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LIVE FOR THE OUTDOORS DECEMBER 2014
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Hidden Wales From the silent way up Tryfan to the black hole of Snowdonia – explore Britain’s wild west!
BOOT SPECIAL 2014 17 pairs for every budget TESTED!
Bowfell
Great End
Rossett Pike Angle Tarn
Pike of Stickle Harrison Stickle Pavey Ark High Raise
3
Ash Crags
Stake Pass
4
Low White Stones
164 PAGES!
7
5 Tongue Head
Martcrag Moor
High White Stones
Esk Hause Allen Crags
6
11
step-by-step walks Sty Head 8 Glaramara Combe mapped by Head
7 pag e + BEST OF THE g u i d e ! LAKE DISTRICT R
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Lining Crag
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Combe Door
Rosthwaite Fell Raven Crag
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N G S T
Greenup Edge
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ins Gra
the one that looked at £10 cameras from Tesco in an entirely new light
Esk Pike
Bessyboot
The Combe Seathwaite
Eagle Crag eenn GGrree
uup pGG
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Cape Wrath adventure Iceland’s volcanic hills Go night walking
CONTENTS WELCOME TO WALES: BRITAIN’S VERY OWN WILD WEST p20
‘THAT LITTLE SETTLEMENT WITH THE BELEAGUERED REPUTATION’ BLAENAU FFESTINIOG: A MOST WORTHY BASE CAMP, ACTUALLY.
p38 Heather Terrace: the ‘other way’ up Tryfan.
p32 To Moel Hebog, for a gale-force win.
Exploring the sensational west ridge of Moelwyn Mawr, with Snowdon beyond.
BASECAMP Dream peak
SKILLS 6
‘This brawny cluster of granite’: the Black Mount
Photo comp: the winner! 8 We reveal which stunning image you voted for
Mountain inquisition
10
Mountain Guide
13
A month of outdoorsy things to put in your diary
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72
How to keep on your feet; camping vs youth hostelling; estimating time till sunset; why is it windier up high? PLUS the point of pit zips; the Alps without a guide; Snowdon’s secretive lily; frostnip: why it’s much nastier than it sounds
YOUR TRAIL
The normally naked Ed Stafford reveals yet more
High lights
ADVENTURES Blaenau Ffestiniog
20
Moel Hebog
32
Heather Terrace
38
Did we rate or slate Snowdonia’s ‘black hole’?
Why the roughest weather needn’t ruin your day
A route up Tryfan offering something for everyone
In Box
14
Cape Wrath
A wild, wild, place in the extreme north-west
44
The world of hillwalking, according to you lot
Out There
16
Lake District
52
Your top mountain moments, caught on camera
The National Park whose beauty inspired poets
Subscribe to Trail mag
30
Robin Hood’s cave
60
Iceland
64
Behind the pic
70
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We find this man of mystery’s historic hideout
Walking a volcanic land of unique awesomeness
A young and gifted climber, cut down in his prime
WHERE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE WILL TAKE YOU p60
What sort of arguably fictitious character might have lived in a cave like this had he been real?
p44 Cape Wrath: a place of extremes.
p64
Iceland: land of fire and, er, fish.
p52
A love letter to the Lakes.
p80
The best 3-4 season boots.
p88
TOM BAILEY
A quintet of compasses, compared.
NEW GEAR GUIDE Top-end 3-4 season boots 80 Need footwear that can do it all? Step this way...
Best for your budget
84
Compasses
88
Three-season boots, broken down by price tag
A range of direction-finders for every wallet
Kit for night walking
90
Extra gear you’ll need when the sun goes down
First Test
93
A Fjällräven jacket stuffed with innovative insulation
What’s in your rucksack? 95
ROUTES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7-9 10-11 CLASSIC ROUTE
Bowfell 103 Gowbarrow Fell 105 Moelwyn Mawr 107 The Uig Hills 109 Afton Water 111 Drumochter 113 Llanberis 117 Black Mt/Etive 123 Langstrath Peaks 128
Squash Falconer on what she hauls into the hills
Used & Abused
Team Trail appraises its most-worn kit
96
Choose your route and go hillwalking!
