Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2025 i Trail

WIN OVER £2000 OF KIT! Fancy getting your hands on the best hiking and backpacking kit money can buy? It could be your lucky day, as we’re giving away all 8 of Trail’s 2025 Gear of the Year products to one lucky winner – that’s over £2000 of quality kit! See p62 Reading through this (excellent) issue made me realise something. Which is that although many of us who work and write for Trail have been walking and camping in the mountains for decades, none of us are really experts. We might be experts in the “we do this a lot and talk about it all day, so we know a thing or two and you should pay attention to us” way, but really we’re all still learning. Take our…

1 NOT HAVING THE RIGHT SLEEP SET-UP There are plenty of things worse than waking up in the middle of the night to your core temperature being less than optimal: homicide, plane crashes, the state of global geopolitics to name but a few. But for a cold, miserable camper, that list gets ever shorter while you shiver the night away, so make doubly sure your sleeping bag and sleep mat ratings are well above what you think you’ll need for the conditions you’re out in. 2 ACCIDENTALLY LEAVING YOUR BOOTS OUTSIDE You go for a 3am pee and in your hazy stupor you forget to tuck your boots back under the flysheet. Come 7.30am they are filled with cold rainwater, and possibly even a slug posting on Facebook about its…

Each year on Remembrance Sunday, a small ceremony takes place at the plaque. There are no communal prayers, no hymns, no trumpets, no salutes. All that happens is the two-minute silence at 11am, followed by a short speech in which the President of the Fell and Rock Climbing Club explains the history of the memorial – and its true size and scale. Yet it can draw as many as 500 visitors, some of whom return year after year. “There is very little ceremony to it, but many people like to come up and witness it, almost in the form of a pilgrimage,” says Peter Smith. “It can be very atmospheric, when everyone is silent but there’s the whipping of the wind over the summit. Then afterwards everyone drifts away and…

At Trail, we promote respectful wild camping - never 'fly camping'. WE THINK THE KEY TO WILD CAMPING IS DQC… Discreet: Stay out of sight of the main paths and summits. Quiet: Just the sounds of nature (or use of headphones).eiuQ111 Clean: Bury toilet waste and carry away litter. …AND NOT NLD Noisy: With loud music and bluetooth speakers. Large: With more than two or three tents in one spot. Dirty: Leaving open toilet waste and litter in the wilderness. • For more information on responsible wild camping, scan this QR code, or visit livefortheoutdoors.com/camping/advice/the-wild-camping-code/…

CARRY A GROUP SHELTER Mary-Ann Ochota, broadcaster & author “Kids will get cold or overheat a lot quicker than you, and have less capacity to just push through. Fatigue from a day of wind chill or sun can get dangerous quickly. Especially if your kids’ hand-me-down or bargain-basement layers aren’t as technically high-performing as yours are. I always carry a generous-sized group shelter in my bag – perfect to get out of the weather, have a decent break to get food and drink in, sort out clothes and feet, and have fun in. They’ll think it’s for laughs and sandwiches, you’ll know you’re preventing an incident. And if the proverbial really does hit the fan, it’ll save your lives.” KEEP THEIR FINGERS WARM Matt Le Voi, Lakeland Mountain Guides “The…

Moel Siabod – the shapely mountain – stands just short of the 3000ft that would make it a magnet for summitbaggers. This, along with its solitary location, means it’s a rare treasure for those who enjoy engaging scrambles and awe-inspiring views without the crowds. The walk follows the Snowdonia Slate Trail from Betws-y-Coed station, tracing the meandering Afon Llugwy up the valley through serene sheep-cropped meadows and mixed woodland. Continuing past the spectacular (and much photographed) rocky gorge at Swallow Falls and the Roman military settlement at Caer Llugwy to reach Pont Cyfyng, the real climbing begins, striking out through farmland and old quarry works to peaceful Llyn y Foel, nestled beneath Siabod’s eastern slopes. A thrilling but easily escapable ascent scrambles the airy and exposed Daear Ddu ridgeline, topping…

DAY 1 1 SH858148 Alight the 36 bus from Machynlleth at Llew Coch (Red Lion pub) in Dinas Mawddwy. Head south back along the road to meet the A470 for 150m, crossing to access the signposted footpath heading uphill behind a building. Take this forest track, and break off to a narrower path in trees at a bend right; ascend southsouth-west towards old quarry workings, as the route swings west through this more level area. An old incline offers a (steep) option to move through the quarry workings, taking you west-southwest out of the quarry to a rough grass flattening at 400m. Turn right/north to gain a shoulder of heathery grass between an old quarry working and a grassy re-entrant, using a faint path to ascend on the right side…

