Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2021 i Trail

Meall Nan Tarmachan Southern Highlands “Just dropping you a wee picture from yesterday on Meall Nan Tarmachan. It was a snowy day, so we made some mini snowmen creations atop the cairn. A cheeky day off school for my boys Henry (11) and Ewan (8), spent the right way!” Anne Mair-Chapman, Wooler Sandwood Bay NW Highlands “With my partner Sophie Hickson on a walk out to Sandwood Bay in northwest Scotland last September.” Jason Maddick, Newton Abbott Cat Bells Lake District “First unassisted ascent of Cat Bells for my daughter Elise (5), with sister Jessie (8) on her 3rd time. Started snowing shortly after this - made for an exciting mountain day for them!” Alex Davies, Sedgefield Cairn Toul Cairngorms “Harnessing the power of the cold bacon roll at Cairn…

SKINCARE The skincare experts at Life Jacket offer some tips on protecting your skin and preventing skin cancer when out on the hill. Cover any exposed skin – such as face, arms and legs – with an SPF product before you set off. The best product is one you are happy to use and reapply. Apply about 1 teaspoon per body part to ensure coverage that matches the SPF rating on the bottle. In spring and summer or when UV rays are strong, reapply lotion every couple of hours – more frequently if you get wet or sweat intensely. The sun’s ultraviolet rays are responsible for 80% of the damage to your skin year-round, so you should still apply sun lotion in autumn and winter. A daily moisturiser with built-in…

Little Terras The Scarpa Little Terra kids’ waterproof boots (£80) come in sizes from EU 27 (UK child size 9) to 38 (UK adult size 5). Full grain leather uppers, a waterproof membrane and durable rubber soles mean even little feet can be equipped with proper walking boots. scarpa.co.uk Rubbish knives The handle of the Waterhaul Adventure Knife (£24) is made from 100% recycled gill nets (regarded as the most dangerous form of nets due to their likelihood of entanglement), collected by Waterhaul from around the Cornish coast. The green colour of the knife is from the original netting and has no additional pigments or dyes. Paired with a high-end Italian blade, it’s a built-to-last, functional pocket-knife that’s helping to clean up the oceans. waterhaul.co Crazy cosy Like the snuggliness…

KEY FEATURES FILL WEIGHT Fill weight is the amount of down in a bag, measured in grams. The higher the fill weight, the warmer a bag will be. This means that it’s important to check both the fill weight and fill power. A sleeping bag with only 650 fill power down can still be as warm as a bag with 900 fill power down; for example, if it has a higher fill weight (ie more down) inside the bag. CONSTRUCTION Most bags use box-wall construction to trap the fill inside brick-shaped pockets (baffles). Larger baffles give more space for insulation to loft, smaller baffles help stop the fill from spreading out. TEMPERATURE RATINGS Sleeping bags are commonly graded by the EN/ISO standard, stating temperature ratings as ‘comfort’ (warm enough for…

DIFFICULTY HARD SCRAMBLE GRADE 1-2 DISTANCE 21KM TIME 12+ HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 1900M PEAK BAGGER STATS CORBETTS 2 TRAIL 100s 1 No words I write here will ever do justice to this route or the island it inhabits. The Rum Cuillin is not for the faint-hearted or the inexperienced. You are on your own in wild country and you need to be on top of your game with the route-finding. You really need to do it in good weather, both for safety and enjoyment. While you are challenged almost continually, you are rewarded tenfold with a landscape that is unmatched anywhere I’ve ever walked. I honestly can’t put into words just how wonderful this place is. The sight of a white-tailed eagle, effortlessly gliding above the sea cliffs will stay…

This route has the most touristy of starting points you could ever wish to experience (map point 1, NN170569) but more soberingly there’s a helipad in the car park! Make no mistake, although today’s walk isn’t the longest, it certainly is a full mountain day. Don’t let the proximity of the A82 soften any expectations. From the car park you can’t see Bidean nam Bian, our Everest for the day, but you can see the Three Sisters; subsidiary ridges that line up obediently to be gawped at. You’re going to a place no lay-by bound tourist ever sees… A path leads roughly south-east from the start to the first of two bridges that cross the River Coe (map point 2, NN173564). The second bridge is used on the way back.…

A TRAVERSE OF GLEN COE’S AONACH EAGACH RIDGE IS ONE OF THE MOST THRILLING AND UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES IN THE UK HILLS. WALK IT Scrambling experience usually follows a fairly familiar pattern. Hillwalkers make the transition to scrambling someplace where the line between walking and scrambling is a faint and blurred one – Striding Edge on Helvellyn, for example. From there they might try another arête with more exposure, such as Crib Goch on Snowdon, or a route that’s a little less walking and a little more climbing, like the north ridge of Tryfan. At some point, though, the Aonach Eagach ridge is going to blip onto their radar. The actual scrambling isn’t overly difficult; it’s Grade 2 at most, and some of the wider, greener parts of the ridge are…

