Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2021 i Trail

At the time of writing England is in a national lockdown, Wales is heading out of one, and Scotland has introduced five-level regional restrictions. By the time you read this, who knows? If you’re lucky enough to live near hills, hopefully you’re finding ways to get out and walk among them. But if, like so many of us, mountain trips have been taken off the agenda, injecting that little bit of adventure into our lives has once again become tricky. That’s why in this issue of Trail, alongside your usual overload of mountain inspiration, we’ve come up with a bunch of ways you can hopefully get your outdoor fix close to home. If you’re based in the south-west, there are wild and rugged walks in Cornwall and Devon. We’ll take…

THIS MONTH’S WINNER Suilven Assynt “This my partner, Sophie Hickson, at Fionn Loch on our walk back from a successful ascent of Suilven. Our first time in the far north-west Highlands and we will be back!” Jason Maddick, Newton Abbot East Lomond Hill Fife “This month I believe I became the first person to summit all 10 of Fife’s highest hills in just under 18 hours. This was a challenge to raise money for the mental health charity SAMH, as part of their ‘Virtual STOMP’ event. Here’s me and my wee Westie Dex (who joined me for the first and last hills) at about 1am on the final hill.” Ross Cunningham, Glenrothes Great Mell Fell Lake District “Myself and my partner, Sophie, recently completed a fundraiser for our nephew Joey,…

FROSTBITE STAGE 1 (FROSTNIP) LOOK OUT FOR Pain, pins and needles or numbness in the extremities (typically fingers, toes, face, ears and male genitals). WARM THEM UP Place hands under the armpits, add an extra layer of warm gloves or replace a wet pair, loosen anything that might be restricting blood flow, such as boot laces. Hold the cold area in warm hands or breathe on it. STAGE 2 LOOK OUT FOR White, numb and painless skin, sometimes visibly hard and frozen. WARM THEM UP Follow the advice for Stage 1 above. Pain can be severe when a cold area is rewarmed, and can last for hours. If there’s no improvement after 20 minutes it should be treated as frostbite. Get off the hill if you can, or call Mountain…

Keep kit clean The cleaner your boots and jackets are, the better they’ll keep bad weather out. The Nikwax Essentials Kit (£25) includes Footwear Cleaning Gel and Tech Wash, plus Fabric & Leather Proof and TX.Direct Wash-in reproofer if your water repellent coatings need topping up. It also comes with a handy footwear brush and a useful 10-litre dry-bag. Fits like a glove - only better Sealskinz’ new range of Fusion Control gloves (from £55) feature a ‘first-of-its-kind’ technology. A waterproof membrane is sandwiched between a goatskin or soft shell outer and a merino lining. This bonding process keeps the three layers secured as one, preventing the dreaded liner slippage that can make putting on gloves with damp hands such a nightmare. It also offers improved dexterity and breathability. Light,…

DIFFICULTY MEDIUM DISTANCE 24KM TIME 7 HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 1200M The red sandstone stack of the Old Man of Hoy is a joy to behold from a hike along the cliffs. It’s one of the UK’s highest rock stacks and soars 137m above the sea, but be quick - he’s approaching 250 years old and could collapse any day! However, before this geological marvel topples, enjoy it as part of this route from the old coastal town of Rackwick on a tour of the rolling, boggy, heathery hillside inland to a human-made attraction. A climb from Sandy Loch over the boulder-strewn top of Ward Hill (481m) and Haist (333m) brings you to the Dwarfie Stane, a rock-cut stone tomb from around 3000BC, thought to have been carved with only sharpened…

DIFFICULTY MEDIUM DISTANCE 18KM TIME 6 HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 555M 1 SK167938 From the turning circle, known as Kings Tree, situated at the end of Howden Reservoir, go north through the gate and follow the trail 1.3km to cross the River Derwent at Slippery Stones packhorse bridge. Turn left along the track, heading north-east, then cross a wooden footbridge over a s tream, turning right to where the track forks by an NT sign for Howden Moor. 2 SK170953 Bear right, and after crossing a small stream follow the track left, up the steep hillside, passing the quarries. Eventually the ground levels out, so continue generally north-east along the rough track, sometimes paved, ascending to a large cairn at the top of Cut Gate End. 3 SK185960 Turn left and…

