Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 i Trail

GET 50% OFF Trail Subscribers get a year of OS Maps, the Ordnance Survey's digital mapping service, for HALF PRICE. That's the equivalent of 607 paper maps in your pocket! PAGE 26 Many things were whirring through my mind when I read the article by Ben Weeks on page 18 – a thrilling/chilling blow-by-blow account of a Matterhorn ascent last summer, a dream he's been chasing for much of the past decade. If you've ever wondered what it takes to climb an icon of the Alps – physically, technically, financially, mentally – Ben covers all of that off and plenty more. My main emotion while reading was probably one of fear – in the sense I know I'm way too much of a chicken to take on a challenge like…

WILD SLEEPS THIS MONTH Bow Fell St Sunday Crag Yewbarrow TRAIL 100 BIVVY COUNT: 73/100 The Trail 100 has many great mountains, and I've had some unforgettable nights so far, but none more so than this month's on BOW FELL. I've camped all over the UK but at home in the Lake District, with the history of legends, it's always extra special for me. Starting at Wrynose Pass I'm immediately in the mountains. It feels so good to be back here, a glass of Elysian Joy for one tonight. It's a spectacular route as the stony track cuts through the grass and juniper between the light grey volcaniclastic sandstone outcrops. I catch a glimpse into the sunlit Langdale valley, the patchwork fields looking lush as the pikes rise up on…

GLEN COE Dreich. It's a Scottish word. Even if you’re not familiar with the word itself, you’ll almost certainly have experienced it. It refers to weather – dreary, dull, gloomy, damp weather. It also means something which is tedious, drawn-out, and hard to bear – like dreary Scottish weather. It was a dreich day in Glen Coe. Peering out from the windows of the youth hostel, not only were the summits invisible, but there was only the vaguest hint that there were any mountains out there at all. The day before had treated us with blue skies and clear views as we’d teetered along the Aonach Eagach, but 24 hours later it was as if the seasons had changed – not an uncommon experience in this part of the world.…

■ ASK AN ANIMAL MOUNTAIN HARE LEPUS TIMIDUS Q: Can you give me some tips on winter walking? A: Sure! In winter, our back feet become hairier, helping to keep them warm and giving us good traction on the snow. The best version of this for humans is probably a big pair of boots and warm socks. We also develop a thick luxuriant coat, so you should wear thick, well-insulated clothing. Take a zigzag pattern when you’re moving uphill to avoid predators, and when you get tired look for shelter in rock crevices. In very bad weather, dig out a snow hole on a leeward slope. And don't be too fussy about food, take what you find. ■ PUB QUIZ A You can book a bothy via the Mountain Bothies…

Houdini Power Houdi £190 Don't you hate it when you turn up somewhere and somebody else is wearing the same outfit? There was I, proudly sporting my new Houdini Power Houdi on a Trail outing in the Lake District, when out strolls editor Oli wearing the same fleece. “Is that new?” he asked. “Yes,” I replied. “I've had mine about five years,” he said, “and I love it.” Houdini did some research recently and its Power Houdi is, on average, worn a total of 1287 times and in excess of 10 years. So Oli's still got five years of use in his and I'm just starting my decade of wear. It's easy to see why both of us were drawn to the Power Houdi. It's made from Power Stretch Pro…

Scarpa Women's Rush TRK PRO GTX £230 These have been my walking boots of choice this summer and I'm not sure why, given that they rub my heels raw every time I wear them. Despite this, I simply tape up and carry on. The other benefits must outweigh the inconvenience: that's their low weight, comfort elsewhere on the foot and just the right amount of stiffness on the sole. They’re firm and neat enough to give good purchase on scrambles yet comfy and supportive enough for long backpacking trips. I could use another pair of boots but I reach for these every time and, despite finding pleasure in near-vertical mountain ascents, I don't actually enjoy discomfort, so they must be good. Even better, probably, if they suit your feet a…

If you've ever walked up the Llanberis Path and looked across the valley to the mountains on the other side, wondering what they’re like to walk, then this is the route for you. The walking is almost the opposite to the Llanberis Path in every way – the hills are rolling and grassy, and the volume of people is low; way lower than you will have experienced on pretty much any of the other walking paths dotted around Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). Make no mistake though, there's a couple of brutal ascents! You have to earn the experience. But you don't have to rush. These are the types of hills where you can simply sit on the grass and chill out whenever you want. It's a fair trade-off. It's a convenient…

