Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2020 i Trail

Remember when we all used to disappear to the mountains for a few days at a time, just to get away from the never-ending daily grind of interacting with people? I don’t know about you, but that feels like a long time ago to me. My world has shrunk to almost miniscule proportions these past eight months, and when I do get the chance to meet other adults at previously mundane events like school drop-offs or a delivery driver knocking on my door, I get overexcited and can’t stop babbling. I’ve started missing crowds of people, and pubs, and live music, and football crowds, and even – I can’t believe I’m saying this - the office. With a socially distanced winter looming on the horizon, those feelings are only going…

IRON MAN MEETS MOUNTAIN RESCUE We couldn’t quite believe our eyes when we saw potentially the future of Mountain Rescue in a gravity jet suit flying through the Langdales this autumn. A test in the Lake District by Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) saw Gravity Industries founder Richard Browning take flight from the valley to a simulated casualty on The Band, near Bowfell in just 90 seconds. By foot, it would have been a 25-minute climb. The 1050bhp (brake horsepower) suit, which currently retails at a mere £340,000 (!!!), can fly in excess of 80mph, and is capable of reaching an altitude of 12,000ft. Andy Mawson, director of operations and paramedic at GNAAS, said “We could see the need. What we didn’t know for sure is how this would…

What makes a great mountain view? It’s a hard question, because the answer lies squarely in the eye of the beholder. Do you prefer looking at mountains, or off them? Are you into crags and ridges, or coast and rivers? Do you like wooded valleys or hostile mountain plateaus? Scotland or Wales? The Lakes or the Dales? The questions could go on forever. One thing’s for sure though - Britain is full of great mountain views. You could spend your entire life walking our uplands and not even come close to seeing all them, from all of their finest angles. The beauty of a memorable viewpoint is that it doesn’t have to be hard-won. You don’t have to climb the highest peaks by their hardest routes to get the big…

Looking up at Skiddaw, the fourth highest hill in England, is like gazing towards a throne of the gods. The kind of thing Zeus might sit on, if he were a Cumbrian lad. All long, straight slopes and rounded smifs, its imposition ‘ comes from its bulk. There are no-razor ridges or needle-sharp peaks - it is just plain massive. With neighbouring Blencathra, its twin KteiKing of the Northern Lakes, it presides over the fells. But what’s this? To the east, between these two mammoth mountains, is an acute edgefe A sheer cliff, clear enough to be seen from all the way down on the A66. It drops as clearly and as smoothly as a tablecloth, sweeping elegantly to the floor. On pointier hills, this shelf might not be so…

Mindfulness has been shown by numerous studies to help alleviate stress and anxiety, and every mountain lover knows time in our high and wild places can do the same - see our Mountains for the Mind Facebook group for proof. Combining the two can enhance both, helping you feel calmer, sharper and making the walk richer. You might start spotting things that were always there but you’d never noticed - like different plants, wildlife or something seemingly obvious like a signpost. Sitting on a hill, taking a few minutes to yourself, can soothe away levels of anxiety or lift feelings of depression that might have seemed immovable at home. In short, mindfulness means paying attention. In a more relaxed way with an attitude of faint curiosity. You can become more…

TERRAIN USE Most grippers are suitable for use on packed snow and ice, but some are more suited to one than the other. Although steep mountain ground requires proper crampons, some grippers can handle a bit of uphill, while others are only any good for flat pavement and paths. EASE OF USE How straightforward is it to fit the grippers to your footwear and remove them? Bear in mind you may need to perform this operation while wearing thick winter gloves. DURABILITY If you regularly walk in winter it’s worth paying a little extra for more durable materials. Walking over packed snow, ice and rock (as you’re unlikely to want to take them on and off every time the snow cover changes) subjects the grippers to a lot of wear…

This isn’t a route for the faint-hearted. While many climb St Sunday Crag and many climb Helvellyn, few do both in the same route, and even fewer do both together in winter. It’s not a short route! So start early, and have a good headtorch in case you finish in the dark. There are six Wainwrights to collect along the way, fantastic views across the central Lake District, and one of the easiest descents off the eastern side of Helvellyn to help get you back before the daylight dims too much! First thing in the morning, you’ll often see an inversion across the Ullswater valley as you climb up onto Thornhow End then onto greater views across Helvellyn from St Sunday Crag. In winter Grisedale Tarn often exchanges its shimmering…

