Crib Goch Step by step on Britain’s scariest ridge
Get high! 12 walks + OS maps in
LIVE FOR THE OUTDOORS NOVEMBER 2015
R
Wales, Lakes, Yorkshire and more
THE UK’S BEST-SELLING HILLWALKING MAGAZINE ECIA
SP
L IS S U E
NOVEMBER 2015 £4.45
MOUNTAIN ISLES
Escape to the UK’s most exciting destinations Arran • Rum • Mull • Skye • Harris • Jura • Eigg
The Wrekin Seeking adventure on England’s ‘safest’ hill
Bavarian Alps Taming the Beast of the East... in a weekend
Be invincible! 7 tricks to beat aches and pains for good Dedicated to Ben Winston, beloved friend and contributor.
RAIN? BRING IT ON!
Stay dry like a pro PLUS 18 top jackets TESTED AND RATED
HANG ON TIGHT! Climbing Skiddaw in 89mph wind
Contents
WHERE TRAIL WILL TAKE YOU
Glen Guirdil, in Rum's lonely north-west. ROBERT MERCER
Rum: this kaleidoscopic amalgam of ocean and upland... BASE CAMP
SKILLS
Climb it
6
Lingmoor Fell, for its ‘astonishing viewpoint’
Experience it
8
Do it! Stay in a stupenduously situated bothy
The Mountain Inquisition 10 Photographer James Grant dishes the dirt
Base Camp
13
Bringing news of the great outdoors indoors
Expert advice
ADVENTURES 76
Yoga for walkers; best weather websites; how to call Mountain Rescue; when to give advice in the hills; why you would remove a rucksack hipbelt; identifying unclimbed peaks
YOUR TRAIL In box
18
The world of hillwalking: your thoughts
Out there
20 58
Sign up now and trouser some serious savings
SAVE! Subscribe to Trail and pocket a whopping saving
Arran: accessible adventure ahoy! Mull: where wildlife truly abounds Skye: a wealth of walking highlights Hebrides: scattered like gemstones Rum: a landscape seen through a lens
26 34 40 44 50
Skiddaw
60
Most would avoid a hurricane; whereas Trail...
The Wrekin
Your top mountain moments + Face of fatigue
Subscribe to Trail
Islands special
64
How to Get Into Bother on a Really Titchy Hill
Bavarian Alps
68
Introducing Germany’s mighty Watzmann
The Witch’s Step: Arran casts its spell on page 26.
The Wrath of Skiddaw: page 60.
TOM BAILEY
Wrekin havoc in Shropshire – page 64.
GEAR GUIDE Hot new kit
ROUTES 82
Box-fresh stuff that’s caught Trail’s eye
Waterproof special Mountain jackets to repel rain Walking jackets to suit any budget Overtrousers for all outdoor activity
Kit me out for
84 88 92 94
...staying dry: all the gear you could ever need
Used & abused
96
Team Trail appraises its most-worn stuff
First test
99
US brand Keen’s new European-made boot
1 Loweswater Fells 2 Little Langdale 3 Cnicht 4 Tal y Fan 5 Lochnagar 6 Torridon Corbetts 7-9 Upper Nidderdale 10-11 Kintail Circuit
109 111 113 115 117 119 121 125
PLUS Walks of a lifetime Ridge guide Map of the month
Torridon Corbetts
6 10 11
Kintail Circuit Lochnagar
1 7
Loweswater Fells 8 9
Map of the Month Langdale Giants
Upper Nidderdale Little Langdale Ridge Guide Crib Goch
Tal y Fan
4 3
130 135 137
5
5
Cnicht Walks of a Lifetime Pembrokeshire
● CHOOSE YOUR ROUTE AND GO HILLWALKING! High on Harris – page 46. TOM BAILEY
2
16 TRAIL NOVEMBER 2015
Base Camp
G
lorious freedom on Napes Needle, high on Great Gable in the Lake District. A pause for breath taken by (and featuring) Ben Winston, ex-Trail staffer and contributing photographer and writer, who passed away suddenly on 19 September. Ben dedicated so much of himself to capturing the spirit of the outdoors; this issue is dedicated to him.
