Scottish solitude a night in Britain’s most remote hostel
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AUGUST 2015 £4.45
AUGUST 2015
I
HIGHLANDS • LAKE DISTRICT • SNOWDONIA • ZERMATT
Secret Wasdale Discover Lakeland’s forgotten fell
SUMMER GEAR
BOOTS, RUCKSACKS + GAS STOVES
The Matterhorn 150 years on the Alpine icon
the one that loves the feel of warm summer rock on the fngertips
11 ALL-NEW ROUTE CARDS + PULL- OUT MAP OF THE MONTH!
SUMMER OF Six thrilling locations to explore SCRAMBLING! + Ghyll scrambling with Alan Hinkes
Contents
WHERE TRAIL WILL TAKE YOU Transfxed by the view from Kirk Fell – page 36.
BASE CAMP Climb it
SKILLS 6
Scafell: grander even than the Pike itself?
Experience it
8
Meteors: those ‘brisk streaks of white’
New Everest blockbuster 10 The 1996 tragedy retold for the big screen
The Mountain Inquisition i iti 12 Salty snack fan David Hempleman-Adams Lightweight boots and summer rucksacks: tested on pages 74 and 78.
Expert advice
ADVENTURES 66
Why it’s vital to keep hydrated on the hill; merino vs synthetic; cattle – the dangers; taking a bearing and magnetic variation; ‘BPA free’ explained; indoor and outdoor climbing compared; knowing when to replace worn out boots; Alpine 4000m ‘starter peaks’
24
To Scotland, for a Really Wild Adventure
Kirk Fell
36
A Wasdale peak harbouring a pleasing secret
Cat Gill
42
We go ghyll scrambing with Alan Hinkes
YOUR TRAIL In n box
Glen Affric
18
Cwm Idwal
48
‘Enchainment’ yields something spectacular
The he world of walking: your thoughts
Out there
20
Beinn Dorain
54
...involving ‘ambition, bravado and idiocy’
Your our top mountain moments, on camera
Subscribe to Trail
34
Matterhorn
58
150 years on from Whymper’s frst ascent
... and snafe snafe yourself a whopping discount
Win the best new gear! Outdoor utdoor kit worth £746 is up for grabs
93
Behind the picture
64
An awesome pic of the Matterhorn illuminated
It's a threshold to an otherwise awkward landscape
DAVID TAYLOR PHOTOGRAPHY/ ALAMY
Fancy ghyll scrambling? Turn to page 42.
Getting a grip on Cwm Idwal Buttress – page 48.
ALL NEW! ROUTES
GEAR GUIDE Lightweight boots
74
For warmer months and less arduous terrain
20-30 litre rucksacks
78
Packs for summer scuttles into the hills
Gas stoves
82
Which of these six is best for your needs?
Top kit for bivvying
84
Gear to consider if you’re sleeping sans tent
First test
86
Vango’s excellent and versatile 2-person tent
What’s in your rucksack? 89 The minimal kit Alfred Wainwright carried
Used & abused
Glen Afric hostel: not just a nice place to kip. Grab your free SYHA membership – page 33!
90
Team Trail appraises its most-worn gear
1 Arnside Knott 2 Tilberthwaite 3 Fur Tor 4 Senior’s Ridge 5 Creag Uchdag 6 Creag Dhubh 7-8 Western Lakes 9-11 Tongue
101 103 105 107 109 111 113 117
6
Ridge Guide Angel’s Peak
Creag Dhubh Creag Uchdag 5
5
7
8 1
4
PLUS Walks of a lifetime Ridge guide Map of the month
3 routes from... Tongue
9 10 11
2 days in the... Western Lakes Tilberthwaite Arnside Knott
2
Senior’s Ridge
Walks of a Lifetime Moel Siabod
122 127 129
Map of the month Kinder Scout Fur Tor
3
● CHOOSE YOUR ROUTE AND GO HILLWALKING!
AUGUST 2015 TRAIL 5
Go Glen Affric Do a really wild adventure
The UK’s most remote hostel, a peak no-one can pronounce, and landscapes like this. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Glen Afric.