Look for a settled winter forecast and this Munro walk offers a longer but relatively straightforward day. Visiting the elongated and shapely granite peak of Bynack More (‘large cap’), as well as taking in its lower neighbour Bynack Beg, you are kept high with a feeling of grandeur above the Abernethy National Nature Reserve and higher plateau beneath you. Granite tors protrude from the snow, creating an interesting final ridgeline to gain the Munro summit. And the deep fissure of the Strath Nethy (wide ‘gleaming’ valley) between you and the rest of the Cairngorm plateau seeks to heighten a sense of detachment from more frequented Munros of the Northern Corries. In summer, this walk shows off some well-constructed paths through Glenmore Forest and onto the plateau itself, whereas winter snows…

ROUTE 7 Table Mountain & Pen Cerrig Calch ROUTE 8 Crug Mawr & Sugar Loaf ROUTE 9 Skirrid ULTIMATE WEEKEND ▲ 3 ROUTES Crickhowell and Abergavenny are two historic towns in the Usk Valley near to the Brecon Beacons/ Black Mountains. But while their hills may be short in stature, they are anything but short of character! Crickhowell’s name comes from Crug Hywel. Or in other words, Hywel once controlled a fort (crug) atop the sloping hillside overlooking the valley, although the fort is now thought to be Iron Age, not medieval. Long before his time though, Bronze Age folks were burying their dead atop the summits - now seen as large cairns. Sugar Loaf offers the well-known view over the weekend’s hills, but Crug Mawr offers a quieter and…

What’s your most important factor when choosing a new piece of kit? Performance is a biggie, and obviously price. But beyond what it actually costs to purchase each specific item, what we’re all usually looking for is value for money. If you splash out on a pair of 4-season boots, or a durable pack, or a beautifully forged ice axe, you probably won’t consider it expensive if it’s still going strong years later. And when it comes to winter mountain kit, that quest for good value comes into even sharper focus. Sub-zero temperatures demand a lot from our clothing and equipment, and that’s often reflected by higher prices. So what you really want to know is, how reliable is this piece of gear? Will it fall to pieces the first…

MATCH THE CRAMPONS TO YOUR BOOTS The stiffness of the crampon, specifically the part that links the forefoot to the rear spikes, limits its use. More flexible crampons will fit a wider range of boots but are only suitable for walking on gentler terrain. For tougher use, a more ridged crampon is required. To aid matching crampons to your boots, they are sometimes given a ‘C’ or ‘B’ rating respectively. C3 crampons are the stiffest and most technical and should only be used with mountaineering (B3) boots. C2 crampons are suitable for winter mountain walking (B2) boots, while C1 crampons are the most flexible and can be used with 3-4 season (B1) boots on less challenging terrain. GET THE RIGHT ATTACHMENT The most basic crampon attachment uses straps at the…

NORTH-WEST HIGHLANDS SUILVEN The word ‘iconic’ gets bandied about a lot when it comes to mountains. If there’s one peak that truly deserves the epithet, it’s Suilven. When glaciers scraped across the Lewisian Gneiss landscape of Assynt, the Torridonian sandstone of Suilven was carved into its steep-sided, narrow ridged form, leaving it elevated above the cnoc-and- lochan terrain as an ‘inselberg’ – an island mountain. A massif of multiple peaks with 731m Caisteal Liath at the western end being the highest, its unmistakable shape, visible from miles away thanks to the relatively flat surroundings, is an icon in its own right. Few mountains are as easily recognisable from their outline alone as Suilven. But it’s the air of mystery, myth and magic that abides in the Assynt hills and has…

Back in 2017 I was really struggling with my happiness, and following a short period away from work my wife suggested walking may help. I started and it really did help keep me in a more positive mindset. Shortly after this I had a bit of an epiphany one morning and decided to change my job, but more importantly I was going to climb Kilimanjaro in my 50th year. At nearly 16 stone and having never walked up a mountain before I had to get focused – and fit. I asked Andy Higson (a former work colleague and keen mountain climber) to help me get some experience. So in October 2017, in atrocious conditions, we walked to the summit of Snowdon. I was seriously unfit and was actually counting 20…