NOVEMBER 2015 TRAIL 17
Go Scotland’s west coast Do island mountain bagging
BRITAIN’S
MOUNTAIN ISLES
When it comes to high adventure, the isles have it. Over the th next 33 pages, allow Trail to explain why they – and where – should be next on your list. WORDS SIMON INGRAM ILLUSTRATION STEVE HALL HAL
A
ny British hillwalker who is not nursing a low-grade obsession with the islands on the map opposite has only two explanations: they have haven’t been, or they haven’t been enough. Some people claim to ‘not like’ the Lake District. Some people have got issues with Snowdonia. For some, the Peak District just ain’t inspiring. To a point, we can respectfully understand the right of the individual in all of these instances. But to not be dragged into the spell of at least one of the quirky rogues’ gallery of islands anchored off Scotland’s west coast enters a theatre of lunacy beyond even Trail’s understanding. To fully appreciate the intense appeal of Britain’s mountain isles – namely, those that dot the west coast of Scotland, from Arran in the south to the Outer Hebrides in the north – fully requires us to delve right down into the DNA of adventure. In many ways an island – or at least some islands – encapsulates a number of adventure’s key attributes: isolation, commitment, concentrated atmosphere and the need for a certain amount of intrepidness in the beholder. But there is just something deeply stirring in the idea of seeing a bumpy black headland creep closer over the bow of a ship and knowing that this place is something cut off, of its own nature and prior to the intervention of humans and technology, was separate, unique and independently equipped to evolve geographically aloof from the mainland.
What we have as a result resu are charismatic nuggets of excitement, ea each with thrilling views of another – and for the most part close enough to the mainland for their occasionally ballistic silhouettes to beckon becko with a tantalising wink. Here are lands of supreme su variety and opportunity, from the burly, surprisingly brutal tooth-and-groove glens of Arran A to the nearunpopulated, tightly clenched fist of Rum. From low-lying Eigg’s single ziggu ziggurat of An Sgurr to the astonishing jostle of slants and spikes that comprise Skye’s S Black Cuillin. From comely, comel handy Mull to the furth furthest-flung mountain outpost of o Lewis and Harris, right at a the frayed edge of the British Br Isles. Here Her you can accomplish accom anything from a coastal walk over bewitching bewit Hebridean sands to the toughest mountaineering traverse mount this si side of the Alps, with spades spa of everything in between. And the best bes thing about this is, they are just there there. A bridge. A ferry ride. In extreme circumstances circumst a cheap flight in a plane with propellers. All A of these scream adventure – and drenched in i the lazy light of autumn or spring, when the weather is chipper, the inns beckoning and the mountains empty, there is no better time to expe experience these magical places for yourself. What’s more, mo find one you like and you’ll feel like you’ve stumbled stu on a massive secret: your own personal treasure island of pure mountain gold. T
These are charismatic nuggets of excitement, each with thrilling views of another.
24 TRAIL NOVEMBER 2015
p45
p46
p40
p47
p48
p50 p47
p34
p48
p49 p26
NOVEMBER 2015 TRAIL 25
Go the Isle of Arran Do accessible adventure
TREASURE
The biggest difficulty with some islands is simply reaching them. Not so, the Isle of Arran.
26 TRAIL NOVEMBER 2015
The jaw-stretching view from Goatfell. On the left is Cir Mhor, with Caisteal Abhail and the obvious notch of the Witch’s Step behind it. Front and centre is North Goatfell with the hump-backed peak of Mullach Buidhe on the right. And all around, the hazy blue of the sea.
ISLAND It keeps its challenges in the mountains.
WORDS BEN WEEKS PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
NOVEMBER 2015 TRAIL 27
Go the Isle of Mull Do a mountain wildlife safari
WORDS OLI REED PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
WHERE
Three hundred miles of coastline, one strapping Munro and more
34 TRAIL NOVEMBER 2015
Top: the snow-dusted summit of Ben More, Scotland's highest island mountain outside Skye, seen from Loch na Keal. Bottom: the reverse image, looking across the loch to the island of Ulva with the cliffs of Creag Mhor to the left.
EAGLES DARE raptors than your binoculars can handle: trust us, you really want to visit the Isle of Mull.
NOVEMBER 2015 TRAIL 35
Go Inner & Outer Hebrides Do stunning island routes
JEWELS OF THE
HEBRIDES Scattered along Scotland’s western seaboard like rough gemstones are the less trodden isles of the Hebrides. Island expert Peter Edwards shares his favourite walking routes...
44 TRAIL NOVEMBER 2015
Descending from the summit of Mealaisbhal on Lewis, with Cracabhal ahead (right) and Tamnasbhal and Teinneasabhal across Gleann Raonasgail.