GATEWAY TO A GETAWAY WORDS DAN ASPEL PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
24 TRAIL AUGUST 2015
Looking towards remote Loch Mullardoch from the slopes of An Socach. Glen Afric lies to the right. In shot are four Munros – all of which can be yours if you utilise Britain's most remote hostel...
AUGUST 2015 TRAIL 25
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TOM BAILEY
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Terms and conditions Subscriptions will start with the next available issue. This offer closes on 12 August 2015 and is available on UK orders only. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. The minimum term is for 13 issues (1 year) when paying by direct debit and will continue at this offer price every 13 issues thereafter unless you are notified otherwise. You will not receive a renewal reminder and the direct debit payments will continue to be taken unless you tell us otherwise. Cost from landlines for 01 numbers per minute are (approximately) 2p to 10p. Cost from mobiles per minute are (approximately) 10p to 40p. Costs vary depending on the geographical location in the UK. You may get free calls to some numbers as part of your call package – please check with your phone provider. Order lines open 8am-9.30pm (Mon-Fri), 8am-4pm (Sat). UK orders only. For overseas prices call phone +44 1858 438888. Calls may be monitored or recorded for training purposes. YHA discount can be redeemed online only, for non-direct debit purchases and new members only. Expiry date is 29 February 2016. Membership is for a 12 month period and any renewals will be at full price. Valid at all hostels excluding Enterprise. Subscriber verification will be done on the subscriber’s postcode, which will be done after your application/booking is complete. Discount codes will be included in your confirmation letter/email. For full terms and conditions visit www.greatmagazines.co.uk/offer-terms-and-conditions
Go the Lake District Do Cat Gill
This is what I call a value-formoney scramble. Quick, exciting and really gnarly...
42 TRAIL AUGUST 2015
A WALK IN THE WOODS
WITH ALAN HINKES Trail teams up with Britain’s greatest high-altitude mountaineer for an action-packed afternoon of ghyll scrambling on the banks of Derwent Water. WORDS OLI REED PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
AUGUST 2015 TRAIL 43
Go Snowdonia Do multiple scrambles
C RE
Cwm Idwal is a treasure trove of scrambling routes. Link a few together and you have something spectacular on your hands. WORDS BEN WEEKS PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
48 TRAIL AUGUST 2015
Scrambling high above Llyn Idwal and the cwm that shares its name, with Pen yr Olen Wen watching on in the background.
A
member of the audience crammed into the tepee at Keswick Mountain Festival raised their hand and asked outdoors instructor Paddy Cave a question. “If I want to prepare for a route like the Cuillin Ridge, what should I do?” It’s a good question. There’s nothing else like Skye’s infamous ridge traverse; and while there are a handful of long, narrow scrambling routes to be found elsewhere in the Highlands and Islands, such pickings are slim for southerners. The answer can be found in a single word: enchainment. “Go somewhere like north Wales,” Paddy explained. “Spend a day linking multiple scrambles together. It’ll test both your physical and mental capabilities for sustained climbing.” �
AUGUST 2015 TRAIL 49
Go Switzerland Do an Alpine icon
The incomparable sight of the Matterhorn during a winter sunrise, with its twisted pyramid refected in the lake of Rifelsee near the Swiss town of Zermatt. Š ROLF NUSSBAUMER PHOTOGRAPHY / ALAMY
58 TRAIL AUGUST 2015
MATTERHORN
150 years
MOUNTAIN
1865 2015
OF MOUNTAINS
As the Matterhorn celebrates a landmark event, Trail looks back at its fascinating history. How did Whymper climb it 150 years ago? And could you do it today?
WORDS OLI REED PHOTOGRAPHS BEN WEEKS
T
he Matterhorn is the king of mountains. The most photographed peak in the world. The icon of the Alps. This summer marks the 150th anniversary of its first and most controversial ascent, when Edward Whymper and his seven-man team made history by reaching the summit for the first time, only for four of them to lose their lives during a catastrophic descent. But that disaster, and the firestorm and finger-pointing that followed, did little to diminish the Matterhorn’s magnetism. The mountain claimed six more lives in 1865 alone and today more than 500 people are thought to have died on its slopes; yet still it lures alpinists towards it. A century and a half later the Matterhorn is more popular than ever, with every one of its ridges and faces having been ascended in every season. Thousands of climbers, scramblers and walkers visit this 4478m fang of rock every year – all dreaming of scaling its sheer walls and standing on its legendary summit. To mark this anniversary, Trail looks back at the story of that dramatic first ascent and asks the question that nags away at every mountain lover: � could I climb the Matterhorn?