1 NY247212 From the Hawse End bus stop near the base of Cat Bells, walk up the road, using the gate beside the asphalt to avoid the cattle grid. Keep right at two forks and you’ll quickly step back on to the road near a bend with a junction on it. Turn right here to head south-west along the lane towards Skelgill. 2 NY242208 Just before a gate across the road, bear left along a track with a barrier at the start of it. As soon as you gain some height, the tranquil Newlands Valley appears, with Hindscarth and Robinson directly ahead. Ignoring any paths to the left, keep to the main track until nearing some spoil heaps. At the waymarked fork here, bear left along a cairned route leading…

Nine summits and an immense moment of history come together in this sweeping view of the Scafells from the top of a Lakeland icon. CLIMB A STAR OF THIS ISSUE P30 WALK IT Having no immediate neighbours to clutter up the foreground, Great Gable is an awesome viewpoint. Trail arrived here during a two-day hike of the 13 summits which make up ‘The Great Gift’ (see p30). But there are half a dozen ways to reach this noble summit: from Wasdale via Beck Head or the Napes traverse; from Sty Head via the Breast Route or Aaron Slack; from the north via Honister, Brandreth and Green Gable; or from Ennerdale via Black Sail hostel. However you get here, take a moment to suck in this extraordinary view of the Scafell…

Kidsty Pike, Lake District “My good friend Tim persuaded me that there would be a window in the weather in the Lakes on January 16. Glad he did – epic views from a breezy Kidsty Pike.” Garry Moore Ben Nevis, West Highlands “This is me with my miniature poodle, Duffy, on the top of Ben Nevis last September. The weather was perfect, while the climb was tough but so worth the effort, as the views were spectacular! I wonder how many miniature poodles have climbed Ben Nevis?” Angie Gregory Pen-y-Pass, Eryri (Snowdonia) “We reached the ridge from Pen-y-Pass at about 10.45am, expecting winds of around 20mph. Unfortunately, once we were committed on the ridge the winds got up to 60mph. We had a bit of an ordeal, spending 11 hours…

It’s like somebody applies a huge drill next to your tent and drills into the granite,” explains Jost Kobusch. He’s describing the shuddering of a 7.1 magnitude earthquake that hit Tibet, reverberated across the Himalaya, and triggered massive rock and ice fall on Everest. While he was climbing it. “It’s very loud because all these rocks, everything comes down,” he goes on. His tone is matter-of-fact. He doesn’t sound at all shaken by an event that trembled the depths of the highest mountain on Earth. The German alpinist had embarked on an already daunting project: to climb Everest, solo, without supplementary oxygen, in the dead of winter. And not by the usual route. It was a project so ambitious that it had already taken five years to progress. Jost began…

First placed on the summit of Great Gable in 1923 and dedicated the following year, the original plaque was replaced by a new one in 2014 to commemorate 100 years since the start of the war. The original went on a tour of schools and libraries before being permanently rehoused at the foot of Great Gable in the tiny cemetery of St Olaf’s church in Wasdale Head in 2019. The inscription on both plaques names all 20 deceased club members, with a dedication that reads: In glorious and happy memory of those whose names are inscribed below – members of this club – who died for their country in the European War 1914-1918. These fells were acquired by their fellow members and by them vested in the National Trust for…

KIDS' HIKING FOOTWEAR Adidas Terrex Trailmaker High Cold.RDY £80 These comfy shoes have the feel of high-ankle trainers, with decent protection, good waterproofing and excellent grip. Scarpa Rush Kids GTX-Y £80 Waterproof, sporty and comfortable, these shoes work as well in the playground as they do in the mountains. Our absolute top choice. KIDS' HIKING JACKETS Jack Wolfskin Actamic 2L Jacket £100 A top-end price for a top-end 2-layer mountain jacket – this is our third Jack Wolfskin waterproof and all of them have been superb. Regatta Kids' Calderdale III Waterproof £55 Slightly bulkier but much cheaper than the Jack Wolfskin jacket, the Calderdale is a great rain barrier with good pockets and reflective details. KIDS' HIKING PACKS Deuter Climber £80 Aimed at slightly bigger kids with a 22L capacity,…

DAY 2 7 SH736118 Rejoin the route at the start of the bridleway, and reverse yesterday’s descent route from the top of Bwlch Llyn Bach. Follow the track back to the highest point of the road, contouring along a footpath towards a steep, grassy shoulder. Cross a stile, keeping the fence on your left as you turn west-north-west to ascend steeply on a vague trod. There is less than 400m gain to the first summit of the day, but two steep sections make this climb challenging – this grassy section following a fence line left, and a section of rocky path in ascent, above the 470m contour. The route zigzags away from the fence at the steepest section of scree, then returns towards the fence via a groove, with some…