LEWIS AND HARRIS Lying 39 kilometres from the mainland across The Minch, Lewis and Harris (which are joined) make up the largest Scottish island with an area of 2178 square kilometres. Lewis is the larger northern part of the island with Harris to the south; both are frequently referred to as though they are separate islands. The ‘border’ ‘bord between Lewis and Harris is formed by the mountainous boundary of the Harris Hills Hill between Loch Reasort on the west and the fjord-like Loch Loc Seaforth on the east. Most of Harris is very hilly, hill with more than 30 peaks above 300m and seven s mountains over 762m (2,500ft) qualifying qu as Corbetts. The islands’ highest highe point is Clisham (An Cliseam), the highest mountain
Traigh Scarasta beach on the Isle of Harris, looking towards Ceapabhal. © RICHARD BURDON / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
ALL PHOTOS BY PETER EDWARDS UNLESS INDICATED OTHERWISE
ORDNANCE SURVEY MAPPING © CROWN COPYRIGHT. CREATED WITH MEMORY-MAP. LICENCE MEDIA089/12
The Uig Hills of Lewis The Uig Hills are one of the wildest areas of west Lewis Lewis, a beautiful landscape dominate dominated by the fine summits of Mea Mealaisbhal and Cracabhal. The route traverses some rough, pathles pathless country and although these mou mountains are not especially high, the terrain is rocky and comple complex. The route leads into the moun mountains from close by the beautiful beautif Uig Sands and a series of rocky hills are traversed – including includin Mealaisbhal (574m) and Cracabhal (514m) – before you drop down do to cross the track leading through th Gleann Raonasgail. The rou route then climbs to the summit of Tamanasabhal (467m) before takin taking in the other summits on the eas eastern side of the glen: Teinneasabhal (497m), Tathabhal (515m) and Tarain (410m). The Gleann Raonasgail track provides the short s cut in either direction sho should you want to tackle the hills eit either side of the glen separately. Start/finish NB031312 Distance 25km (15½ (15 miles) Total ascent 1691m Time 8-9 hours Map OS Landranger (1:50,000) 13
NOVEMBER 2015 TRAIL 45
Go the Isle of Rum Do secluded adventure
50 TRAIL NOVEMBER 2015
Above Loch Scresort and Kinloch, with Skye beyond. Robert Mercer, photographer: “With a five-night food supply in a weighty backpack, exploring this wild mountainous landscape can at times seem like a leg-busting endurance, but for me it has always been a rewarding, enriching endurance.”
IMAGES OF THE FORBIDDEN ISLE WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS ROBERT MERCER
drift 8 miles out in the Sea of the Hebrides, for years the compact but muscular Isle of Rum was a tantalisingly vertiginous but offlimits prospect for the hillwalker, privately owned and open only to adventurous chancers or gun-toting gentry. These days, however, it’s an eccentric, underrated and utterly stunning destination for the mountain lover where deer outnumber people and landscapes to challenge Skye await. And it’s now firmly on the ferry line. Here, in a photo project conducted during the winter months, photographer Robert Mercer captures this kaleidoscopic amalgam of ocean and upland – quite possibly the most electrifying mountain island in Britain.
NOVEMBER 2015 TRAIL 51
ENJOY A YEAR OF TRAIL FROM £31! *
*on a digital subscription
SIGN UP AND SAVE!
GET 13 ISSUES & GEAR GUIDE
CALL 01858 438884 AND QUOTE ELF1 Lines open p 8am-9.30pm p (Mon-Fri), ( ), 8am-4pm p (Sat). ( ) Overseas readers please p call +44 1858 438828
ve 57%
al! Sa est de
B
Subscribe!
PRINT ONLY
DIGITAL ONLY
PRINT+ DIGITAL
when you pay by direct debit
when you pay by direct debit
when you pay by direct debit
from just £40
13 issues for £46
when you pay by credit/debit card
SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND BENEFIT FROM:
from just £31
13 issues for £34
when you pay by credit/debit card
Having each copy delivered directly to your door/device
Saving against shop prices
from just £50
13 issues for £56
when you pay by credit/debit card
50% off an annual membership and 10% off any bookings made through the YHA website
PLUS ACCESS TO 1,000 FREE ROUTES
and unlimited printable OS mapping for a year**! Search and download over 1,000 Trail Routes, print personalised Ordnance Survey maps and directions, plan your adventures and share online. The digital mapping subscription covers the whole UK, so create a lifetime of walking adventures and save them to your GPS or phone. ** A TrailZilla subscription is only available with a digital subscription if you purchase it through Great Magazines.
CLICK WWW.GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK/TRAIL Terms & conditions Subscriptions will start with the next available issue. This offer closes on 4 November 2015 and is available on UK orders only. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. The minimum term is 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 (approximate) 2p to 10p. Cost from mobiles per minute (approximate) 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. For full terms and conditions please visit www.greatmagazines.co.uk/offer-terms-and-conditions. 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 subscribers’ postcode, which will be done after your application/booking is complete. Discount codes will be included in your confirmation letter/email.
89.4 89.4 Go Lake District Do hang on tight!
60 TRAIL NOVEMBER 2015
.4
Nearing flat out as the wind speed floors it: who says Britain can’t do extreme?
