Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2017 i Trail

Ben Weeks spends a sleepless night under a rock and a delightful one in a cosy mountain hut, to find both have their charms. p32 & 46 Twitter @GingerheadBen Simon Ingram says you should drop what you’re doing and go to a quiet little valley in the Peaks for some easily gained drama p42 Twitter @MrSimonIngram Jenna Maryniak slows right down in the Lake District to discover how mindfulness can enhance a mountain walk. Learn more on p62 Graham Thompson’s boots get a battering in our extensive test. Find the best footwear for you, whether you’re blowing the budget or capping it, starting on p74…

“Situated at the foot of Snowdon, Pete’s Eats has become a hillwalkers’ breakfast mecca. The Big Jim is as intimidating as it sounds. A nine-item monster including: liver, bacon, sausage, onions, fried ‘pots and toms’ sided with mushrooms, peas and chips. Oh, and don’t forget the gravy. Definitely one to keep you going all day if you can move after finishing it!” What’s the best post-hillwalk grub? Let us know at trail@bauermedia.co.uk…

RED FOX While many of us are familiar with foxes in our cities, it might surprise you to know that they are also common inhabitants of our upland areas. The lateness of dawn and early dusk make this a great time of year for catching a glimpse of one as it starts or finishes its nightly business. Go to less frequented places and look for their tracks (a neat diamond shape) in the snow. RED GROUSE A local race of the more widespread willow grouse, the red is common on our hills and moors. Thanks to a comical burbling call, they can be spotted easily as they flee your approach. They are dark brown in colour, about the size of a chicken and males sport a bright red eyebrow. Bred…

READ THESE… BOARDMAN TASKER BRITS The Boardman Tasker Award is one of the most prestigious in mountaineering and the winner will be announced at the Kendal Literature Festival on Friday 17 November. Among the shortlist are a number of British writers, writing about the British landscape, and immersing yourself in their tales is a brilliant way to spend time in the mountains. while also staying within metres of the kettle. Look for Days to Remember by Rob Collister, The Magician’s Glass by Ed Douglas and Among the Summer Snows by Christopher Nicholson. DOWNLOAD THIS… STORY OF LIFE APP If you’re a sucker for mountain wildlife and have programmes like the BBC’s recent Mountain: Life at the Extreme series linked and saved for all time, then you’ll love this app. ‘David…

ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF YOUR MAT A mat that deflates during the night, leaving you sleeping on a cold, hard, uneven floor is a guaranteed way to ruin your sleep. Make sure yours is robust and, vitally, puncture-free. ENTERTAIN YOURSELF A pack of cards, a good book, a copy of Trail – anything that will keep you occupied is worth taking to stop the evening dragging. Just make sure you’ve got a torch with you, or reading materials will be largely pointless. Sadly there’s not enough room in there for Twister. OPT FOR A WARM BAG It gets remarkably chilly beneath the rocks. Take a warmer sleeping bag than you would if you were camping, plus some extra layers, just in case. GO IN SUMMER There’s no getting away from…

Q We’re off to the Yorkshire Dales for the first time and somebody’s mentioned the three peak challenge – what is it? Jason Davies, Birmingham Trail says The three peaks in question are Whernside (736m), Ingleborough (723m) and Pen-y-ghent (694m). The Yorkshire Three Peaks (or Y3P for short) challenge is to bag the summit of each in one continuous route – usually within a time of less than 12 hours. Interestingly, these don’t represent the three highest peaks in the Yorkshire Dales; while Whernside (whose summit trig is marginally in Cumbria) and Ingleborough are the highest and second highest respectively, Pen-y-ghent comes much further down the list. But it’s the triangular geographic arrangement of these three hills that makes them so easily linkable. Actually, ‘easily’ is the wrong word. The…

