t g outdoors -2013-08

Family adventure guideGet the kids outsideFamily eventsStaying safeEssential gear

The easy way up the Cuillin

Ultimate waterproof guideRAB MYRIAD

REVEALED: The worlds lightest waterproof

Smart sun protection

Best knives & multitools

Hillwalking | Backpacking13 detailed + mapped routes Explore Scotlands north west

SUMMER ESCAPES34 Adventure trips in Wales Discover Scotlands far north The best trek in the Alps National Park secrets

FAMILY SPECIAL

9 7 7 0 1 4 0 7 5 7 1 8 8

0 93.95

AUGUST 2013

FC_tgo_aug.indd 1 05/07/2013 16:52

Classic design, modern functionality...

www.fjallraven.com

Kaise Anorak Classic anorak with a large pocket at the front in durable and adaptable g-1000. Fully-adjustable fixed hood, side zip

and additional ventilation.

320 550 620

SUPPORTING

COMBINING A CLASSIC design with mo dern functionality, the Kaise Anorak offers versa-tile protection from wind and rain. Perfect for changing conditions, the jacket features a large, adjustable hood and high collar for maximum wind protection. A large pocket at the front is perfect for a map and ventilation at the rear of the jacket offers increased breathability for greater comfort on fast and light treks.

Made from our durable and adaptable g-1000 fabric, the Kaise Anorak of-fers the optimum balance of protection and breathability. To increase the jackets water-resistance, add more Greenland Wax or, in warmer conditions, simply wash it out for improved breathability. Incredibly hardwearing, the tightly woven fabric also shields against harmful uv rays, insects and undergrowth.

Wax your G-1000 garment

Our g-1000 fabric can be adapted with Greenland Wax to suit different weather

conditions and activities. Adding more wax increases the fabrics water and wind resistance as well as the durability and lifetime of the garment. In warmer conditions, the wax can be easily washed out for cooler, more breathable clothing.

2.

1.

Using an iron, hairdryer or camp stove, heat the garment until the wax is absorbed. To remove it, wash the garment at 40c.

Apply Greenland Wax onto the garment focusing on the seams, shoulders and other exposed areas.

atoto

coAAAAd

Follow the QR code to find out more about waxing your g-1000 clothing.

www.fjallraven.comm

durable and adadddapapaapaapaaaaaptataaaablblbbbbbbbb e e eeethe Kaise AnAnorororrrrrrrrakakkakkakkkkkkk ooof-f-ffff-fffffffm balance oof f prprprprprprprrprprprprprprprprprrrrpprrprp ototottotooototototooooooo eeceeeee tion ty. To increasese ttttthehehhehehehehhhhehhhhhehhhheh jjaca kettt s s ss e, add more GrGrG eenlland WaWaWW x xxxonditions, sisiiiiiiimpm ly wash h h h itititiiiitt d breathability. Incrcrccrrrededededededddddde ibibbbbbbbbbbbblylyylylyyylyyyyyyl e tightly woven fababbriric c c c alalsoooo harmful uv rayys,s, iinsnsnnnnnnnnnsnssssnnnnnnnn ececececccecectsts andddd

AUG_Display.indd 1 09/07/2013 15:59

Early startWhen I was ten, my mum and I walked the South Downs Way. I had a pair of silver Nike trainers bought especially, a red backpack on which I sewed fabric badges that youth hostels sold in those days (they also gave out chores!). I sellotaped plants and bugs in the diary my mum made me write.

We walked 100 miles from my Auntys house in Winchester to my new home in Eastbourne (although I demanded we stayed at the YHA in Eastbourne for completions sake). As a youngster brought up in the flat industrial north,

it was my first taste of hills and of blisters, of maps and deer. I saw an adder and was given a penknife. It was my Great Adventure. 25 years later and I have a child of my own. Although not quite three, we try to get her out as much as possible; to the beach, on the Downs, and straight after I write this, were going camping in Kent. Its not a mountain, but it is Outside. As John Manning discovers on page 52, with some nifty planning, kids neednt scupper your Great Adventure either this summer while they embark on theirs. And perhaps theres nowhere better to do that than in Wales, whether walking, cycling, scrambling or leaping off a cliff into the Irish Sea (see page 20).