MPH SKIDDAW IN
A HURRICANE
Apocalyptic forecast in hand, Trail does what any other utter idiot would do: takes a wind-speed meter to the highest place around, and holds on tight. WORDS SIMON INGRAM PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
F
irstly, obviously, don’t try this at home. We did it so you don’t have to. Plus, we are very, very stupid people. I certainly wouldn’t do anything I told me to. This tale begins in Abraham’s tea room above George Fisher’s, in Keswick. Trail had arrived in the Lakes – as is often the case – in the late afternoon, in the rain. There’s only so long you can idly potter around drinking tea, badgering sales assistants and prodding bits of kit; and after six hours or so our eyes wandered outside to the weather, then back to the forecast. Something interesting had appeared on it. “Wind gusting to 95mph...” someone said between mouthfuls of cake and tea. “Hmm. Wonder what that’s like?” It was at this moment that Tom raised an index finger, then produced from his pocket a silver device, which he laid on the table accompanied with the words, “Reminds me: look at this.” ‘This’ was an anemometer, otherwise known as a wind-speed meter. And as our eyes moved from the gadget to the forecast to the window to the forecast and back to the gadget, gradually, somewhere, a light bulb began to stutter reluctantly to life. And an hour or so later amid the moist gloom of afternoon and the slough of waterproofs, we left the Latrigg car park and began to ascend Skiddaw, England’s fourth highest mountain. The aim was as simple as it was daft: to experience and record the highest wind speed we could. Skiddaw made vaguely acceptable sense for this, in that it was high and exposed, yet fairly blunt. Getting blown off it would be quite an achievement. Besides, this was all in the name of science...
NOVEMBER 2015 TRAIL 61
Go Shropshire Do survive!
WREKIN How to find trouble on even the smallest, safest hill. WORDS SARAH RYAN PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY
Is this the highest bit? Nope, not there yet...
64 TRAIL NOVEMBER 2015
U
nless you’re (a) one of the Iron Age folks who used to dwell on this hilltop or (b) extraordinarily unlucky, you have next to no chance of dying on The Wrekin. It’s a 407m rounded bulge in the ground with a path as wide as a road running to the top. Stabbed by a spear? Might die. Iron Age dysentery? Might die. The Wrekin on a spring day? No chance; literally, no possible way. Unless you’re Trail. Oh yes, we found a way. For miles around the land is ocean-flat, with the extended length of this grassy hill emerging from the map like the risen hump of a submerged monster. A sleeping dragon on the border of Wales. Every day hundreds of people sneak round its back, creeping along the M54 to escape onto the A5 and on into Snowdonia. But this day, photographer Tom and I parked at the dragon’s tail. Okay, so all of that was a little overblown. In
reality, it was a clear and bright sunny day. The sort of day you see in episodes of Postman Pat and precisely as threatening. In the lee of a vertical crag, we shouldered our bags and wandered out of the car park to scale what can only be described as a really wide, flat, simple track. Honestly, pour tarmac on it, and it’s a road. Beginning at the edge of the car park, it led up through dappled woodland. Not forestry pine but real, fairy-tale twisted oaks, columns of beech and feathery beds of bracken. As the track curved gently round the edge of the hill, Tom and I got increasingly fidgety, pointing out scurrying trails and vague muddy tracks snaking up between hooked and curling roots into the depths of the woodland and far from the beaten track. About ten minutes and one over-heated layer shuck later, we spotted a promising-looking narrow path, turning away from the main route and straight up � the hill. Time to tickle the dragon.
NOVEMBER 2015 TRAIL 65
Go Bavaria Do the highest peak
BEAST EAST OF THE
Tucked in a far corner of Germany are ridges and scrambles to delight any hillwalker. Trail took a trip to what may be the finest peak of the lot: King of the eastern Alps – the mighty Watzmann. WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS DAN ASPEL
W
hat draws us to foreign mountains? We have almost everything a mountain lover could want here in Britain – from vision-blurring scrambles and long distance epics to pointy summits and vast, sweeping plateaux – so why would we ever want to leave? I don’t have the definitive answer, but I do know that standing on the snaking limestone spine of the Watzmann, with 2000m of air to my right and a billowing banner cloud obscuring the void to my left, there were no such thoughts in my mind. Just an awareness of the present, sharp as an ice bath, and an undiluted sense of joy. We’ll meet the Watzmann in more detail shortly, and hopefully fire it to the top of your Alpine tick-list. First, let’s get to know its homeland. Berchtesgaden bills itself as Germany’s ‘only Alpine National Park’. Sitting in the far south-east of both Bavaria as a region and Germany as a whole, it occupies a small offshoot of Deutschland that overlaps the peaks of the eastern Alps. Shaped like an inverted clover, it’s surrounded on three sides by Alpine Austria. Look at a map and you’re left in no doubt: excepting this little enclave, not many mountains here belong to Germany.