Because Outdoor Research isn’t as well known as the brand perhaps ought to be, you might not have heard of their Uberlayer Jacket – a hugely popular and much-loved jacket that functioned as a mid-layer, windproof outer layer and insulating layer all in one neat package. The Ascendant Hoody is the Uberlayer, improved with increased breathability and less weight. A Pertex Microlight stretch fabric is lined with Polartec Alpha Direct – a warmth-retaining, furry-feeling insulation that’ll keep you warm without overheating. On bright spring or autumn days, the Ascendant can be worn on its own over a base layer to fend off light drizzle and mild breezes. In cooler conditions, it’s a comfy mid- layer to be worn under a shell. And because it’s so compressible, if you end up…

ANKLE CUFF The ankle cuff helps stop mud and grit entering the boot and protects the ankle against rock abrasion. Stiffness here can reduce strain when traversing and scrambling, adding extra support which makes walking on rocky ground or snow less tiring. On easier ground, paths and moorland, this kind of support is less important. Some walkers also prefer the freedom and easy movement provided by boots with lower or softer cuffs. OUTSOLE LUGS Deep, wide-spaced lugs dig into soft mud and snow without clogging, usually providing many years of wear before they get worn down. A pronounced heel breast between the forefoot lugs and heel can add valuable braking power on descents. FIT No boot is worth having if it does not fit. The inside of the boot should…

MONTANE MINIMUS SLEEPING BAG £320 USED BY Simon Ingram, unlucky wild camper and editor USED FOR one rough week A waterproof sleeping bag! What could be better? And for a rainy week on Skye, the answer was... nowt. Getting hold of the latest version of something after using an old one for years – kind of like buying a new VW after owning a 15-year-old Saab, say – makes you realise how far things have come. Hats off to Montane: though new to the sleeping bag world, they’ve come close to designing the ultimate product for the UK camper. The Pertex Shield shell is supple and light and protects the ethically-sound, 800-fill goose down from wet boots, condensation or other moisture. There are tacky dots on the bottom to stop…

Chiz Dakin Award-winning writer, photographer and film-maker. Avid traveller. Ange Harker Nidderdale born and bred, and an experienced walking guide. Steve Goodier Author of 7 walking guidebooks, Steve loves the UK hills. Jonathan Cook Has hiked and climbed all over, but his passion for the Lakes remains. Roger Butler Roger likes to tick off remote Hebridean islands as well as mountains. Keith Fergus Author of 15 guidebooks to Scotland’s isles and coastline walks. Dan Bailey Author of Scotland’s Mountain Ridges and a huge fan of big routes. Jeremy Ashcroft Trail’s mountaineering editor and a veteran of every classic UK route. Hill-bagging stats Walking the Wainwrights, the Munros, the Corbetts or the Welsh 3000ers? These routes have got you covered. Gradient profile We map every route for its unique gradient profile,…

1 NO041934 Heading north up Glen Derry there’s a trail on either side of the river, but the route up the east side is easier going. This woodland path follows the river for a while, before climbing away from it. Having crossed a big stream that comes down off Beinn Bhreac, the woods begin to thin into scattered clumps and single old trees. Once it’s joined by the western trail, the route continues up-glen as a single path on the east side of the valley floor, a long open stretch that feels exposed in poor weather. Pass through a stand of young trees, then continue for just over 1km to a path junction. 2 NO035990 Here, keep to the right, aiming almost due north to make a long steady climb into…

1 SH780775 Leave the station via Rose Hill St, heading downhill towards the castle/sea. Cross the road and take a narrow track opposite a roundabout towards ‘Quay’. Turn left along the waterfront. Deviate under a stone arch onto a tarmac lane then follow North Wales Path (NW Path) signs past Shore cottage and back to the shoreline. Bend gently left up a side valley then pass a school and turn left again towards a crossroads. 2 SH775780 Continue ahead, then over a pedestrian railway bridge. Maintain your direction past Beechwood Court, then turn right at a T-junction. Fork right at a small lay-by, a short dirt path then leads across a stile and onto Conwy Mountain. 3 SH774777 Rise through woodland to open moorland, where a multitude of paths criss-cross…

