Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 22 i Trail

The tiny figure dwarfed by the big mountains in the photo above is me, and I love this photo. It was taken in spring last year on one of those freakishly warm days that whacks you straight out of that late-winter funk which seems to drag on forever after Christmas. Making the Spring issue of Trail is always an exciting time, with the clocks about to change, daylight beginning to stretch, and winter tools being polished up and packed away as warm weather approaches. And after the camping boom of the last couple of years, it also means we can all look forward to campsites reopening their gates after the winter hiatus. Which is why we’ve put together a mini magazine that comes free with this issue, picking out 30…

APRIL 16 CADAIR IDRIS, SNOWDONIA & THE GREAT RIDGE, PEAK DISTRICT April’s two Mountains for the Mind group walks both take on place on Saturday 16 April, on the legendary peak of CADAIR IDRIS in southern Snowdonia and the Peak District’s GREAT RIDGE. These free events are organised by Mountain Leaders and Mental Heath First Aiders from Blackdog Outdoors, and are great places to meet like-minded people at friendly group events. Full details at mountainsforthemind.co.uk Find out how you can join our 16,000-strong community and support the cause at MOUNTAINSFORTHEMIND.CO.UK TURN THE PAGE FOR MORE INSPIRATIONAL STORIES…

Adventure sports photography has always been a passion, a companion, a familiar touchstone telling me who I am, how I relate to the world around me as we spin on our little planet in space. And we all need a sense of who we are. It grounds us and gives us reference points. But for me a lot of those certainties have seemed to change and shift as I’ve got older. Priorities change and what once seemed like absolutes now seem less certain. We live in an image-obsessed world, where style means more than substance and the appearance of a life well lived has more value than actually living. In this self-obsessed, social-media world that we now inhabit, it seems counterintuitive to bring out a book celebrating ‘the image’. But…

YOUR TESTERS Matt Jones & Ellie Clewlow are Snowdonia-based outdoor writers and photographers with a passion for adventure, from walking long – distance trails to climbing mountains. It’s never been all that easy to tell what the weather’s going to do in the hills, and it’s probably only going to get trickier. That’s because, according to the Met Office, the UK is slowly getting warmer but also wetter. Stats show that compared to the previous forty years, the last two decades have experienced longer wet spells and fewer dry spells. Since many of the upland areas that we all like to roam are already notoriously rainy, this suggests that owning a decent waterproof jacket ought to be a bit of a no-brainer. Of course, there’s more to comfort on the…

Winter wanderers Scarpa Manta Tech GTX £300 I’m of the opinion that most winter boots are pretty similar when they’re being used in full winter conditions, and that differences in performance and comfort are minimal. Sound like the ravings of a mad man? I’ll explain. By their very nature, winter boots have stiff, unforgiving soles and thick, unyielding uppers. Once you’ve stuck a pair of rigid crampons on the bottom then, assuming the boots fit properly, their comfort is going to be limited by factors beyond the boot itself. I think that where the great winter boots separate themselves from the merely adequate is when they’re forced to tackle terrain beyond the stereotypical winter conditions. Take these Scarpa Manta Tech, for example. Yes, they’re perfect for kicking steps into ice.…

DIFFICULTY MEDIUM DISTANCE 8.6KM TIME 4½ HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 988M PEAK BAGGER STATS WAINWRIGHTS 2 TRAIL 100s 1 Scafell Pike? England’s highest mountain? Won’t it be busy? Well, yes and no. The summit will be crowded – that’s almost guaranteed – but there are routes where, for the large part, you can have the fells to yourself. This is one of them. Like the most popular route up the mountain, it starts from Wasdale Head, but you quickly wave goodbye to the busier paths by first climbing Lingmell. This 807m fell is overshadowed by its mighty neighbour but is worth exploring in its own right. Having climbed its steep, quiet western ridge, you’re met by an awesome sight from its precipitous eastern cliffs… Gnarly Great End is impressive, scree-ridden Great…

DIFFICULTY HARD SCRAMBLE GRADE 2 DISTANCE 10.5KM TIME 8+ HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 1250M PEAK BAGGER STATS MUNROS 2 I always think downclimbing is an undervalued and under-practiced mountain skill. Mostly we scramble up stuff and walk off the top, but every now and then we get a route where we need it. And when we need it, we really need it! Apart from the spectacular scenery that surrounds Eagach, one of the defining characteristics for me is the sheer amount of downclimbing. And this is true whichever direction you do it. I think east to west is slightly easier to navigate the downs, so that’s which way most people do it. The ridge itself is sustained, it keeps going and going and mixes sections of scrambling with more relaxed walking.…

