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spring 2012 £3.99
summit fright
Ben Nevis
The night Britain’s highest turned nasty
Lake District 3 days 7 summits 1 route
Try this awesome long weekend!
Snowdonia
Roughing it in the Rhinogs The clever way to bag Wales’ 3 wildest hills skills special
How to...
MASTER NAVIGATION
Find a bothy Handle altitude Create your own OS map!
Your expert guide Part 1
Make a first ascent
Fancy bagging and naming an unclimbed peak? It may be easier than you think! p12
Walks + maps 4
2
13 UK mountain routes with full OS mapping inside!
contents out there skills Behind the picture
14
Plus: how you’d spend £1.3m on the outdoors The 1932 Kinder Mass Trespass (below), revisited
Dream peak
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Ben Nevis, aborted: page 52.
Whether you’re an absolute beginner or a grizzled old pro, this new threepart expert-led series is for you
50
Ask Trail
How to handle altitude; the ups and downs of feathers; where to find a bothy tom bailey
12
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adventures
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Make a first ascent
Master navigation 44
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1:25k or 1:50k sheets, centred where you walk
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Create your own OS map 10
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Where this month’s issue will take you...
Y Lliwedd, a grand bit of Snowdon architecture
your trail
18
Trail talk
The world of hillwalking – according to you lot
30
Subscribe to Trail A Silva Ranger compass is yours if you do!
p14
Why we love...
146
...one thing that all mountains offer: heights
p20
High above Buttermere on Trail’s Lakes long weekend: turned out nice!
8 Trail spring 2012
Lakes long weekend
20
Seven summits in three days, courtesy of our Wainwright-inspired super-route
Rough Rhinogs 34 T ruly wild camping in Wales’ hidden mountains Ben Nevis turns nasty
52
About to bed down for the night on top of a wintry Ben Nevis, Trail checks its iPhone...
Hail Wales! Pilgrims prostrate themselves on Rhinog Fawr’s summit: page 34.
gear Gear news
63
Mammut Brecon
66
The must-have kit that’s coming soon A 3-season Euro boot – built for the UK hills!
£80-125 waterproofs 68 Staying dry when walking is an absolute requirement. Here’s how if money’s tight...
40-50 litre rucksacks 78 Planning on being outdoors overnight? Then you’ll need one of these for your kit
Sleeping bags
88
Snooze flash: six great 3-season schlafsäcke
p78
routes
p68
Snowdonia
101
Dartmoor
103
Brecon Beacons
105
Route 1 Snowdon A walk in the woods that ends on Wales’ highest Route 2 Wistman’s Wood Fall under the spell of some precious ancient oaks Route 3 Fan y Big Tree-lined cascades and stunning skyline walking
Lake District
107
Cairngorms
109
Route 4 Walla Crag Combine woodland with ‘sensational views’
Route 5 Beinn a’ Bhuird Pining to tackle a far-flung Cairngorms giant?
Peak District
111
Route 6 Bole Hill A surprisingly tough trail with a silver (birch) lining
Loch Rannoch
Route 7 Sgor Gaibhre Route 8 Meall Buidhe Route 9 Black Wood of Rannoch
115
Choose your headquarters, walk for three days! This issue’s first Ultimate Weekend gives you three routes from a rugged Highlands base
Borrowdale
121
Pennines
127
Route 10 Glaramara Route 11 Watendlath & Ullscarf Route 12 Cat Bells Fancy a long weekend in the Lake District? See what this classic valley has to offer, including a trio of top routes that involve eight Wainwrights
Route 13 Cross Fell This issue’s Classic Route features ‘an epic day walk with a haunting atmosphere all of its own’ that almost reaches Munro height
Classic Route
with 3D maps spring 2012 Trail 9
out there Been there, climbed that? Send us a picture!
