CONTENTS
p22
Taking in ‘a flat,flooded world’ from Suilven’s south side. TOM BAILEY
‘WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THIS? SIMPLE: IT’S MIND-BLOWINGLY, GUTWRENCHINGLY SPECTACULAR’ JUST ONE OF THE REASONS TO VISIT SUTHERLAND
BASE CAMP SKILLS 10
Wild swimming on trial
12
Cribyn: splendidly sculpted Brecon Beacon
Open water: heatwave treat or death trap?
The Mountain Inquisition 14
61
Mountain Guide
16
High Lights: October
17
Why sleeping under the stars makes sense
Your month of mountains, sorted
p44
BUY 6 MAGS GET 6 FREE WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE! contents oct13 swor.indd 8
18
Suilven
22
Coniston Old Man
34
Secret Wales
46
The Roaches
56
Dolomites
68
Three man and a ‘boat’, in search of an icon
A Lakeland favourite provides first-time thrills
Squash Falconer, adventurer & quokka fan
Outdoor kipping = OK!
Behind the picture
How one Victorian visualised high places
Survive a lightning storm; eat a better brekkie; get off the hills safely; magnetic mountains; make a comfy pillow PLUS will my dog cope?; introducing the Alps; how hard is our most remote mountain?
YOUR TRAIL
Out There
To Maesglase and Pumlumon, for solitude
A unique and special corner of the Peak District
4
Your best mountain moments, on camera
20
In Box
Trail tests its mettle on Italian via ferrata
The world of hillwalking, according to you lot
Subscribe to Trail
44
TOM BAILEY
Dream peak
ADVENTURES
Hurry! You could get a watch worth £40 too
p34 Newbie gets to grips with the hills.
02/09/2013 09:25
WHERE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE WILL TAKE YOU
p68 Italian thrills for scaredy-cats. BEN WEEKS
p46
Far from the crowds in mid Wales. MATTHEW ROBERTS
ROUTES
GEAR Incoming!
76
Lake District
111
First test
78
Lake District
113
Soft shell jackets
80
Snowdonia
115
Hill trousers
92
Brecon Beacons
117
NW Highlands
119
Isle of Skye
121
The must-have hill kit that’s available soon
A new waterproof jacket – from Lowe Alpine!
Techy tops for typical UK mizzle and drizzle
Eight pairs of kecks for mountainous treks
Mountain watches It’s time you checked out these wrist gizmos
100
Route 1 Bowscale Fell
Route 2 Grasmoor
Route 3 Carneddau
Route 4 Cwm Sere
Route 5 Cranstackie & Beinn Spionnaidh
Route 6 The Storr
Loweswater Timepieces to suit all budgets.
Route 7 Low Fell & Fellbarrow Route 8 Mellbreak Route 9 Hen Comb, Gavel Fell, Blake Fell & Burnbank Fell
125
Ben Alder
131
Lake District
137
Route 10 Loch Rannoch Route 11 Beinn Bheoil Route 12 Sgor Gaibhre & Carn Dearg
Route 13 Dovedale peaks
OCTOBER 2013 TRAIL 9
base camp Your month of adventure starts here...
The north face of Cribyn looms above a cloud inversion, seen from Pen y Fan. Š BANANA PANCAKE / Alamy
10 Trail october 2013
dream peak oct13 swor.indd 16
02/09/2013 09:26
P
DREAM PEAK
CRIBYN BRECON BEACONS Although it’s home to the loftiest ground in southern Britain, the draw of the Brecon Beacons has never been its height. This is a realm of outstanding mountainous beauty: an ancient sandstone kingdom of shapely summits, meandering ridgelines, wild moorlands, hidden valleys and curvaceous cliffs. Altitude junkies can take solace in the central peaks, where Pen y Fan and Corn Du soar close to the 900m mark; but the hidden jewel of the region lies 1km to the west. Connected to Pen y Fan by the serrated edge of Craig Cwm Sere, Cribyn boasts a north face so impressive you could easily imagine it in some alpine wilderness rather than tucked away in Wales. The 795m summit can be approached from a variety of angles, but those looking for adventure should try the vertiginous path that cuts straight across the north face...