ROUTE 10 Blairmore to Strathan ROUTE 11 Strathan to Kearvaig ROUTE 12 Kearvaig to Blairmore The far north-western corner of the Highlands – aka the Parph – has just about everything the adventurous backpacker could wish for: under-visited, geologically-stimulating hill country, lonely moors, great towering sea cliffs and no less than three MBA bothies. Then there are the area’s two main attractions, Cape Wrath and Sandwood Bay. Both have begun attracting more visitors, but this does not detract from the overall feeling of isolation, where away from these areas you’re more likely to encounter red deer and golden eagles than other walkers. This isn’t a walk to underestimate; there are a couple of big days and you should be prepared for some rough, boggy and pathless terrain – it is…

There’s no escaping it – camping has got cool. Dial the clock back 10 years and most people would have looked at you with a mixture of curiosity and pity if you told them you were spending your summer holiday in a tent at the bottom of a big hill. But, of course, we were right all along; and it was only ever a matter of time before the rest of the world cottoned on. Fast-forward to 2022 and campsites are booking up fast and tents are flying out of gear shops at record rates. Britain is packed full of great campsites, and if you’re prepared to travel a little further off the beaten track you’ll discover a treasure trove of locations where you can mix your love of hillwalking…

BEAN BUNN Wild camp in the Moelwynion last summer. We had views towards the Snowdon range at sunset. It was magical. SIMON CRUTE End of day one of my Coast to Coast walk last summer. Somewhere above Ennerdale Forest. SANTA DROZDOVA Overlooking Stickle Tarn in the Lakes. AGNIESZKA MATYJASZEK In the Lake District, overlooking Ullswater. DARRYL GODDEN The Rhinogs in Snowdonia, quiet and beautiful! WAYNE RICHARDSON A wintry wild camp by Angle Tarn in the Lake District, back in March 2017. DAVID BLAIR Stunning sunrise after a very wild night on Helvellyn.…

Y GARN Aside from being one of the Welsh 3000-ers, at 947m Y Garn doesn’t tend to hit many headlines. Perhaps because its flanked by showstoppers such as Tryfan’s North Ridge and Glyder Fach’s Bristly Ridge tantilisingly close by, too many miss the delights of the north-east ridge of Y Garn. From Cwm Idwal, a steep path weaves through rock and grass. It’s wide enough to enjoy the view, but airy enough to keep a tingle of excitement. Soon you’re whisked high above the shores of Llyn Idwal and the Ogwen valley, with Tryfan looking on menacingly. The summit itself is in the heart of the Glyderau, where views across to the Carneddau and Snowdon are huge. For a mega mountain hit in one short loop, a descent via Devil’s…

TRAIL 100 MOUNTAIN PATCHES Climbing one of the UK’s highest mountains is worth shouting about, so as part of our Trail 100 challenge to climb Britain’s 100 best mountains, we’ve got three limited edition patches for you. They cost £4.99 each or £12.99 for all three. If you’ve climbed Snowdon, Ben Nevis or Scafell Pike, you’re on your way to ticking off the Trail 100 peaks – and now you can get the patch to prove it. www.livefortheoutdoors.com/trail-100 LISTEN Wild Horizons is the BMC’s hillwalking podcast hosted by Niall Grimes. Catch up on episodes covering Helvellyn, The Skye Cuillin, South Downs, Snowdon, and much more. HIKE THE WORLD Are you ready to test your physical limits? Highlander is an annual global hiking event series that takes place in 15 countries, and…

Mountains for the Mind CHARITY GEAR SALE Trail will be returning to the Keswick Mountain Festival on Saturday 21 May to host our Charity Gear Sale for the first time in three years. As always, we’ll have a van-full of all the best kit we’ve been testing, which will be sold off at heavily discounted prices with all proceeds donated to charity. We’ll be splitting the sale into morning and afternoon sessions, so keep checking Trail’s social media pages for announcements on full timings and details. This year we’re donating all proceeds from the sale to Blackdog Outdoors, who organise and run all of the group walks for Mountains for the Mind completely free of charge. So if you come along to the sale and pick up a few bargains,…