Bannau Sir Gaer Brecon Beacons Ruth, enjoying winter walking in Wales. Her friend Steve says: “Over the past couple of years, gale-force winds, fog, thigh-deep snow and any other weather you care to mention has stopped us getting the best of our 4-hour round trip to the Bannau Sir Gaer plateau. A Friday off work and north-easterly winds gave us perfect winter conditions to enjoy this thankfully under-visited part of the Brecon Beacons.�
4 Trail spring 2012
Send us your shots, share your adventures
Email your photos to us, along with a description of what was special about your day, and we’ll publish the most inspiring examples! Put ‘Out There’ in the subject box, and send them to trail@bauermedia.co.uk
spring 2012 Trail 5
out there
dr e a m p eak
Y lliwedd snowdonia Not one known for hiding its light, the crescent form of Y Lliwedd (pronounced er chleweth) could easily be the grandest piece of mountain architecture on the Snowdon Horseshoe... were it not for the rather more conveniently located – and certainly comparably spectacular – Crib Goch mirroring it across Llyn Lydaw. The two stand like estranged twins cut from same-but-different stone, with Crib Goch perhaps more thrilling for ridge-walkers, outshining 898m Y Lliwedd’s more technically prosaic cliff-edge crest. Delve deeper, though, and you’ll discover spectacular routes in the ribs of its north face for those with ropes and iron nerves.
do it! ›› turn to page 101
16 Trail spring 2012
Y Lliwedd and the distant Arans during a full temperature inversion, from Crib y Ddysgl. Š The Photolibrary Wales / Alamy
spring 2012 Trail 17
Where? Lake District What? Your ultimate long weekend
Lakeland’s Best 3-Dayer
Got a long weekend to spare? Looking for the ultimate route to fill it? Walk this way…
t
ake a look at an OS map – any will do – and it’s guaranteed you’ll spot the familiar green and black dashes that denote a walking path making their way across the contours, over peaks, through valleys and alongside rivers. Our fair country boasts a network of over 1,300 long distance trails – each offering stunning terrain ripe for exploration. But how many of us have the time to pick one and do the whole thing, in a one, two or even three week hit? It’s just not practical – from getting time off to finding accommodation in each of the many places you need to stay. But there is a way that you can enjoy the sights, sounds, thrills and sense of accomplishment that come from longer routes – all in a three-day hit. � Words Phoebe Smith Photographs Tom Bailey
20 Trail spring 2012
Getting high on Haystacks above Buttermere on an exquisite three-day route.
spring 2012 Trail 21
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Where? Snowdonia, North Wales What? Hills less trodden
Roughing it
in the WORDS DAN ASPEL PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
Discover the untamed core of the Rhinogs range 34 Trail spring 2012
Looking north-west to Tremadog Bay from the slopes of Rhinog Fawr (main), with the summits (right, from top) of Y Llethr, Rhinog Fach and Rhinog Fawr.
Rhinogs in one truly wild camp.
umour has it that a full traverse of the Rhinogs range is the only way to go. Rumour is wrong. A swift circular route across the two main peaks – Rhinog Fawr and Rhinog Fach – will hit the richest vein in these mist-cloaked mountains. Once you make this choice, the route leaps off the map. But beware, for in the Rhinogs nothing is as it seems. The landscape is murky, suggestive and desolate, and steeped in shadows. There may not be another soul � for miles, but you’re never truly alone...
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spring 2012 Trail 35
outdoor advice from our hillwalking experts
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Navigation skills set you free. Turn the page to begin lesson one...
Safe and competent navigation truly sets you free to explore the great outdoors – and the best part is that the skills are easy to learn and you’ll never forget them. This three-part series is designed for anyone who ventures into the great outdoors. Whether you are entirely new to navigation, need your skills brushing up or are a seasoned old campaigner, it is important to keep things fresh in your mind and use current best practice. Over this series you are going to discover how to interpret maps, master a compass and start to use global satellite navigation (GPS). There are also expert tips to keep you on track and short videos of all the techniques to ensure you learn them thoroughly. Then, once the series is finished, we’ll hide some special navigation ’caches’ in the hills: be the first to find them using your new skills, and the contents are yours!
LEARN HOW TO... Orient a map Take a bearing Use your compass spring 2012 Trail 43
ben winston
MASTER NAVIGATION
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Navigate better now!
Good navigation sets you free in the outdoors. Here’s your expert guide...