“The Carneddau plateau is sometimes described as the Welsh Cairngorms.” “Of six summits, three are Munros and four break the magic thousand-metre contour” From Loch Laggan there is little to hint at the hugeness of the peaks, cliffs and corries hidden behind the long, rounded shoulder of Sròn a’ Choire. It’s only when you venture into the interior that you can really judge the grandeur of this hidden giant and fully understand why the Scottish Highlands are dubbed “The Big Country”. A long, curved super-corrie forms the central axis of the range, around which are organised a ring of towering black cliffs, multiple ridge formations, and a high altitude plateau that would give the Cairngorm plateau a good run for its money. This is Creag Meagaidh, and of its…

Boy, I do love autumn. Halloween, fireworks night, switching to dark ales and pulling out your Scandinavian-style clothing and squinting a lot into a low sun... I think autumn is my favourite season, certainly outside of winter, spring and summer. It’s also the month when we here at Trail shut the entry gates on the Mountain Photographer of the Year competition (p18) and gather round the vignettes of amazingness you lot have sent down the wire to us. This year we’ve had aurorae, enough sunsets to fill a year and memorably at least one team of Oompa Loompas. Not everyone can make the final, but goodness – if we can take anything from this year it’s that the standard is rising. We were blown away not just by the quality…

@feet_clouds “The castle in the town itself and Scout Scar, a Wainwright outlying fell, walkable from town. You can see most of the Lake District – fab sunsets!” Ronnie Bowron “Go to the Yorkshire Dales – Kendal’s as close to the Yorkshire Dales National Park boundary as it is to the Lake District.” Carl Bevan “Loads to do and see locally. Farleton Knott is lovely and you may well have the place to yourself! So many great pubs, from The Plough at Lupton, Hare and Hounds at Levens and Eagle and Child at Staveley to name a few. Kentmere round is an obvious decent route. Further afield is the AONB at Arnside and Silverdale and the wooded walks to the Fairy steps... Kendal Castle…

Mammut’s Eiger Extreme collection represents the pinnacle of the brand’s performance clothing. Now into its fourth generation, the latest incarnation is not a tweaked or upgraded range, but a complete redesign. Key amongst the new lines is the Nordwand Pro HS Hooded Jacket. Designed in conjunction with pro alpine athletes to handle the most demanding conditions, the jacket utilises Gore-Tex Pro fabric and features a stormproof and helmet-compatible hood, waterproof main zipper, underarm ventilation, lots of pockets, a snow skirt and a wider cut. The price tag is also fairly extreme, putting it beyond the budget (and probably the needs) of most hillwalkers. But if you’re after a jacket that can shrug off the worst the winter can throw at you on the Cairngorm plateau, the Nordwand may be worth…

Gilets are a bit of a Marmite product. But for every person who doesn’t see the point of insulation without arms, you’ll find 10 that love the adaptability and comfort of an insulating vest. The Sprayway Aldan (for men – £100) and Nuna (for women – £90) each use 140g water-repellent Teflon treated duck down to provide core warmth along with the advantages of compressibility and lightness. The baffle design stops the down from migrating away from where it’s needed, while the three pockets add useful storage options to your layering system. And while the lack of sleeves may not appeal to the cold-armed, it does make the Aldan and Nuna far more comfortable to wear along with a fleece or shell. www.sprayway.com…

The Forge, An Teallach Named either for its tendency to go red at sunset and ‘steam’ cloud from its huge central corrie – or possibly for reasons as logical as that there was once a forge located on it – An Teallach is a prickly stunner of a mountain that needs few reasons of nomenclature to visit. The Prison, Skye Part of the Alport Castles spiritual twin, the Quiraing, the Prison is an extraordinary formation of rock that looks like the bars of a cage, hence the name. You probably won’t fancy climbing up there to experience it, though – its position is as scary as its name. The Chair, Cadair Idris The chair of Idris is the literal translation of this Welsh mountain, which is said to be the…