Goatfell Isle of Arran “Between Storm Ellen and Storm Francis I was blessed with good weather on the Isle of Arran, and enjoyed a warm day on my hike up to Goatfell. My first outing among the mountains after lockdown and eager to do more!” Peter Lindley, North London Malham Yorkshire Dales “Being pregnant during a pandemic has been a strange old thing, and having to stop trail running at 28 weeks had me a bit sulky. With restrictions eased I grabbed my poles and have rediscovered my love of hiking with long days in the Lakeland fells and exploring Yorkshire’s beauty on the doorstep.” Erin Outram, York Crib Goch Snowdonia “Mary and I work together, and became ‘hill buddies’ when we paired up for the National Three Peaks Challenge…

“Snowdonia last week, this view of the Nantlle Ridge blew me away.”Chris Holmes “Cadair Idris (Snowdonia) early morning, can’t beat it.”Nathan Casey “Everyone likes a wee CMD Arete view (with Ben Nevis behind).”Chris MacKinnon “The Cuillin Ridge, Isle of Skye, with Loch Coruisk behind.”Zoe Little “The Isle of Skye’s Black Cuillin mountains poking out above a cloud inversion.”Andy Coley “Has to be the view from just above Sinister Gully on Bristly Ridge (Snowdonia).”Alexander Gavin “Torridon (North-West Highlands) in winter, with golden eagles circling below us.”Russell Mills “Langdale (Lake District), even Rex is impressed.”Ian Allington “Sgurr na Stri, Isle of Skye.”Jessica Davison “Suilven (Assynt) is a special place.”Doug Burke “The view from Stob Ghabhar (Central Highlands) earlier this month.”Michelle Rousell…

Context is everything. Let me paint the picture; I’m way off in the wilds of deepest, darkest Scotland. It’s October, I’ve been walking for the past six hours. On my back is everything I need to keep me alive for three days and two nights. It’s a fairly heavy load. I plan to camp another hour’s walk from the other side of the usually small river, or should that be burn. I’m on my own. Heather, bracken the odd snipe and a herd of red deer are all I’ve seen all day. There is no one else I know of for quite some distance. It’s just me, my pack and everything else, just the way I like it. But what I don’t like is what’s before me. I have a…

[SEASONAL ADVICE] 8 WAYS TO ADAPT FOR WINTER 1 Eat more! You’ll be burning more calories in the colder temperatures and, when snow is on the ground, chugging up hills that would be a breeze in summer. Take the opportunity to stock up. 2 Get your winter coat. You’ll need warmer insulated layers and a robust waterproof jacket to withstand the winter weather conditions high up. Make sure they’re up to the job. 3 Don’t forget your paws. Cold hands can be agonising - get your glove system right with a pair of liners, and a pair of insulated and waterproof gloves to wear over them. And pack spares! 4 Check snow conditions. In the Lake District, fell top assessments of Helvellyn start in December and SAIS reports start coming…

THE LATEST INNOVATIONS IN OUTDOOR KIT Scottish outdoor brand Lomo started out in 2000 producing wetsuits, but since then it has expanded beyond watersports into other arenas, such as motorcycle luggage, cycling kit, and outdoor and expedition equipment. This includes drybags, cookware and hydration bladders, torches and lamps, and other accessories; two members of the Trail team regularly carry aLomo emergency shelter. Its latest expansion has seen Lomo introduce its own range of walking poles, amongst which these Aluminium Trail Poles particularly caught our eye. Why? Well, aside from the name there’s the price; £31 for a pair of walking poles is remarkable value. At least that is if they’re any good. Time to take a closer look... SERIOUS STUFF LOMO ALUMINIUM TRAIL POLES PRICE £31 (pair) MATERIAL Aluminium LENGTH…

Ben Venue is an incredibly rugged mountain, one that rises to 729m above Loch Katrine, deep in the heart of The Trossachs. Ben Venue commands a central position within the National Park although many of the surrounding mountains, including Ben Ledi and Ben Lomond, are bigger. This gives rise to Ben Venue’s derivation of the Small Mountain. However, a climb onto its summit shouldn’t be underestimated. It is a long steady pull onto the twin-topped Ben Venue. An excellent path rises from Loch Achray and through the secluded Gleann Riabhach onto a flatter plateau above Bealach Mor na Beinne and Bealach na h-Imriche. Another climb gains a col between the two summits after which the path climbs onto both. Yet the exertion required to reach the top is worth the…