Building on your natural skills As soon as we learn to walk we become skilled in navigation, initially about the house, then in the garden. Slowly we build up a mental picture of where we are, and we venture further. We acquire navigational skills, passing known points on the way home such as a newsagent’s, a park gate or a zebra crossing. These are called ‘collecting features’. But if, for example, we end up at the railway line or on a particular street, we know we have passed our home. These are called ‘catching features’. Subliminally we are constantly aware of our environment and we know exactly where we are in it. Being taught to navigate for the great outdoors simply formalises this process, giving it a structure to which we can refer. It also teaches us to use tools, such as maps and compasses, which are specifically designed to assist this process. © Crown copyright in association with BAUER’s media licence no. AM105/09
outdoor advice from our hillwalking experts
Familiar environments are comforting tools for getting used to mapreading.
44 Trail spring 2012
YOUR NAVIGATION MASTER
Nav expert Lyle will help you find your way.
Lyle Brotherton
is one of the world’s leading navigation experts. The author of The Ultimate Navigation Manual, pb Collins, he trains Search & Rescue teams plus Special Forces across the world. He is also a member of a Scottish Mountain Rescue Team. Read more about Lyle at www. micronavigation.org
the map
Often, navigation can be a matter of using a map alone, relating what you see on it to your surroundings.
understanding... map scales Let’s get the tricky part out of the way now: map scales! Scale is the relationship between distance shown on the map and actual distance on the ground. Scale is given as a fraction or a ratio – 1/25,000 or 1:25,000 – and it’s always printed on the map. A map with a scale of 1:25,000 means that every one unit of measurement on the map (like a centimetre) is the same as 25,000 of those units (in this case 25,000cm, or 250m) in real life. The first number (map distance) is always 1. The second number (ground distance) is different for each scale: the larger the second number is, the smaller the scale of the map.
‘The larger the number, the smaller the scale’ sounds confusing, but in fact it is easy to understand. In the small-scale map (such as 1:250,000) there is less room; therefore, everything must be drawn smaller, and some small streams, roads, and landmarks must be left out altogether. The large-scale map (1: 25,000) permits more detail but covers much less ground. It is personal choice whether you use Explorer or Landranger maps, but bear in mind Explorers give much more detail than Landrangers and are essential for navigating in lowland countryside: they show field boundaries – important for route-finding through farmland.
Ordnance Survey produces superb maps. The 1:50,000 maps are called Landrangers, and 207 of these cover Great Britain and the Isle of Man...
...while OS 1:25,000 scale maps are called Explorer maps. There are 403 printed versions.
masterclass MASTER NAVIGATION understanding... contours The ability to glance at the map and quickly relate it to the surrounding terrain helps you move freely over the land. A major advantage of this technique is the ability to know in advance what the land that you will be travelling through is going to look like. In mountainous areas, on Ordnance Survey maps contours are typically at 10m intervals. In lowland areas with little relief on 1:25 000 scale maps they can be shown at 5m intervals. The exception are Harvey maps – commonly used by hillwalkers – where the contours are shown at 15m intervals.
We are all familiar with maps looking down on the world in 2D (two dimensions), from a floor plan of the interior of your house to a local street plan. But for the great outdoors we need more than simple boxes and streets, we need to know the shape of the land; and to help us see these shapes the maps we use have contour lines and are called topographic maps. Each contour is drawn as a continuous, irregularly shaped closed loop and it joins land at that specific height above sea-level on the map. If you continued to walk the same contour line you would eventually end up where you started – even if that involved a 100 mile walk! They allow us to imagine in 3D (three dimensions) the shape of the land and how steep it is.
Hill Shown on a map by contour lines in circles (the inside of the smallest circle is the hilltop).
Know contours in our navigation mashterclass.
Saddle A saddle is normally represented by an hourglass shape in the contours.
Re-entrant Contours depicting a re-entrant Spur Contour lines on a map depict a spur, are U- or V-shaped, pointing towards high ground.
pointing away from high ground.
Valley The contour lines forming a valley are either U-shaped or V-shaped.
Cliff Vertical or near -vertical slopes are shown by contours very close together or touching.
understanding... the three norths You will find references to three types of north in the margin of maps used by walkers. At first it appears confusing, and many books give lengthy explanations; but it can be explained quite simply...