Q What sort of things could ruin my compass accuracy if I keep them too close together in my rucksack? Stuart Osborn, Otley Lyle says Your compass contains a pivoted magnetic needle which can be affected by strong magnetic fields. So the main things are other compasses and strong magnets – though why you’d be taking the latter onto the hill is a mystery. However, should you do so, do not pack them near or next to your compass. There are ‘poodle in the microwave’ horror stories of compasses being damaged by electromagnetic interference (EMI), and specifically by the minute magnets used in the smartphone speakers, but no research has proved this to be true. My compass and mobile phone reside in the same pocket on the hill with no…

Q I’m interested in trying out poles but my friends are teasing me and saying they’re only for OAPs. What’s the deal? Meryl Sheridan, Liverpool Wow, some friends they are Meryl! You’ll be pleased to know that walking poles aren’t just for the doddering or infirm; there are plenty of benefits for regular mountain goats too; and, if your whole group uses poles, they could save a life in an emergency situation too… “A strong, lightweight pair of sticks will firstly reduce the impact on your hip, knee and ankle joints by sharing the load,” says Joerg Tichey from Austrian pole-maker Komperdell. “They will help to power you up steep climbs and aid your balance over rough and rocky terrain, and/or when wearing a heavy backpack. Poles also come in…

WHAT TO EXPECT: UP TO £125 At this budget, you are getting the basic requirements for walking over paths with an acceptable degree of comfort and grip. So there will be a sole unit with lugs to provide traction and an upper than is made of leather or synthetic fabric to protect the foot from scrapes. Inside the boot, there will often be a waterproof lining. The drawbacks are generally that these boots are less suitable for rougher terrain than higher-priced options, due to the upper and sole being relatively bendy and flexible, which is good for level paths but less comfortable on more uneven ground. The upper may be less durable than higher-priced boots, which can be a drawback on rough and rocky ground. Finally, the sole lugs tend…

X-BIONIC MOUNTAINEERING SUMMER PANTS £219 So how much technology can go into a pair of trousers? What with weaving silver into their socks, and covering them in technical looking stripes and letters, X-Bionic clearly markets its gear as being the utter cutting edge. I have a tendency to be extremely cynical of anyone trying to convince me something as functional as a pair of pants needs NASA quality engineering, however… I got a few pairs of X trousers, and have been pretty impressed. The first couple of pairs came apart at the seams, but they replaced them straight away. The next pair were actually quite remarkable; I wore them on my Venezuela tepuis-climbing expedition, and they stretched through the most balletic of climbing moves (!), dried out in minutes after…

DONE ROUTE 1 FROM ENNERDALE? Head to The Fox and Hounds pub at Ennerdale Bridge. Saved from closure by the local community in 2011, the pub was refurbished, reopened, and is now owned by 215 shareholders from the Lake District and around the world. Offering good food and drinks, log fires and a beer garden – all of which have earned them a place in The Good Pub Guide – you can also stay for bed and breakfast in one of its three rooms. Dog-, kid- and walker-friendly, you can even have a stake and buy your own shares! www.foxandhoundsinn.org…

1 NJ042032 The Fords of Avon are a trail crossroads. Go nearly due north on a well-used path climbing into the continuation of the Lairig an Laoigh, here a desolate trough below the hulk of Bynack More. Make a long gentle ascent beside the Allt Dearg, past Lochan a’ Bhainne, and over a shallow col into the head of the Glasath glen. Cross this burn, then climb onto an open shoulder on the east flank of Bynack More. 2 NJ053062 The classic route stays with the well-blazed trail around the east side of the mountain, but at this point a detour to Bynack More is worth the effort. By two large boulders, turn left off the trail and attack the slope head-on. There’s no path, but the low heath is…