AUGUST 2015 TRAIL 59
Gear
BUYING KIT? THIS IS YOUR GUIDE... U
WIGWAM ULTRA COOL-LITE QUARTER £13 Hot because: The h sun is shining, inin you’re taking on an easy route, you‘re sporting shorts horts and you’ve forgone your heavy leather boots in favour ur of some lightweight shoes. With your shades on, you’re lo k looking good. At least, you would be were it not for the thick, shinhigh walking socks you’ve got on that are both cooking your feet and making you look ridiculous. Wigwam’s Ultra Cool-Lite Quarters promise cool, comfortable and blister-free feet, and are a far more appropriate match for fast-and-light shoes. We say: They’ll look much better with shoes than normal walking socks (although gh we st still wouldn’t wear them with sandals). www.wigwam.com
MONTANE YARARA 32 £80 Hot because: The Yarará’s brother, the Medusa, is a regular favourite of Trail’s and a previous ‘Best in Test’ winner. But – and it’s a big but – there was never a women’s version available. Until now. The Yarará is, to all intents and purposes, the Medusa re-tailored for ladies, so you get the same ice axe and pole attachments points, the same comfortable back system, and the same arrangement of internal and external pockets, but in a slightly lighter version that better fts the female form. We say: “It’s spacious enough for a big day with useful pockets and bottle holders giving a great range of storage. It’s also extremely comfortable and fts me well – a big plus as many unisex packs are too large in the back.” Hannah James, editorial assistant www.montane.co.uk
72 TRAIL AUGUST 2015
HOT NEW KIT This month's spanking new objects of outdoor desire
Inside BOOTS 74
WILD COUNTRY MISTRAL 350 £40 Hot because: You can pay a fortune for sleeping bags, so it’s great to see one at such a fair price. With a minimum comfort rating of 1 deg C it’s a bag for summer use only, and it’s not the lightest or most compact. But for campsite or bunkhouse stays, it’s an ideal purchase that won’t break the bank. There’s also a Mistral 350 Junior available at £35 for the shorter campers in your life. We say: An excellent price for a sleeping bag that performs admirably. www.wild-country.co.uk
SMARTWOOL PHD SPORT UNDERWEAR FROM £23 Hot because: While woollen underwear may sound like punitive apparel, those in the know k appreciate that merino ofers excellent next-to-the-skin comfort. It breathes, it wicks and it doesn’t smell. The range includes bras, briefs and boxers for men and women (although we suspect the bras are mostly for women). We say: Don’t overlook your unmentionables; performance underwear is a sound investment. www.smartwool.com ool com
78 ANATOM LOVE NEPAL T-SHIRT £20 Hot because: It’s a simple premise, but a good ’un. Purchase one of these cool ‘Love Nepal’ T-shirts from either www.anatom.co.uk or www.tekoforlife.co.uk and all profts will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee to help its post-earthquake relief efort in Nepal. We say: Doing good while looking good can’t be bad. Buy one now. www.anatomfootwear.co.uk
GAS STOVES 82
Kit for bivvying
84
First test: Vango tent
86
What’s in your rucksack? 89 Team Trail’s kit rated
90
Win great outdoor gear
93
AUGUST 2015 TRAIL 73
USED AND ABUSED OUR GEAR, TESTED FOR YOU
FIRST LOOK
Finisterre Mistral Jacket £180 Used by Dan Aspe Aspel, features editor Used for 3 months You may not have heard he of Finisterre, but there’s a lot to like about them. They’re British, the they’re based in Devon and Cornwall, they’re pretty big on eco credentials, creden and they owe their origins to one guy in a f fat at above a surf su shop. They’re primarily a maritime kind of brand, but based ba on the attractively priced Mistral Jacket they’ve got something to say about decent technical waterproofs too. t The outer is made from a supple, silent and recycled polyester p ripstop fabric, and it uses a mesh lining to protect the breathable PU membrane within. Finisterre are also very apologetic about using a carbon-based fnish fnish to ensure ens waterproofness (although they’ve cut out most mos of the nastiest chemicals). The hood is excellent, allowing allowin great comfort and visibility, as are the cufs cufs and louche surfer cut. Downsides: the pockets are a little inconvenient for a rucksack hipbelt and the zips tend to snag on the soft stormfaps. The tremendous comfort means I’ve worn it exhaustively while the credentials mean I’m more than happy to wear it above 1000m too. I haven’t yet tested it in the kind of downpours I’d like to put it through (lucky me), but that’ll come this summer. VERDICT
