Trail magazine - December 2011

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LIVE FOR THE OUTDOORS DECEMBER 2011

T

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Adventures

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GREAT BRITISH

Lake District summits... by night! p32 The Brecon Beacons for thrill-seekers p54 Scotland’s secret wilderness p20 MASTERCLASS

Snowdon safety

in the ! s n i a t n mou Fancy gettin g famous pea this k yourself? p to 32

7 deadly dangers revealed

6000m altitude: could you cope?

New £30 test to find out TE ST R SPECIAL ED

BOOTS

GEA the one that almost got picked up from the summit and blown away like a Gore-Tex-clad kite

£100 hillwalking boots!

3-4 season boots!

HILL SKILLS

Bothying

6 secrets to a cosy night in a hill shelter

DECEMBER 2011 £3.99 WWW.LIVEFORTHEOUTDOORS.COM

Routes + maps Cairngorms

Instant classic?

13 expert guides to Ultimate weekender New tent that’s light, a bargain and fab: p68 mountain walks in the Sore feet?

UK’s wild places p103 Banish those aches PLUS New Rab jacket

front cover dec11 sw.indd 1

10/10/2011 12:08

CONTENTS OUT THERE SKILLS

Where this month’s issue will take you...

10

Update

12

A snapshot of a bygone mountain age...

Happenings from high places

Dream peak

All hail the rather regal Rhinog Fach

p30

Subscribe and get a pair of winter mitts or gloves!

16

40

Bothying How to find and use these remote shelters

44

Ask Trail

Using poles, sleeping bag ratings, bog hopping

Boot fitting

50

Snowdon safety

52

A footwear masterclass from our expert

Seven of this winter peak’s danger spots

TOM BAILEY

YOUR TRAIL p32

Pooped pair mistake signpost for bus stop – page 20.

TOM BAILEY

Memory map

ADVENTURES

Trail Talk

16

Subscribe to Trail

30

Win! French Jura trip

101

The Trail tall tale

146

Scotland’s big secret

20

Lakes peaks by night

32

Thrills in the Beacons

54

If 1000 sq km of nothing appeals, head north with Trail to this people-free Scottish plateau Hitting the hills in the wee small hours: a great way to see the mountains in a new, er, light Think the Brecon Beacons are best suited to school trips? Think again!

Watching the sunrise from the Coniston Fells after a night on the hoof: read about the whole adventure.

8 TRAIL DECEMBER 2011

contents dec11 sw.indd 8

10/10/2011 13:05

DECEMBER 2011

GEAR p82

Gear news

64

Rab Stretch Neo

66

The latest products, the greatest inventions, the stuff you need to know about

Need boots, but short on cash?

Check out our £100 3-season boot test...

New Polartec fabric promises top performance

Wild Country Zephyros 1 68 The budget tent which smashes expectations

3-4 season boots

70

£100 3-season boots

82

Hill-walking apps

94

Used and abused

98

Year-round, crampon-compatible and costing between £140 and £230 If you have a ton to spend on hillwalking footwear, which is worth a second look?

Our buyer’s guide features a selection of the best phone apps for hill-goers All manner of outdoor kit gets its bum kicked in Scotland’s Monadhliath Mountains

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Route 13 Mardale Round This issue’s Classic Route involves a circular walk from Haweswater reservoir, taking in High Street and Harter Fell to name two highlights

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Tralee

Check out what north Wales has to offer!

Here‘s a southern Snowdonia town with plenty to offer the hill-walker, plus a trio of top routes

Lake District

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© CROW

Route 5 Great Rigg Get up above Grasmere for captivating views

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Route 10 Cadair Idris ridge-walk Route 11 Rhinog Fach & Y Llethr Route 12 Gwernan Lake

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Snowdonia

Stay in one place and walk for three days!

This month’s first Ultimate Weekend gives three routes from this popular Cairngorm base

9 NO. AM105/0

107

Route 2 Grasmoor Explore the peaks above Crummock Water

119

Route 7 Meall a’ Bhuachaille Route 8 Cairn Gorm via the Fiacaill Ridge Route 9 Braeriach via the Chalamain Gap

MEDIA LICENCE

Lake District

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105

Route 1 Striding Arches A ‘walk of art’ around Dumfriesshire’s Cairnhead

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ROUTES

We put 3-4 season boots through their paces.