Cameron McNeish takes time to revisit Scotlands north west: for him, Gods Own Country, for perhaps the finest summer walking in the country. And just to prove theres something new on everyones doorstep, we spent quite some time talking to rangers and the people who know our National Parks best to find out their favourite areas and walks. Enjoy your summer!Daniel, Sussex, July 2013@[email protected]

W E L C O M E

On the coverNATIONAL PARK SECRETSWhere do the rangers of the National Parks escape the crowds? James Reader talks to the experts p36

SCOTLANDS NORTH-WESTCameron McNeish examines the beauty and appeal of one of Britains wildest areas p30

ADVENTURE WALESMountain biking, coasteering, climbing and walking in the UKs adventure playground p20

ITALIAN ALPSDaniel Neilson finds South Tyrol in bloom, and studded with history p46

HILL SKILLSHow to keep the family safe, and amused, on the mountains p66

LAKE DISTRICTJohn Manning takes the offspring on a Lakeland adventure p52

Cover photo: Alan Novelli (alannovelli.co.uk). Above photo: Geoff Barton

g

August 2013 THE GREAT OUTDOORS 1

001_Welcome.indd 1 09/07/2013 14:17

THE BEACH HAD EVERYTHING YOUD WANT FROM A SUMMERY SHORELINE, EXCEPT INFRASTRUCTURE; IT HAD BEEN LEFT WILDWALES p20

FeaturesSUMMER ADVENTURE

Adventures in Wales 20Mountain biking, climbing, scrambling, coasteering and walking

WILD SCOTLAND

Scotlands north west 30Cameron McNeish picks his homelands most stunning peaks

HIDDEN WALKS

Secrets of the National Parks 36James Reader uncovers the UKs most secluded routes

OVERSEAS

Trekking in the Italian Alps 46Daniel Neilson travels to South Tryol at its summer best

FAMILY

Born to be wild 52John Manning takes the kids on three great adventures

THE GREAT OUTDOORS August 20132

002-003_Contents.indd 2002-003_Contents.indd 2 05/07/2013 15:5905/07/2013 15:59

WILD WALKTHE CUILLIN 88

RegularsWelcome ....................................................................................1Contributors .........................................................................4Readers photos .........................................................112

ALMANACIn the outdoors this month

Escape: Langdale Pikes ...........................................6Escape: Loch Lomond ............................................8Escape: North York Moors ........................... 10 Atlas of True Names ............................................. 12Family events ....................................................................13Sun protection .................................................................14Charlie Ramsay .............................................................. 16The worlds lightest waterproof ................ 16Loch Lomond ................................................................. 18

FREEWATER-TO-GO FILTRATION BOTTLEwhen you subscribep28

WIN a PRIMUS ETA POWER STOVEp109

Photo: C

hris Moss. M

ap: Arid O

cean

VIEWPOINTOpinions and comment

The Outdoor Newsround ............................... 59Backpacking....................................................................... 60Environment .................................................................... 61The Hillwalkers Library .................................... 62Book reviews .................................................................... 63Letters ....................................................................................... 64

HILL SKILLSOur experts divulge the tips and know-how you need for the hill

HOW TOHave fun in poor weather ................................ 66Get kids learning ......................................................... 68Keep the family safe................................................69Kit out the family ....................................................... 70Understand severe weather .............................72

GEARThe latest news, reviews and productcomparisons

First look ................................................................................73Gear news .............................................................................74Knives & multi-tools .............................................. 76New waterproofs ........................................................ 80Best of the tests............................................................ 87

