Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2018 i Trail

Sarah Ryan makes an intrepid ascent to Scafell up an icy Lord’s Rake, revelling in the gully’s wild beauty and demanding features p26 Twitter @sarah_outside Ben Weeks reveals all about winter wild camping and provides vital tips for pitching up in the cold – and why you’d want to p44 Twitter @GingerheadBen Simon Ingram heads to the extreme tip of Scotland to explore the dramatic peninsula that is mainland Britain’s northernmost point p50 Graham Thompson puts a clutch of daysacks and fleeces through their paces, and tests out the latest innovative offering from a backpack veteran p71…

The predominant religion of the Sherpa people is Buddhism, a belief system based on the pursuit of peace, calm and meditation. But, by golly, there’s going to be a scrap over this! Knitted from 100 per cent lambswool, the cosy Kirtipur is made more so by the Primaloft Silver insulation in the torso and fleece lining in the hood, pockets and collar. In short, it puts the lush in plush. It feels good. The zip-up hoodie takes its name from the small Nepalese village of Kirtipur in the shadow of the Himalayas, where teams of women gather to knit. Sherpa Adventure Gear employed 314 knitters to make their sweaters and, in the case of the Kirtipur, it takes a single knitter a full eight days to create one of these…

WATCH… MOUNTAIN This is a visual knockout of a film that cuts together sequences of the most spectacular mountain scenes ever captured into a cohesive unit, glued by the ruminative words of Robert Macfarlane – charismatically intoned by celebrated Hollywood baddie Willem Dafoe – and the stirring tones of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Best appreciated on a big screen, if you can drum up enough interest you can orchestrate a screening near you, or get details of one already happening at www.ourscreen.com/film/Mountain CHILL OUT AT… ZoomEarth Google Earth? Soooo last year. And of limited use when it comes to planning a trip to the hills around the weather as the imagery is often months (or years) old. No such problem with ZoomEarth: on here there are two new…

“I’VE CLIMBED THE HEIGHT OF EVEREST – WHERE WILL IT TAKE YOU? ” SO, YOU’VE... Signed up to Trail’s #EverestAnywhere challenge ✔ Cut out your Progress Tracker (page 123) ✔ Got your app / fitness tracker or map to calculate your metres of ascent ready to go ✔ Kitted yourself out with all your walking gear ✔ Subscribed to Trail for all your routes and inspiration ✔ ...now go for it! Set your sights on what exciting exploits there are to be had this year! Here’s some ideas: 7 WAYS TO 8,848m! Get out and get high with our list of seven top adventures to make 2018 a year to remember! 1 MICROADVENTURING As Alastair Humphreys has shown us, it’s easy to break out of your comfort zone from…

WATER BOTTLE Klean Kanteen £18 Tough 800ml bottle with none of the awful taste you get with plastic or aluminium bottles. COMPASS Silva Expedition 4 £30 Neither too expensive to afford nor too cheap to trust, the Expedition 4 is the iconic, archetypal ‘serious’ compass that should always be in your pocket, along with a map – no matter what technical gizmos you’re packing. With care it should last decades. HEADTORCH Petzl Tikka XP £50 If you want a piece of kit that will save your bacon, last pretty much forever and assist you in ways as yet undreamt of, the humble Petzl Tikka is it. There’s nothing more likely to thoroughly scupper you by its absence than the ability to see after nightfall – and no problem is easier…

Q For winter day walks I always carry a spare pair of socks, but are there any other spare items I should be packing? Jakub Hahn, Boston Rob says Packing a few extra spares in winter is a good idea to allow us to be self-sufficient in the mountains. I pack a roll of gaffer tape as this can be used to repair torn gaiters and trousers, broken zips on waterproofs and all manner of minor kit breakages. I also carry a couple of cable ties for a similar reason as these are especially useful if you have to make a temporary repair to crampons or a rucksack lid. A spare base layer is useful, as we often get hot and sweaty walking uphill at the start of the day,…