True north
If the earth was an orange and you stuck a pencil through it vertically, the point at the top where it rotates is the North Pole; this is referred to as ‘true north’. It’s located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. It’s also marked in the skies by the position of Polaris – also called the North Star.
Grid north
This is the north used on all maps used by walkers. To produce rectangular or square
maps, grids have been created, and the vertical grid lines on these maps point to the north known as ‘grid north’.
Magnetic north
Grid north
True north
Magnetic north
Baseplate compasses contain a magnetised needle, which rotates freely on a pivot inside a sealed capsule of liquid – and this needle aligns itself with the local magnetic field, pointing towards magnetic north. This magnetic field changes across the world, so when working with a map and a compass you need to take account of the difference between grid north and magnetic north, which is known as ‘magnetic declination’ (aka ‘magnetic variation’). It is shown on the key of your map.
�
spring 2012 Trail 45
Where? Ben Nevis, west Highlands What? A cautionary tale
Words Jeremy Ashcroft Photographs Tom Bailey 52 Trail spring 2012
Chased
Graham and Jeremy strike camp as the first now flurries arrive.
how a winter camp on our highest peak didn’t quite go according to plan...
off The Ben spring 2012 Trail 53
group test You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a decent waterproof jacket.
68 Trail spring 2012
hillwalking jackets
£80-125
Hillwalking jackets A jacket that keeps you dry is a basic requirement on the hill, but budget doesn’t have to mean compromise as these affordable options prove. Test and studio photographs Graham Thompson Outdoor photographs Tom Bailey
what we tested Columbia Kathmandu Target Dry Keela Montane The North Face Berghaus Sprayway
Mission Air II £80 Monrovia £85 Pioneer £95 Pinnacle £100 Atomic £100 Venture £110 Vinson £120 Nyx £125
spring 2012 Trail 69
group test
40-50 litre
rucksacks Multi-day walking demands a larger pack for your extra kit, and a 40-50 litre capacity rucksack will be just the ticket. So whether you’re wild camping, hut-to-hutting or walking between hostels or B&Bs, try one of these for size…
Test Phoebe Smith Photographs Tom Bailey
what we tested Kathmandu Voltai £100 Deuter ACT Lite 45+10 £120 Osprey Aura 50 £120 Mammut Hera Element 40+ £125 Mountain Hardwear Wandrin 48 £130 Karrimor Lynx £135 Lowe Alpine Nanon ND 50:60 £135 Berghaus Bioflex 45 £140
78 Trail spring 2012
backpacking sacks (Thankfully detachable) adornments aside, these sacks are great for multi-day trips.
spring 2012 Trail 79
clockwise from top: Tom hutton, Graham Thompson, Deborah Martin, Ronald Turnbull
the best hillwalks written by experts
routes p101
p115
Trail Routes use OS mapping and gradient profiles, and are available to download at lfto.com/routes This month, take a walk in the woods on the way to some stunning hills. Fancy an Ultimate Weekend? Visit Scotland's atmospheric Loch Rannoch or Lakeland's beautiful Borrowdale. Then head to Yorkshire to summit Cross Fell – the Pennines’ highest peak.