First, a bit of history… Before WWI OS maps were revised on a 20-year cycle, but throughout the war a huge backlog built up. At the same time, walking was becoming increasingly popular, and town and country planning was developing rapidly. Up-to-date maps were needed. In 1935 a committee to consider the future of Ordnance Survey maps was set up and a final report, issued in 1938, included the following recommendations: 1 To provide one map reference system for the whole country. 2 That the international metre should be adopted as the unit on which the grid should be based. 3 From a ‘false origin’ (used to avoid the use of negative numbers) a grid system was superimposed on Great Britain with lines parallel, and at right angles, to the…

SYSTEM COMPATIBILITY While most of the best apps are available for both Apple and Android phones, there are still some that are only available on one or the other – something to be aware of particularly if changing phones and switching operating systems. OFFLINE FUNCTIONALITY The hills aren’t always awash with phone signal, so apps that require a link to the web via a cell network in order to work may be of limited use in some more remote areas. FILE SIZE Most apps require some info to be saved on your phone, but in some cases these file sizes can be huge – particularly if the app offers offline use. BATTERY USAGE The most critical thing a phone has to do is call for help in the event of…

DIFFICULTY HARD SCRAMBLE GRADE 1 DISTANCE 47KM TIME 18 HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 47KM This journey is not about breaking speed records, or any records. In fact, does it really matter that the route touches all of the 15 highest peaks in northern Snowdonia? Possibly not. But to weave an intricate line that wanders across three enigmatic mountain ranges of this popular area of Snowdonia National Park, it just so happens that one can indeed stand atop these high places in one outing. So why not? And what character and challenge each mountain range gifts to the eager mountain walker. The massif of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), the stony Glyderau and the plateau of the Carneddau are all laid out, spilling north to the coast, like a heaped, wrinkled and rolling carpet…

DIFFICULTY HARD DISTANCE 19KM TIME 9 HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 1700M PEAK BAGGER STATS WAINWRIGHTS 9 TRAIL 100s 2 This is a once-in-a-lifetime walk, for when ambitions are high with fitness to match. Why knock off tops one or two at a time when you could go all the way around? Any of the great Lakeland dales makes a horseshoe walk to burn deep into the memory. Buttermere yes; Ennerdale yes; upper Eskdale yes yes yes. And here’s the one that’s Lang, but not impossibly long, the one with Great in its very name. In high summer Langdale is the busiest of them all, with problems getting parked and a bus service that’s only so-so. So why not do Langdale all at once, right now while it’s still spring? Pike of…

The Dales Way is a monument to cooperation between the Countryside Commission and the West Riding group of the Ramblers’ Association. With commendable vision, it was this arm of the Ramblers that in the late 1960s foresaw the appeal of a fine line through the valleys of the Dales and across the watershed of Britain into Cumbria, finally dropping to the shores of the country’s largest lake. By pressing on to Windermere, they effectively and attractively linked two of the country’s major national parks – the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. The nature of the countryside through which the Way passes makes it a far less demanding walk than other long-distance paths, and for that reason it is suited to walkers wanting either to complete the walk in one…

April 24th marks the 90th anniversary of the Kinder Trespass, an historic event that paved the way for walkers to enjoy open access across much of Britain’s countryside. This year it will be commemorated by another group walking event, which could prove even more significant in terms of breaking down barriers to the countryside, when a group of hikers from a range of ethnic backgrounds join together to follow in famous footsteps on to the Kinder plateau. Organised jointly by Nadia Shaikh, a social justice activist working in nature conservation, and the Right to Roam campaign, ‘Kinder In Colour’ will be a celebration of inclusivity and diversity in the outdoors. To find out full details about the event, which takes place on Sunday 24th April, visit the website kinderincolour.land “WE’LL…

Hedgehope The Cheviots Chris Parker & Guy Laing on the top of Hedgehope Hill (714m) in the Cheviots. Glyder Fawr Snowdonia “This is me on the summit of Glyder Fawr while walking the Glyders.” Jay Young, West Midlands THIS MONTH’S WINNER Beinn Damh Highlands “Approaching the summit of Beinn Damh – Nicola all smiles after conquering her fear of the ridge behind us.” Nigel Cooke, Portrush Pressendye Aberdeenshire “An early morning headtorch hike to watch the sun rise from the top of our local hill, Pressendye in Tarland (Aberdeenshire). Planning more sunrise hikes in 2022.” Chantal Wood, Aberdeenshire Fan y Big Brecon Beacons “This was taken at the diving board on the summit of Fan Y Big in the Brecon Beacons. Feels like a hidden gem but what a spectacular…