DO IT THIS MONTH! ›› TURN TO PAGE 117
OCTOBER 2013 TRAIL 11
dream peak oct13 swor.indd 17
02/09/2013 09:26
GO: North Highlands DO: Peaks of a lifetime Suilven seen from the slopes of Cul Mor. Its true summit is the furthest left.
THE CROSSING Traversing three of Britain's most isolated peaks? Impossible, they said. Luckily, Trail had a plan just crazy enough to work. WORDS DAN ASPEL PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
22 TRAIL OCTOBER 2013
OCTOBER 2013 TRAIL 23
GO: Lake District DO: Your first mountain
GET STARTED
IN STYLE
Looking for the perfect mountain to ease a mate into hillwalking? Allow us to introduce The Old Man of Coniston. WORDS OLI REED PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
S
ome extremely troubling news reached the Trail office recently: apparently there are still people out there who have never walked up a mountain. After we picked our jaws off the ground and composed ourselves, we decided to do something about it. Rather than lambast and ridicule these peculiar creatures, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to show them exactly what they’ve been missing. After all, how can their lives be complete if they’ve never been blown off their feet by hurricane-force winds or soaked ❯ to the skeleton by horizontal rain?
34 TRAIL OCTOBER 2013
Would you do this on your first ever mountain walk, like Ricky (front)? It's not as tough as you might think...
october 2013 Trail 35
coniston
A direct assault on the Old Man from Coniston brought us face to face with relics from the mountain's rich industrial history (and a bronze frog).
(we wanted his knees to know they’d been up a mountain), an absorbing route of ascent, a slam-dunk of a view and – if our plucky hill virgin was up for it – the opportunity to extend the adventure from the top, rather than scarpering back down the same route. Bowfell was mentioned, as were ubiquitous favourites Blencathra and Helvellyn, before we settled on our summit. Often ignored by more serious walkers, the Old Man of Coniston is the standout attraction in the Lake District’s southernmost mountain range – and it was exactly what we were looking for. At 803m the Old Man sits a lowly 31st on the Lake District’s height chart, but what it lacks in stature it more than makes up for in personality. These grand old slopes, formed over 400 million years ago from the remnants of volcanic fallout, bear the scars of centuries of mining and quarrying. The Coniston copper mines were once among the largest in Britain, plunging to vertical depths of 1700ft, and the mountain’s famous slate quarries dominate almost every angle of approach. As a result, a walk up The Old Man feels like you’re strolling through the pages of a history book; and with a wild mountain tarn sitting just below the
38 Trail october 2013
summit, hillsides brought to life by a diverse glut of wildlife and the option of a gentle scramble route to the summit, it’s pretty much a debutant’s dream. We obviously weren’t going to let Dave and Ricky have all the fun themselves, so Team Trail met them on a blazing hot morning in the centre of Coniston. We weren’t sure what to expect from Ricky, but I think deep down photographer Tom and I were hoping for a wet-behind-the-ears rookie we could impress with our encyclopaedic mountain knowledge and years of ‘expertise’ in the hills. The reality, as ever, was somewhat different. Ricky turned out to be one of those infuriatingly athletic guys who probably ran the 100 metres in under 10 seconds when he was five years old, and an in-depth grilling as we began the steady ascent along Church Beck revealed that not only is he a top-notch rugby league player, but also an amateur boxer. At that point, I made a mental note to keep the Cumbrian jokes to a minimum. As the real uphill section began our route zigzagged towards Colt Crag, which is where the Old Man began to reveal its true character. The decayed skeletons of derelict mine workings dominated every contour as we snaked
directly into the heart of the mountain, making it feel more like a giant adventure playground than an arduous ascent. Towering spoil heaps, submerged train tracks, deserted buildings, collapsed pulley cranes and shadowy tunnel entrances littered the landscape, turning the slopes into an explorer’s dream. And, as it turned out, exploring was right up Ricky’s street. As we stopped for a drink by the entrance to one pitch-black tunnel, he flicked on his headtorch and announced his intention to investigate. I was starting to worry about the awkward call I’d have to make to the office if our protégé was swallowed up by the darkness; so as he ducked inside for a shufti I reminded Ricky of the signs warning walkers about the unsafe conditions within. To my relief we were all soon heading uphill again. The next stop was the awesome Low Water, a pristine tarn situated at 550m, and an ideal cooling-off spot on a summer scorcher like this. As the three mountain veterans in our party debated the health and safety implications of swimming in its icy waters, our newbie promptly launched into an impressive swallow dive and plunged beneath the turquoise surface. “Do you think these guys are having us