Some Welsh villages are real tongue twisters, and I’d say Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, tucked away to the south of Llangollen, is a right mouthful. Not surprisingly, it's often simply abbreviated as Llanarmon DC (after all, it's got a lot more white houses than Washington!), though the full name – and the surrounding hills – once helped lure a well-known travel publisher into paragraphs of purple prose. And there is plenty of purple around here when the heather blooms above the valleys of the Ceiriog and the Teirw, which David Lloyd George described as ‘a little piece of heaven’. The village is a gateway to these wild uplands, where the Berwyns have their final hurrah on lonely Moel Fferna. This is a fine viewpoint and the vista includes Yr Wyddfa, the…

1 SO212608 From the junction of lanes near the war memorial in New Radnor, take the path to the left of the church and cross a field to a narrow lane. Turn right, uphill, and walk past a house to meet a bridleway between hedges. Go through a gate, over another field and though a gate leading down into the deep steep valley known as Harley Dingle, with tall pines on the right. (Unfortunately, the majority of this dramatic valley is used for military training and access is not permitted). Go through the gate below a waterworks building and fork left over a footbridge. 2 SO199610 Bear right, rising uphill, on an obvious bridleway with great views into the gulch below. Continue up to a gate by a prominent outcrop…

Lake District MOUNTAIN COLS DAY 2 7 NY257147 From Rosthwaite car park, go to the main road and cross the bridge left of the Royal Oak Hotel. Take the path right which runs alongside Stonethwaite Beck. Continue and ascend through the valley. After 5km you will meet a large pointed crag – this is Lining Crag. The crag looks imposing and impassable from a distance but it is easier than it looks. As you approach the crag ascend via steep rocky steps to the left side, avoiding the grassier sections. Zigzag your way up this rocky section. From the top of the crag head straight ahead (south) on a path that starts to fade in places. 8 NY284109 Where the path fades, new paving flags appear. Keep on the flags,…

I can't think of many mountainous areas that don't have our most extensive form of tree cover – plantations. But are they any good for us and biodiversity? Let's step into the world of tree farming. A plantation is just that; farming trees by planting, growing, then harvesting the crop for commercial gain. The increased demand for timber in WWI led to vast areas of upland being planted with fast-growing trees. The cycle starts when the ground is cleared of vegetation with mechanical and chemical help. Next comes the planting of saplings (very young trees). In the first few years, as the trees strengthen and put down roots, they’re normally helped along with the aid of fertilisers. Eventually the crowns of the trees will meet and start to block out…

HOT TOPIC Towards the end of last year, Trail put up a post on Facebook and Instagram that lasted only a few hours before it was taken down. The post was about a cave in the Lake District, showing the dark interior, roomy enough to sleep in, with a couple of close-up pics of the entrance. The comments blew up. People were furious that a secret sleeping spot had been shared online, even though the location wasn't explicitly typed out. “Why on Earth would you publish this?” wrote one commenter. “You know for a fact this will get trashed as a result of this post. This location was only ever passed from trusted friend to trusted friend to protect it. For a magazine that's supposed to support the outdoor community,…

The Munros: Scottish Mountaineering Club Hillwalkers’ Guide by Rab Anderson & Tom Prentice The classic guide, featuring detailed information on Scotland's 282 mountains above 3000ft, with recommended ascent and descent routes, maps and wonderful photos. Scotland's Mountain Ridges: Scrambling, Mountaineering and Climbing – The Best Routes for Summer and Winter by Dan Bailey Want to tackle famed arêtes like the Aonach Eagach or Ring of Steall? Or lesser-known routes like the A’Chir traverse on Arran? This guidebook has it. 48 routes for all ability levels. Great Mountain Days in Scotland: 50 Classic Hillwalking Challenges by Dan Bailey 50 immense mountain walks in Scotland – that's immense in grandeur and in effort. Some of the journeys here could be spread over two days. For most, they’d probably have to be. Scottish…