The post-Mittelspitze crux of the Watzmann traverse. Although the exposure is great, there are fixed lines along much of the route and the technicality sits in the upper realm of a Grade 2 scramble.
68 TRAIL NOVEMBER 2015
Where is the Watzmann? The Watzmann sits in the eastern Alps, which are generally lower and less glaciated than the western Alps around towns such as Chamonix and Aosta. This makes them well-suited to scrambling and climbing in the summer months – and the Watzmann is a perfect example of this. It is made of a dolomite bed, with limestone sitting on top of it. l
Salzburg AUSTRIA Berchtesgaden l
NOVEMBER 2015 TRAIL 69
EXPERT ADVICE: PLAIN & SIMPLETM YOUR EXPERTS
Graham Thompson GT – Trail’s technical editor for over 25 years – is our walking gear guru.
YOGA FOR HILLWALKERS How practising this eastern art could improve your enjoyment of the hills. What is yoga?
Rob Johnson MIC Rob is an international expedition leader and mountain instructor.
Lyle Brotherton Navigation expert Lyle is one of the world’s leading authorities on search and rescue.
Jeremy Ashcroft Trail’s mountaineering editor Jeremy has a lifetime of outdoors experience.
In the Western world yoga is mainly a physical practice, with the focus on breathing, stretching, meditating and relaxing. Originating from an ancient Indian practice that unites the body and mind, yoga is now mainstream with a wide range of styles to choose from.
Why should we be doing it? Stretches borrowed from classical yoga poses will help our bodies recover from the exertions of hillwalking: ● Walking is a repetitive action, placing strain on the body through the hips, knees and legs. ● We carry rucksacks, which are heavy and possibly incorrectly loaded on our shoulders. This can cause our shoulders and chest to collapse in, causing back and shoulder pain. ● The steep ups and downs on demanding terrain can add to the overall weariness of the body. This all means that building in a few stretches at the end of your walk is time well spent. In simple terms, we put our body
76 TRAIL NOVEMBER 2015
Yoga expert Yen Yau is a yoga teacher living in Kendal with a specialist interest in yoga for sport. She teaches regular classes and runs yoga and hiking weekends with her partner Kevin, who is ML- and IML-qualified. www.mountainhikes.co.uk
Back stretch back to pre-walk mode, we lengthen out muscles that have got us from A to B, and we release lactic acid that can build up to make you stiff and weary. In the long term, yoga can prevent injuries, increase the range of motion around joints, and improve general wellbeing.
Using the back of a chair to support yourself, lift the arms and lean forward at the hip. Keep the arms and legs straight – you’re aiming for a ‘table top’ shape.
How to do it You don’t need any equipment. All you need is something to help you balance, such as a bench, chair or wall. Each stretch should be held for 20 seconds and overall it should only take about five minutes. Each stretch should just be a little uncomfortable at first and then ease off, which means you are doing it correctly. Stop if you experience any sharp or severe pain. It may seem obvious, but remember to keep breathing!
Calf stretch Stand with feet together against a chair or wall. Take a step back with one leg. Keep it straight and keep the heel in contact with the ground. Bend the knee a little in the back leg for a more intense stretch.
Long term, yoga can prevent injuries and improve the range of motion around joints.
Hamstring stretch
Hip stretch
Shoulder stretch
Tight hamstrings sometimes cause lower back issues, so it’s best to keep them flexible. Place your leg on a chair, keeping it straight. Bend forwards from the hip to increase the intensity.
Sit up straight, take one foot and place the outside heel on the opposite knee. Gently push the upper knee down to feel the stretch. Note that the knee may be very high depending how tight your hips are.
Cross your arms and wrap your fingers as far behind you as you can, tuck in the chin and roll down until you can feel the stretch in the backs of the shoulders and the lower back.
TOP TIPS
● Warming up the body and the joints before your walk is also important. ● Avoid anything that may aggravate your posture; choose a well-fitting backpack and boots. ● Consider using trekking poles if you walk regularly. ● When you stop, take a moment to think about posture: shrug out the shoulders, stand tall, and do a mini stretch if any area feels tight.
Thigh stretch Using something to balance against, stand on one leg and take the other heel towards your bottom. Take hold of the ankle or foot and pull the heel close to your bum, bringing the knees together. To intensify, gently push your hips forward.
Chest opener Keep the arms out to the sides, lift the chest and pull in the stomach.
● Attending a regular yoga class over time will improve posture, flexibility and reduce the risk of injury.
NOVEMBER 2015 TRAIL 77
TOM BAILEY
● Keep your energy levels up and stay hydrated to help your body to perform at its best.