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.…

MAIN COMPARTMENT ENTRY The entry to the main compartment may be a conventional lid with a buckle or a zipped closure. There are pros and cons of both designs, with lids having the advantage that there are no zips to break, you can overstuff the bag and the lid often has an excellent pocket for smaller items such as maps and guidebooks. COMPRESSION STRAPS These are on the sides of some rucksacks and allow you to compress the body of the sack to help stabilise the load. They are also useful for stashing items onto the side of the sack, such as trekking poles and waterproof jackets. WAND POCKETS Originally designed for avalanche probes or ‘wands’, these pockets on the side of a rucksack are often made of stretchy, mesh…

In our November 2017 issue we asked for photos celebrating the joys of walking in Britain’s National Parks – and you didn’t disappoint! Here are the five winners, which have each bagged £200 of Columbia kit for the person behind the lens. It all ties in with Columbia’s pledge to kit out National Park staff across the UK in high-quality gear for the next five years. At the same time, the photos help to explain why our National Parks have such special magnetism for walkers. For more about these extraordinary places, visit www.nationalparks.gov.uk – and find Columbia’s full range at www.columbiasportswear.co.uk BIG BEN VORLICH by Paul Robertson, Hereford Says Paul: “I salute Megabus: its comfy bed carried me overnight from Kent up to Glasgow, then I caught a bus along Loch…

DOING ROUTE 1 ? FUEL UP AT… Fellpack in Keswick. This little café started with the dream of five fell-lovin’ adventure-seekers. In June 2017 they all uprooted and moved to the Lakes to realise their dream of fuelling Lakeland adventures – and now run an excellent little café-restaurant on Lake Road, providing eat-in lunches and dinners (closed Tuesday, winter only) and pack-ups for the hills. Go there for great atmosphere, enthusiastic service and a palpable sense of adventure. (01768) 771177 or visit www.fellpack.co.uk DONE ROUTES 10-12 ? DELVE INTO… Rothiemurchus Forest. One of Britain’s largest area of remaining ancient forest, this part of the Highlands is home to precious mixed woodland, lochs, rivers, glens, mountains and stunning scenery. An evening tour with Speyside Wildlife will give you the chance to…

Kintail, in the eastern Scottish Highlands, is a popular hillwalking destination for its long ridge walks and dramatic landscape. The gateway to the Isle of Skye, it doesn’t fail to deliver in matching its famous neighbour. There are multi-day walks here, as well exciting and dramatic scrambles on offer. Forcan Ridge is renowned as a great scramble, and hands and feet will be engaged throughout most of your ascent to The Saddle. Sgurr na Sgine, although not as spectacular, is an impressive summit to bag, overlooking Forcan Ridge and the South Glen Shiel Ridge, with views across to the Cuillin on Skye. Under the cover of winter, this makes for a great mountaineering experience and a very physical challenge for anyone wishing to cut their teeth on their first winter…

Conquering the lofty heights of the largest mountains Scotland has to offer, across the remote and picturesque Cairngorm tundra. What could possibly be better? How about doing it in winter with a bothy stop on the way? Aside from the Nevis range, the bulk of Scotland’s mountains that reach the lofty 4,000ft mark can found in the Cairngorms: Braeriach, Sgor an Lochain Uaine (Angel’s Peak), Cairn Toul, Ben Macdui and Carn Gorm. The remote, rugged wilderness found in Scotland’s interior in the winter has been compared to the bleak tundra of the Arctic, and is a challenge not to be taken lightly. At this time of year you’ll require the relevant kit and experience, as well as the means to self-support for the duration. Then all you need is three…

Why do you go to the hills? Peace? Beautiful views? Challenge? A slower pace? To embrace the outdoors or benevolently pit yourself against it, returning renewed, a little spanked and nicely in perspective? To step away from the clatters and stress of a zillion attention-snaring distractions and just breathe? Or to pay a fortune to tear along a zip wire stapled across a lake? There’s been lots of discussion lately about how we use our wild places. About who has the right to make cash from the landscape and what it has to sacrifice to enable that. This month maybe we could listen to John Muir (see p64), one of the first to wake up to the fact that, having encroached as far as we have, we now can’t be…