on?” whispered Tom. “This can’t be Ricky’s first mountain. He’s probably an alpine guide...” It was hard to disagree. From Low Water the tourist track corkscrews gently towards the summit – with the curved outline of the Coniston range unfolding behind – but since Ricky was still a little too far within his comfort zone for our liking, we raised the stakes. We swung south on a devious diversion and headed for a short, sharp scramble towards the summit. Would this finally slow our apprentice down? No chance. He powered through the jumble of grass and rock like a seasoned pro and was propped against the summit cairn with lunch in hand when we staggered up to join him. At first I was concerned we’d made the day too easy for him, but then I remembered why we’d picked The Old Man. The popular ascent route from Coniston is well within the capabilities of anyone from schoolchildren to pensioners, but there are ample opportunities to mix things up and boost difficulty levels along the way. From the vibrant village at its base – complete with jazzy restaurants and internet cafés – to the mysterious mine shafts and crystal lakes on its ancient flanks, the Old Man feels like it was designed
Clockwise from left: a lofty lunch perch, cooling off in Low Water, mesmerised by a mine shaft and closing in on Ricky's first summit.
�
October 2013 Trail 39
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MINI ADVENTURES
PEAK DISTRICT IN A NUTSHELL Edgy, sweeping, magic DISTANCE 4.8km (3 miles) TIME 1 hour START/FINISH SK004621 NEAREST TOWN Leek
THE ROACHES WORDS BEN WEEKS PHOTOGRAPHS BOB ATKINS
In an oft overlooked corner of the Peak District, strange creatures from a faraway land hide among the hills, while super-humans walk on walls in defiance of gravity’s authority. Welcome to The Roaches.
56 TRAIL OCTOBER 2013
T
he name doesn’t do them justice. An uninspiring derivation of the French ‘les Roches’, The Roaches translates as ‘The Rocks’. But these rocks are special. Their picturesque setting in the southwest of the Peak District National Park is enough to recommend them alone. But over millennia the abrasive mechanics of the elements have carved gritstone outcrops into a surging wave of rock that threatens the farms and fields below. That said, from ❯ the road The Roaches appear more ripples than
‘a fractured landscape slipping slowly beneath the surface of the surrounding serenity...’
october 2013 Trail 57
GO: Italy DO: Via Ferrata
68 Trail october 2013
Vertical thrills on Sandro Pertini, a top-rated via ferrata rising above Val Lunga near Selva.
ITALIAN METTLE DETECTOR
You! Yes, you! Want to climb the sheerest faces in the Dolomites? Of course you do. And you can. Very easily. Let Trail's resident scaredy-cat show you how...
WORDS DAN ASPEL PHOTOGRAPHS BEN WEEKS
B
en Weeks is fingering a live grenade. This won’t end well. Still, at least it’s not the most extreme thing he’s done today... … is the direction my thoughts were taking late on our final day in the Dolomites. How we got there is a tale of mountain adventure I hope very much you’ll want to repeat. It involves scaling vertical cliffs and traversing hundred-metre chasms; but believe me when I say if you’re reading this, you can do it. Anyone can. Via ferrata – or ‘iron way’, to be literal – is how we got there. It’s a form of sport climbing with a safety net. Ladders, fixed iron pegs and staple-like ‘stemples’ are drilled into place along suitable climbing routes and a wire is strung between them. You and I then come along wearing a helmet, harness and via ferrata kit – two leashed ❯
OCTOBER 2013 TRAIL 69
group test
92 Trail OCTOber 2013
the verdict you can trust
hill
trousers
With autumn showers and a dip in temperatures just around the corner, heading to the hills in the right pair of trousers is essential to ensure you are warm and comfortable... Test Graham Thompson Photographs Tom Bailey and Graham Thompson
N
ot all trousers are the same, but it isn’t until you’re negotiating a ridge and navigating through mist to the summit of a mountain that the benefits of quality kecks are realised. Whether it’s the restrictive movement when scrambling, the flapping ankle cuffs or the lack of pockets that annoy you, one thing is for sure: the best hill day can be spoilt by the wrong trousers. For many years there was very little choice in legwear but today the choice is vast – and the result is that it can be difficult to know which trousers are right for you. Most hillwalkers will certainly agree that they want a pair that’s a good fit, being neither too baggy nor too
tight. But beyond that there are a myriad of designs available with some suiting the needs of the hillwalker better than others. In this test we’ve focused on what hillwalkers will find ideal when bagging Munros, climbing the English or Welsh 3000ers or backpacking across Dartmoor. So we’re featuring trousers that offer stretch fabric, great pockets, a good cut and style for active walkers – and also a great price. We received trousers with prices ranging from £80 to £150; and while those with a higher price were certainly better, we’ve picked the best at various prices across the range to ensure there’s � something here for everyone.