P103 P121
1 2 3 4 5 6
14km 14.6km 13.5km 20.5m 32km 11.2km
p101 p103 p105 p107 p109 p111
ultimate weekend – loch rannoch 7 SGOR gaibhre 24km 8 meall buidhe 23.7km 9 black wood of rannoch 11.8km
p116 p117 p118
ultimate weekend – borrowdale 10 glaramara 9km 11 watendlath & ullscarf 16km 12 cat bells 19.3km
p122 p123 p124
classic route 13 cross fell
p127
Snowdon Wistman’s WOOD FAN Y BIG Walla crag Beinn a’ Bhuird Bole hill
30km
onderry
ultimate weekend
7
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trail route
facts
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STRENUOUSNESS ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ NAVIGATION ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ISLE OF LEWIS TECHNICALITY ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ HARRIS munro count 2 Lairg Ullapool corbett count 1
Sgor Gaibhre
NN446578 Clockwise is best, with morning light for the views over Rannoch ISLE OF SKYE Inverness Moor, and evening light for Portree Shiel Bridge Rannoch and Schiehallion from Aviemore Aberdeen Beinn Pharlagain.Though this Inverie Invergarry Mallaig Braemar circuit isn’t the quickest way to Fort William grab the two Munros (and a Corbett), it’s so natural that it MULL Oban is starting to develop its own small path. Head north-west JURA Glasgow up a stony, grassy track, with Edinburgh Distance 24km an SRWS signpost at its foot. (15 miles) ISLAY Berwick-upon-Tweed After 2km it joins Allt Eigheach. ISLE Total ascent 1200m OF ARRAN Ayr There’s a footbridge with an Jedburgh Time 9 hours arrow marker, the track itself Ballantrae Start/finish parking Dumfries continuing to a ford 200m Newcastle pull-in at LochNewton Eigheach, Stewart upstream. Across-upon-Tyne the bridge a Carlisle at foot ofStranraer Road to the Isles rough path continues left of Penrith track (NN446578) Keswick Belfast the river, rejoining the track Middlesbrough Terrain track, rough beyond its ford. paths, grassy ridges with small paths
1
Windermere Kendal
Northallerton
© Crown copyright in association with BAUER’s media licence no. AM105/09
grassy ridges
schist to rounded granite and a longer rise leads to the summit cairn of Carn Dearg.
5
4
NN417661 Descend north-east, with a clearer path as you’re now on the standard Munro-baggers’ route. The path runs down across the wide, peaty col called Mam Ban, then up onto Sgor Gaibhre.
4
NN444674 Leaving the popular path, turn south down a grassy ridge, with a small, intermittent path. After 2km, the drop to a major col has glacier-smoothed granite slabs. From the col head up a rounded, boulder-scattered ridge south-east. A lochan lies in front of the rocky rise called Meall na Meoig, the main summit of Beinn Pharlagain.
5
Ingleton NN435604 The grassy Bentham 2 York Maps OS Explorer Lancaster track runs up to the right Skipton (1:25,000) 385; OS of a plantation, then Leedsturns left Landranger (1:50,000) 42Liverpool (arrow marker) across its top. It Dublin Manchester Failing a Public transportConway Rhyl then slants uphill. At about the 6 NN448642 Sheffield 400m track GPS, in mist, geology walk start is 2km from Bodelwyddan level, the main turns more directly uphill: can help on this confusing Rannoch Station. Nasty Betws-y-Coed Llangollen eroded at first, but soon plateau with three summits weather? Consider a Derby quite inconspicuous. It runs up and two lochans. Meall na linear walk from Corrour Barmouth the rounded ridgeline to the Meoig is granite. Head southPeterborough Station viaAberystwyth Road to the Birmingham aterford base of steeper ground. Here east, keeping well to the right Isles track past Corrour Hay-on-Wye Cardigan leave it, to head north of a larger lochan (Lochan Old Lodge up grassy slopes onto Sron Meoigeach), to pt 838m, which Brecon Gloucester Guidebook The Corbetts Leachd a’ Chaorainn. is schist. Now head south-west and Other Scottish Oxford Pembroke to pt 807, also schist, its summit Hills, pb Scottish Swansea a knee-high granite erratic. NN425633 The grassy Cardiff Mountaineering Club 3 Bristol ridgeline runs north, Head Minehead easy going with a small path. 7 NN445632 Southampton down east of south over After several humps, the Rannoch Station from Brighton another slight rise. From its the track to Carn Dearg. Exeteremerging rocks Poole turn from Bodmin
Always take a map on the hill
24km/15 miles
Plymouth
6 3
7
end drop rather steeply, still south, to a lower ridgeline at the 700m level. Follow this south to its end, then drop south-west towards the river. As the slope eases, faint quad bike tracks lead left, downvalley. Eventually they reach the track at its ford over Allt Eigheach. Follow the Road to the Isles track ahead back to Loch Eigheach.