Mandy Fitton “The Alpine Coffee Shop is lovely - great food and coffee, always a warm welcome – and dog-friendly, too!” Ritch Shandley “Pont Y Pair Inn is a nice place to stay. They also welcome dogs.” Gavin Mascall “Make sure you stop in for some cakes at the Popty Bakery – the Florentines and cherry almond slices are amazing, We always stop in on our way back from the mountains.” Emma Hale “Stay at Swallow Falls Hotel. You can hear the falls, staff are amazing and breakfast is unreal!”…

As served atÉ Café Arriba, Portree, Ise of Skye What makes little, quirky cafés so great are the special recipes that become a trademark. Coca Cola cake – chocolate sponge infused with the essence of the world’s most distinctive soft drink – isn’t exactly unique to the Café Arriba. But something about the mix of the café’s watery location and proximity between Skye’s two best walking areas – the Cuillin and the Trotternish Ridge – means it’s far more likely to be a fixture of those important, poring-over-a-map with a coffee and cake moments. “Shall we go north or south today? Hmmm. Tough choice. More cake, please.” > Know any top post- or pre-walk scran? Let us know at trail@bauermedia.co.uk…

We’d all like our gear to last longer. We’d probably say that we’d pay more for our kit if it meant increased longevity. Haglöfs’ V-Series Down Jacket uses 900 fill power hydrophobic goose down wrapped in Dyneema (claimed to be the world’s strongest fibre). The aim was to create “the toughest down jacket in the world.” But who will be able to put that to the test given the RRP is a staggering £1,000? It’s hard to justify that on the components of the jacket, so what you’re actually paying for is the research and development (R&D) behind it. Even if you have a grand kicking around, there are probably better things to spend it on so until the V-Series R&D filters down into more affordable products, it’s probably beyond…

Q Which of the UK’s mountains is regarded as the most dangerous in winter in terms of accidents, injuries and deaths? Tony Bateman, Thetford Jeremy says It’s arguably wrong to class a particular mountain as the ‘most dangerous’ since simply looking at stats from accidents wildly skews findings towards popular peaks. It’s probably better to look at blackspots and use them to inform us on how we can modify our behaviour to avoid accidents. The list of blackspots is fairly long so it’s useful to pull out a few notable examples. The normal route up Buachaille Etive Mor via Coire na Tulaich (aka Langangarbh Coire) has seen a number of very serious avalanche incidents. Huge quantities of wind-driven snow regularly accumulate, but people still use it as it’s the easiest…

UP TO £50 At this price you get a basic insulation layer that will provide the warmth needed for hillwalking, but it will tend to lack the benefits of more expensive products. The fleece may be slightly thinner, so it’s not as warm as some costlier options. You may not get any pockets nor a hood. More subtle missing details may include no draught baffle behind the front zip, the front zip may only extend to the chest and there may be no zip garage to prevent the top of the zip from scratching your chin or neck area. This price band of fleece jackets is good for general hillwalking, though, and if you are on a tight budget you don’t need to spend more to be warm and comfortable…

BIG BOBBLE HATS GINGER NINJA £20 USED BY Trail’s own ginger ninja (and news and features writer) Ben Weeks USED FOR 2 months I bought this back in June 2017; hardly prime bobble hat season, but they were selling them for £15 at Keswick Mountain Festival and I was rather taken with this one. If orange and black isn’t your colour, fear not. Big Bobble Hats’ hats come in a range of colours, each with their own name. It takes courage to rock a bobble this big, so it was with some trepidation that I wore it for the first time this winter. But, as it turns out there was much love for my enormous bobble – so much so that, as of Christmas, my daughter and wife have been…