4
6 10-11
5 2 CLASSIC ROUTE 1
3
7-9
OUT THERE
Fan y Big Brecon Beacons Howard Lewis from Bridgend and Gareth Jones from Royal Wootton Bassett, on Fan y Big’s Diving Board, in a photo taken by Wayne Morris. The pair met while serving in the Territorial Army and have been walking buddies since 1984. Howard told Trail, “We have a trust and experience gained over the years where we know we can rely on each other no matter what the mountains throw at us.”
Salkantay Trail Peru Steve and Linda Sandell, during a 7 day trek to Machu Picchu. Steve told Trail, “Most days were very hard, but extremely well worth the walk/journey. This is us reaching the Salkantay Pass at 4630m.”
16 TRAIL DECEMBER 2014
BEEN THERE, CLIMBED THAT? SEND US A PICTURE!
Cuillin Isle of Skye Ryan Szydlowski from Ilkeston, in a photo taken by Phillip Jenner , “deep into the Cuillin Mountains, one of my favourite places in Britain. We didn’t quite make it to Sgurr na Stri summit that day, but it gave us tingles seeing this phenomenal view. Loch Coruisk is poking round the corner on the left. We also were fortunate to have blue skies!” Ryan would like to share his Instagram page: ‘what_bry_sees’.
Great End Lake District
Fan Fawr Brecon Beacons
Cameron (14) and his dad John Barnes from Darlington, on their last Wainwright, three years after Cameron climbed his first (Place Fell, inset). The main pic was taken by John Statton. Well done, both!
Emily Trim, Steve Ackrill, Olivia Clarke and Harriet Thomas from Queen Elizabeth School in Wimborne on their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Qualifying Trek, which took place over four days and nights and concluded with an ascent of Pen y Fan. Emily said, “It was a fantastic experience!” Their instructor Paul Taylor took the photo.
DECEMBER 2014 TRAIL 17
Go: north Wales Do: a little-loved skyline
SNOWDONIA’S
Considering Blaenau Ffestiniog from the disused quarry levels high on Manod Bach. In the distance, Moelwyn Bach and Moelwyn Mawr: tomorrow's objectives.
20 TRAIL DECEMBER 2014
It’s marred by quarrying, cast out of the National Park and scorned as the 'ugly' bit of north Wales. Trail heads to the plundered hills of Blaenau Ffestiniog for a spot of reputation redemption...
WORDS SIMON INGRAM PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
DECEMBER 2014 TRAIL 21
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Go: Snowdonia Do: stay flexible
WEATHER: Rough conditions ruined your plans? Go with the blow and you could be in for a treat, as Trail found out on Moel Hebog. WORDS DAN ASPEL PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
32 TRAIL DECEMBER 2014
BEATEN I f you’ve ever settled into Capel Curig’s Moel Siabod café with a mug of hot tea and a thick slice of creamy rarebit, you’ll know what a difficult place it can be to leave. Now imagine that it’s as dark as night outside, the rain is lashing down like a whip and the winds are so strong the café’s broad glass frontage is flexing under the strain. This is the stuff of hillwalking. The ever-present battle between ambition and ease. No matter how seldom you get out into the mountains, no matter how much you burn to be among the freedom of it all, no matter how far you’ve travelled just to be at the foot of the peaks… always there’s the lure of comfort. The trappings of a warm sleeping bag, the luxury of a cosy seat, the seduction of a dry car (the ‘call of the mild’, if you will). ❯
Blown, but not out: the south-western edge of the Snowdon range, seen from Moel Hebog.
DECEMBER 2014 TRAIL 33
Go: Snowdonia Do: Heather Terrace
TRYFAN THE OTHER WAY UP Rightly treasured, Tryfan's north ridge is a scrambler's paradise – but it's not the only way up. Trail swaps this famous route for one that offers an alternative take. WORDS OLI REED PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
38 TRAIL DECEMBER 2014
The main image shows Tryfan’s iconic east face, with the obvious green scar of Heather Terrace slanting diagonally up it from right to left.