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
TEST OF THE BEST TOP HILL KIT GOES HEAD TO HEAD
WATERPROOFS A top-of-the-range waterproof jacket provides the ultimate in protection from the elements. POCKETS
HOODS
Big pockets are great for storing maps, guidebooks and gloves, but they can also be used to protect your hands from wind and rain. Rucksack belts obscure access to some pockets, so make sure they are well-positioned to avoid this problem.
The hood should fit your head snugly so it doesn’t blow off, but also it must move with your head so you can see where you’re going. The peak may become bent when the jacket is stashed in a rucksack, so look for a wired peak that can be easily reshaped to allow good vision even in the wind.
ZIPS Normal zips used on jackets are not waterproof so they are normally covered by an external single or double stormflap. Water-resistant zips are commonly used on high-priced jackets but these are not waterproof either. As these zips may leak, they are often fitted with an internal flap that is designed to channel away any water than enters this area.
TESTER PROFILE Graham Thompson Technical editor Height 5ft 11½in Weight 11st 10lb Clothing size M/L
VENTILATION Even the best waterproof and breathable fabrics allow condensation to form, so it is important that you can increase ventilation of the jacket. A front zip can be used for venting, as can underarm zips (also called pit zips), while mesh linings in pockets can also increase airflow through the jacket. However note that mesh pockets may also let water pass through into the jacket.
As you’d expect in the high-priced jackets featured in this test the fabrics used are the most waterproof and breathable available, and while there may be small differences between them these will be difficult to detect on the hill and so your comfort will often be dictated by features such as hood, pocket and sleeve design. However on lower-priced jackets, not featured here, fabric breathability and the durability of waterproofness are more important to consider.
GRAHAM THOMPSON
FABRICS
Test of the best MAGAZINE
BEST VALUE
m n
£280 / 419g (men’s L)
£280 / 794g (men’s M)
m n
£325 / 698g (L)
m n
Sherpa Lakpa Rita
Páramo Alta III
Rab Latock/Latock Alpine
www.sherpaadventure.co.uk
www.paramo.co.uk
www.rab.uk.com
4 chest pockets; wired peak + lightweight; on hood
breathable; 2 large chest pockets; chest pockets; durable material; + extremely + 4pithuge wired peak in hood; underarm vents zips; wired peak
–
–
less durable material than some higher-priced options
weight; lower pocket access may be obscured by some rucksack hipbelts
–
weight; price
FEATURES This is made from a thinner version of the 3-layer eVent fabric used in other jackets, which helps to keep the weight down to a respectable 419g (men’s L). You still get two main pockets plus two small pockets on the chest. There is also a wired peak on the hood. Some others have pit zips and even bigger pockets, but this does have the key essentials for hillwalkers – plus that weight bonus. 5/5
This is the latest update to the iconic Páramo Alta. The most important feature with all Páramo jackets is the use of the company’s Nikwax Analogy fabric system, which is extremely breathable, but also soft and relatively rustle-free. Features include a wired peak, two large chest pockets and two hip pockets. There are zip vents under the arms too. 5/5
This is an exceptionally functional jacket using a tough 3-layer eVent fabric for durable levels of waterproofness and breathability. There are four massive chest pockets, long pit zips and a helmet-compatible hood with a wired peak. The front zip is also one of the chunkier and more water-resistant designs that I have seen, with a very robust internal flap to funnel any water away. 5/5
Sizes are S-XXL for men and XS-XL for women. On me the jacket’s length was typical of many with a generally relaxed fit. Sleeve movement was good with only a tiny amount of rise in the hem or cuff. But even when adjusted the hood still seemed a little too big and my vision was slightly obscured by its huge wired peak. 4/5
Available for men in sizes S-XXL and for women in XS-XL, the fit is a little neater than previous versions. The length is similar to others in this feature and remains the same as previous versions for men, although the women’s is 2.5cm longer. Movement in the sleeves was superb with no cuff or hem riding up in evidence. 5/5
Sizes are men’s (Latock) XS-XXL and women’s (Latock Alpine) 8-16. The fit is slightly looser than others, although I did get a small amount of movement in the hem when raising my arms. The body is a touch longer than others so it more easily covered my bum while the hood fits nice and close, and moves easily with the head. 5/5
COMFORT
This is a lighter jacket than many with a softer feel to the fabric, which makes it feel more comfortable, although really strong winds will squeeze away any trapped warm air inside the jacket more easily than with stiffer options. But overall this is a very comfortable option for general hillwalking. 5/5