Chiz Dakin Award-winning writer, photographer and film-maker. Avid traveller. Claire Maxted Former editor of Trail Running & Trail writer, Claire’s a mountain pro. Steve Goodier Author of 7 walking guidebooks, Steve loves the UK hills. Nick Livesey Acclaimed Snowdoniabased photographer and rarely off the hills. Ben James Lover of expeditions and mountain challenges all over the UK. Dan Bailey Author of Scotland’s Mountain Ridges and a huge fan of big routes. Roger Butler Roger likes to tick off hills in the Peak District as well as Hebridean islands. Jeremy Ashcroft Trail’s mountaineering editor and a veteran of every classic UK route. STRENUOUSNESS How tired will this route make me? The times quoted for Trail Routes are based on estimates of 4km per hour, plus 30 min for every 300m of…

Despite being crossed by the A54 and A537, the White Peak area around the upper reaches of the infant River Dane is a surprising wilderness where you quickly feel as though you are miles from anywhere. This route takes in the little-visited summits of Axe Edge Moor (1,807ft/551m) and the adjoining Axe Edge (1,801ft/549m), and continues along tracks and paths (with some intricate route-finding) working a way in and out of valleys to reach the amazing old mine workings at Danebower Quarries. From here there is more wilderness to explore with a traverse of wild moorland and a climb to reach Britain’s second highest pub, the Cat and Fiddle (closed at present, awaiting a new tenant). The going is mostly straightforward and there are usually paths and tracks to follow,…

Standing proud on the south-east fringe of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, the twin Munros of Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’ Chroin serve as symbolic gateposts to the Highlands. Clearly – and enticingly - visible from much of central Scotland, their distinctive sharp-peaked profile suggests great things. It’s a promise that these fine hills really live up to. They may be among the most accessible of Scotland’s 3,000-footers, but despite their well-deserved popularity Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’ Chroin still harbour areas of surprising isolation. Approaches from the south and east are long, boggy and indirect, so start instead at the shore of scenic Loch Earn in the north, from where Ben Vorlich is quickly won. But don’t be fooled by the easy access: the classic round of…

1 NH984073 From the Sugar Bowl car park, cross the road and follow the trail down into the woodland, before crossing a footbridge where you will begin to ascend. Follow the trail which winds to the right, before doubling back on itself to the left. Keep to the reasonably well-marked trail, and continue on to the Chalamain Gap, which is flanked by steep rocky slopes on either side. 2 NH966054 Pick your way though the Gap with care. It is littered with loose boulders and scree, and in the winter any large voids can be covered with snow. Ascend through the Gap, and once clear of the boulderfield, you will find yourself on a newly built track that winds away to the south – follow this all the way into…

“Steep mountain sides and deep, drifting snow can make for a strenuous route.” “ hree arns is where Bowfell first shows its real mountain teeth... with unsurpassed views of Langdale, Langstrath and Eskdale.” If there is one walk that best defines walking in the Lake District it has to be the high-level romp over Crinkle Crags and Bowfell. They are not the highest and they are certainly not the hardest summits, but between them they hold all the key features that make for a truly great day’s fell-walking adventure. Between these two peaks you’ll be tested with some navigational conundrums, get your boots, and occasionally your hands, on rough Lakeland rock and experience the roller coaster of hard work that proper mountain terrain provides. For position, it’s hard to…

The first recorded ascent of Ben Nevis was in 1771 by the botanist James Robertson who noted, “I ascended Ben Nevis, which is reckoned the highest mountain in Britain. A third part of the hill from the summit towards the top is entirely naked, resembling a heap of stones thrown together confusedly. The summit far overtops the surrounding hills.” Lord John Hunt died aged 88 in Henley-on-Thames in 1998. Hunt famously led the 1953 British Expedition to Mount Everest, which was the first confirmed attempt to reach the 8848m summit of the world’s highest mountain. The British Army officer also served in World War Two and later became the first director of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme. In 1971 the Three Peaks Challenge was completed in a record quick…