1 SH712718 Rise up from the col, following the wall line, which provides a handrail as a wall or fence all the way to Foel Fras. Bend left with the wall and ridgeline around a corner. The majority of the previous footsteps have voted for a good shortcut path below the minor top of Drum, which leads directly to a vehicle track onto Drum summit. 2 SH708695 As you go through the col between Drum and Foel Fras, the path gains a series of stepping stones across the bog, before a long rise up to the rocky and blocky summit of Foel Fras and its trig point. 3 SH696681 Regain the wall line across a small boulderfield from the trig point. The wall line leads away to your left on…

High above Llanberis Pass, and perched prominently against the craggy ramparts of Crib Goch, is the clean sweep of Clogwyn y Person Arête. It follows an uncompromising line skyward from the wild depths of Cwm Glas to terminate at the top of the steep cliffs of Crib-y-Ddysgl. For climbers and scramblers alike, it is an appealing line, in part because of its aesthetic, but importantly because of the challenge its committing and inescapable ascent offers. Its sustained technical nature puts it firmly in the top end of the scrambling grade spectrum, but if you have been working your way through the gamut of classic Snowdonia scrambles, are happy rock climbing, or you have aspirations for Alpine expeditions, then this superb arête has to be on your ‘to do’ list. Generally,…

“Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion,” The MSR Reactor stove makes its debut in Trail’s First Test in 2007 . 10 years later, it’s still going strong. Alan Hinkes OBE gets naked for Trail’s centrefold in 1997 ’s December issue as part of a feature on layering. 20 years later, he reveals all again, in a quite different style, this time disclosing his life story in a new biopic. said Anatoli Boukreev, who saved the lives of three people in the 1996 Everest disaster documented in the book, Into Thin Air and film ‘Everest’. He died in an avalanche on Annapurna on Christmas Day, 1997 . An event which he dreamed about that same year. Aleister Crowley died…

Zips are often an integral part of outdoor gear: clothing, tents, sleeping bags and, increasingly, rucksacks all use them. They’re an extremely convenient fastening – until, that is, they break. This can render an item of gear all but useless, and trying to fix a zip on the go can be a nightmare. Fixnzip aims to rectify that. Available in three sizes from £11.50, the thumb-screw design allows the Fixnzip to slide over any broken zipper to replace a broken zip-pull without tools or sewing. It’s a great thing to keep in your gear- repair kit and you won’t even notice it’s in your pack – until you come to use it. > www.fixnzip.com…

This shoe was one of the last pieces of mountain gear to benefit from the input of the extraordinary Ueli Steck before his untimely death on Everest in April of this year. As a mountaineer, Ueli is perhaps best remembered for his record-breaking speed ascents as well as his revolutionary climbs of new and previously climbed routes. The Ribelle Tech OD is described as “a shoe with the spirit of Ueli Steck”. Using cutting edge footwear technology, including Sock-Fit comfort and OutDry waterproofing, the boot has been created to take the wearer from the valley floor to the top of the highest mountain. It’s a slightly odd looking creature; essentially a mid-height boot with a higher ankle-gaiter and hidden laces aimed primarily at the alpine explorer. However, its light weight…

There are 14 mountains over 8000m in the world and only one Brit has ever climbed them all: Alan Hinkes OBE, a working-class bloke from Northallerton. Any other Brit who has tried has either stopped, or been killed. This should make Alan one of the best-known mountaineers in the country, and yet – he isn’t. In this biopic, ‘Life of a Mountain’ director Terry Abraham takes on what he sees as a major oversight. “I wanted to produce something funny, engaging, inspiring and spectacular,” he states. “The more folk who see it the better, as far as I’m concerned, to not only get Alan the recognition he deserves, but also to inspire the public to explore the outdoors.” This is his mission statement. So, the high-stakes drama of such a…