An exciting catch-all waterprooff from f a British ritish brand. Thumbs up. www.fnisterreuk.com
Manfrotto Of f Road RoadUltra Ultra Lightweight Tripod pod £120 Used by Tom Bailey, Trail ail staf phototographer Used for about a year A bit of context here: a tripod is absolutely y essential for my work. Be it low-light landscapes, nocturnal al scenes or any kind of video, a rock-steady support is as essential as the camera itself, and good tripods tend to be e heavy and not at all conducive to comfortable days on the e hill. So on paper, this promised a lot: pro tripod specialistt Manfrotto and lightweight trekking pole expert Fizan n team up to make the ultimate three-legged solution for or hillwalkers with a fnite carrying capacity. I've used this thing for just over er a year. At frst frst I laughed it out of the ofce; then an assignment came along and I needed just such ch a device. As a tripod it is nowhere near as good od as a solid, weighty afair – particularly as my camera is on the heavier side. By comparison son it is unstable, infexible and the legs frequently uently jam, being of the irritating twist-lock variety ariety of trekking poles, which is the enemy y of speed and the friend of moisture; afterr any wet trip I take the thing to bits to dry each leg section. The redeeming feature re is how light it is – 650g. And that's why, hy, for all its shortcomings, since e that frst frst assignment it's come me most MID-TERM places with me. REVIEW Fine for VERDICT occasional tripod users; s; just adequate for a heavy y user like me. www.manfrotto.co.uk
90 TRAIL AUGUST 2015
Whalley Warm and Dry Boot Fitting Service £60
MID-TERM REVIEW
Used by John Lenehan, Trail Routes contributor Used for one season We have all known boots that become instruments of torture on their frst walk. They will be fne when they are broken in, you tell yourself – and usually this is half right. They become, thanks to various socks and lacing strategies, wearable. Salvation for me came in Whalley, Lancashire. Graham Holgate of outdoor clothing specialists Whalley Warm and Dry took a computer scan of my feet to determine the pressure points. He then sat me on a machine that vacuum-formed an exact mould of my foot, and using the data he made a pair of insoles for my well-used but uncomfortable Asolos. The boots became bedroom-slipper-comfortable, and since the ftting I have really abused them. Full days on the Lake District fells have never felt as good. My best friend, having lost two toes years ago and having sufered with every boot he had since, tried the £110 custom service – and he now walks pain–free. A fantastic service VERDICT that transforms uncomfortable boots. www.whalleyoutdoor.co.uk
Team Trail’s kit FIRST LOOK
Hilleberg Anjan 3 £639 Used by Hannah James, editorial assistant Used for 1 month Is it better to carry two one-person tents for a long walk, or a bigger tent between two people? Well, the Anjan 3 left us with no question as to which to choose. At only 1.9kg for a three-person tent it was light to carry while ofering a spacious place to sleep. Two people with a 40+ litre rucksack each had plenty of room within the inner compartment – so no need to leave your kit outside. Its design is tidy, and the inner and outer go up together, making it very quick and simple to set up . It packs down well too, which is perfect for stashing in your rucksack. The Anjan 3 is a brilliant tent but the price is quite mind-boggling. That said, if you do a lot of walking and overnight trips in the hills (unless in winter) then it would be a brilliant option to consider. A frst-rate tent with a somewhat scary price tag. www.hilleberg.com VERDICT