DECEMBER 2014 TRAIL 39
Go: the far, far north Do: Cape Wrath
TO THE END
Cape Wrath is the north-westernmost corner of our small island. Remote, pathless and untamed, don’t let its lack of mountains fool you; this place is wild. WORDS BEN WEEKS PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
T
he A838 is unlike any other A road I know. It’s a singletrack lane with passing places, cattle grids, and deer and sheep lining the verge, threatening to wander out in blissful ignorance of our approaching headlights. I voice the opinion that the highway grading is a little optimistic. Tom smiles. “Remember where you are, old boy.” Indeed. ‘Where we are’ is somewhere in the middle of nowhere, but where we’re going is right on the edge. Cape Wrath is the absolute extremity of north-west mainland Britain. To the west the next land mass is North America.
44 TRAIL DECEMBER 2014
To the north, the Arctic ice sheets. It’s hardly surprising they’ve not dualled the carriageways in this corner of Scotland. Despite the minor grumbles regarding the logistics of travelling across it by car, the far Scottish north-west is a part of the British Isles whose natural splendour deserves to be left unspoiled by the road builder’s shovel. Instead, narrow ribbons of asphalt thread apologetically around the shores of lochs and the hems of mountains, and with scenery like that, who wants to go fast anyway? By the following morning the car has been abandoned (figuratively, rather than literally) and we’re on foot. ❯
Sandwood Bay and its most famous resident, the Am Buachaille sea stack.
DECEMBER 2014 TRAIL 45
THE BEST ROUTE IN... THE LAKE DISTRICT
W
E
R
OVERNIGHT
YHA
JEREMY ASHCROFT
Patterdale
Bridgend
Birks
I
1 Kilometre
R
1 Mile E
L A
St Sunday Crag
D
STRENUOUSNESS ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ NAVIGATION ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ TECHNICALITY ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
N Deepdale Hause
NORTH
Grisedale Fairfield Tarn
D
E
E
P
Link Cove Hart Crag Dove Crag
TOM BAILEY
Distance 41km (25½ miles) Time 16 hours over 3 days Maps OS Explorer (1:25,000) OL5 & OL7, OS Landranger (1:50,000) 90; Harvey British Mountain Maps (1:40,000) The Lake District Start/finish Haweswater, NY469107
L
S
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Camp Site
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TRAIL’S ROUTE
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L
A
Glenridding
S
ometimes one big walk is better than two little ones – especially if the route packs in a dozen summits, a lake, a fiercely remote inn atop a scraped pass of hills, a boat ride, a famous cave, a superb kilometre-long ridge, the home of England’s last golden eagle, a pretty lakeside village and some of the wildest high ground in the country. And all of this in a long-weekend-sized package that starts and finishes in the same easily accessible car park. If that sounds like it’s too good to be real, prepare to stand corrected, because this is it. Forty-one kilometres – not including the boat ride – split conveniently over two nights makes for a highly doable expedition round the most eclectic region of the Lake District’s Eastern and Far Eastern Fells. There are doubtless equivalent routes in the centre, the north and the west; and all you need is a map and a sense of adventure to find them. But this makes a grand mountain safari to have in the meantime. You begin at the base of Rough Crag, the haunt of England’s last eagle, and a stupendous, high-level ridge-walk to boot. After topping out on High Street, you follow the lie of the land over the Kentmere Fells before descending to the beckoning and haunted Kirkstone Pass Inn, with its comfy rooms, good food and bunkhouse. Day two starts straight from the door with Red Screes, before tracking over high ground to side-load into the Fairfield Horseshoe, with an optional stop at the Priest’s Hole cave. Fairfield done, it’s onto St Sunday Crag before dropping to Patterdale for the night. Day three starts with the Ullswater Steamer, which brings you to sequestered Howtown, E before a pathless ascent of Loadpot Hill drops you onto L A a high, massive-viewed skywalk south. Your exit is via D Kidsty Pike, which leads you on to the shores of E Haweswater a short walk from the car.