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DECEMBER 2011 TRAIL 9

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10/10/2011 16:42

CENTRAL SCOTLAND

THE GREAT Between the River Spey and Loch Ness lies a big nothing: around 1,000 square km of it. But with four Munros and an average elevation of 2,000ft, the Monadhliath Mountains may be a nothing worth getting to know‌

Where? Monadhliath Mountains , What? Exploring Scotland s wildest wilderness 20 TRAIL DECEMBER 2011

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Into the blank: the Monadhliath plateau looms, north of A' Chailleach.

BEYOND

WORDS SIMON INGRAM PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY

DECEMBER 2011 TRAIL 21

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central scotland

Considering the Monadhliath, just beyond the border of the Cairngorms National Park. Below: riding out a squall on A' Chailleach's summit.

It was agreed. One more Munro, one more chance to get our feet under some of the blankness of that map, and then home – come reward or ruin.

It’s as if the landscape heard us. Over the next 20 minutes, something wonderful happened. Blue sky broke through. Spotlights of sun filled our surroundings with gold and green, deep shadows bringing a landscape into high definition around us. We saw yesterday’s Munro, not as a grey smudge of dangerous wind, but an elegant ridgeline, tall and steep, with crags and height and status and everything a mountain should have.

Behind us, A’ Chailleach began to uncurl with distance, no longer the slope we were slogging up or huddled on top of, but in context a fine objective and a proud tick – not vulgar and spiky, just stately and commanding.

The hill we were aiming for wasn’t much to speak of in these terms: it was, to be frank, a bump – but it did deliver something.

As we crested the ridgeline we were greeted with the rusted boundary markers signifying the extreme northern edge of the Cairngorms National Park. They seemed forlorn, embarrassed almost – in point of fact, the Cairngorms and their infrastructure ended way back to the south-east. But there was something special up here. It’s from here the Monadhliath drops

28 Trail december 2011

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its cloak, and we were finally treated to the view I’d been desperate to see ever since I came across that map. There it was: the Monadhliath Plateau, featureless, bog-veined, the colour of moss and the size of Singapore.

I was pleased that both my companions seemed to appreciate it too; though pretty soon they had left me to my grin and turned their attention to the rest of the hills around us, some of which we’d climbed, some of which were just now popping out of the cloud to say hello.

We hadn’t really got to explore the Monadhliath. We’d climbed three of its four Munros, which was brilliant – but the weather had banned us from any deeper forays onto the plateau, so we had to make do with just the view.

I was in two minds about this: part of me was gutted that, having come so close to striking out into it, we now had to turn back; but part of me was cheered by the fact that I still had that great big, blank map sheet to cling on to if I ever start running out of places to have an adventure. And at least now I could take this image away with me.

Of course, this view might have the opposite effect on some people.

Steep, craggy and deadly it is not. There isn’t a single pub in there. A large amount of it is probably boggy and the amount of swear words that will

cross your lips would probably turn the whole area blue. You’ll be miles from anywhere, for ages. The high, exposed summits studding it will be marvellous places to catch a breeze stiff enough to blow you through the sound barrier. By winter, it will be a high, arctic plateau crunchy to the foot and boundless to the eye. In summer, if it’s been raining, you’ll emerge looking like you’ve just sprinted drunk through a midden.

Sound horrible? Yes? Best go and watch telly, then. Let’s Unnecessarily Survive! is on in a bit. They’re turning mole ribs into toothpicks tonight.

But for those of you who are smiling in a deranged and earnest fashion?

OS map sheet 35. It’s right there, slid quietly and unadorned between more illustrious map sheets. If you’re still not sure it’s for you, just remember this: if you think you’ll love it here, you will.

And with that, I enjoyed my long-awaited view of magnificent nothingness for a few more seconds, vowed to one day return with a stronger tent, then stepped back across the National Park boundary and headed for home. T

december 2011 Trail 29

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LAKE DISTRICT

WALK

DUSK DAWN 'TIL

What kind of person gets up at one in the morning just to watch the sun rise? A hill-walker on a mission, that’s who.