■ LAMP UNITS There are three headlamp units: 1200 lumens (£100 when bought separately), 2000 lumens (£130), and 3000 lumens (£165). Each offers three brightness settings: 80lm, 500lm, 1200lm; 80lm, 800lm, 2000lm; and 80lm, 1000lm, 3000lm. The illumination is delivered via ‘Silva Intelligent Light’ – a combination of long-reaching spotlight and close-up flood light. The housings are aluminium, with cooling fins encouraging airflow even when stationary, enabling maximum power with minimum bulk. They’re also IPX5 water-resistant. ■ BATTERY PACKS There are four battery pack options - 2.0Ah (£55 when bought separately), 3.35Ah (£80), 5.0Ah (£100), and 10.0Ah (£147). They are USM-C rechargeable and have a 5-step battery indicator light. Like the headlamp units, the battery packs are IPX5 water-resistant. ■ INTEGRATED HEADBAND The headband is the foundation of the system.…

Goodr Circle G £30 “All of our badass shades speak to the four Fs: Fun, Fashionable, Functional, and 'Ffordable.” So says Goodr. Certainly, these good-looking shades are brilliant value and great performers – the lenses are polarised with UV400 protection. They’re also full of fun. This design is called ‘Freshly Baked Man Buns’, but if you prefer something a little less hipster there are a load of different frame shape and colourway combinations available – other favourites of ours include ‘Donkey Goggles’ and ‘A Ginger's Soul’ (completely black, if you were wondering). Goodr is also 100% carbon neutral and a member of 1% For The Planet. Bollé Bedrock £35 They may not look quite as funky as mirror-lensed ski goggles (see our Oakley review), but a pair of simple, sturdily…

LONG-TERM TESTS ACAI Casual Stroll Pants £85 For any ladies out there, I wouldn't necessarily recommend taking style tips from me, but I have to tell you about these hiking trousers from women's hiking brand ACAI (pronounced Ak-eye). ACAI was founded by Alexander McQueen fashion designer and hiker, Kasia Bromley, who is on a mission to bring style, performance and fit to outdoor clothing. If I'm honest, it all sounded a bit trendy for me. On their first trip to the Lakes however, I did not want to take them off! They went up and down the Old Man of Coniston on a sunny November day and on my cold Cat Bells night walk (p40)-they were stretchy, super comfortable, warm but not too hot when working hard, breathable, showerproof… I…

Jen & Sim Benson Writers of adventure guides, and passionate about our wild places. Vivienne Crow Award-winning writer Viv's worked on over 20 walking guides. Jamie Rooke Mountain Leader and Rock Climbing Instructor in Snowdonia. Roger Butler Roger likes to tick off remote Hebridean islands as well as mountains. Simon Stokes Mountain Leader and Instructor in Scotland and the Peak District. GET TRAIL ROUTES ONLINE Trail digital subscribers get one-click access to interactive maps and detailed online guides for every route published in the magazine. Plus, all digital and print subscribers get HALF PRICE digital access to Ordnance Survey maps for the whole of Great Britain via the online OS Maps service. Full details on PAGE 26 SUSTAINABLE STEPS Look for our Tread Lightly logo throughout the routes section for…

The Cairngorms is like an upside-down mountain range. The colossal coires and precipitous cliffs jump out beneath your feet when you least expect it. Add to this the grandest of mountain passes in the country and there is no mistaking this unique glaciated hinterland. The high-level featureless plateaux present challenging navigation with arctic weather and tundra to suit. This makes for wild country where competent navigation skills and good hill fitness are essential. Fancy the challenge? Then read on. Four of the five highest mountains in the UK are in the Cairngorms, and Braeriach is number three. Rising out of a great divide of the Cairngorms is the Lairig Ghru, Scotland's best known mountain pass. A huge glen with steep cliff walls on both sides, creates a handrail route up…

1 SO231550 From centre of Gladestry fork left on the lane by the church and fork left again after 300m. Turn left after 500m onto the bridleway past Newhouse and fork right onto another track. Pass barn at Cwm and walk uphill through fields for 750m. Turn sharp right on a grass track between hedges, with gates, and turn left at the conifer plantation. Walk on track to gate at start of Open Access land. 2 SO214543 Breezy open hillsides lie ahead with several choices of paths and tracks, some used by gamekeepers. Stay south of Carreg Gwyn and drop into a steep valley with stream. Pick a route up to the top of the defile and turn left towards Llanfihangel Hill, with trig pillar amidst a jigsaw of heather.…