This feels very nice on and manages sweat better than others, but it is quite warm and heavy – two factors that make it better for winter, rather than summer when it may end up being carried. The length is typical of many jackets here, being not quite long enough to really provide maximum protection, but still a good length to maintain comfort for most walkers. 4/5
This is quite a heavy and stiff jacket so it feels very protective in a wind, but softer and lighter jackets feel nicer in less challenging conditions. The fabric is stiff enough to resist wind though and the sleeves have a looser cut so you can easily wear insulation underneath. Add in that tiny extra length here and overall this is great in the mountains, but heavy. 4/5
IN USE
The two main pockets are placed above rucksack belt for easy access and then you also get two additional Napoleon chest pockets, which are annoyingly small, so they won’t take a map, but they are good for phones or GPS receivers. The hood is the main problem here though as its fit is not close enough and the wired peak blocks vision a little too easily. I love the weight of this jacket, though. 4/5
This is great in colder conditions but it can be too warm even with those small arm vents open. Access to the lower pockets is possible but it will depend on the hip belt design of your pack how easy this is and better access is available in other jackets. The two chest pockets are great, but the hood movement is not quite as good as the best. 3/5
You feel like you are well-protected and it is easy to stash maps and gloves in those four huge chest pockets. The hood once adjusted really locks to your head, allowing superb vision. Pit zips provide some ventilation control while the front zip is extremely stiff and robust to really keep out wind and rain. But if you take it off that weight sits heavy in your pack. 4/5
VALUE
The price is good, but you are not getting such good features as in higher-priced jackets. 4/5
The price is relatively competitive, but you do get some better features if you spend more. 4/5
A lot of pockets and zips plus a very durable material, so this is better value than some. 3/5
VERDICT
The weight and the fabric are great but the pockets and hood are not the best. At this price, however, the Lakpa Rita is still a good option.
An updated version of an iconic jacket; but it is still not the absolute best choice for hillwalking in terms of some features.
Built like a tank and ready to take on the worst of weather; but it may be tougher than you need sometimes as it is also quite heavy.
FIT
4.4/5
4.2/5
4.2/5
NOVEMBER 2015 TRAIL 85
ROUTE 6 NOVEMBER 2015
NW Highlands 30.7km/19 miles 12½ hours ROUTE STATS
Three Corbetts
Beinn Dearg from Beinn Alligin.
Hills of unsung quality, huge mileage and Torridon terrain – Baosbheinn, Beinn Dearg and Beinn an Eoin make an epic wilderness challenge, says Dan Bailey.
L
iathach, Beinn Eighe and Beinn Alligin are names to get your pulse racing; but what about the peaks of the Flowerdale Forest? Chances are you’ve never even heard of them. Torridon’s big three may hog the limelight, but hidden in the bog-riddled hinterland beyond their ramparts is an intriguing family of also-rans, slightly smaller maybe, but far more isolated and almost as impressive. Rising either side of Loch na h-Oidhche, the knobbly ranges of Baosbheinn and Beinn an Eoin make an obvious pair for ambitious walkers. But look south: there’s the massive nearly-Munro Beinn Dearg looming monstrous out of the moors. Holding its own beside neighbouring Beinn Alligin, it really can’t be ignored. Bag this too to make it a Corbett triple crown, a leg-sapping epic in one of the truly wild places. Splattered with lochans
Baosbheinn from the Horns of Alligin.
and wastelands of boulders, the boggy low ground between these island-like peaks is untroubled by paths, a fascinating wilderness but tough going. Up on the ridges, meanwhile, there’s steep ground
aplenty, and some airy scrambling. Only hardened walkers should treat this as a summer one-dayer. In seasons with limited light a mid-route night out is inevitable; camps don’t come much wilder.
NOVEMBER 2015 TRAIL 119
DAN BAILEY
Strenuousness ● ● ● ● ● Navigation ●●●●● Technicality ●● ● ● ● Corbetts 3
NW Highlands
ROUTE 6 NOVEMBER 2015
Always take a map out with you on the hill
30.7km/19 miles 12½ hours ROUTE INFO
1
F LEWIS Lairg Ullapool
F SKYE ee
Inverness Shiel Bridge In erie
Distance 30.7km (19 miles) Total ascent 2020m Time 12½ hours Start/finish car park near Am Feur Loch (NG856721) Nearest town Gairloch Terrain an easy track to Loch na h-Oidhche, but then things get tough: each of the three hills has multiple summits, steep ground, rough and pathless sections and on Beinn Dearg short stretches of Grade 1 scrambling; lower ground is complex and tiring, and hard to navigate in mist; several stream crossings need care in wet weather
ORDNANCE SURVEY MAPPING © CROWN COPYRIGHT. CREATED WITH MEMORY-MAP. LICENCE MEDIA089/12
NG856721 Pass a signpost and cross a bridge to enter the Ban a an Sgalaig native pinewood. The main track runs roughly south-east souththrough regenerating regene woods, climbing climbin over a low col betwee between rocky knolls and then following the gorge of the Abhainn a’ Garbh Choire. Leave the trees and continue conti uphill over open moorland. moor Cross stepping stones over the Abhainn Abhain Loch na h-Oidhche and soon reach Loch na h-Oidh h-Oidhche.