WORDS HANNA LINDON PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY

Where? The Coniston Fells, Lake District What? Night walking to see sunrise 32 TRAIL DECEMBER 2011

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27/07/2011 05:34

Proof that the early bird catches the sunrise: on Coniston Old Man.

I

t’s 5.23am. Dead time. The crossover between the night shift and the day shift, when the clubs have closed and the greasy spoons are not yet open. On Coniston Old Man, 800m above the Lake District dales, the grass is slowly turning the colour of hot coals. A ribbon of red runs across the horizon, delineating the giants of the Cumbrian mountain scene. There’s Helvellyn, frozen in a one-shoulder shrug behind the mottled crater of Wetherlam. Over to the west the notched V of the Scafells is half hidden by the ghost of a cloud inversion. The seconds tick past. The hills hold their breath. And then, to the strains of a silent fanfare, an orange sun boils over the horizon, spilling light down into the steaming ❯ valley. “Tea’s up!” says Jeremy.

DECEMBER 2011 TRAIL 33

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LAKE DISTRICT NIGHT WALK SAFELY Do a walk you know Pick an easy, familiar walk as things look different in the dark. With timings (using Naismith’s rule –see p47), add 10 per cent – you'll walk slower at night.

Check the weather There's no point doing a night walk in bad weather – it's hard, miserable and you won't get a great sunrise, so check the forecast first: www.mwis.org.uk Gain night vision Unless you need to mapread,try not to rely on your headtorch. Let your eyes get accustomed to the dark.

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The Cove Th

Cove Bridge Br idge

Hol yw ath h Holyw ywat cairn

Walna Scar Road car park

ST T/ STAR FINISH

Coniston

Li Litttle Arrow Moor

Pack right Take a flask of coffee and warm clothing (duvet jacket, hat, gloves) plus a headtorch and a spare!

© CROWN COPYRIGHT IN ASSOCIATION WITH BAUER’S MEDIA LICENCE NO. AM105/09

Mission accomplished: summit and sunrise in the bag.

WANT TO TRY IT YOURSELF? Best for stargazing: climb Merrick (843m/2,800ft) from Bruce’s Stones (NX414803) in Galloway Forest Park – as Europe’s first designated Dark Sky Park, it enjoys extremely low levels of light pollution.

Best for sunrise: try Ingleborough (SD741745) or Helvellyn (NY341151). Both have obvious paths and you'll get great sunrise views from the plateau.

Best for beginners: Try the small Pendle Hill in Lancashire (SD804414) – a great starter night walk that's said to be haunted by those hung here in the 1612 witch trials

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27/07/2011 05:23

Three-Peakers on Great Moss, but otherwise it was just us and this wraparound panorama of pink-tinged perfection. Why were we alone? Why weren’t the dark fells swarming with mountain connoisseurs? Okay, so one in the morning isn’t the most sociable time to be up and about, but when the reward is this…

3.40am. Our route dipped in a Cheshire cat smile, down from Dow Crag and then up again towards Coniston Old Man. It was light enough now to walk without headtorches: most of the stars had been swallowed by a blanket of navy blue sky and the Eastern Fells glowed like sulphur. I was just thinking that it couldn’t be too long now until sunrise when the temperature suddenly skydived.

We went from sweating in base layers to shivering under layers of insulation within the space of a few minutes. “It may not be darker before dawn,” I muttered as we reached the summit of the Old Man. “But it certainly is colder, for sure.”

“There’s a remedy for that,” said Jeremy, whipping out the Jetboil. Cradling cups of spicy lemon tea, we leant against the summit cairn and watched the sun rise. After half an hour of dawdling just below the horizon it came fast: a line of fire that swelled to a fat pink grapefruit and then shrank again to a concentrated star of light too bright to look at. Everything turned pink all at once – it was like looking at the Lake District through beer goggles. She’s a beautiful beast at any time of day, but add the rose-tinted spectacles of sunrise and she’ll steal your heart before you can finish your cuppa.

5.23am. Dead time. There would be a price to pay for being in the hills here and now; we all knew that. In a few minutes we would stumble off the summit feeling like the living dead, but by God was it worth it. For some things, no price is too high. And I’d sell my soul twice over for a hot cup of lemon tea and half an hour of stolen sunshine. T

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trail skills

top outdoor advice from our hillwalking experts

Bothying How to find and spend the night in these remote mountain shelters.