understanding Trail's tests MAGAZINE
BEST IN TEST This is awarded to the best in its class...
MAGAZINE
BEST VALUE ...whereas this offers the most bang for its buck.
m
= Men’s version
n
= Women’s version
What our scores mean
What we tested Lowe Alpine
Sirocco Pant
£80
Trail’s all for transparency and consistency in gear tests, so our scoring is done by a simple star grading system. The stars tot up to form an average star grade, to make the overall rating.
Rab
Torque Pant
£80
poor below average average good performance the best in its class
MAGAZINE
✱ ✱✱ ✱✱✱ ✱✱✱✱ ✱✱✱✱✱
BEST IN TEST
Rohan
Striders
Outdoor Research
Cirque Pants
£90 £110
Mountain Hardwear Sarpa Pant
£130
Mountain Equipment Trojan Pant
£130
Fjällräven
Abisko/Nikka
£135
Haglöfs
Rugged Mtn Pant £140
OCTOber 2013 Trail 93
BUYER’S GUIDE
Mountain watches Part timepiece, part statement: Trail profiles eight horological hill companions... TEST SIMON INGRAM PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
A
watch is more than just a means of telling the time. We have phones that can do that now, or – if you’re very clever, or Tonto – the sun. And seeing as this is likely to be the one thing you wear no matter what, if you’re an outdoors person your watch is a discreet way of letting the world know. There isn’t really an upper limit when it comes to watches, either – and there’s as much snobbery attached to them as there is to wine and cars, so negotiating the fine line between practicality, quality and just paying through the nose requires careful navigation. So too does function: there are as many loyal followers of simple, tell-the-time mechanical jobs as there are for the most advanced GPS watch. Here we profile some of the best options for the outdoors – from the do-one-thing analogue to the do-everything digital, via watches that are as at home at the dining table as they are on the hill.
100 TRAIL OCTOBER 2013
WATCHES Elliot Brown Canford £325 British timepiece fledglings Elliot Brown’s spanking new watches definitely hail from the school of chunky functionality. There’s an emphasis here on quality, and it’s been thought out to be tough: the movement is a Swissmade affair featuring a triple-sealed crown tested to 20 atmospheres of pressure, making it ideal for both altitude and depth. There’s an end-ofbattery-life indicator, an interior-rotating bezel that’s handy for timing, and a date indicator. Made of gunmetal, you get the sense that scuffs and duffs will only enhance its charm; and though it’s on the heavier side, it certainly makes a statement. AT A GLANCE PRICE £325 TYPE analogue, battery WEIGHT 126g WATER RESISTANCE 200m WEBSITE www.elliotbrownwatches.com
Suunto Ambit2 HR £410 When you want a watch to do everything – absolutely everything – then Suunto is probably your best bet. This is one of the new generation of satnav watches loaded up with technology, and this particular model features a staggering array of features, which – for this secondgeneration Ambit – can now be personalised by uploading sports ‘apps’ to the watch for your particular specialism. This is just as well, as what’s crammed into this wrist-top giant is utterly bewildering, and learning each function and how to work it is one for the seriously dedicated detail aficionado. It’s a hell of a package, though: it
plugs into your computer for power and downloading using a nifty ‘snakebite’ charger, and has an optional heart rate monitor, plus a raft of features for tracking your time, speed, ascent and distance in a variety of scenarios (running, walking, outdoor swimming, indoor swimming, mountaineering, cycling, and more). It also features a fully functional basic GPS that tracks your progress and is capable of giving your accurate altitude and location to eight grid figures at the push of button. It’s a big watch, but isn’t heavy and is quite comfortable, with rounded edges and neat profile.