DAY 1 1 NY085152 Start at Ennerdale Water car park and take the signposted path towards the south end lakeside path. There are rocky steps when you get to Anglers Crag, so take care here. Keep traversing the obvious rocky path, and when you come out of the trees at the end of the lake you will cross some grassy fields. After the second wall turn sharp left/north towards the valley river. 2 NY130138 Head across the field and over the River Liza (Norse for ‘bright water’) and turn immediately right and follow a track that handrails the valley floor and river eastwards. After about 1km you will arrive at Gillerthwaite Youth Hostel. This is a useful stop to take shelter and recharge with tea, coffee and snacks available from…

DAY 3 13 NY395159 From Patterdale car park, follow the A592 in a south-east direction and take the first left after the White Lion pub over a bridge that crosses the river. Continue on this road and take the second right which has a signposted footpath immediately on the left. 14 NY400161 Go through the gate, then right and traverse the hill. Stick to the lower path, ignoring the left branch with a quaint green iron bench. The path rises to a broad col named Boredale Hause. At the col follow the path right which rises and then descends to Angle Tarn. Traverse round the tarn to its east then past the steep Buck Crag to the left. 15 NY424136 The path levels off to a series of rocky outcrops…

The waters of Llyn y Fan Fach are dramatic in the extreme when you see the mountain architecture that surrounds it on three sides. VISIT A STAR OF THIS ISSUE P28 WALK IT While the views are great from the llyn's dam, they’re miles better from up on the edge of the ridge that looms over it. What's more, it's a relatively short walk if you want to get to where this photograph was taken from. Start at the car park, following the wide service track up to the llyn. Take a thin path to the west, that climbs up onto Bannau Sir Gaer's northerly ridge, joining the Cambrian Way. From then on it's a case of following around the edge of cliffs on the good path to the summit.…

Black Diamond Flare £25 The chances of needing a headtorch on a short hike in the middle of summer with wall-to-wall sunshine might be slim, but in the UK mountains anything is possible. Featuring IP67 waterproofing, white and red lamps, and strobe and SOS modes, the 40 lumen Flare is an ideal justin-case torch. Petzl Nao RL £150 Look at it! It's like the love-child of a futuristic spaceship and the wiring loom from an Austin Allegro. But this bizarre looking lamp belts out a whopping 1500 lumens despite, thanks to it quirky design, weighing just 145g. It's a great choice for trail runners, fast and light hikers – and fans of sci-fi. Ledlenser H19R Signature Rechargeable £330 This 4000 lumen mega-lamp is about as close as you can get…

Dartmoor National Park lies wholly within Devon, and boasts some of the wildest upland moorland in Britain. The area's long and varied history means there's a wealth of intriguing sites to explore here, from the Neolithic and medieval to the industrial and military. Dartmoor's tors – the exposed knuckles of a vast, underlying granite pluton – each have a unique character, and waymark the moor for those familiar with their distinctive shapes. Of these, Yes Tor and High Willhays are the highest, and offer walking of a truly wild and remote kind. Okehampton train station, which first opened in 1871, links the moorland town with London, Plymouth and Cornwall. The line ceased operating national rail services 100 years later, but reopened in 2021, creating a much needed link to Dartmoor.…

At 704m above sea-level, Great Whernside is the highest point on a sweeping arc of hills that form the watershed between Wharfedale and Nidderdale. While much of this area consists of dark, peaty moorland, the summit and the ridge extending north is also peppered with outcrops of millstone grit. It is this grey rock that gives the whaleback hill its Old English name, Querneside, ‘the hill of the millstones’. But this walk isn't just browns and greys, there's the silvery sheen of limestone too, in the cliffs overlooking Kettlewell and the drystone walls dividing up the hillside enclosures. The route starts from Kettlewell, a cosy collection of cottages and inns huddling in a narrow section of Upper Wharfedale. Walkers make a long, steady ascent of open, mostly grassy slopes before…

1 SO158532 From the phone box in the middle of Glascwm, walk along the lane towards the church and pass through the churchyard onto a short length of wooded track. Turn left at the very narrow lane and walk gradually uphill for 1km to a gate by the start of Open Access land. Leave the lane here and turn right up the steep open hillside, with a number of indistinct paths and quad tracks – and plenty of bracken in summer. Walk up past a small pool and on to the wide plateau summit of Little Hill. 2 SO142537 Continue north over managed heather to meet a quad track which dips down to a broad col where half a dozen routes meet by an ancient tumulus known as Giant's Grave.…