“Blimey, the quality this year is amazing!” This has been on the lips of everyone who has seen the avalanche of entries that have been pouring in over the last six months. And now, in what has been the most popular year yet for the UK Mountain Photo of the Year – proudly in association with Fujifilm – it is time to get down to the business of picking a winner. This year, there are three awards, each nabbing a superb Fujifilm camera, worth a total of £3,000. But only one entry will get the title of Winner, and as one fifth of our judging panel – on which sit photographers, mountaineers, art editors and photography magazine gurus – you, dear readers, get to help bring that winner home. So…

Q Should it take more or less time to cover distance walking downhill, than on the flat? Toni Caulfield, Bletchley Lyle says Logically, you would think less time… and you’d be correct! Knowing this difference is important when you are using ‘dead reckoning’ – an important navigation technique for use in low visibility during poor weather or at night. In these situations, counting paces and estimating how long it should take you to cover a specific distance can help you reach a determined location – even when you can’t see the area around you. While walking downhill will speed you up, many factors will slow you down and it is important to be aware of how these can affect you.…

Mountain Instructor Stuart Johnston says: “Make a three-person sedan chair with eight poles, a strong jacket and three people wearing packs. Tape up 2 x 4 poles, turn the jacket sleeves inside out, zip it up with inverted sleeves inside, then post the two sets of taped up poles through them. Hook two ends through the backpack straps of the front person, then the two at the rear have the other ends each, one left, one right. The casualty then sits facing backwards, back resting on the front carrier’s back.” POLE TIP 1 For short rocky ascents and descents, where you need quick access to both hands, rather than spending time collapsing the poles, slide them upside down between your backpack and back from the top (not from the side…

All Trail tests are completely unbiased and independent. As Trail‘s Technical Editor, GT has been testing our outdoor equipment for over 25 years, and is proud to be a bit of a geek when it comes to kit. GT's reviews have earned him recognition as one of the most influential people in the outdoor industry. He has collaborated with the Leeds University Performance Clothing Research Group; worked as an outdoor instructor and in outdoor retail; and has authored books on scrambles and a backpacking guide to the Lake District. GT’s love of hillwalking and backpacking has taken him all over the world, but the Lake District is his passion.…

COLUMBIA OUTDRY EX ECO INSULATED SHELL £225 It may look like it belongs in an East 17 Christmas video, but this all-white insulating layer owes its unusual colour scheme to an absence of dyes, part of what gives the jacket its eco credentials. Inside, you’ll find 100% recycled synthetic insulation while the 100% recycled outer shell features a PFC free OutDry membrane, making the Ex Eco warm, waterproof and very green (even though it’s white). www.columbiasportswear.co.uk PATAGONIA MICRO PUFF HOODY £250 Patagonia tell us that, through a decade of extensive research, they’ve managed to address the prime issues affecting down and synthetic insulation. Down is crippled by moisture, but synthetics are not as warm or compressible. Patagonia’s answer is the Micro Puff Hoody, a jacket that claims to be as…

DONE ROUTES 10-12 AROUND CARNEDD LLEWELYN? Head to the fastest zip line in the world! Zip World, at Penrhyn Quarry, near Bethesda, is the longest zip line in Europe and will take you in excess of 100mph. You start off on a mini zip line to test your mettle, before the real thing – then your mind will be blown by the adrenaline, the views and the speed of flying through the air head first. We loved it. There’s also a brand new “adventure terminal” with a restaurant, viewing area and shop. At £70 a go, it might be one for a special occasion, but if you have a group of more than three people, you can ask about special offers. www.zipworld.co.uk…

1 NH985074 Cross the road and take the woodland path south into the gorge of the Allt Mor. Cross a footbridge and follow the trail up right then back left on the far bank, following the course of the burn south, then more west on a well-drained trail. After about 1.5km, the path descends to cross the burn, then climbs into the notch of the Chalamain Gap. Cross a jumble of boulders in the floor of the gap, then, on the far side, a newly built trail descends south-south-west to the Lairig Ghru. 2 NH959037 At a path junction where a burn gurgles from under boulders, continue straight up the glen where the trail is easily followed above the west side of the burn. Climb gradually into the mouth of…