I

t’s difficult to imagine a more noble resource for walkers: abandoned cottages secreted in the UK’s wild places, left unlocked and gently maintained for use as overnight shelters. As the winter months creep in, the days become shorter and camping starts to lose the more universal aspects of its appeal, the idea of using a bothy as an overnight shelter to aid you in your quest for a summit becomes more and more appealing (see page 20 for Trail’s recent bothy-assisted adventure).

But bothying, for all its practical simplicity, can be a bit of a black art when it comes to planning...

PHOTOGRAPH kevin ross

1

in Sleep in shelter ... is th a place like ! ee for fr

Defining a bothy

Not easy! ‘Shelter’ is really the only term that applies to all bothies. The organisation which maintains most of the UK’s bothies is the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA), and on their website their description of the shelters they maintain errs on the side of caution.

“Holiday homes they are not. Camping without a tent is closer to the mark.” What this means in practice is that bothies can be anything from fairly well-appointed and very solid stone cottages – with sleeping platforms, fireplaces, candles and even sofas – to rudimentary tin huts with few or no amenities. Due to their committing locations, it’s worth presuming the latter unless you know better.

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finding shelter Camasunary bothy nestles below the Bla Bheinn massif on Skye.

Packing for a bothy

With the above in mind – and given the fact that the bothy you’re aiming for could already be full of similarly minded people – you need to pack a tent or bivvy for a bothy trip, just in case.

2

Finding a bothy

On the MBA website (www. mountainbothies.org.uk) you’ll find the locations of bothies they maintain, and usually a description. The MBA maintains 10 bothies in northern England, seven in Wales and 78 in Scotland. It’s best to check here first as it’s the place where closures, repairs or changes in bothy status – as can happen – are reported.

In Scotland there are also some bothies on private estates that are maintained by the estate owners or rangers, or left unmaintained. Some are locked and private, but some are left open.

Finding information on these is more difficult, but your first port of call should be the estate itself to find out what condition the building

is in and whether it is possible to use it. A bit of detective work can help: spotting a building symbol (a box) on an OS map – usually near a water source and a path or track, and often with a name – followed by a bit of time on the Internet and Google Earth, might take you closer to establishing the nature of the building.

Beware: if you take a punt on a bothy you’re unsure about, be fully prepared to wild camp.

This aside, in addition to your normal walking kit, you’ll need: › sleeping mat › sleeping bag › dry clothes for the evening › stove for cooking › toilet paper › matches or a lighter › headtorch › hat and extra insulation layer Optional extras to augment your bothy experience could include the following: › tealights › firelog if the bothy has a fireplace (available at most DIY stores) › washing line for drying kit › book, game or entertainment › hipflask with some warming ‘refreshment’ › a smile: you may be sharing, so be prepared to socialise!

© Crown copyright in association with BAUER’s media licence no. AM105/09

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TRAIL SKILLS

TOP OUTDOOR ADVICE FROM OUR HILLWALKING EXPERTS

BRIAN GRANGER / WWW.VRAP.CO.UK

Snowdon danger spots Come winter, Wales’ highest mountain turns into Crib Goch 2 a hazardous wasteland – and some of the most SH617551 This is where Crib Goch rears up again with an imposing rock dangerous spots lie in the most unexpected tower that deflects folk places. Here we highlight the principal areas to the left (south). Several small footpaths also where extra concentration is required… develop in this area, which cross some steep and unpleasant ground.

Beautiful but potentially deadly: Wales’ highest under snow.

© CROWN COPYRIGHT IN ASSOCIATION WITH BAUER’S MEDIA LICENCE NO. AM105/09

Crib Goch 1

SH627552 The first major rock step on Crib Goch. A surprising number of folk who arrive at this point think they are heading for Snowdon – which they are eventually, if they are fortunate and prepared; but if they are unprepared for the exposure of Crib Goch, they could be climbing themselves into a trap they may find it very difficult to retreat from.

Crib Goch 4

SH615552 In poor weather some people pick up the top of the Clogwyn y Person arête.

They mistakenly think this is the main ridge and continue descending until they either realise what they are doing, or it becomes too late.

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masterclass South-east ridge SH610543 near the summit, to SH614541 near Bwlch Saethau.