WILD WALKSTen walking routes around Scotland, Englandand Wales

1 The Cuillin, Isle of Skye ............................ 882 Stuchd an Lochain, Perthshire ........... 923 South Lanarkshire.............................................. 934 Cheviot Hills ............................................................ 955 Langdale, Lake District ...............................976 Teesdale, North Pennines ........................ 997 Derbyshire Dales, Peak District ....1018 Steep Holm, North Somerset ..........1039 Bosherston, Pembrokeshire ...............10510 Moel Llyfnant, Snowdonia ..................107

ATLAS OF TRUE NAMESp12

MUDSLIDES!p66

FEATUREWALES 20

FEATURESCOTLAND 30

FEATURELAKE DISTRICT 52

ALMANACLOCH LOMOND 18

WILD WALKPERTHSHIRE 92

WILD WALKSOUTH LANARKSHIRE 93

WILD WALKTHE CHEVIOT HILLS 95

WILD WALKLANGDALE 97

WILD WALKTEESDALE 99

WILD WALKDERBYSHIRE DALES 101

WILD WALKSTEEP HOLM 103

WILD WALKPEMBROKESHIRE 105

NATIONAL PARKSNORTHUMBERLAND 44

NATIONAL PARKSEXMOOR 44

NATIONAL PARKSSOUTH DOWNS 43

NATIONAL PARKSBRECON BEACONS 43 NATIONAL PARKS

THE BROADS 43

NATIONAL PARKSYORKSHIRE DALES 41

NATIONAL PARKSSNOWDONIA 41

R

FREE

NEW WATERPROOFS

p80

WILD WALKSNOWDONIA 107

NATIONAL PARKSNORTH YORK MOORS 40

NATIONAL PARKSNEW FOREST 40

NATIONAL PARKSLOCH LOMOND 40

NATIONAL PARKSPEAK DISTRICT 39

NATIONAL PARKSPEMBROKESHIRE 39

NATIONAL PARKSDARMOOR 38

NATIONAL PARKSCAIRNGORMS 38

NATIONAL PARKSLAKE DISTRICT 36

C O N T E N T SThe Great Outdoors August 2013


002-003_Contents.indd 3002-003_Contents.indd 3 05/07/2013 16:0005/07/2013 16:00

C O N T R I B U T O R S

SARAH RYANFreelance writer Sarah is currently readjusting to life in the urban south after spending the last couple of years exploring the remote peaks and glens of the Central Highlands. She didnt think that anywhere could beat the beauty of Knoydart in spring but is finding a lot to love in the wild corners of South West England (and a climbing trip to Snowdonia might just provide that bit of added drama). On page 103, Sarah also visits the remote and mysterious SteepHolm.

The freedom to be a wild child, with the countryside at your feet and not a parent to be seen.

CHRIS MOSSIn early summer, Chris went walking in the Pramnian range in Ikaria the Greek island famous for its long-lived natives and also around the western edge of the Brecon Beacons, close to his home in Carmarthenshire. On page 20, Chris describes some of his Wales-basedwalking.

I was brought up in the flat plains of West Lancashire, but I still set off with school friends on long night hikes into rural Cheshire. When we hit 15, we escaped to the Lakes and Ive been escaping ever since.

NIGEL WILLIAMSAs deputy at Glenmore Lodge, Nigel is usually tied to a desk rather than a crag. During the winter, however, he managed to fit in two Nordic ski tours, one in the Rondane Mountains and one across the Hardangervidda, and has just returned from a week of International Mountain Leader work in Chamonix. Nigel shares his tips on how to keep youngsters safe in the great outdoors on page 69.

Walking with my dad in the Lake District and later the Duke of Edinburghs award scheme were my first and still memorable experiences in the outdoors. Latterly, military service helped cement an outdoors career.

JOHN MANNINGJohns rarely been out of the Lake District in recent weeks. Not only did he drag the family along to research our family camping feature on page 52, but he was also present in Langdale for an exclusive press preview of the worlds lightest waterproof: the prototype Hyper Smock (see page 16). Created by Berghauss MtnHaus, it weighs a mere 110g and has been put through its paces by ultra distance runner Philippe Gatta.

Every winter, much-missed youth group leader Norman Lister would take us teenagers to Lakelands eastern fells for a magical time of snow, peaks and wildlife. I became hooked.