[HOW TO] CONVERT A FRIEND TO THE MOUNTAINS 1 Make it about them. Consider their fitness, how keen they are and what interests them, then tailor the route to fit. A multi-mountain expedition might be hell for someone whose fitness levels are low, even if you think it’s the greatest mountain day of all time. 2 Send them a kit list and if they need it, lend kit if you can. Being out on a rain-blasted hill in a scrap of a cagoule is just miserable. 3 Aim for a clear day. If possible, go out on a day when the sun is shining and the views are vast. No-one can resist a bluebird day. 4 Go at their pace. If they’re struggling or going slower than you expect, introduce…

THE LATEST INNOVATIONS IN OUTDOOR KIT Slimline all-in-one personal cooking systems – such as the MSR WindBurner, Jetboil Flash or Primus Lite Plus – are fantastic for fast and light backpacking. However, they can also be top-heavy, prone to wobble, and have gas valves and simmer controls placed uncomfortably close to the flame and directly under the (hot!) pot. The LowDown Remote Stove Adapter from MSR solves these issues. It looks and functions like a typical off-canister stove, but instead of having a built-in burner at the end it has a mount to which almost any burner can be attached. It’s a simple idea, and one we’re surprised not to have seen before. In fact, so simple is it that we were convinced there must be loads of them about…

DIFFICULTY MEDIUM DISTANCE 15.5KM TIME 6 HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 968M PEAK BAGGER STATS TRAIL 100s 1 Cadair Idris is a mountain that really does have it all. Steeped in legend, it’s a landscape of dramatic crags, sinuous ridges and some of the best views in southern Snowdonia, with the rugged Rhinogydd to the north, the rolling Cambrian Mountains to the south, and the sparkling waters of Cardigan Bay to the west. There’s even a handy summit shelter at the top. It’s no surprise then that Cadair is a popular peak, particularly in tourist season, when columns of people trudge up the two most well-trodden tracks: the Pony Path and the Minfordd Path. But those in search of a quieter and more tranquil route to Penygadair (the proper name given to…

DIFFICULTY HARD DISTANCE 15.5KM TIME 8 HOURS TOTAL ASCENT 1250M Situated just outside the Killarney National Park, Carrauntoohil is the centrepiece of the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks mountain range. There is plenty of walking on offer for all abilities and the landscape is as dramatic as the names: The Hag’s Glen and the Hag’s Tooth, Brother O’Shea’s Gully, The Bones, The Heavenly Gates and the Devil’s Ladder are just some of the delights to be found on the map. You’ll not only get to visit Ireland’s highest mountain but also its highest lake. And when you’re done walking, a taste of the nightlife in Killarney, followed by a drive to the coast, is a must. The area in general is incredibly welcoming and you’re almost certain to come away with memories that…

ROUTE 10 Moel Siabod & Moelwyn Mawr ROUTE 11 Cnicht, Moel Hebog & Snowdon ROUTE 12 Glyderau & Carneddau The Paddy Buckley Round is traditionally a grand tour of 47 Snowdonia summits, covering 62 miles and over 8700m. The idea was conceived by a prolific hillwalker and runner Paddy Buckley, and has since enthralled many ardent hillwalkers and runners to follow its circular and (fairly) logical connection of many classic Snowdonia peaks. To provide a meaningful, magnificently challenging, but achievable 3-day backpacking adventure, some artistic licence has been used to amend the route slightly to maximise summits visited vs condensing some distance/ascent. The attraction of the Paddy Buckley Round has to be its capacity to present a most wonderful exploration into disparate corners of northern Snowdonia, highlighting this area’s varied…

FLEETWITH PIKE, LAKE DISTRICT WALK IT There’s a very easy way to Dubs Quarry which starts near the top of the Honister Pass at the Honister Slate Mine visitor centre, following the dismantled tramway path. But you don’t want to do that! To make this a proper hillwalk, start off in picturesque Buttermere, stroll along the banks of its namesake lake, then make the spectacular ascent of its famous north-west ridge. This is really a ridge only in name, following a broad spur on a good path with a couple of very basic rocky sections that barely need hands to negotiate. The views are big and impressive all the way to the 648m summit of Fleetwith Pike, from where you drop roughly south-east down a gently angled slope to the…