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in association with
1 To get this route and maps on your phone now, go to www.viewranger.com/trail Route code TRL0221
GRADIENT PROFILE
Start
1400 1200 METRES 1000 ABOVE 800 SEA 600 LEVEL 400 200 MILES KILOMETRES
Sron Leachd a’ Chaorainn
1 0 0
2 2
116 Trail spring 2012
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Carn Dearg
3
4
4 4
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Sgor Gaibhre
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Meall na Meoig
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14
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Finish
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23.7km/14¾ miles
se highlands
Meall Buidhe 1
rough and remote
facts
Descending Cam Chreag north ridge, heading towards Leagag (right of the walker). Meall Buidhe is on the far left.
1 NN489513 Bear down left to cross the main stream and head up south-east by a side stream. As the slope steepens, head up right onto the spur south of the stream. After a levelling at 700m, continue up grassy slopes to Meall Buidhe’s cairn.
2
NN498499 A small path leads south around the rim of Glas Choire. From the south summit, the path leads down steepish grass east. Leave the path and
6
A few old 4 NN507488 cairns mark the best line across the watershed. Descend east, keeping to the left of dissected ground on the south flank, down into the wide, peaty col. A few moraine humps (with old, low cairns on) are the best way across. Up the slope opposite, peat gives way to rough grassland. Cross the glacier-scoured west top to Cam Chreag’s main top, with its large cairn. NN536491 Head north, along an enjoyable ridge with low, rocky knolls. After a heathery descent, pass to the right of the small Cul Lochan and head up the slope opposite. A small cairn marks the summit of Cross Craigs.
To get this route and maps on your phone now, go to www.viewranger.com/trail Route code TRL0222
2
keep east past a well-built cairn to Meall a’ Phuill. From here Cam Chreag appears as a wide sprawl across rather a lot of peat. It’s better than it looks.
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in association with
NN537523 Continue north-west down the rather rocky crest for 400m, to where it levels. Here turn down left, south-west, then bend round to the right below the steep ground. Aim for the foot of the glen of Allt Leac Ghiubhais. Here deer fences converge into a corner. Cross the foot of Allt Leac Ghiubhais above the deer fence, then
6
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Start
Meall Buidhe Meall a’ Phuill Cam Chreag
1 0 0
Distance 23.7km (14¾ miles)
Start/finish Bridge of Gaur: parking at village hall (NN504564)
7
MILES KILOMETRES
■■■■■ ■■■■■ ■■■■■ 1 1
Time 9½ hours
8
1400 1200 METRES 1000 ABOVE 800 SEA 600 LEVEL 400 200
STRENUOUSNESS NAVIGATION TECHNICALITY munro count corbett count
Total ascent 1300m
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GRADIENT GRADIENT PROFILE PROFILE
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trail route
2 2
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Maps Harvey Mountain Map (1:40,000) Perthshire; OS Explorer (1:25,000) 385 and 378 (need both); OS Landranger (1:50,000) 51 Public transport Broons bus 85 from Rannoch Station or Kinloch Rannoch to walk start
cross two ladder stiles onto a grassy track. Turn right over the bridge across Allt Camghouran. NN522533 Continue for 200m up from the bridge, then turn sharp left up a wide, peaty path. This slants up left around the steep, rocky end of Leagag. Where it levels at a solitary alder tree, turn uphill on grass. Follow the rim of the craggy drop up to the small cairn on Leagag summit.
7
NN518539 Head northwest then west along the peaty, rocky plateau to the cairn at its west end. Descend west, and cross a peaty col to a final low rise. Bear down left to join a rough path not far below. It leads around the hill and down to rejoin the outward track.
8
Leagag
4 5
4
Terrain tracks; hill slopes, ridges and plateau of rough grass, mostly pathless; almost all peat and heather is avoidable
14
10 16
7 18
Finish
8 12
20
22
14
spring 2012 Trail 117
© Crown copyright in association with BAUER’s media licence no. AM105/09
NN504564 Cross the road bridge and take a small track that runs south to the left (east) of the river. After 2.5km, the track passes through a gap at the west end of Leagag. In another 1.5km, just before it turns left over a bridge, keep ahead, over a ladder stile to a lesser track. After 1.2km this emerges from the scattered, open plantation via another ladder stile. In another 400m it ends.
ultimate weekend