People often try to descend this as they can’t find the start of the Watkin Path. It is possible either in descent or ascent – but the ground is loose and dangerous with a big drop to the north.

Watkin Path

SH609542 At the top of the Watkin Path there are several paths. Due to the nature of the terrain they are often confusing as they appear and disappear.

This area is very loose, and the ground is sloppy, slaty and quite steep – so a mistake can be costly.

Crib Goch 3

SH614552 Here is another area that tends to deflect folk away from the ridge and to the south – very loose, rocky and unpleasant.

Llanberis Path

SH609557 This is the railway cutting off the Llanberis descent, which can fill with snow and then freeze. This route is often seen as an easy-to-follow descent in poor conditions in winter – but where it passes above a convex slope, it is very dangerous.

There have been fatalities here.

A safer option if you find yourself here may be to detour and descend via the Snowdon Ranger path (seen heading west off the bottom left of this square), rather than trying to re-find the Llanberis Path.

With thanks to the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team; www.llanberismountainrescue.co.uk

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GEAR Gear

NEWS

CRAMPONS: THE FUTURE?

PETER MACFARLANE

New to the UK this winter is the Hillsound Trail Crampon (£50).

Trail’s had a pair for a year now, on the feet of our lightweight expert Peter Macfarlane. “A new wave of winter traction has emerged lately: lightweight aluminium crampons, traditional styles with fewer and shorter spikes and more flexible pullon styles,“ he says. “The Hillsounds bridge the gap between the fully flexible pull-on styles and solid crampons.

An elastomer ring grips your footwear while underfoot, attached by chains, are plates that resemble a mini regular crampon. The front plate is hinged to allow movement in almost any footwear but the multiple spikes bite into the ice without flex.“ So what’s the verdict? “In use, the crampons were grippy, especially in harder snow and ice. The short spikes also meant they can be worn to cross grass and rock without feeling like you’re wearing heels or worrying about your £100+ crampons getting worn out.“ So how much punishment can they take? Watch out for a full test in Trail this winter... www.hillsound.com

Product of the month

WAINWRIGHT Box Set £110 Christmas gift alert! Landing with a heavy ‘thunk’ in the office, this block of useful history immediately asserts itself as Something You Really Want. All seven Wainwright guides and the additional ‘Outlying Fells’ volume, originally and lovingly penned by Lake District aficionado Alfred Wainwright in the Sixties and Seventies, have been fully revised by former OS cartographer Chris Jesty and now strike a pleasing balance between the covetable and the contemporary. Aside from a more useful red dotted line distinguishing paths, their iconic line drawings appear otherwise unchanged, and – while useful elements like grid references and units in metres instead of feet would make the books even more seamless with modern mapping – this is a wonderful package.

Plus if the new photographic dust jackets don’t appeal, you can remove them for instant vintage class. www.franceslincoln.co.uk

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Win

GEAR PRIZ WORTH £8 ES 00!

Two pairs of Brasher Kenai/Kiso GTX boots worth £100 each Tested on page 88

One pair of Scarpa SL Activ boots worth £220 Tested on page 76

Memory-Map Adventurer 3500 GPS worth £380 Tested in the October issue

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning one of these fab prizes is go to www.greatcompetitions.co.uk/trail

BIZARRE BUT BRILLIANT? Mrs White’s Absolute Gentleman Protective Barrier Cream £20 The hill-going person – absolute gentleman or otherwise – can, given time and exposure to the elements, develop a face like an old boot. It would make sense to take precautions, which is where Mrs White’s lotion comes in.

Boasting a charming name, simple label and hefty price tag, and described as a weatherblock to guard against what they splendidly term ‘facial corrosion’, it’s full of natural ‘Edwardian cures’ like beeswax, rose, sandalwood, lavender, butter and zinc, which treat the skin and give

Boot cleaning

This month’s gear tests (starting on page70) include all you need for buying your perfect pair of boots; but after spending so much time and money on getting the right pair for you, it’s a waste to not spend a little bit of time and effort keeping them in good condition.

Here are a few tips to help them stay in shape for longer...

Laces Remove the laces to help get into the nooks and crannies.

Brush Get the stubborn dirt off first. You mustn’t leave boots encrusted with dirt for long periods. We recommend walking through long wet grass at the end of a walk to brush the worst off before it dries. Otherwise, brush the worst off.