FROG SPAWN Every puddle, tarnlet and ditch up in the hills will be strewn with this gelatinous wonder soon, if not already. Yet given a few weeks, as some of those puddles dry in the spring sunshine, much spawn will perish as it dries out and is eaten by birds unable to resist a free, protein-rich snack. Did you know that the tadpoles won’t mature into frogs until the following year in upland environs? SKYLARK A lover of grassy level ridges and fell tops, this little bird stirs jubilance in your heart. On stubby triangular wings they carry themselves up to the limit of visibility (for us), then break into a hover and pour forth their joyous song, I always feel like they are singing for Britain! While wild camping,…

“Some mountains are high; some mountains are hard. Few are both.” This sets the stage for this quite unclassifiable book from the always-interesting pen of Doug Scott – Himalayan trail-breaker, Everest history-maker and committed member of the Hard As Nails club. Part cultural history, part mountain ‘biography’ and part memoir, the draw here is his account of mountaineering’s most extraordinary survival story. In terms of the obvious comparison, it makes Touching the Void read like a tickling competition. The story of Scott’s nine-day crawl to (eventual) deliverance after breaking both legs right below the top of one of the world’s hardest mountains in 1977 would be bad enough. Then there’s the storm, the altitude, a climbing partner (Chris Bonington, no less) with broken ribs and pneumonia, no food, porters who…

FOUR-SEASON TENT A winter tent has to be strong enough to stand up to snow loading. A lightweight 3-season tent probably won’t be up to the job, but might be okay providing no snow falls and the wind is light. WARM SLEEPING MAT You lose a lot of heat to the ground if your mat is substandard. A single sleeping mat with an R rating (a measure of insulation) of 4-6 is best, or you can use two thinner mats. WINTER SLEEPING BAG Look for a low temperature ‘comfort rating’ (-5 to -10 deg C). Or, consider purchasing a down or synthetically insulated blanket which you can throw over your normal sleeping bag. INSULATED JACKET A thick jacket that you can throw over the top of your other layers will…

Q My boots are getting worn down at the heel and the lugs on the Vibram soles are getting a bit shallow. The boots are otherwise perfect – can I get them resoled? Colin Owen, via email Graham says Better-quality boots can generally be resoled if the upper is in good condition. Lancashire Sports Repairs (www.lancashiresportsrepairs.co.uk) have been resoling walking boots for many years at around £50 to £70 a pair, so this is a good option if you have a quality boot that may cost around £150 or more to replace. However, if you are able to find a pair of boots in a sale then that may be a cheaper means of keeping grip on the hill. If the boot upper is not in good condition, though, it may…

One thing is for sure about Pete Barron – and that is all is not what it seems. Down to earth and unassuming, he’s quite happy for you to go on thinking he’s just an average bloke. But under the Trail spotlight, Pete’s reluctant layers were gradually peeled away to reveal a man whose life’s work and achievements are anything but ordinary. National standard fell-runner, recipient of the British Empire Medal, 20-year Mountain Rescue team member, fell-top assessor, and cross-country ski-racer are just a few achievements of a man born and bred in the Lake District. Pete’s role today is the new land manager for the John Muir Trust. The conservation charity, better known for its work to protect wild places in Scotland, just this year took on Glenridding Common…

LOOKING FOR MORE WIND & WATER RESISTANCE? Highlander Mission Fleece Jacket £45/801g (size L) Men’s XS-XXL This is made with a 3-layer fleece with a waterproof, breathable membrane. It has a hood and two good chest pockets. It’s very heavy, though, and the fit was not great. LOOKING FOR LESS INSULATION? Didriksons Tim/Tracy Jacket £50/256g (size L) Men’s S-XXXL Women’s 8-18 This is a very thin fleece with an open-knit construction for maximum airflow and works best during high activity or in warmer weather. It has no pockets. LOOKING FOR AN ADJUSTABLE HOOD? Sprayway Wodan Hoody £65/429g (Size L) Men’s S-XXL The drawcords in the hood set it apart and may allow a better fit; you also get two good main pockets and its medium level of insulation is good…