The North Face Base Camp Dufel £110 Used by Ben Weeks, news & features writer w Used for 3 years
LONGTERM THRASH
With the Base Camp Duf Dufel, el, TNF defned defned what the ultimate lu luggage for the adventure traveller should look like. It’s tough: 3 years of use and it barely shows any signs of wear. It’s adaptable: multiple carry carrying straps include comfortable backpack straps, reinforced grab handles handle and tiedown points for roof racks or trailers. It’s voluminous: this large lar version holds 90 litres of cargo, although if you need more the XL swa swallows a whopping 155 litres. But, best of all, mine’s orange, which ma makes it a doddle to spot on an airport carousel full of dark and dull ca cases. Until science can cross the raconteurial c charm of Michael Palin with the carrying capaci capacity of a yak, this is the ultimate travel companion. www.thenorthface.eu VERDICT
Brunton Heavy Metal 5500 Battery £65 BruntonHe Aquapac Medium Whanganui £25 AquapacM Used by Jeremy Ashcroft, Ash mountaineering editor Used for 1 year I generally carry an iPad mini with me in the hills. For work I use it for writing, illustrating and as a back-up map and GPS; for pleasure it holds a stack of ebooks and emags, and of course does the odd bit of online browsing. It stands up well in everyday ev use, but in the mountains the damp and cold mean that to use it successfully it needs extra protection and power. To keep kee damp at bay I use the Aquapac Medium Whanganui, a waterpr waterproof (to 5m) TPU clamp-shut plastic bag, which allows full screen view and use in the harshest conditions. The battery drains rapidly with wi reduced temperatures so for extra power I stuf a Brunton Heavy Heav Metal 5500 Battery in the Aquapac case with my iPad. It’s not the li lightest back-up battery available but it’s as tough as old boots an and consistently uploads three full charges even in sub-zero condi conditions. Ideal iPad survival kit iif you’re heading to the hills. www.brunton.com / www.aquapac.net VERDICT
MID-TERM REVIEW
ROUTE 5 AUGUST 2015
SE Highlands 19.5km/ 12 miles 7½ hours ROUTE STATS
Creag Uchdag
Gleann a’ Chilleine and Tullich Hill.
Uchdag, a drag? Ronald Turnbull extracts an unexpectedly grand day out of an unpromising Perthshire Corbett. Here's how you can, too...
O
n a Munro, it’s the easiest ridgeline from the closest car park – and that’s a great day out. Corbetts require more cunning. It helps to have imagination, and a map – plus a little bit of luck. In the less interesting east, on the wrong side of Loch Tay, in country noted for deep heather and even deeper peat, Creag Uchdag ought to be a drag. It turns out quite a bit better than that. An ancient through route – part of the Rob Roy Way – leads into a high green glen. Early-morning sunlight slants across the valley, picking out the two white-painted farmhouses and dumping a golden glow over Ben Lawers across the loch. Traces of a track are helpful through
be out of place topping of a ridgeline in Glen Coe, but here it rises just a few metres above the fat and featureless moorland. It leads up in its mildly mountainous style to Uchdag’s actual summit. Three ridges rising to a perfect cone? A crag top perched above the void? Come of it – this is a Corbett, and a Perthshire Corbett to boot. That boot Dunan and the back is already peat-blackened, valley to Creag Uchdag. and Uchdag’s summit is a meeting point of fences. But like an overused bothy armchair, the heather, allowing attention to stray the protruding ridgelines are rubbed to the little waterfalls and some schisty, bare by the wind, to show the smooth pleasingly clify bits. Above the 750m contour line heather is green underneath. Gentle grassland, and a view that’s Loch Tay all the way, at worst ankle-high. Uchdag itself is a line lead down into the evening birchwood... of gravelly schist, a feature that wouldn’t
AUGUST 2015 TRAIL 109
RONALD TURNBULL
Strenuousness ●● ●●● Navigation ●● ●●● Technicality ●● ●●● Corbetts 1
SE Highlands
ROUTE 5 AUGUST 2015
Wast Water, seen from Kirk Fell.
Always take a map out with you on the hill
19.5km/ 12 miles 7½ hours ROUTE INFO
Loch Tay all the way, seen from above Ardtalnaig.