ANKLE CUFF Many boots designed for spring/summer use have a lower ankle cuff than a standard boot, saving weight and giving a more flexible feel while still offering some support and protection. They’re often referred to as mid-cut boots – halfway between a traditional high boot and a low-cut trail shoe. UPPERS For optimum comfort in warm weather, look for boots with plenty of fabric or mesh panelling – although bear in mind that suede, nubuck or synthetic materials in high-wear areas will add durability. OUTSOLE The outsole provides traction via a tread pattern made up of rubber lugs. Some bootmakers use branded outsoles such as Vibram, others use their own. Different rubber compounds are employed. Softer compounds offer better grip, but harder compounds tend to wear better. In general,…

MEINDL SPORT WAX (80G) £4.99 Maybe it’s just us, but it doesn’t feel like proper boot care unless you’re scooping gunk out of a tin and applying it lovingly to your cherished boots. Meindl’s Sport Wax is an all-natural beeswax designed to nourish and protect full-grain leather. One of the Trail team once used it for eight years on a pair of old school, non-Gore-Tex Lowa boots that we can honestly say never, ever leaked. VERDICT If you own a more traditional pair of smooth full-grain leather boots – we’re talking the Zamberlans, Scarpas and Meindls of this world – this is the stuff to buy. It smells wonderful too. BOOT BANANAS ORIGINAL SHOE DEODORISERS £14 Smelly and wet hiking boots are never a pleasant thing, yet this quirky, banana-shaped product…

LAKE DISTRICT DALE HEAD Sandwiched smack bang in the middle of Derwent, Buttermere and Borrowdale is Dale Head. At 753m high it takes a commanding position in the Lake District’s north-western fells. The allure of Dale Head isn’t just its remarkable cairned summit though – the magic lies in the journey to get there. The mountain’s craggy ridgelines wrap themselves protectively around the Newlands Valley to form one of the best horseshoe rounds in the Lakes. High above Derwent Water, Cat Bells kicks things off in style with views to rival anything in England. Everyone knows it too, so it’s usually packed with tourists, but as you leave behind the honeypot summit and head up onto Maiden Moor and High Spy on a rolling rollercoaster of a ridge, the buzz…

Betws-y-Coed is the mountain capital of Snowdonia, and accommodation is plentiful. But not all accommodation was created equal, and we fell in love with these slightly bonkers but brilliant apartments above Betws-y-Coed train station. Created by an artist, they’re flamboyantly decorated, spacious and kitted out with quality fittings for everything you, your dog, your kids or your mates could need. There are five apartments of different sizes and styles, with a brilliant pizza bar, café and bookshop right below - and with the added bonus of train travel around Snowdonia if you want to lessen your carbon footprint. betwsaccommodation.co.uk The great unlocking! Planning to pack your diary as full as possible for the rest of the year? These three events for mountain lovers are back for 2021... Keswick Mountain Festival…

The Three Peaks are controversial and divisive beasts. Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon – the undisputed rock stars of Britain’s mountain scene – are the prized scalps for hundreds of thousands of people every summer who head for the hills in search of outdoor adventure. And who can blame them? Each peak is the highest in its respective country, and all three have a pretty convincing argument for also being the best. But they attract trouble. Too many people packed together on the most popular paths, too much litter, too much pressure piled on small rural communities, and too many Mountain Rescue call-outs from people unprepared for the harsh reality of walking on tough terrain in an often extremely inhospitable mountain environment. But whichever side of the argument you…

[HILL HISTORY] 8 WAYS TO LEARN THE LANDSCAPE 1 Clock the rocks. Are they smooth or rough? Hard or soft? This can give you a clue as to how or why a landscape looks the way it does. Part of the reason the Cairngorms are so massive, for example, is that they are formed largely out of hard granite rock, which is more resistant to erosion. 2 Glance at plants. Lichens, moss and other plants prefer different conditions, which can give you a clue about the landscape’s history. Nettles, for example, grow in soil with a high nitrogen content which can indicate a human settlement. 3 Notice erosion. The four primary causes are water (rivers and rain), wind (carrying dust and rock particles), ice and soil, and all give clues…