AT A GLANCE PRICE £410 (includes heart rate monitor) TYPE digital, rechargeable WEIGHT 89g WATER RESISTANCE 100m WEBSITE www.suunto.com
Garmin Fenix £350
Breo Roam Elite £12 If simplicity is your aim and you’re after a watch that’s the weight of a biro for less than the price of a DVD, then this is the place to look. Made for sports enthusiasts who want the minimum of fuss, Breo watches are perfect for those who want to go superlight, super-simple and super-cheap. They are waterproof and intrude minimally into your wrist profile, and since Breo products have since been adopted by the fashion brigade, they’re apparently now super-cool, too. AT A GLANCE PRICE £12 TYPE digital, battery WEIGHT 12g WATER RESISTANCE 50m WEBSITE www.breo.co.uk
When it comes to GPS watches, Garmin was there first – so you could expect its latest offering to be at the sharp edge of design and innovation. The Fenix is a little bit more brutal-looking than the similarly loaded Ambit2, but whether this is a good or bad thing depends entirely on personal taste, as both watches are surprisingly pleasant to wear. Both are also extremely advanced outdoor tools, with fully functional GPS systems, rechargeable batteries and a stack of ‘standard’ features like a barometer, altimeter, digital compass and heart rate monitor compatibility. In terms of out-of-the-box intuitive usability and battery life (50 hours in GPS mode, versus 20 hours for the Suunto) as well as the ability to transfer routes and waypoints wirelessly, the Garmin has the edge; whereas the Suunto’s superior range of AT A GLANCE sports functions PRICE £350 (heart rate and the ability to monitor sold separately) take specialised TYPE digital, rechargeable apps make it a WEIGHT 85g more versatile tool WATER RESISTANCE 100m for multisport users. WEBSITE www.garmin.com
OCTOBER 2013 TRAIL 101
LAKE DISTRICT
ROUTE
Loweswater
Here’s a quiet corner of the Lake District surrounded by giant peaks and stupendous views, recommends Tim Major...
B
eneath the stunning fells of the north-western Lake District, and sandwiched between the tranquil shores of Crummock Water and a lake that shares its name, is Loweswater – a magical location that boasts some of the best views in Lakeland and one of the finest pubs: the Kirkstile Inn. This is serious walking territory with access to the fells of Lorton and Whinlatter, as well as the high mountains that surround Buttermere and Crummock Water. To put it simply, this is what your boots were made for. But don’t worry; there’ll still be opportunity for a traditional Cumbrian ale at the end of each day...
TRANSPORT
Public transport options are limited but it’s possible to use a combination of train, bus and walking to get to Loweswater. Trains Mainline station at Penrith: National Rail Enquiries 08457 484950 Buses can be caught from Penrith railway station to Keswick or Cockermouth
Looking down Crummock Water and Buttermere from Mellbreak (route 8).
TIM MAJOR
3
ROUTES FROM
ORDNANCE SURVEY MAPPING © CROWN COPYRIGHT. CREATED WITH MEMORY-MAP. LICENCE MEDIA089/12
ULTIMATE WEEKEND
(www.traveline.org.uk, 0871 200 2233). In the summer months, the Honister Rambler runs from Keswick and calls at Lorton and Buttermere (www.stagecoachbus. com). Also, the 949 or 263 services run between Cockermouth and Buttermere. You can then walk to Loweswater.
ROUTE 7 10.5km
ROUTE 9 14.3km
ROUTE 8 11km Taxi Cockermouth Taxi Co (01900) 826649; Davies Taxi (Keswick) (01768) 772676
PUBS/GRUB
Kirkstile Inn (01900) 85219, www.kirkstile.com
ACCOMMODATION Kirkstile Inn (01900)
Keswick (10½ miles), where you will find cash machines, petrol, food shops, gear shops etc.