DANIEL NEILSONDaniel has just returned from a beautiful trip to the South Tyrol Alps (see page 46), and is returning to the Alps in Germany but this time for OutDoor, the huge outdoor industry show in Friedrichshafen, to check out the latest gear. Hell be flying out a few days early because hes invited to sit on the jury for the Scandinavian Outdoor Group awards. Family trips to Wales and the Peak District are also planned for later in the summer.

I walked the South Downs Way when I was ten with my mum, staying in YHAs. It was a cheap holiday, but it was my first real taste of the great outdoors. I loved it and it has stuck with me ever since.

Acting EditorDaniel Neilson [email protected]

Editor Emily Rodway

Editor-at-LargeCameron McNeish

Equipment EditorChris Townsend [email protected]

Editorial Assistant James Reader [email protected]

Editorial Intern Zahra Al-Kateb

Art EditorGeoff Barton

Advertising Sales Executive Pippa Charles 020 7618 3435 [email protected]

Marketing ExecutiveLouise Read

Production ManagerGareth Kime

Production ControllerAlec Linley

Publishing DirectorAlex McLachlan

Managing DirectorTim Whitehouse

Published by Newsquest Specialist Media, 30 Cannon Street, London, EC4M 6YJ020 7618 3456

Letters to the editor TGO, Newsquest Specialist Media, 30Cannon Street, London, EC4M 6YJ

Distributed by Seymour DistributionLtd, 2. East Poultry Avenue, London EC1A 9PT 020 7429 4000

SUBSCRIPTIONS & BACK ISSUESCall 01371 851867email: [email protected]: tgomagazine.co.uk/subscribe

Annual Rates (13 issues including postage): UK: 44.95, Overseas surface: 62.50, Airmail: 72.50 Members of YHA, SYHA, LDWA, Ramblers, BMC, SRoWS, MCofS &the Backpackers Club: 34.25.

Printed by Warners Midlands Plc

Problems finding TGO? 020 7618 3089

ISSN 0140-7570

Member of the Periodical Publishers Association.

Ask your newsagent to reserve or deliver TGO regularly.

And what got them outside as a kid...

ED DOCWRAWhen Ed isnt representing family outdoor gear company Mountain Munchkins, hes either getting children in the wild on page 68 Ed shows us some fun ways of making little ones engage with the natural world or on the crag as a member of Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team.

I was introduced to the outdoors through Cubs as a child and loved camping so much I spent a whole summer tented in the back garden (which was tiny) and thus killed all but a few blades of grass. If I wasnt in a tent, I was up a tree making zip lines or trying to abseil using harnesses made from bag straps.


004_Contributors.indd 4 05/07/2013 12:38

6

006-011_Escapes.indd 6006-011_Escapes.indd 6 05/07/2013 15:2805/07/2013 15:28

ESCAPE

LANGDALE PIKES, LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARKThis remarkable shot, entitled Up For Air, is the work of Lake District-based photographer Stewart Smith. He told The Great Outdoors: Not only are they highly photogenic peaks of rock, but the Langdale Pikes are a landscape photographers friend as they curve around in a pleasing arc, meaning one side or the other tends to catch the light at the beginning or end of the day.

This image was captured from Esk Hause on a return walk from Scafell Pike as cloud began to atmospherically roll back into the valleys at the end of the day. Using the longer end of the lens gives the impression of compressing perspective, with Pike of Stickle and Loft Crag sandwiched between foreground cotton wool and the cloud draped Howgills in the background.

Photo by Stewart Smith (stewartsmithphotography.co.uk)

See page 97 for a route description up Langdale Pikes, and othersecrets of the National Park on p36



ESCAPE

LOCH LOMOND NATIONAL PARKLoch Lomond and The Trossachs was Scotlands first National Park, designated in 2002. Its

proximity to urban areas, and 21 Munros (including the most climbed in Scotland: Ben Lomond), also make it incredibly popular. That said, there werent that many

people around when photographer Damian Shields took this incredible picture on a wet day.