LICHENS MAP LICHEN (RHIZOCARPON GEOGRAPHICUM) Map lichen is one of the most familiar lichens to mountain lovers, easily identifiable by the fact that it looks like landmasses on a map – bright yellow-green and black around the margins. The places it is found, spreading across exposed granite and sandstone rocks, give a clue to its hardiness but reach nowhere near its limit. It is thought to be the oldest living organism on Earth, with specimens in the Arctic estimated at 8600 years. But that’s not the limit either. For a 2010 study, it was launched into space and exposed to full space conditions for 10 days, including extreme cold and the full spectrum of solar radiation. It came back basically fine. REINDEER LICHEN (CLADONIA PORTENTOSA) Pale and forming antler-like branches,…

There’s a phrase that chefs use when planning new dishes: “what grows together, goes together”. But when it comes to backpacking in the hills, you might adapt it to: “what tramps together, camps together”. Okay, sharing a tent might involve a couple of compromises, but there are undeniably many benefits to taking a companion with you on the trail. Conversation and camaraderie can help the miles tick by, making big hill days far less arduous. You’ll also get to share experiences that will linger long in the memory, whether that’s witnessing epic sunsets, spectacular cloud inversions or just dealing with various trail mishaps (which, in our experience, usually involve falling in bogs and streams or dealing with the tricky problem of outdoor toileting). Then there’s the practical side of long-distance…

ULTIMATE WEEKEND ▲ 3 ROUTES Ask any experienced hillwalker for Snowdonia’s top three scrambles, and they’ll probably reel off the same names: Crib Goch, Bristly Ridge and Tryfan’s North Ridge. While that famous trio are all undeniably spectacular, they’re also ridiculously popular. In contrast, these three options visit some quieter Snowdonia summits, while also including short, easy scrambles so you can still get your hands on rock. In technical terms, there’s nothing here beyond Grade 1. And if you need a base for the weekend, the National Outdoor Centre at Plas y Brenin is handily placed for all three routes. Before you head home, why not book onto one of their scrambling courses? That’ll give you a good excuse (as if you needed one) to return to Snowdonia and nail…

Glen Coe must rank as one of the most spectacular mountain locations anywhere in the UK. Shame, then, that many visitors are merely passing though, often on their way to Ben Nevis. Some of those may pull into one of the roadside car parks to take a few snaps of the guardian of the Glen, Buachaille Etive Mor, or the epically photogenic Three Sisters on the southern side of the valley. But then they’ll be moving on again, completely ignoring – perhaps because they’re totally oblivious to – the magnificent mountains that form the northern barrier of Glen Coe. But we know different. Four mountains in particular are worthy of note: two Munros – Meall Dearg (953m) and Sgorr nam Fiannaidh (967m) – and two Munro Tops – Am Bodach…

“Which mountain boots should I buy?” That’s a question we get asked a lot at Trail and it’s not an easy one to answer, for a lot of reasons. What kind of terrain are you likely to walk on? Do you favour leather or synthetic materials? Would you prefer a high or low ankle? Will you be walking or scrambling? And – perhaps most importantly – what season will you be walking in? If you’re heading up something big and snowy in winter, the technical requirements of your footwear are very different to walking a dry and dusty mountain trail in the glorious months of high summer. And that’s where this guide comes in. In these 24 pages our testers will give you their expert opinions on the very best…

Great light, amazing views and good compositions will go a long way to help you achieve stunning mountain images. But there’s a lot you can do once you’re off the hill to improve your pics too. Use these three simple editing tips to enhance your photos… ■ SHADOW & HIGHLIGHT It’s tempting to push shadow detail up and bring highlight detail in. While this is beneficial for images that are underexposed, it’s easy to get carried away applying this technique to most of your images. So use a light touch and consider learning to employ more advanced tehniques such as brush work with blend modes for selective tonal enhancement. ■ LAYERS If you’re unfamiliar with layer-based editing software you may not realise the extent and power of it. Layers provide…

The Seven Natural Wonders of the UK have been selected by experts at the Royal Geographical Society, for their shared beauty, uniqueness and geological significance. Four of them are in classic hillwalking areas but only 10% of UK adults had heard of all seven. Which have you visited? ■ WAST WATER, LAKE DISTRICT Situated in one of the wildest Lake District valleys, home to England’s highest mountain and deepest lake, glaciers carved out this huge U-shaped hollow in volcanic rock about 10,000 years ago towards the end of the last Ice Age. ■ LOCH CORUISK & THE CUILLINS, SKYE Loch Coruisk, meaning ‘Cauldron of Waters’ in Scottish Gaelic, is an inland freshwater loch situated in the heart of the formidable Black Cuillin mountains and is surrounded on three sides by…