85219, www.kirkstile.com The Grange Country House Hotel (01946) 861211, www.thegrangeloweswater.co.uk
PRACTICALITIES
LOCAL INFO
Stock up before you head over to Loweswater. The closest large towns are Cockermouth (7½ miles) and
Find useful information at www.golakes.co.uk; www.lakedistrict.gov.uk and www.lakedistrict information.com
OCTOBER 2013 TRAIL 125
❯
7
lake district
route
Short walk, big view
10.5km/6½ miles
Thurso
always take a map out with you on the hill
Lairg Ullapool
Low Fell & Fellbarrow
Inverness Shiel Bridge
Aviemore
nverie
Invergarry
t William
Aberdeen
Braemar
NY136223 It is worth going over the stile on your left and heading to the end of the ridge (Bield on the map), where the view is spectacular. Now return to the stile and head north over the ridge path to the top of Low Fell. Then descend to another stile. Once over the stile, continue to follow the clear track over the ridge until you reach a swing gate above Watching Crag. Immediately after the
NY141208 Turn left out of the Kirkstile Inn car park, passing the Glasgow Edinburgh church on your right, and STRENUOUSNESS ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Berwick-upon-Tweed continue to the end of the NAVIGATION ■■■■■ SLE road, turning left at the end. TECHNICALITY ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ARRAN Ayr Jedburgh Follow the road until you wainwrights 2 ntrae see a sign for Thackthwaite Dumfries and turn right up a narrow Newcastle Newton Stewart -upon-Tyne Carlisle track. When you reach tranraer the entrance to a building Penrith Keswick Middlesbrough (Crummock Water Cottages) turn left and follow the Kendal Northallerton Windermere footpath alongside a house Ingleton and through a gate. After Bentham York Lancaster the gate turn right and follow Skipton Leeds the track through to another gate that enters some Liverpool Manchester Distance 10.5km Rhyl woodland. Conway Oban
1
facts
(6½ miles)
Bodelwyddan
3
gate, follow the track to your left that skirts under a grassy knoll on Sourfoot Fell. Eventually, this will lead you to a wall and some fencing. Follow this all the way to the summit of Fellbarrow. NY132242 At the trig point, turn left along a faint track and begin the descent over Mosser Fell. There is no clear path but
4
Sheffield
2
Betws-y-Coed
Time 3Llangollen hours
Ordnance Survey mapping © Crown copyright. Created with Memory-Map. Licence MEDIA089/12
NY128216 Be sure you look at the Pinfold, an enclosure believed to date back to around 1655 (a National Trust sign explains its history). Then return along the main road, passing the village hall and turning right at the sign for the Kirkstile Inn.
5
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NY140216 Take the track through the Derby woodland and cross two Barmouth Start/finish Kirkstile Inn, furtherPeterborough stiles and a stream. Aberystwyth Loweswater (NY141208) Birmingham Then turn immediately left, Terrain very steep ascent taking a grassy track to the Hay-on-Wye digan onto Low Fell; otherwise right of the stream. Begin Brecon Gloucester relatively easy going the steep climb, following with grassy tracks and Oxford the faint track through the Pembroke a pleasant stroll back long grass. Make sure you Swansea Cardiff Bristol into Loweswater look back to take in the increasingly epic views that Maps OS Landranger Minehead unfold over Crummock (1:50,000) 89; OS Southampton Water. The path is not as Explorer (1:25,000) OL4; Brighton straight as the one marked Exeter Harvey SuperwalkerPoole on an OS map and veers (1:25,000) Lakeland West Bodmin sharply up the grassy slope, Plymouth eventually joining a fence. Follow the track to the top. Total ascent 368m
you should aim for the small farm track and gate at the bottom. Once here, go through the gate and turn left onto the narrow road. Follow this as it skirts around the bottom of Darling Fell. Eventually, you will join the road above Loweswater.
In association with
To get this route and maps on your phone now, go to www.viewranger.com/trail Route code TRL0448
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Darling Fell and Low Fell, from Loweswater.
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GRADIENT PROFILE
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Low Fell
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126 Trail october 2013
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Fellbarrow
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