1
Maps OS Landranger (1:50,000) 19; OS Explorer (1:25,000) 433; Harvey British Mountain Map (1:40,000) Torridon and Fisherfield Accommodation Kinlochewe Hotel bunkhouse (01445) 760253 Public transport very limited bus service between Inverness and Gairloch: Traveline Scotland 0871 200 2233, www. travelinescotland.com Tourist info Gairloch Information Point (01445) 712071 Guidebook The Corbetts, pb SMC
GET THIS ROUTE ON YOUR PHONE! In association with
www.viewranger. com/trail Route code TRL0764
NG887666 Go right to the burn bur draining the loch. An old footbridge has been washed wash away, so cross with care (perhaps at the shallow outflow o of the loch). Rough, Rough pathless ground leads up beside a stream into An Reidhchoire. Turn left lef here onto Baosbheinn’s Baosbhein broad north-east spur, spu leading directly to the summit. s
Baosbheinn (left) and Beinn an Eoin from Beinn Eighe.
2
2
NG870654 Head roughly east-southe east to descend steeply into a little col, then go up onto the lower east top. Here bear south to pick up the obvious curving cur ridge line, descending to a lower col above Loch a’ Bhealaich. Pass over the smaller summit of Ceann Beag and continue south-east down the broad ridge to the wild moorland at the heart of Flowerdale. Go roughly south, passing near Loch na Cabhaig, to climb to the pass between Beinn Alligin and Beinn Dearg.
3
NG883620 Scramble Turn east-south-east, climbing very steeply on a vague
4
GRADIENT PROFILE
METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL
path between crags to get established on the north-west ridge of Stuc Loch na Cabhaig. At first scrappy and covered in loose stones, the ridge concludes with a short fun scramble. Go south down a scrambly ridge into a dip, then continue up the narrow crest onto the flat summit of Beinn Dearg.
0 0
7
4
rock steps. Doing it direct is easier than it looks, and while there’s an optional bypass path on the southern flank it is equally serious and less enjoyable. Continuing east, the ridge soon eases into a grassy col.
NG895608 Scramble Descend roughly south-east. After about 200m the ridge turns east, dropping steeply to a little gap. Clamber onto a narrow rock summit (sometimes called The Castle). At its far end is the scrambling crux of the day, a descent of three very exposed
NG902607 Drop north on steep ground – the path is only notional – onto gentler slopes below Loch a’ Choire Mhoir. Continuing north-north-east, pick up an obvious spur beside a
6
Baosbheinn
2 5
3 5
10
6
5
5
1
NG906633 Above, Beinn an Eoin is a precipitous recipitous cone. Attack it head ead on, bearing slightly right ght to skirt the first crags ags then picking your own wn line up very steep pathless athless ground, weaving through hrough a couple of slimy wee ee outcrops to more pleasant easant terrain on the mountain’s ountain’s south ridge. Here ere is a little light scrambling rambling on sandstone tiers ers as you ascend, soon arriving rriving at the stone summit ummit windbreak.
7
8
Start 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200
MILES KILOMETRES
120 TRAIL NOVEMBER 2015
3
deep eep burn cutting, carefully arefully bypassing a small mall crag on the way, to reach ach the moorland below. Head ead north through a moonscape oonscape of bogs and boulders, oulders, crossing the Allt Loch och a’ Choire Mhoir and then hen climbing gradually to o a shoulder of bald rock slabs abs overlooking Gorm-loch orm-loch na Beinne.
Beinn Dearg
4
Beinn an Eóin
5 6 15
10
NG905646 Passing over a descending series of minor tops, the long north ridge is a beautiful way off the hill. From the final top there’s a sting in the tail – a steep, rocky descent. Loop a little rightwards to skirt the big crags overlooking Loch na h-Oidhche, then from a large patch of exposed rock slabs cut hard left on a rough path down to the moorland. A quick bog-hop reunites you with the approach track of stage 1, and a long haul home.
8
Finish
78 20
15
25
30
WALKS OF A LIFETIME
St Davids Head to St Non’s Bay
Here’s a sea-lashed coastal walk with enough clifftop drama to satisfy even the most die-hard mountaineers, courtesy of Jeremy Ashcroft.
130 TRAIL NOVEMBER 2015
Pembrokeshire
21.2km/13¼ miles 6½ hours Taking in the view from the tip of St Davids Head. © BANANA PANCAKE / ALAMY
NOVEMBER 2015 TRAIL 131