1 NY232236 From the bus stop near Jasper’s Coffee House in Braithwaite, walk west along the main road through the village and then winding uphill beyond the buildings. After 600m, enter the car park on the left and climb the steps from its northern end – signed Grisedale Pike. The long ascent is steep in places, but it does ease from time to time. The final section is the toughest, following an eroded path up the narrowing ridge. 2 NY198225 Reaching Grisedale Pike’s summit is a moment that’ll raise a smile from even the tiredest walker. Of course, the long ascent is over, but it’s the amazing vista that really lifts the spirits, taking in everything from neighbouring peaks Hopegill Head and Crag Hill to the Isle of Man in…

There’s a vivid luminosity to the vast swathes of blue in the sky. Maybe it’s the contrast with the huge anvils of cumulus cloud riding the late April air currents, that make the blue seem bluer than ever. Whatever it is, the sky’s a picture, crammed with more moisture-made mountains than the jagged, peak filled landscape below it. The sun is shining, warming air, earth and water alike: supercharging nature. Because our land is small and our population great, a road finds its way through our mountains, exploiting a high pass to provide an alternative to driving all the way around. For some reason, it’s a very popular ‘quiet’ mountain road. Supercars charge up and down it, oblivious… In the glen is the first of a series of parking spots.…

● 1980: Krzysztof Wielicki and Leszek Cichy, part of a 21-person team, are the first to summit Everest in winter, on February 17 at 2.30pm. ● 1982: Yasuo Kato, the first person to climb Everest from both Nepal and Tibet, reaches the summit solo after climbing as part of a nineperson team up to Camp IV. He and Toshiaki Kobayashi died on the descent, after being caught in a storm during a bivouac on the South Col. ● 1987: Ang Rita Sherpa summits without supplemental oxygen alongside South Korean climber Heo Young-ho.…

The film adaptation of The Salt Path, starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, is set to bring Raynor Winn’s best-selling memoir to the big screen on 30 May. It’s based on the true story of Raynor and her husband Moth, who, after the double blow of losing their home and receiving a devastating medical diagnosis, embarked on a transformative 630-mile journey along the South West Coast Path. Directed by Marianne Elliott, the film captures their resilience, love and deep connection with the natural world, as well as the hostility they faced when people found out they were homeless. Anderson and Isaacs lead the emotionally-charged story, but the third, titular character is really the trail itself, captured here by stunning cinematography.…

So, you’ve decided to climb a mountain with your kids. Firstly congratulations – it’s a big step that will undoubtedly cause you a sleepless night or three in the buildup, but will also provide priceless memories and hopefully be the launchpad to many future summits together. My eldest son is now 8 years old, and over the past three years we’ve climbed (in this order) Cat Bells, Helm Crag, Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis together. I won’t pretend it’s always been easy, and I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way, but I’ve finally hit the point where I almost feel confident passing on some learned advice about it. For now, I’m going to assume that if you’re planning to walk up something big and pointy with…

DAY 3 15 SH650077 Exit south-east from Llanllwyda campsite towards a minor road, turning right for 100m to pick up signposted right of way heading south, away from the road. This track continues for 1.6km around the lower slopes of a shallow cwm to the east of the impressive Craig yr Aderyn. The track swings east, then north-east above farm buildings, before joining a tarmac lane and swinging south-east again, into trees. Follow this lane for 500m and, at a sharp bend left, look for a narrow footpath entering trees (easily missed!). This track descends steeply for 500m to settle behind farm buildings at Tan-y-coed-uchaf, passing through a gate to hit the farm track exiting to the B4405. Get this route on your phone 16 SH658056 Turn right along this…

1 NY159208 Having got off the bus at the Lanthwaite Green parking area, take the path heading north-east, directly towards the fells. After 280m, walk south along a trail hugging the base of Grasmoor. Ignoring any trails heading up to the left, follow this for 1.9km. 2 NY165193 Ford Cinderdale Beck and walk upstream on a sometimes rough path that later swings on to Lad Hows. The ascent is steep in places, and becomes more so the higher you climb. The last part is the toughest and calls for an extra hard push as boots fight for a purchase on the loose stones. Eventually, you meet a clearer path on the grassy summit plateau, turning left to reach Grasmoor’s summit furniture. 3 NY174203 From the shelter, walk east-north-east over pathless…

KEY FACTS If ever there were an example of the importance of keeping an open mind when it comes to mountains, the Nantlle Ridge is it. Lacking a single star name, not one of its summits poking above the 750m contour, and without even the courtesy to lay itself out in a convenient horseshoe, the Nantlle Ridge eschews cheap shots at your attention, yet is one of the most substantial mountain achievements in the country. Next to magnificent Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) anything would struggle for the limelight of course, but under its multiple veils of obscurity lies an absolute belter of a ridge walk. To spend a day traversing it is to immerse yourself deeply in the glory of wildest Snowdonia as if before the coach parties ever discovered it,…