Fe rry
LAKE DISTRICT HIGHLIGHTS WALK S
Caudle Head
Hart Crag
Scandale Pass
Red Screes A59
2
TOM BAILEY
St Sunday Crag from Fairfield on a winter’s afternoon: a superb alternative to the Helvellyn round.
58 TRAIL DECEMBER 2014
St Raven's Edge
Kirkstone Pass
OVERNIGHT
LAKE DISTRICT EPIC ROUTE
Fantastic Lakeland expedition!
41km/25½ miles 16 hours (or 3 days)
Bonscale Pike Hallin Fell
© GAVIN DRONFIELD / ALAMY
Howtown
Sandwick
Loadpot Hill
The view of the Lake District’s wild east, from the summit of Wether Hill.
TOM BAILEY
Wether Hill
‘A 3-DAY ROUTE TO TRULY CAPTURE CUMBRIA’S ROUGH CHARM’
© STEPHEN SPRAGGON / ALAMY
Birks, a small summit of big views. Red Crag
The famous ’Roman road’ runs south from Penrith to Ambleside over the top of High Street.
High Raise
Secretive Hayeswater, little-seen but easily spied from High Street.
Kidsty Pike
W AT
ER
The Knott
W
ES
Hayeswater
H
High Street
A
The Rigg
Riggindale Crag Rough Crag Blea Water START/ FINISH
Small Water
Looking down Haweswater from Rough Crag – the best ridge-walk you’ve never heard of.
TOM BAILEY
Stony Cove Pike Threshthwaite Beacon
DECEMBER 2014 TRAIL 59
MINI ADVENTURE
BBB
ROBIN HOOD’S
Hiding on the gritstone escarpment of Stanage Edge is Robin Hood’s cave. Getting to it isn’t easy, but one hour is all you’ll need to discover its hidden secrets... WORDS BEN WEEKS PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
I
n all honesty, Robin Hood probably wasn’t real. Sorry about that. We’ve no reason to believe, though, that a cave named after him isn’t an actual thing. But it’s so tricky to locate, many have probably given up under the misapprehension that Robin Hood’s cave is no more a real thing than the man himself, the Loch Ness monster or a full-price DFS sofa. Stanage Edge is easy to find. Drive north out of Hathersage and you can’t miss it. It’s an enormous 6.5km long cliff that juts out of the Peak District turf by up to 80 metres. Seriously, if you can’t find Stanage Edge, you’ve no business scrambling about on rocks looking for caves. Of course, because it’s so big, finding something as relatively
60 TRAIL DECEMBER 2014
small as a cave along its seemingly never-ending face is not a simple undertaking. And before any smartarses chip in with “But it’s pinpointed on OS maps,” well, yes it is; but even that doesn’t help particularly. You’d have thought that, having located Stanage Edge and walked up the short, gentle slope from the road to stand at its base, locating Robin Hood’s out-of-Sherwood accommodation would be a piece of cake. All you need to do is stroll along the foot of the escarpment and, when you arrive at the location marked on the map, there it will be – a gaping hole in the rock with a bow and arrow leaning on the wall and a triangular green hat ❯ hung on a peg by the entrance. Except, no.
PEAK DISTRICT
IN A NUTSHELL quick scramble to mythical cave DISTANCE 1.6km (1 mile) HEIGHT 410m TIME 1 hour START/FINISH roadside parking SK244829 NEAREST TOWN Hathersage
He’d not lost any weight, but the caveman diet had done wonders for Ben’s barnet.
DECEMBER 2014 TRAIL 61
Go: Iceland Do: volcanic summits
FIERCE NEW WORLD Imagine a country where torrents of water tear across the highlands and fresh mountains erupt from the seas. You’ve imagined Iceland, and its peaks are calling... WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS DAN ASPEL
Southern Iceland’s 122m cascade of Haifoss (‘the high waterfall’). It’s just one among thousands of torrents on the remote island.