Any mountain that rises straight out of either the sea or (as in this case) a huge loch, is cool by me. I think what the brain does is to correctly presume that the peak continues on underneath the surface of the water, thus magnifying it in your imagination. Whatever it is that’s going on here, Ben Lomond sings the blues. It’s not complicated, not flashy, but just a great hill. I suppose it’s the setting and the way it sits in it, with a degree of space and elegance. It is, after all, the first of all the Munros that you’ll encounter on your hillbagging way up to the north. It’s set amongst the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, and the walk will be as much about Loch…

Anyone who tells you there are no mountains in England outside of the Lake District has never set foot on Ingleborough. At 723m in elevation and sprawling its vast slopes across more OS map grid squares than we care to count, this is one serious wedge of upland. You can approach Yorkshire’s second highest summit from many different angles, all of them showing off a slightly different side of its complicated character. You’ll find woodland, gorges, rivers, bogs, waterfalls, caves, limestone pavements and steep rocky slopes defending its high plateau, crowned by the remains of an expansive Iron Age hill-fort with views that stretch for dozens of miles in every direction. Many people climb Ingleborough as part of the ever-popular Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, but that type of smash-and-grab ascent…

TRAIL 100 PEAK OF THE MONTH If you look up Kinder Scout on Wikipedia, that online reference of dubious accuracy describes it not as a mountain, or even a hill, but rather as simply a ‘moorland plateau’. And that’s probably fair. Despite topping out at 636m (enough to technically make it a mountain) there’s nothing peaky about the Peak District’s highest ground. It’s even been suggested that its true summit moves as the malleable peat is carved into towering hags and deep groughs by the weather. But this mysterious shapeshifting form is one of the intrigues of Kinder; if you want to test your navigation there’s nowhere better. If you prefer your walking to have a little more substance, the gritstone edges of the plateau are defined by outrageous rock…

KASE LEWIS 3-PEAK CHALLENGE BAREFOOT WALKER I have always felt like a bit of an outsider. In school I was desperately trying to fit into the boxes and labels that were floating around but never really knowing my place. It created a lot of anxiety, feeling apart from others and even disconnected from myself. This continued until in my mid 30s, when everything broke down. Depression and anxiety were rife within me, and I found myself in some very dark places. My health, work and relationships all suffered. I’d stopped any sort of hobbies and my social life was non-existent. Hitting rock bottom, I saw my GP who put me on medication and enrolled me into group therapy. The GP told me the medication wouldn’t make me happy but rather…

Andy McAdam +1025m “Beinn a Chroin and An Caisteal on an October Sunday, taking me to my first Everest and a total of 8869m this year. I just took up hillwalking last year... now I’m hooked!” Ron Oranje +963m “Another 963m added. Corserine and the Rhinns of Kells. It was WET.” Kate Shacklady +490m “Esther and Theo up on Harter Fell in the western Lake District. A glorious autumn day.” Paul Radford +220m “Just spent a lovely weekend with my daughter Jenny. We went up Malham Cove, then round to the waterfalls at Gordale Scar. Finally back to our camping pod at the hostel via Janet’s Foss. Brilliant!” William Potts +1295m “1295m added over two days, with an overnight at Angletarn Pikes, to bag Beda Head, The Nab and Rest…

Come on a journey through a winter’s day in the Lake District mountains. A classic album kind of day, that you’ll never tire of. Look down on the mystical land, from above a cloud inversion in the snowy mountains. For when things go right in winter, my God, they blow everything else out of the water. You will never see light brighter, or things clearer. It’s the record I reach for again and again. The needle hits the groove, a bass line thumps out I looked out of my bedroom window at the Travellers Rest and saw the snow spread deep and wide. Looking up, the sky was muffled in a low fog. My heart skipped, then raced. I could feel, if not see, that the sun was trying to…