ROUTE 10 Coniston to Dungeon Ghyll ROUTE 11 Dungeon Ghyll to Keswick ROUTE 12 Keswick to Caldbeck ULTIMATE WEEKEND ▲ 3 ROUTES The Cumbria Way is a 73-mile walk, journeying the length of the county from Ulverston to Carlisle. Devised by local Ramblers groups in the 1970s, the low-level walk lasts about five days. But the first and last stages are somewhat underwhelming, so for this ultimate weekender we stick to the best bit: a charming journey through the heart of the Lake District. Day one from Coniston to Dungeon Ghyll serves up glorious views of the jagged Langdale Pikes skyline. Day two to Keswick takes in the remote Langstrath valley and the western shores of Derwentwater. And day three to Caldbeck explores quiet Back O’Skiddaw. It’s a walk that…

Watson’s Dodd LAKE DISTRICT WALKED BY Oli Reed, Trail editor I actually had to look up the name of Watson’s Dodd before writing this, because it’s so nondescript that I remember nothing at all about climbing it. But just look at that view above. The whole of the south, west and northern Lake District laid out before us, summits crusted with a fresh dollop of late winter snow, with more peaks in shot than I’ve ever been able to name. The view is over the Thirlmere valley, with Watson’s Dodd one of the long chain of summits north of Helvellyn that make up the bulky spine of the Eastern Fells. Every time I look at that image I pick out a new mountain. Possibly my favourite photo ever. HIGHLIGHTS The…

3-4 VS 4-SEASON 3-4 season boots are stiff enough to handle some snow and take a walking crampon but offer enough flex to make walking relatively comfortable, meaning they can be used all year round. However, they will not be as comfortable as a regular 3-season boot for general walking in spring to autumn, nor will they be capable of coping with full-on winter conditions. If you intend to do a lot of walking in snow and ice, and possibly some mountaineering, a dedicated 4-season boot is the best option. As well as being stiffer and tougher, they also tend to be warmer. THE SOLE AS A TOOL Rather than just being used to walk on, the sole, grip and lugs of a boot are an important winter tool. It…

My life love of adventuring developed at an early age. As children we were lucky enough to grow up travelling the world, and as one of four children I constantly had friends and playmates wherever we lived. When we moved to Scotland my father (a Colonel in the British Army) used to take us on ‘expeditions’, over mountains, through the streams and forests of the Highlands; armed always with a big bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk for morale. More recently I have suffered with crippling mental health issues, ranging from depression to anxiety to an eating disorder. You know that feeling when you think your brain may explode at any minute? Like it’s so full of information, emotions and worry. All of the things you can’t find an outlet for,…

There is a fine line between eccentricity and madness. Which side of the divide am I on right now? Is this mission whimsical and avant-garde, or just downright lunacy? I’m knee-deep in thick heather, lost and disorientated. An impenetrable labyrinth of dense, prickly conifers surrounds me, blocking progress wherever I turn, and a blizzard of heavy snow swirls in the dark sky. My fingers are numb. A Siberian-like wind roars through the trees and icy water drips down my neck, as if . the melting snowflakes are tortuouSly caressing my skin. But still I search undeterred, blinkered by a deranged obsession. Is the legend of the near-mythical Dodd Man true? Did a whiskey-swigging, portrait-drawing vagrant really live in a ‘nest’ of branches and bracken on this hillside in the 1860s?…

The Llanberis Pass cuts across the heart of northern Snowdonia, dividing Snowdon from the boulder-strewn Glyderau. It also has a handily placed car park at Pen-y-Pass, which is the perfect starting point for an ascent of Wales’ highest peak. Unfortunately, everyone knows it. Pen-y-Pass is notoriously busy, and the car park – rammed at the best of times – hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons this year, when on the weekends either side of lockdown, hundreds of people who were unable to nab a parking space simply left their cars on the road. In July, things got so bad that Snowdonia National Park bosses were forced to close the car park entirely, with a police presence on hand to turn people away. Fortunately, there is another way. One…