64 TRAIL DECEMBER 2014
T
here are many strange things about the small island with the great name that sits 66 degrees north of the equator. The weirdest is that it keeps exploding. The reason why will excite you. It’s because it lies at the northern tip of the longest mountain range in the world: the 16,000km North Atlantic Ridge. Sitting on a healthy tectonic divide, searing torrents of magma regularly escape the Earth’s innards around the ridge, and nowhere does this occur more dramatically than beneath Iceland. As you might have guessed, this makes for a warped and tortured but living and ever rejuvenated landscape of high mountains, lurid hills, churning geysers, vast glaciers and bleak volcanic plains. Here at the end of the world you’ll find long distance trails and barely trod newborn hills aplenty. Ramp up your ambition and you’ll discover major glacier systems and broad snowbound peaks that summit well over 2000m above sea-level. If you fancy seeing those all in one trip that’s entirely possible: all you need is eight days, a plane ticket to Reykjavik and the help of a local who knows this country backwards. In Trail’s case the local was Ivar Finnbogason of Icelandic Mountain Guides – a firm handpicked by KE Adventure Travel ❯ to run their ‘Three Peaks Challenge’ trips here in the far north. DECEMBER 2014 TRAIL 65
MOUNTAIN
GUIDE IMPROVE YOUR TRACTION
Don’t be a fall guy; stay on your feet with our expert tips! A slip leading to a fall is one of the biggest causes of accidents in the UK mountains. Negotiating level ground or shallow steps is easy enough – it’s difficult to slip when the ground’s horizontal. But if walking up or down sloping surfaces such as an angled slab or steep path, losing grip and slipping is a much more likely (and potentially painful) occurrence. Your feet are your main point of contact with the ground – at least, that’s the plan. Thus, what you do with your boots on difficult terrain will have a direct effect on the chances of you either staying on your feet or landing on your face. Follow these tips to avoid becoming an accident statistic... Use your whole sole: The more of the rubber on the bottom of your boot that’s in contact with the rock,
72 TRAIL DECEMBER 2014
the less likely you are to slip. When going up, keep your heel down to maximise surface traction. When descending, plant your toe and heel simultaneously to do the same. Shift your weight: Leaning forward too far when ascending can cause your feet to slide out backwards. Likewise, leaning back when descending can lead to you falling on your derrière. Try to keep your centre of gravity over your toes. This may feel slightly counterintuitive, but it will help. Get a grip: Using your hands not only means you’ve got a grasp of something if you do slip, but it spreads your weight over more points and so makes slipping less likely. If the terrain isn’t too steep, using trekking poles will have the same effect
because your feet won’t be your only contact with the ground. Change your tread: It’s a fact that different boots are designed for different purposes. As a result some will offer better grip than others, particularly in the wet. Or the tread may simply be worn out. If you try all of the above techniques and still find yourself slipping, it might be that your footwear’s to blame. Strap-on crampons: If the ground is thick with ice, the odds are stacked against you. If you lack the equipment or skills to deal with frozen terrain, don’t. Head back and live to fight another day. But if you own and are competent with crampons, stop and put them on before you start sliding about.
EXPERT ADVICE: PLAIN AND SIMPLE™
Jeremy Ashcroft
Graham Thompson
Rob Johnson MIC
Lyle Brotherton
GT has been Trail’s technical editor for over 20 years, and he’s our walking gear guru.
Rob is an international expedition leader and a highly qualified mountain instructor.
Navigation expert Lyle is one of the world’s leading search and rescue authorities.
Trail mountaineering editor Jeremy has a lifetime of outdoors experience in the UK and abroad.
X
Boots with grippy soles will help you keep your feet in the hills.
Camping vs Hostelling
COST
A hostel offers bargain brick-wall accommodation, but once you’ve bought your tent, camping can be more or less free. And when it comes to working on a budget, nothing beats free. CAMPING WINS!
COMFORT Hostels wade in with central heating, comfy chairs, hot showers, stocked bar, sprung beds, flushing toilets. Camping swings back wildly with a blow-up mattress. No contest. HOSTELLING WINS!
LOCATION Many of the hostels most regularly frequented by walkers are in some pretty impressive locations. But you can pitch a tent almost anywhere and choose the view you want to wake up to. CAMPING WINS!