Comfort performance perfection Getting the perfect blend of comfort and technical performance in a boot isn’t easy, but has Salewa nailed it? Making footwear that’s exceptionally comfortable really isn’t that difficult or expensive – you can buy a pair of slippers for less than a fiver. Constructing footwear that’s technically proficient on varied terrain is far more difficult, which is why walking boots tend to be more expensive than slippers. But creating a pair of walking boots that can perform brilliantly on a range of mountain routes and feel comfortable enough to walk in all day? That really is something special. Salewa, though, has got previous. Here on Trail we’ve been fans of its lightweight boots for some time, with the Alp Flow GTX and Mountain Trainer Mid having been…

OPENING For sleeping out in the open you need a bivvy that can be completely sealed to keep the weather and bugs off. Many have a mesh panel over the face which provides some visibility and allows the bivvy to be ventilated without letting in midges. BAG OR POLES? The most basic bivvy is simply a bag that goes over your sleeping bag to protect it. These can feel a little like body bags, so some people prefer bivvies that have short poles to lift the canopy off your face and make it feel a bit more spacious. Be aware that some poled bivvies can weigh almost as much as a lightweight tent. WATERPROOFING A bivvy bag intended for use outside should be waterproof – not only to stop you…

The Miners’ Track on Snowdon is likely to be heaving, but once off this Y Gribin’s true character begins to unfold – off-piste to a gentle warm-up on broken rock, then sustained scrambling with a couple of tricky moves to an unexpectedly abrupt end on a grassy plateau. While this is an easier scramble, don’t forget that all scrambling can be tricky and if a move becomes impossible it may be even tougher to reverse your position to escape it! But this route isn’t too hard for the grade scrambling-wise, with lots of lovely handholds and footholds. It’s a quiet route, but well enough used that you should be able to follow the worn rock to find the easiest line. And yes, there are a couple of awkward crux moves…

DIFFICULTY HARD DISTANCE 16KM TIME 10 HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 1300M PEAK BAGGER STATS MUNROS 1 There is something alive about the Black Cuillin, the jagged outline of peaks that score the sky for 12km along the Isle of Skye. Abrasive gabbro and ice-like basalt almost fizz with electricity when hit by the sun, and falling rock in the corries doesn’t so much rumble as cackle to the floor. These are the only Alpine-style mountains in the UK with a magnetic quality, and it draws climbers from across the country and will actually mess up your compass if you’re not careful. A full traverse of the ridge requires high levels of fitness, climbing ability, rope skills, a very good head for heights, a nose for route-finding and – for most –…

ULTIMATE WEEKEND ▲ 3 ROUTES Grade 1 scrambles are a perfect challenge for competent hillwalkers seeking a little more in the way of thrills. Careful navigation and spotting of difficulties in advance is needed as a wrong line can be tougher than Grade 1 and very hard to retreat from! So these routes are perhaps best for those who have already got the basics sorted on more popular ‘very easy for the grade’ routes like Striding Edge. But when you’re after something a little more challenging (but still Grade 1, if a careful choice of line is taken) and less crowded, these are three fantastic routes of slabby broken ribs with grippy rock and plenty of holds that take you a world away from the mass popularity of the Old…

This central Lakeland peak is in prime position between Buttermere and Borrowdale, with a 360° panorama from its impressively cairned summit. Many walkers who reach its 753m top will do so as part of the popular Newlands Round, which takes in a clutch of popular summits including High Spy, Robinson and Hindscarth. But Dale Head is also a superb mountain in its own right, with many excellent routes of ascent. Here’s a collection of our favourites, from short and steep pulls to longer ascents over multiple peaks. VIEW FROM THE SOUTH 1 LITTLEDALE EDGE MEDIUM ■ 3 hours ■ 6km ■ 863 m ascent Start Buttermere village, grid ref NY177170 Terrain Steep ridge, open moss, steep hillside and long narrow ridge Littledale Edge is the long-level ridge that extends north-west…

MERRELL KAHUNA 4-STRAP £85 Wonderfully comfortable yet impressively practical, this is a high-quality walking sandal for warm weather adventures. Everything you’d want is present: a neoprene lining for padded comfort, hook-and-loop closure for quick adjustability, and an EVA midsole for stability and cushioning. The Vibram outsole features 3.5mm lugs and you also get a TPU heel counter and suede-mesh upper. VERDICT A versatile, fully-featured walking sandal that’s comfortable enough for long days on your feet. KEEN TARGHEE III SANDAL CLOSED TOE £85 What happened when Keen took the top off its awardwinning Targhee boot? The Targhee sandal was born – a classic that’s as rugged, strong and mountain-ready as sandals get. With a roomy fit, impressive outsole, quick-dry lining, premium leather upper and sturdy closed-toe, if you want to walk…