He said: I shot this image of Loch Lomond on a blustery day atop Duncryne



See page 18 for a look at Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park literary history, and page 36 for more National Park secrets

Hill (referred to locally as The Bump). The thick clouds were moving at a fair pace from right to left which created a dramatic backdrop. This vantage point can be accessed via

a well-trodden path near Duncryne Road and the relatively small climb gives you a unique elevated angle on the loch. All the islands are laid out in receding layers across the

water with Ben Lomond domineering the scene high on the right side. I shot this image with a Canon 7D 1/13 sec at f5.6, ISO 100.

Photo by Damian Shields (damianshields.photoshelter.com)


006-011_Escapes.indd 9 05/07/2013 16:13

ESCAPE

ROSEBERRY TOPPING, NORTH YORK MOORS NATIONAL PARKAlthough only just within the borders of the North York Moors National Park, Roseberry Topping is one of the parks most recognisable features. This irresistible photo, taken by Lizzie Shepherd, shows the park at its finest.

She told us: This

beautifully situated lone tree, surrounded by barley and with Roseberry Topping as a backdrop, had caught my eye on several occasions as I drove past. Finally I got the chance to create the image I had in mind on a glorious summers evening

in late springtime. I placed the tripod quite low to the ground to emphasise the softness of the barley, blowing in the wind, and to ensure the prominence of the tree and Roseberry Topping beyond.

Photo by Photo by Lizzie Shepherd (lizzieshepherd.com)

See page 36 for an exclusive insight into our National Park secrets, including the North York Moors.



11


AlmanacThe Great Outdoors this month

ATLAS OF TRUE NAMESA new map with the original place names has just been launched. How many can you identify?

Quiz: Which Scottish hill is translated Mountain by the Noisy Lake? How about Awesome Mountain? Which area of Scotland is translated: Copsefort and Norse Raiders? Where is the Fjord of the Painted People? And why is Scotland called the Land of Darkness?

German cartographer Stephan Hormes, who designed an Atlas of True Names of Scotland, all the British Isles, Canada, USA and Europe, has the answers. He told The Great Outdoors that it took four months of research to translate Scottish names. Most of the Scottish names are derived

from Gaelic names, he said. Buttranslating Scottish names was much more difficult because of rare sources needed.

While there are some great name translations in Scotland (Island of the Wheel of Time anyone?), his favourite places names across the world are Tax Haven for Pilgrims for Astrakhan and I don't understand you for Yucatn Peninsula, describing

a misunderstanding between natives and Spaniards who asked them for the name of the region. As for places hed avoid? Morpeth in Northumberland is one. Itmeans Murder Path.

The map also makes for a great game. How many names can you translate back to our language from the map? Prints can be bought from kalimedia.de/Atlas_of_True_Names

This month on the ribbon:RIVER SOURCES


012-019_Almanac.indd 12012-019_Almanac.indd 12 05/07/2013 12:4205/07/2013 12:42

Rodney Legg was once described as the arch-scourge of politicians, governments, the military and the Establishment in general. Equally, The Guardian described him as a one-man Dorset cultural institution both of which wereaccurate descriptions.

What can you say about a man who regularly attended posh National Trust meetings booted, muddied and carrying wirecutters, straight from a walk? Leggs uninhibited contributions enlivened many a stuffy meeting, as he always cut to the chase on any subject.

Legg was born in Bournemouth, the son of a cobbler, and became a prolific author on his beloved local patch, writing an astonishing 125 books on subjects ranging from prehistory and the Romans to the Second World War, and being a frequent contributor to newspapers and magazines. He was also instrumental in the acquisition of the island of Steep Holm in the Bristol Channel (see p103 for a Wild Walk on Steep Holm), as a nature reserve and memorial to his friend the journalist Kenneth Allsop. Legg was its warden for 25 years.

He was chairman of the OpenSpaces Society from 1989, and a critical member of the ruling council of the National Trust between 1990and 2009.