ACCESSIBILITY Aside from the fact that most hostels are easily accessible by road, for the newbie hillwalker looking to stay in the hills, a hostel is a far less threatening first-time option. HOSTELLING WINS!
FREEDOM Go where you want, when you want, for as long as you want. When it comes to drop-of-a-hat spontaneity, tent-based travel wins hands down. CAMPING WINS!
SOCIABILITY If you like to socialise with like-minded people, perhaps over a bottle of ale or a cup of tea in warm and comfortable surrounds, a hostel lounge beats sitting in a tent talking to sheep every time. HOSTELLING WINS!
RESULT IT’S A TIE
TOM BAILEY
When the freedom of camping and the comfort of hostelling meet, neither is the clear victor. Where you choose to kip might depend on the time of year, who’s with you, and the state of your wallet. Either way, you’ve not made a bad call.
DECEMBER 2014 TRAIL 73
BEST BUDGET FOR YOUR
Outdoor kit to suit everyone’s wallet... tested! TESTER PROFILE Graham Thompson Trail technical editor Foot size UK11/ Euro 46 Foot shape normal width, but bony
OUTSOLE
TEST AND STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHS GRAHAM THOMPSON OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPH TOM BAILEY
Well-spaced and deep lugs can bite into soft ground without clogging. A deep heel breast (the step between the heel and midfoot area of the sole unit) is vital for providing braking power in descent.
MIDSOLE FLEX Grab the boot by the toe and heel and bend them together to test longitudinal stiffness, then twist the sole to test lateral stiffness. A more flexible sole is better for comfort on level ground while a stiffer sole is more comfortable on rockier ground and also allows more precise placement when scrambling.
ANKLE CUFF To reduce the weight and price, the ankle cuff may be cut quite low in some boots. However this can be a false economy as a lower cuff more easily allows water, mud and debris to enter the boot while also providing less ankle support, which means your foot has to work harder on uneven ground.
UPPER A traditional leather upper made with minimal stitching will last for many years if cared for well and will probably outlast the grip on the sole. Conversely an upper made of synthetic fabric, mesh and thin strips of suede leather is unlikely to be as durable, and tends to be slow-drying.
TOE BOX To protect the foot a stiffened toe box is important. You can test this by pressing the top of the area where your toes will be in the boot.
3-SEASON BOOTS
You don’t need to break the bank to get a good pair of general-purpose 3-season hillwalking boots for use below the snowline – if you choose carefully.
GEAR
BEST FOR YOUR BUDGET
3-SEASON BOOTS £75-100
MAGAZINE
APPROVED £85/1334g (size 11)
m n
COMFORT
IN USE
VALUE
VERDICT
£100/1234g 1234g (size 11)
m n
Anatom G2 Hiking
Berghaus Expeditor AQ Suede
+ leather upper; aggressive lugs on sole soft toe box; soft sole flex; fit is – very not precise
+ leather upper; aggressive lugs on sole the lightest option; fit and – not performance improve with higher prices exceptional price; waterproof lining;
+ toe box supportive and durable upper; outsole – less lugs not most aggressive
The grey nubuck leather upper does not have too much stitching and there is a fabric tongue, while a ProTex waterproof membrane is provided inside to keep your feet dry. The upper has little stiffening though. However, the outsole does have deep lugs that are widely spaced and you get a small heel breast to help descents. 3/5
This boot is outstanding for the price as you get a leather upper with minimal stitching, and some reasonable stiffness, particularly at the toe and heel. There is a Tri-aria waterproof lining too. The outsole has deep, well-spaced lugs with a heel breast and acceptable sole stiffness for more challenging hill terrain. 4/5