Norse place names are less common than Gaelic or Scots in Scotland but can still be found in some areas – particularly in the Northern Isles and Caithness. Several words with Norse origin have since been adopted into Gaelic or Scots, so while their legacy lives on those words can’t properly be called Norse. Here are some of the most common: -ay (old Norse ey) Island, as in Eriskay or Islay Fair, far (old Norse fær) Sheep Fell (old Norse fjall) Rough hill or mountain Firth (old Norse fjörðr) Firth, fjord or sea-loch Ho (old Norse hár) High, as in The Old Man of Hoy Hope (old Norse hár) Bay, as in Ben Hope ‘bay mountain’ Jur (old Norse djúr) Beast or animal, as in Jura Kirk (old Norse kirkja)…

April is the cruellest month’, wrote T.S. Eliot. But that’s because he spent far too much time penning impenetrable modernist poetry and whimsical verse about cats when he should have been out climbing winter Munros. Otherwise, Mr Eliot would have known that January is by far the cruellest month, as anyone who has attempted a winter traverse of Aonach Eagach will attest. We can’t deny that winter hillwalking and scrambling is challenging. But that is part of the appeal. And if you have ever witnessed the Narnia-esque vision of a mountain landscape majestically wrapped in an ermine coat, you’ll also know that it can be utterly glorious. If you haven’t, you’re missing out. So, we heartily recommend that you arm yourself with the right skills and knowledge - a decent…

Craster is famous for its kippers, and fragrant wisps from the smokehouse fill the air as you head out of the village and along the coast path. The outline of 14th century Dunstanburgh Castle rises ahead, and this early part of our route was recently voted one of the best walks in the country. Like its neighbours at Bamburgh and Lindisfarne, Dunstanburgh Castle was built upon the massive dolerite outcrop of Whin Sill, an igneous intrusion formed around 300 million years ago. A short distance past the castle there’s another fascinating piece of geology - the Greymare Rock - a strip of limestone bent and folded by this immense volcanic pressure. Heading north, the walk crosses the bays at Embleton and Beadnell: wild sweeps of sand dotted with rocky outcrops.…

A first visit to Snowdonia may miss Tryfan; for many, their eyes too centred on Eryri’s highest mountain, Snowdon, to the south. But what a rugged piece of mountain to miss! With its ‘three heads’ or rocky tops (Try-fan) perched upon an uprising explosion of volcanic rock, it reminds one of a scaly dinosaur or sleeping dragon, with its scales pointing to the skies above. It doesn’t take people long to discover the delights of Tryfan’s relatively compact standing, but its height still extends to (just) over 3000ft and, on all its impressive aspects, it rises sharply from the valley floor below. Some aspects and routes of this concentrated mountain are for roped, rock climbing adventures only; and there are a myriad of lines for the keen mountain walker and…

BORROWDALE, LAKE DISTRICT WALK IT At just 290m, Castle Crag is the smallest and only sub 1000-foot fell to make it into Alfred Wainwright’s Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. Some subsequent guidebook writers have left it out, viewing it as little more than a craggy eastern outcrop of High Spy. Well, we’re with Alf on this one. From the banks of the River Derwent a gently climbing, intriguingly winding path takes you through dappled woodland, over moss-blanketed stones, past picturesque quarry workings, and up to a summit - once the site of an ancient hill-fort - that’s adorned with a memorial to the Borrowdale men lost in the Great War and an impressive circular cairn built from the slate harvested from the fell. To the south, the quaint green…

CONSIDER THE CURVE Axes designed purely for walking, where they will be held by the head and the spike plunged into snow, tend to have a straight shaft (like this Helix). Axes designed for mountaineering and climbing, which will be held by the shaft with the pick swung into ice, have a curved shaft and a more aggressive pick. For a good all-round ice tool choose an axe with a moderate curve that can still be held comfortably in the ‘walking stick’ position. GET THE RIGHT LENGTH Axes come in different lengths to suit the different heights of users. To determine the correct size, hold an axe by the head with your arm straight down your side. The spike at the end of the shaft should reach just below the…

HOW MUCH LIGHT IS RIGHT? The brightness of a headtorch is measured in lumens. For walking in the mountains at night, a lamp with a maximum output of around 300 lumens is adequate. If you’re a runner or like to be able to see further ahead for navigation purposes, then you may prefer an even brighter light; some will go up to 900 lumens. Bear in mind that the brighter the output the more power hungry the torch will be, so also look at the maximum run times at the various power settings. Some lamps will automatically adjust the output depending on what you’re looking at and the battery level. Although more expensive, these are great for managing the power use. IS THE BEAM ADJUSTABLE? Along with power output, being…