HYDRO FLASK HYDRO FLASK £26 One of the perks of my job is that you get sent lots of freebies, most of which are, to be frank, gimmicky. This is one of the exceptions. It’s identical to any normal, tough flask, but it genuinely keeps your stuff hot! Without any breakable bits, it can take a right pounding. When my wife Helen and I did the Devizes to Westminster [marathon canoe race] in 2016, we made coffee early on Saturday morning, and only found it again when we finished the race Easter Sunday afternoon. I went to tip it away, and it was STILL HOT. Genius! > Check out Steve's tweets @ SteveBackshall…

From Caesar to Amundsen, Samuel Johnson to Sherlock Holmes, the equinoxes (where days and nights are of equal length) have long been regarded as a time of gales. These days it’s better understood that ‘equinoctial gales’ simply mark the onset and waning of generally stronger winter storms, and are not directly related to the equinox. But it’s still hard to shake the idea that March isn’t a windy month! So if it’s blowing a hoolie in the short days of early spring and you want a ‘short but proper challenge’, you could do worse than Causey Pike. The slopes are steep in places, but as you rise up Rowling End the views expand across the Newlands Valley while occasional rocky patches add adventure, culminating in a short, enjoyable gully scramble…

Viewed from the west, Cnicht and the Moelwynion present a deliciously irresistible challenge that attracts its fair share of footfall as baggers pick off the main summits. But beyond this bold facade lies a complex tableland of miniature peaks, hidden lakes and abandoned quarries, offering a number of permutations for walks on which solitude and exploration are the order of the day. This particular mountain journey starts from the tranquil valley of Nantmor and traces its south-eastern skyline. Cnicht’s airy summit forms the centrepiece and focal point of the walk but is far from the be all and end all. Indeed, away from that most celebrated of Snowdonia’s minor peaks, you will feel like a pioneer as you leave the beaten ways for seldom trodden hillsides, chance upon secretive sky-mirror…

It’s no surprise that Conwy attracts day trippers. The bold castle and its fortress-like walls dominate the town while Telford’s famous suspension bridge is another eye-catcher. And then there’s the smallest house in Britain, as well as hearty helpings of fish and chips. But look west, beyond the cluster of narrow streets, and you’ll soon realise that Conwy is also the gateway to the wild Carneddau range. The moors almost tumble into town and lots of paths, many with ancient origins, lead west over knobbly foothills to high ridges, dark crags and lonely lakes. The wild ponies and croaking ravens probably wonder why so many walkers seem to be sucked towards Snowdon but, after a few days here, you too will start to appreciate the empty mountains that rise above…

1 SH743692 From car park walk southwest to a gate with a track between walls. Cross an old leat after 200m and go ahead over a ladder-stile. Continue for 2.3km, via three gates, cross a broad grassy area below Craig Cefn Coch and descend to a sheepfold next to Afon Ddu. 2 SH718680 Go over a ladder-stile, jump the stream and fork right over another ladder-stile. Veer right for 750m, gradually uphill and north of a large, concentric sheepfold. Go over another ladder-stile at the next fence and turn right to follow it steeply uphill to its junction with another fence on the broad ridge east of Foel-fras. Turn left, and keep going ahead to cross a ladder stile over the fence. Continue west, with a wall on the left,…

Y Lliwedd has a long mountaineering history – its north face plays host to climbs that date back to the early days of the sport. Pioneering climbers were attracted to it because of the similarities its towering buttresses had to the great Alpine faces. The routes up it are long and rambling and have a strong mountaineering flavour. This face sets the scene for the character of the mountain and although its south face is less steep the whole mountain has an airy verticality to it. While not in the same technical league as the routes on the north face the summit crest shares the same lofty sensations, and provides a rock-hopping ridgeline that is thoroughly rewarding to cross. It’s normally climbed as a bit of an afterthought to Snowdon,…