WALKING CLASS HEROES

RODNEY LEGG 1947-2011Roly Smith continues his series on access campaigners

TWEED Tweedswell is the beginning point of the river which forms the historic border between Scotland and England

FAMILY EVENTS INAUGUST 30 JULY-29 AUGUSTSUMMER SHENANIGANSWalby Farm Park in Cumbria is holding a child-friendly programme of events throughout the summer including naturetrails and raptor events.walbyfarmpark.co.uk

9-11 AUGUSTTHE BIG WILD SLEEP OUTFrom 9 -11 August, people around the UK will discover what really goes bump in the night, as they take part in the RSPBs Big Wild Sleepout. It is encouraging people to spend a night in natures home. rspb.org.uk/events

UNTIL 27 AUGUSTRSPB ISLANDS EXPERIENCETake a daytrip to the Pembrokeshire islands of Grassholm and Ramsey, home to seals, deer and a variety ofbirdlife.rspb.org.uk/events

UNTIL 1 SEPTEMBERSTOCKELD PARK ADVENTURE ZONESearch for sculptures in the Enchanted Forest or get active in the Adventure Zones. Indoor activities are laid on for rainy days too.stockeldpark.co.uk

UNTIL 1 SEPTEMBERINCREDIBLESUnder-16s get in free to Kew Gardens summer festival where theres a new treetop walkway and a human-scale badger set to explore.kew.org

THURSDAYS UNTIL 26 SEPTEMBERWILDLIFE EXPLORERS SUMMER CLUBWildlife Explorers Summer ClubIndoor and outdoor activities themed differently each week ensure the free family days stay varied and fun.rspb.org.uk/events

WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS UNTIL 2 NOVEMBEREXPLORE, DISCOVER AND LEARN TRAILThese activity-packed days, which include tractor rides, wild flowers and wildlife, take place in the stunning fields of Studfold in Upper Nidderdale.studfoldtrails.co.uk

ALL SUMMERTHE NATIONAL TRUSTSlack lining, barefoot hikes and kayak safaris are among the events The National Trust are running this summer with list of 50 Things To Do Before Youre 11 to keep you inspired.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/whats-on

Nothing takes the fun out of camping like a leaking tent, but by using Fabsil you can keep your tent performing at its best. For more information on how to keep your tent working like new, year after year please visit: www.fabsil.com

STAYDRY

012-019_Almanac.indd 13 11/07/2013 09:24

GEAR

UV PROTECTED GEARPulling on a t-shirt isnt enough to protect you from the sun as the most harmful rays penetrate many untreated materials, damaging and burning your skin. This selection of kit offers high levels of sun protection. UPF is the rating to look for and 50+ is its maximum level. Sarah Ryan investigates

THAMES Thames Head near Kemble in Gloucestershire is the sometimes disputed source of Englands longest river

SUMMER WEATHER RECORDS

PATAGONIACapilene 1 Silkweight Stretch T-shirt32This stretchy base layer is fast-drying, wicks moisture away from the skin, has a UPF 50+ rating and where synthetic base layers can tend to smell, a natural odour treatment means this one shouldnt. patagonia.com

NIKWAXTent and Gear SolarProof6.50 for 500mlUV rays can be as damaging on the fabric of your tent as they can be on your skin and sustained exposure to the suns rays weakens and damages that precious nylon barrier between you and the elements in a similar way. Nikwax Tent and Solarproof is like sunscreen for your gear, and while protecting it from damaging ultraviolet light it also adds Nikwaxs trademark water repellancy. nikwax.com

CRAGHOPPERSRocio long-sleeved shirt35Might this be the perfect travellers shirt? At the same time as protecting you from the damaging rays of the sun it actively cools you down by moving heat away from you and the fabric. Its secret pocket gives you a secure place to stash precious items too.craghoppers.com