The big feature here is the weight of just 1234g (pair, size 11). This has been achieved by using a mesh upper that covers a Berghaus AQ waterproof lining. It is quite a bendy boot too so there is less stiffening material to weigh it down. The studs on the outsole are widely spaced to prevent clogging, and there is a small heel breast. 3/5
The Pumori comes in sizes 7-13 for men and 3-9 for women. The ankle cuff is cut away at the back to help the fit. But this boot does lack the precision fit that you can obtain from higher-priced boots. It was quite wide and high in volume, which some will like of course; meanwhile others, like myself, may feel it is not precise enough. 3/5
The sizes available are 42-47 for men and 37-42 for women with the fit being slightly more precise than other boots at this price, so there is more of a feeling of this boot hugging your foot than with others. There’s good space at the toes as well and generally a good overall fit, although higher-priced boots are even more precise. 4/5
This boot is available in sizes 6-11 for men and 4-8 for women. It has a more precise fit than the lower-priced boots here. This is in part due to the soft upper but also due to the shape. The ankle cuff is slightly lower than the other boots, which also helps the fit. The overall effect is that this boot feels more precise when placing it, which is useful. 4/5
There is a lot of padding inside so this boot does feel comfortable on the foot, although the loose, ‘baggy’ fit probably helps it feel comfy too as does the slightly lower back to the ankle cuff. It only weighs 1334g (pair, size 11), which again adds to the comfort. There is also good cushioning and the bendy sole makes walking on level surfaces comfortable. 4/5
At 1432g (pair, size 46) this is not the lightest option, but it feels comfortable enough with no real pressure points or bunching of material when walking. The sole stiffness is not as smooth as higher-priced options but it feels fine when walking on easier terrain and remains reasonably comfortable on rocky ground too. 4/5
At 1234g (pair, size 11) this is a very light boot, and it is also quite soft and flexible in both the upper and sole, all of which makes it feel comfortable. However as it is soft and flexible, comfort reduces if the shoe is distorted on rockier ground as then all the strain goes onto your foot. So you get great comfort on easy ground, but less on rock. 4/5
The upper is quite soft around the toes and heel cup, and when combined with the ‘baggy’ fit and flexible sole this all adds up to a lack of support and protection. This makes the boot fine for level ground, but traversing slopes and rockier ground is less comfortable or precise in these. The outsole grips quite well though on softer ground. 3/5
Used on level paths, moorland and short sections of rocky terrain, this boot performs well. But the sole flex and upper support become less comfortable once the ground becomes rockier and when tackling longer days on the hills. There’s great sole grip for softer ground, but for more challenging terrain a higher price brings even better performance. 4/5
This boot is great on moorland, grass or level paths, but take it on rockier paths and the performance drops. The outsole has reasonable lugs, but they are not the deepest available so grip on soft ground is not ideal. On rockier terrain the flex in the sole and the durability of the upper are challenged. 3/5
The price is exceptionally good, but you get better fit and better performance on more uneven ground if you pay more. 4/5
This is a remarkable achievement at this price, making it ideal for hillwalkers if this is your maximum budget. 5/5
You are getting a lighter boot with a more precise fit, but more suitable hill boots are available for even less cash. 4/5
If you have a tight budget these will get you up the hills, but they are best suited to paths and moorland.
At this price you shouldn’t expect the best but you are getting a great boot for hillwalking.
If weight is a priority or you tackle easier terrain this is ideal but some are better for more varied terrain.