Rinse Rinse the boots in clean water. Avoid dunking them in a bucket: this won’t do leather any good.

it SPF 28 protection, while organic cider vinegar helps maintain the skin’s pH. So does it work? Early impressions are a tentative ‘yes’ – though the unique smell (sort of half honey, half burning nylon) takes some getting used to. ›› www.roullierwhite.com

GADGET GoalZero Nomad 7 £130 After a chequered past, with OF THE MONTH

ADVERTISING FEATURE

the Nomad 7 you get the sense solar chargers are coming of age. Both power pack and direct solar charger, it offers a charging interface for USB, 12V and a supplied pack of AA rechargeable batteries.

It takes 6 hours to fully charge it ready to use with USB, or just 2 hours using the sun – impressive figures. It’s not mega-light (360g) but it’s worthwhile if you’re heading into the hills with your iPod/ phone/Kindle/headtorch and need some extra juice. ›› www.goalzero.com

Soap Use a boot cleaner, such as Granger’s G-Max Footwear Cleaner, on the wet boot. As you rub it in, it will foam up and lift dirt away from the surface.

Rinse Clean off the suds with running water.

Dry Natural drying is best. Never dry boots on a radiator or near a fire as this can damage the leather.

Condition Full-grain leather boots need some conditioning. Applying Granger’s G-Max Leather Conditioner will keep the leather supple and waterproof.

Clean inside Every so often it’s a good idea to clean out the inside of your boots. Salty sweat deposits can block the inside of membranes and impede breathability.

›› www.grangers.co.uk

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GROUP TEST WHAT WE TESTED BERGHAUS TARAZED GTX £140 ZAMBERLAN BALTORO £170 TREZETA TOP EVO £175 ALT-BERG MALLERSTANG £180 MAMMUT APPALACHIAN GTX £185 SCARPA SL ACTIV £220 LA SPORTIVA TRANGO S EVO GTX £225 MEINDL HIMALAYA MFS £230

3-4 season

BOOTS These boots can be used with crampons on easier snowy ground, and are ideal for rock and scree. Yet they are comfortable on paths too – making them the perfect year-round choice.

TEST & STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHS GRAHAM THOMPSON OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY

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3-4 SEASON BOOTS

If you want one pair of boots to carry you from warm rock to snowy slopes, check out this test...

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GROUP TEST WHAT WE TESTED REGATTA ALPHA PRO VXT £95 CONTOUR NEW NAVIGATOR £100 JACK WOLFSKIN CROSSHIKE MID TEXAPORE £100 BERGHAUS EXPLORER LIGHT GTX £100 BRASHER KENAI GTX £100 HI-TEC ALTITUDE ULTRA LUXE WPI £100 LOMER GARDENA MTX £100 TREZETA JULIETTE £100

£100

3-SEASON BOOTS With the cost of outdoor gear set to increase further in 2012, we consider just how far £100 of your hard-earned cash can go on boots suitable for the mountains.

WORDS PHOEBE SMITH PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY

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ÂŁ100 3-season boots A pair of 3-season boots will be great for all your mountain adventures below the snowline.

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Clockwise from top Left: dan bailey, tom hutton, ben winston, tom bailey, Tom Hutton

P109

P119

Routes

p127

Trail Routes use OS mapping and gradient profiles, and are written by walking experts. This month we feature six trips designed to make the most of the available winter daylight – and don't forget to look out for the handy ‘cut out the faff’ tips to help make these walks short and sweet!

Download these routes and GPS waypoints at lfto.com/routes

P131 P115

1 2 3 4 5 6

Striding Arches Grasmoor Moel Siabod Merrivale Stone rows Great rigg Win Hill

p105 p107 p109 p111 p113 p115

ultimate weekend – Aviemore 7 Meall a' Bhuachaille 16km p120 8 Cairn Gorm 9.6km p121 9 Braeriach 20.5km p122 ultimate weekend – Dolgellau 10 Cadair Idris 24km p126 11 Rhinog Fach & Y Llethr 11.8km p127 12 Gwernan Lake 5.8km p128 classic route 13 Mardale Round

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15km 12.5km 8.8km 13km 14.5km 14km

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