NIKEMax Transition Outdoor Tint Sunglasses176 Not only do Nike Transitions sunglasses allow you to see the landscape clearly, they might actually make it look better or at least thats the idea. With one of three tints (also available are golf and speed) the lens technology is designed to enhance the view of your surrounding landscape. Shadows are brightened, glare is dimmed and detail is defined, allwith 100 per cent UV protection.nike.com/transitions

OUTDOOR RESEARCHSombriolet sun hat35Outdoor Research is renowned for the high build quality of their garments and that extends to this UPF-protected sun hat. Cleverly placed vents around the crown keep you cool while the mesh lining wicks away sweat. The chin cord should keep it secured to your head. Its also wind resistant, and it floats. Brilliant! outdoorresearch.co.uk

KATHMANDUDanu Hiking Short45These tough shorts from Kathmandu have UPF +50 protection, but for the rainy days they also have a hydrophilic treatment which makes them very quick drying. There are six pockets (!), two hand pockets, two leg pockets and two back pockets. Theres an integral webbed belt, and also pretty light at 290g. kathmandu.co.uk

Eastbourne, Sussex, is the brightest place in the UK orrather it was in July 1911 with 383.9 sunshine hours that month. Still the highest

level on record.

The sunniest places to be in Northern Scotland are generally

close to the Moray Firth or in the southern Outer Hebrides.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, the Channel Islands are the

sunniest part of the UK, soaking up over 1900 hours ofbright sunshine per year.

TheShetland Islands by contrast get around 1100.

383.9hours

10 August 2003 in Faversham, Kent, was the hottest day on

record in the UK at a steaming 38.5C

Moor House in Cumbria and Kielder Castle in

Northumberland both shivered at -2C in August in 1977 and 1994 respectively and that

wasnt on the peaks.

The warmest Scotland has ever been (well... that the Met Office have recorded) was 32.9C at Greycrook in the Borders on

9August 2003.

2 August 1990 was the warmest day recorded in Wales

with temperatures at 35.2C.

18 July 1955 saw 279mm of rain fall in a single day in Martinstown, Dorset. The highest level of rain from

9am-9am GMT.

Approximately 32mm of rain fell in only 5 minutes on a soaked

Preston in August 1893.

Summer 2012 was the wettest for 100 years with record rainfall

in England and Wales quashing a two year drought. In North West

Scotland it was the opposite story and unusually dry.

Source: metoffice.gov.ukMaximum temperatures are normally 2 or 3 hours

aftermidday

279mm38.5C



How did the round comeabout?The Ramsay Round really originated with two men Phillip Tranter and Chris Brasher. Tranter was the first man to join the Munros circling Glen Nevis the Mamores, Grey Corries, Aonachs and Ben Nevis in one continuous round. Id done this a couple of times, and while on holiday in the Lakes, helped pace Chris on his first try at the Bob Graham Round. On that occasion, I started off as a low-key helper and finished off asasuccessful contender.

Chris wrote about this in his Observer column afterwards, and encouraged me to develop the first 24 in 24 Scottish fell run. It made sense to add to Tranters round as it was something I had done twice before. I looked at the map, and there were the LochTreig Munros

How did you start hillrunning?I was a time trials cyclist originally. Moving back to Scotland from work in London, I had no bikes and so started running it was cheap! I ran unattached from a club for two competition seasons, and did well enough that Lochaber asked me to join them.

Why run?I used to run up Arthurs Seat in Edinburgh in my lunch hour to compose letters I needed to write! Im happy walking these days, but any form of exercise is perfect for clearing the mind.

What about the Round itself any tricky bits we should knowabout?It is a challenge, running or not you need to know what you are doing, and of course theres the weather. There are two areas Id mention in particular. The first top Mullach nan Coirean is difficult to access at the moment

because the Forestry Commission have done a lot of felling. Second, coming off the Mamores and crossing the Abhainn Rath around the ruins at Luibeilt can be really difficult if the river is running high.

Whats your vision for the Round, 35 years on?Im doing a series of talks to celebrate the Rounds 35th birthday, and I take a keen interest in following who completes it. But while the 24 Munros in 24hours concept is catchy, it still makes a great backpack. My wife and I recently enjoyed parts of it as day hikes, based at the Corrour Station House. Im really pleased people are taking an interest in the route all of this activity is great for the Lochaber area, andgreat for the outdoors.