[COMFORT ADVICE] 8 WAYS TO STAY WARM IN WINTER 1 Drink plenty. It’s easy to forget to drink when it’s cold. Some people recommend avoiding caffeine, but it’s better to drink a lot of tea than barely any of the icy water from your bottle. Keep an eye on your water intake and keep sipping. 2 But avoid alcohol (sorry). Despite the fiery glow, in reality, alcohol cools you down by dilating the peripheral blood vessels near the surface of your skin. 3 Strip down. Dress for the actual temperature, not the perceived temperature. If you’re walking uphill on a bright winter’s day, go down to a comfortable layer to avoid making your clothes wet from sweat, even if that’s a t-shirt. 4 Protect the neck. The standard good advice…

The sun is setting across the Arrochar Alps. My friend Eddie and I are killing time on the summit of Ben Vorlich, watching nature’s spectacle unfold across the expanse of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs. Hazy layers of silhouetted peaks stretch out into the distance, as the multi-coloured sky blends and marbles with every passing moment. We didn’t plan to be up here this late, but some things are too good to miss out on. It’s an excellent last-minute hill decision - until we come to getting off the mountain. Stupidly neither of us packed a headtorch and we now face a dicey descent over steep, ankle-jarring terrain as night-time rapidly closes in. We’re hiking blind, guided only by the insufficient beams of our iPhone torches. At one point I…

DIFFICULTY MEDIUM DISTANCE 14KM TIME 5/6 HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 766M Poor old Aran Benllyn. In other company she would be the main attraction, and cuts a fine figure when seen from Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake), but geology has been unkind, as forever she will live in the shadow of Fawddwy, higher and finer in almost every respect. Always the bridesmaid… But on this walk we give Aran Benllyn the attention she deserves, away from the prying eyes of her big sister. In an age where a litany of gender pronouns can be overwhelming, the mountains, to me, will always be female. Let’s not labour the analogy any further. Back in the real world this route begins gently and ends in the same vein - two beautiful adagios bookending an intense…

DIFFICULTY MEDIUM DISTANCE 10.5KM TIME 4 HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 820M PEAK BAGGER STATS WAINWRIGHTS 3 The summit of the Wrynose Pass is a great starting point for hill walkers, as it’s at an altitude of 393m, but the parking is limited so aim to arrive early if you fancy doing this route. Three Wainwrights are visited - Grey Friar (773m), Great Carrs (784m) and Swirl How (802m), in a superb high-level round with great views in all directions. Near the summit of Great Carrs we visit the wreckage of a Royal Canadian Halifax Bomber (LL505) which crashed on 22 October 1944 with the loss of eight crewmen’s lives. Some of the plane’s undercarriage forms part of the memorial cairn and gives a chance for quiet reflection before moving on. Much…

The land which ends at the southwest tip of England is rugged, undulating and panoramic, with coastal views at every turn. These routes explore three sections of the South West Coast Path (SWCP), and each has their own character. On the Land’s End route, there’s an unexpected banana tree - has Cornwall really got a sub-tropical climate? There’s also a rich history of international sub-sea telephone cable locations, a white pyramid, a seaweed harvesters’ tunnel, and a quiet inland valley. Cape Cornwall’s route has a rugged hilltop outcrop, ‘Poldark’ mining ruins aplenty at Botallack, castle ruins, dinosaur-egg sized rocks at Porth Nanven and the pretty inland village of St Just. Rosemergy’s route offers a moorland ridgeline, a mine named ‘Ding Dong’ and more rugged coastline. There’s a lot to see…

DIFFICULTY EASY DISTANCE 8.5KM TIME 2½ HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 260M 1 SW421364 Take the path just right of the engine house, fork right over a stile by a gate, then stay right of a shallow valley down to cross a small arch just above some ruins. Follow a coast path sign, climbing briefly then contouring through bracken to a coast path marker by a walled off mine shaft. Fork left at this towards Watch Croft, go up through a yellow-handled gate and up to a road. Follow this right for about 30m. 2 SW415361 Cross over and take the bridleway to Watch Croft, which zigzags up the hillside and past a ruin. Fork left immediately after it joins a driveway track by a house - the rough narrow path through…