exceptional price; waterproof lining;
FIT
m n
Vango Pumori £85 www.vango.co.uk
FEATURES
£85/1432g (size 46)
3.4/5
www.anatom.co.uk
4.2/5
www.berghaus.com
weight; waterproof lining; some stiffness in
3.6/5
DECEMBER 2014 TRAIL 85
7
ROUTE Thurso
OF LEWIS
SNOWDONIA
Superb views of Snowdon
20.5km/12¾ miles
ALWAYS TAKE A MAP OUT WITH YOU ON THE HILL
Snowdon’s north-west ridge Lairg
RIS
Ullapool
OF SKYE
Portree
Inverness
Shiel Bridge
Aviemore SH577603 With Aberdeen ahead at the top to join a broad track that veers right Pete’s EatsBraemar to your then left and leads easily up back, walk left up the High Fort William to the quarry ruins in Bwlch Street and take the next y Groes. Turn left before the MULL right. ObanWalk up to the junction gate and follow the clear with Ty Du and turn left then track to Moel Eilio’s summit, right into Fron Goch. At the JURA Edinburgh one of north Snowdonia’s top ofGlasgow this turn right then best viewpoints. ISLAY left, signed to Plas Garnedd. Berwick-upon-Tweed Now ISLE walk up the everOF ARRAN narrowingAyrlane and keepJedburgh 2 SH556577 Leave to the south and follow Ballantrae a clear path down then up Dumfries Newcastle to Foel-upon-Tyne Gron, then down Newton Stewart Carlisle Stranraer again and up to Foel Goch, Keswick Belfast the most of the STRENUOUSNESS ■ ■ ■ ■ ■Penrithmaking Middlesbrough short, level sections in the NAVIGATION ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Kendal cols andNorthallerton on the summits. TECHNICALITYWindermere ■■■■■ Drop south again, this time Ingleton WELSH 3000ERS 1 Bentham into the deeply TRAIL 100 1Lancaster York cloven col Skipton of Bwlch Maesgwm. You’re Leeds now faced with a huge pull Liverpool Manchester up onto Moel Cynghorion Rhyl Conway although it is possible to Sheffield Bodelwyddan cut out the 674m summit by dropping south to the Betws-y-Coed Llangollen Ranger Path (also a good Derby escape route to the Barmouth Peterborough north if time is tight.) Aberystwyth Birmingham
1
Inverie
Mallaig
Invergarry
Looking back to Foel Gron and Moel Eilio.
FACTS
SH586563 The views of Snowdon are great Oxford Total ascent 1630m Pembroke from Moel Cynghorion, Swansea Time 8 hours and as you gaze over Cardiff Bristol Cwm Brwynog, you Start/finish Llanberis, can also get to see the SH577603 Minehead impressive crags of the Nearest town Llanberis Southampton legendary Clogwyn du’rBrighton Terrain mainly clear Exeter Poole Arddu (‘Cloggy’) – home paths over grassy and to some of the hardest Bodmin Plymouth rocky ground. Some steep rock-climbs in Britain. sections that require care There’s also the bulky in winter conditions mass of Garnedd Ugain, the second highest Public transport buses mountain in Wales. Now connect Llanberis to the start your long descent railway at Bangor and the into Bwlch Cwm Brwynog. rest of Snowdonia via Cross the col, another brief Pen-y-Pass www. respite, and you’ll pick up traveline-cymru.info the Ranger Path, which will Maps OS Landranger lead you up to the railway (1:50,000) 115; OS line in Bwlch Glas. Cross the Explorer (1:25,000) 17; line and bear right to follow Harvey British Mountain the main path along the final Map (1:40,000) Snowdonia ridge to Snowdon’s summit.
Cardigan
Hay-on-Wye
Distance 20.5km (12¾ miles) Brecon
Guidebooks Day Walks in Snowdonia by Tom Hutton, pb Vertebrate Publishing
In association with
To get this route and maps on your phone now, go to www.viewranger.com/trail Route code TRL0623
to follow the obvious path along a flat section then down steeply to the
SH599569 Now continue easily down, eventually going through another tunnel and a gate before finally meeting the road head. Turn right to drop steeply down into Llanberis; although there are short cuts and alternative routes, it’s probably easiest to just keep ahead until you meet the High Street. Turn left to return to Pete’s Eats.
a long way below you on the valley floor. Go through the arch and continue down to the Halfway House, where you can usually find 1 shelter.
5
3
Gloucester
SH609543 To descend, return to Bwlch Glas and this time keep the railway to your left
4
GRADIENT PROFILE
Start
1400 1200 METRES 1000 ABOVE 800 SEA 600 LEVEL 400 200 MILES KILOMETRES
118 TRAIL DECEMBER 2014
1 0 0
2 5 3
archway close to Clogwyn Station. This is the last view of the Glyderau on the other side of the valley, and an impressive one it is. You can also make out the Llanberis Pass road Moel Eilio
4
Moel Cynghorion
Finish
4
3
2
Snowdon
5
5 5
10 10
15
20