in Trail’s backpack reviews. It’s light, adaptable, comfortable and its back ventilation system actually works. However, there‘s always been a big, black mark against the Exos in that there’s never been a women’s version. But that’s all changed... The pack has been updated for spring 2018 with an improved fit and better lumbar support, a more durable construction (sturdiness had been a questionable characteristic of previous models) and a Flapjacket top cover that comes into play when the pack is being used without its removable lid. However, the biggest and most essential update is the inclusion of a women-specific model: the Eja. Offering all the performance of the Exos, but in a fit tailored to the…

Best for flexible footwear on level ground KAHTOOLA KTS CRAMPON £125 For grip you get 10 spikes that are 20mm long. A flexible leafspring links the front metal frame with the heel frame and this means these can be attached to more bendy footwear, unlike stiffer designs. They attach to the footwear with webbing straps but you also get some useful metal sections bent upwards to cradle the boot, so these don’t slip off too easily. The spikes are shorter than other crampons so these are not ideal for use on deeper snow. Also there are no anti-balling plates so snow can collect on their base more easily than others. Furthermore, if the ground is too uneven, and you are wearing a bendy boot with these, then the boot can…

Welcome to Trail’s routes section: your cut-out-and-keep guide to the best days in the UK hills. Whether it’s an airy mountain scramble, a classic Lakeland fellwalk or a multi-day backpacking epic, you’ll find it here... written by experts, walked by you. TRAIL ROUTES use OS mapping and gradient profiles, and are available to download at www.lfto.com/routes WALK HERE THIS WEEKEND Crossing Link Hause to Hart Crag on Fairfield p113…

Helvellyn: arguably the most iconic mountain in the Lake District. It has many claims to fame: third-highest mountain in England; two popular scrambling ridges; and some favourable words from Alfred Wainwright. Supposedly, if the weather is good, you can see Scotland and Wales from the top, not to mention most of the bodies of water in the Lake District. The walk begins in Glenridding village, still showing the scars of 2016's devastating flooding. But, instead of heading straight up the beck like so many other walkers, this route contrarily ignores the signs and heads south towards the nose of Birks and St. Sunday Crag. If you like Wainwright bagging, you’re in for a treat – there are four to climb before you even reach Helvellyn. The approach to the summit…

The Rhinogydd are magnificent but inexplicably empty mountains. Populated by feral goats – and occasionally by the hardiest of hillwalkers – this enigmatic range provides some of the toughest terrain in the Snowdonia National Park. Many are those that, put off by grim tales of waist-deep heather and non-existent paths, avoid these hills like the plague. However, to do so is to miss out on some of the wildest and most rewarding walks Wales has to offer. This particular circuit fails to reach 600 metres and weighs in at a paltry five miles, but don’t be fooled into expecting a walk in the park. Craig Wion’s transverse canyons which scythe through the ridge were described by Harold Drasdo in the classic book Wild Walks as “a splendid mile of Celtic…

If you asked a bunch of hillwalkers to sketch out their idea of a perfect village, you might well end up with something that looks like Reeth. A central green might form the centrepiece of a scene which included high moorlands, escarpments, a meandering river and tiers of stone houses. Traditional pubs and cafés would open onto cobbled pavements where rosy-cheeked hikers take a break from their Coast To Coast adventures. Reeth is the perfect centre from which to explore Swaledale and that sketch would also include plenty of paths and tracks leading up towards empty hills, memorable panoramas and fascinating history – here, your boots follow in the footsteps of hardy old lead miners. A weekend may not be enough and you will probably wish you were staying on…

1 SD950982 Today’s walk begins 10km west of Reeth in the hamlet of Gunnerside and eschews the higher moors in order to explore a long deep valley formed by tumbling Gunnerside Gill. Again, there’s plenty of fascinating old mining activity, but there are also waterfalls, woodlands and classic views to the traditional houses and walls on the hillsides at Winterings. From the bridge in Gunnerside walk east along the road (B6270) for 250m and fork left up a narrow unfenced lane with a gate. This immediately twists uphill, through a finger of Open Access land. When it bends right, after 700m, fork left on a footpath along the track, through a ford, to the buildings at Potting. Turn right, through a gate, and follow a stream uphill for 100m to…

1 WEEK 3 HOURS FROM LONDON £250+ WERE IT NOT for the seas cutting into it, an almost unbroken swathe of forest would run from Scandinavia to Japan, into Alaska and across the northern reaches of America. This is the boreal forest, named after the Greek god of the north wind and winter. In Russia it's called the taiga. A land of ancient coniferous forests and rivers, the boreal is to many the essence of pure wilderness: the home of the Saami people, bushcraft expert Ray Mears considers it his favourite of all environments due to the bounty of resources and the purity of the solitude found there. And the place that many choose to experience it is in the northern reaches of Sweden. Deep in Swedish Lapland is Muddus…

1 WEEK 7 HOURS FROM LONDON AROUND £500 IF IT’S EXTREME you want, Svalbard has got it. There are plenty of 'polar-lite' destinations out there, but if you want authentic, without the stratospheric costs, icebreaker ships and – in the case of the North Pole – the unsettling experience of spending your on-land existence floating on ice, you won’t get any better than Svalbard. Territorially part of Norway, this huge archipelago is adrift in the Arctic Ocean, between the mainland and the North Pole. Formerly known as Spitzbergen, its population is tiny – 2,600, the same as Ambleside – but this is a far cry from the Lakes. Svalbard has every polar hallmark: crushing darkness and cold in winter, permanent sunlight in summer, aurora borealis tearing through black skies over…

1 WEEK 5 HOURS, VIA COPENHAGEN FROM LONDON AROUND £250 LYING BETWEEN SCOTLAND, Norway and Iceland, the Faroe Islands could be described as being a blend of all three countries – but they have their own unique aesthetic that can only be described as, well, unbelievable! Comprising a series of 18 volcanic outcrops, the Faroes are home to dizzyingly steep mountains and cliffs poised above the wild North Atlantic, as well as an array of rare environments for wildlife. Hikers are truly spoiled, and you'll struggle to find anywhere else with such an astonishing variety of excellent walks in such a dramatic setting. There's also great online resources (via www.visitfaroeislands.com) where you can download route guides for walks of every level of difficulty, as well as lots of practical information…

1 WEEK 3 HOURS FLIGHTS TO TURIN, MILAN OR TREVISO CAN BE HAD FOR AS LITTLE AS £30 THERE ARE SEVERAL countries you could quite happily immerse yourself in if it’s a bona fide Alpine experience you want; France, Switzerland and Austria each have territorial investments in Europe’s most spectacular mountain range. But none of them straddle the range quite as completely as Italy – and this incredibly varied country offers a myriad of environments in which the walker can preoccupy themselves and not have an even vaguely similar day twice. It does, of course, depend on what you mean by ‘Alps’ and ‘Alpine’; the former is the name for the huge arc of mountains stretching from France to Slovenia, encompassing the Bernese Alps in the north (The Eiger and…