DIFFICULTY MEDIUM DISTANCE 22KM TIME 6½ HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 580M 1 SK262919 From the car park in Low Bradfield walk back to the road and turn right, then right again. Walk up the quiet country lane until you see a metal gate on the right giving access to a woodland lane by Agden Reservoir. Go down the lane, cross the bridge and turn right downhill, crossing a second bridge, then bearing right along the reservoir track. 2 SK253928 Take the footpath on the left up the steep hillside, crossing a wall in the trees. At the top turn left, following the stone wall north to reach a minor road. A good place to spot raptors. Cross the road diagonally left. 3 SK252937 Go through the gate, aim for the right-hand…

HONISTER, LAKE DISTRICT CLIMB IT The Wombles of Wimbledon might have been partial to a bit of subterranean exploration, but most of us tend to keep our wombling overground. Not only are the views usually better, but poking around the caves and caverns of somewhere like the Lake District is a risky business – these places are rarely safety checked. However, if you’re keen to discover what lies beneath the Lakeland landscape, Honister’s Climb the Mine experience is the way to do it. Bedecked in all the essential safety kit, including harnesses, via ferrata sets and a particularly fetching helmet, you’ll be guided through an underground world that, while entirely in contrast to the open and expansive fellsides above, is in its own way just as dramatic and awe inspiring.…

“SOME OF MY BEST MEMORIES ARE OF DAYS, NIGHTS OR JUST STOLEN HOURS IN MY LOCAL COUNTRYSIDE” I’m in the woods, just after daybreak. I close my eyes and stretch back in my hammock, strung up lazily between a couple of old pine trees. I hear nothing but the twitch of wind through the trees, smell nothing but wet pine needles. I’m only around 10 minutes’ walk from a busy car park, but right now this could be anywhere. I open my eyes in time to see the shadow of a raptor skim low above the treetops, in search of breakfast. A green grasshopper creeps off the woodland floor and onto the lid of my rucksack, looks around, then silently melts back into undergrowth. I’ve happened upon this spot after…

In the eyes of the uninitiated, all mountain seekers are slightly bonkers. When asked why he wanted to climb Everest, George Mallory famously replied “Because it’s there.” Fellow mountain afficionados nodded at his sage wisdom. Everyone else thought ‘nutter’. But even amongst those addicted to high places there’s a subset who might be regarded as genuinely unhinged: Gnarl Hunters - people who actively seek out the most gruelling conditions in the mountains, just for the hell of it. It should come as no surprise to learn that The Gnarl’s prime territory is in the roughest terrain during the most inhospitable season. So, when winter arrives in the mountains, the hunt is on… Trail photographer Tom and I were staying at Glenmore Lodge near Aviemore - as good a base as…

“WITH ONLY 18 MONTHS LEFT AS A 30-SOMETHING I WAS LOOKING FOR A SERIOUS ROUTE TO TEST MY SKILLS” what would persuade you to run almost 50km over 15 mountains in under 24 hours? What would drag your glycogen-deprived body up 13,000ft of ascent, with no time to relish the simple joys of being on a hill? What would possess anyone to treat the great mountains of north Wales as a yardstick for their flagging fitness or a footpump for their deflated ego? The answer was simple… I was having a midlife crisis. Admittedly, I wasn’t displaying the classic symptoms: no sports car, no hair dye, and no intention of reforming my old school band. But with only 18 months left as a 30-something, I had been overcome by a…

THE AXE HEAD More technical axes have removable picks, allowing you to switch it out depending on your intended use, or replace it when it has reached the end of its life. Most axes will have an adze on the opposite end of the head for cutting ice away, but climbing axes carried as pairs usually come with the option of a hammer instead, making it a more useful tool for hammering pegs or nuts LENGTH Hold an axe by the head with your arm straight down your side. For a general-purpose axe, the spike at the end of the shaft should reach your ankle. For a dedicated walking axe a slightly longer length makes it more comfortable to use. THE CURVE OF THE SHAFT Straight shafts are great for…