Inverness Shiel Bridge Inverie ig
Aviemore
Invergarry
Braemar
ort William
Oban
Distance 19.5km (12 miles) Total ascent 900m Time 7½ hours Start/fnish Ardtalnaig, south side of Loch Tay, NN701392 Nearest town Aberfeldy Terrain track, faint path, steep grass/ heather slope, grassy plateau and ridge, short section of peat hags
ORDNANCE SURVEY MAPPING © CROWN COPYRIGHT. CREATED WITH MEMORY-MAP. LICENCE MEDIA089/12
Maps OS Explorer (1:25,000) 378; OS Landranger (1:50,000) 51; Harvey British Mountain Map (1:40,000) Schiehallion Accommodation Culdees bunkhouse at Fearnan, foot of Loch Tay (01887) 830519, www.culdees bunkhouse.co.uk; Pitlochry (30 miles) has independent www.pitlochryback packershotel.com and SYHA (01796) 472308 Public transport south side of Loch Tay has no public transport, though occasional school buses reach Acharn; 0871 200 2233 www.traveline.info Guidebooks Walking Highland Perthshire by Ronald Turnbull, pb Cicerone Tourist info Aberfeldy (01887) 820276 www. visitaberfeldy.co.uk Best pub Kenmore Hotel (01887) 830205
GET THIS ROUTE ON YOUR PHONE! In association with
www.viewranger. com/trail Route code TRL0728
NN701392 Just up to the south of the bridge at Ardtalnaig, take tak an uphill lane signed as Rob Roy Way towards Glenalmond. At Claggan farm it becomes a stony track. Just beyond the farm fork left on the lower lowe track, which soon crosses crosse a ford of Allt a’ Chilleine and follows the stream all the way up to the pass at its head. Ignore a green track forking up right, but bu keep ahead on the stony track to the locked hut at Dunan.
1
NN740341 Behind the hut, a green track heads up southwest. It becomes a faint path, running across heather slopes up to the right of a stream. Pass below crags of Creag nan Eun high on the opposite slope, to some shielings (ruined summer huts). Here a fenced enclosure is i ahead. Before reaching it, it drop to join the stream where another small stream (Allt nan Eun Shuas) joins it opposite.
beyond. The e near face of the hump has as a stony scar, the site of an n old mine.
1
NN705340 From the mine, ine, an ancient green path leads to the right, north-east, h-east, to the brink of Creag ag Gharbh. Here, it seems, ms, the quarrymen simply tipped their ore over er the edge into the valley ley below. The path, at any ny rate, ends. Turn left along the crag brink, following ollowing it downhill ill and then heading ng north down a grassy ssy ridge. A gently ently uphill ridge ge leads to Tullich ullich Hill.
5
6
2
NN723329 Head up steep grass slopes to the right of the side stream, south-west. At the slope top the ground
3
GRADIENT PROFILE
METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL
2
NN704366 Follow low the grassy ridgeline eline down north, with wide views along ng Loch Tay. A fence junction ction is at the point where here the spur line steepens ns (550m level). Bear down right (north-east, between the two fences) to the top right corner of a wood. A gate leads onto a stony zigzag track, down through the wood, to join the lane above Ardtalnaig.
4
levels of abruptly. Cross the plateau to the slightly rocky height of 879m, with the trig at Creag Uchdag’s main top. Follow the remains of a fence north-west for 500m to a lesser summit (863m).
NN704325 Follow the occasional fence posts north. The wide saddle ahead is peaty; the best way is to skirt to the left of the peat hags, to gain the slight rise of Meall nan Oighreag
4
Creag Uchdag Meall nan Oighreag
2
1 0 0
6
3
Start 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200
MILES KILOMETRES
110 TRAIL AUGUST 2015
5
5
3 5
10
4
Tullich Hill
5
Finish
6 15
10
12
25 years
Mountain moments
Wast Water, seen from Kirk Fell.
1990 2015
Moel Siabod WHEN February 2006
WHERE Moel Siabod, Snowdonia PHOTOGRAPHER Matthew Roberts TRAIL ISSUE April 2006, Mountain Must Dos
The sight of a sublime cloud inversion over Snowdonia not one but two days in a row imbued this Trail shoot from 2006 with real magic. The sight of England and Wales' highest peak Snowdon in total, pristine isolation above the clouds gave the illusion that it was only us and the summits in the world. Climb Moel Siabod this month: see page 122.
â—? THE SEPT ISSUE OF TRAIL HITS THE SHOPS ON 13 AUGUST. SEE YOU NEXT MONTH! 130 TRAIL AUGUST 2015