■ WEIGHT & SIZE The body of the camera weighs 607g. Compare that with the camera that Trail’s photographer Tom Bailey lumps around (the 890g Canon EOS 5D MkIV) and it’s clear that the significantly lighter Fujifilm is going to be a more comfortable carry than your average pro-spec DSLR. It’s a more compact unit too, taking up far less space in your pack, meaning it’s more likely to join you out in the hills. ■CONTROLS & HANDLING Although the rear menu buttons and touchscreen controls require fingertip precision, the main functions of the camera - including focus, aperture control, shutter speed changes, ISO settings and exposure compensation - are all pleasingly easy to access. What’s more, we tested these in thick gloves, and they’re still perfectly useable. ■ WEATHER…

DIFFICULTY MEDIUM DISTANCE 13.5KM TIME 4½ HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 635M PEAK BAGGER STATS TRAIL 100s 1 The triple-topped Yr Eifl massif rises directly from the sea above the seaside village of Trefor on the Llyn Peninsula near Snowdonia. Geographically, Yr Eifl is part of The Rivals group of hills which are renowned for their rugged and often trackless walking. The name Yr Eifl means, rather appropriately, ‘the forks’ and while the three summits are instantly identifiable from all over this area of north Wales, they look the most striking from the south-west coast of the island of Anglesey around Newborough. Of the three separate summits, Garn For is the lowest at 444m, Garn Ganol is the highest at 561m (and the highest point on the Llyn Peninsula) and Tre’r Ceiri (whose…

DIFFICULTY MEDIUM DISTANCE 21.75KM TIME 8 HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 300M Dartmoor is a rich prehistoric and industrial landscape. The upper Plym Valley’s archaeology is particularly diverse, with every major period of moorland history illustrated. En route are prehistoric settlements, with their field boundaries and house foundations. Drizzlecombe’s stone rows, cairns and massive standing stones (4.3m) are outstanding among Dartmoor’s several prehistoric ritual sites. The valley’s abundant tinworks and field systems attest to further extensive activity in medieval times. Dartmoor’s warrens were first built in medieval times too and abandoned Ditsworthy Warren House, where the warrener lived until the 1940s, was one of several farms breeding rabbits for meat and fur. Nun’s Cross Farm was also abandoned in the 1940s, whilst Nun’s Cross is one of Dartmoor’s oldest stone crosses. Dating…

DIFFICULTY MEDIUM DISTANCE 19KM TIME 6 HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 650M 1 SW359263 Head down a steep grassy slope then left onto a path above dunes to the main street. At the far end of the harbour car park, bend left up a lane. Follow coast path signs up steps, then a pitched path leads past a former coastguard station and along the clifftop path to the Land’s End tourist complex. 2 SW344253 Pass right of and below the buildings, taking a rough path below the hotel past a trig point. Fork right on a cord- fenced path, down across a bridge then up to the headland of Carn Greeb. Stay near a wooden fence, then follow the SWCP around Pordennack Point, then down through bracken to Zawn Reeth. Fork right…

With the shorter winter days, great walking across big moors and gritstone edges can still be had. Easy road access within the Peak District means that you can maximise time and experience on the hill. These three walks explore the familiar, and not so familiar, places in the Dark Peak. The walk to the upper reaches of the Derwent Valley offers tough winter walking to an old meeting place of shepherds. The walk along the Dukes Road from Bradfield explores both a little frequented part of the area, and little used approach to the famous Back Tor trig. And finally, the gritstone edges of Stanage, the wild swimming of North Lees and the pubs of Hathersage form a fitting end to a fulfilling weekend. ROUTE 10 Shepherds Meeting Stones ROUTE…

12km DISTANCE 900m ASCENT Grade 1 WINTER ROUTE GO THERE... when the wind is low and the snow is solid Striding Edge and Swirral Edge need little introduction. The horseshoe route from Glenridding up one ridge to the summit of Helvellyn and down the other is one of the classic Lake District walks. In winter, although undoubtedly a more serious undertaking, it is perhaps even more spectacular. The summer route usually ascends via Striding Edge and descends Swirral, but in winter it’s worth reversing that direction. Why? Well, where Swirral Edge leads up to join the summit plateau of Helvellyn it is narrow and steep, and when covered in snow and ice it can become a convex slope that’s treacherously difficult to descend. As such, it is best tackled in…