CHARLIE WILL BE TALKING AT:Glasgow: SYHA Conference Centre, Monday 11 October 2013Cumbria: Shap Wells Hotel, Friday 10 November 2013More dates at Tiso Edinburgh and Cosmics Aberdeen to be confirmed.

For more info: ramsaysround.comHarvey Maps 24 challenge series: harveymaps.co.uk/acatalog/Charlie_Ramsay_Round.html

THE WORLDS LIGHTEST WATERPROOFBerghaus continue to introduce highly technical clothing in their range, but no one really expected them to release a 110-gram waterproof jacket, the lightest in the world. The VapourLight Hyper Smock is made from an exclusive seven-denier face nylon ripstop fabric with an ultra-light PU coating. It has fully taped waterproof seams delivering a hydrostatic head of 7,000mm. The minimalist design includes a hood and it packs down into a stuff sac with dimensions of just 12cm by 8.5cm. It will be available from spring 2014 and retail at 120. Also launched was a 160g insulated jacket the VapourLight Hyper Therm FZ. berghaus.com

SUNRISES &SUNSETSULLAPOOL (WESTER ROSS)July 25 05.00 21.53August 7 05.27 21.24August 21 05.57 20.49

AMBLESIDE (LAKE DISTRICT)July 25 05.12 21.24August 7 05.34 21.00August 21 05.59 20.29

WHITBY (NORTH YORKS)July 25 05.02 21.15August 7 05.25 20.51August 21 05.50 20.20

LLANBERIS (WALES)July 25 05.23 21.23August 7 05.44 21.00August 21 06.07 20.30

TRURO (CORNWALL)July 25 05.39 21.14August 7 05.58 20.53August 21 06.18 20.27

Q&A

Charlie RamsaySome 35 years ago, Charlie Ramsay created a stunning record 24Munros in 24 hours. Ahead of his own attempt at the round as a backpacker, DavidLintern caught up with Charlie in Edinburgh

EXE The River Exe rises in Exe Head, Devon, very nearly bisecting the south west peninsula on its 87km journey south

CLYDE Flowing out of the Daer Water and the Potrail Water, the Clyde officially begins at Watermeetings, South Lanarkshire

y

h

y nearly ney south

CLYDE Flowingthe Clyde officially begins at Water

DONT TRY THIS ATHOME THE 4 BIG UKROUNDSPaddy Buckley 61 miles, 47summits and 8,500m of ascent North Wales

Bob Graham 66 miles, 42summits and 8,200m ofascent Lake District

Mark Rigby 75 miles, 17summits and 5,700m ascent Cairngorms

Charlie Ramsay 60 miles, 24summits and 8,500m of accent Lochaber


012-019_Almanac.indd 16 05/07/2013 16:15

erd

man

npei

sker

/ R

ober

t B

sch

Cirrus GTX Men Redburn Pro MenT Aenergy GTX Men

Boot control.Extreme safety. Extreme comfort. Tested by a team of professional mountain guides on the granite cliffs of the Furka pass. Find out for yourself the benefits of the new Mammut footwear. www.mammut.ch

Pacific Crest GTX Men


DEE The Wells of Dee on the high plateau of Braeriach in the Cairngorms form the photogenic source of the river

LOCH LOMOND & THE TROSSACHS

A LITERARY WALK IN THE PARKKeith Fergus looks at how writers have been instrumental in attracting visitors to one of our most special places

It is now over 10 years since Loch Lomond and The Trossachs was designated as a National Park, but it has been more than 200 years since a literary event catapulted the area into the consciousness of those wanting to see the sights. It was in 1810 that Sir Walter Scott published a poem entitled Lady of the Lake, which centres around three main plots, the core one being the contest between Roderick Dhu, James Fitz-James and Malcolm Graeme to win the love of EllenDouglas.

Scott had holidayed in the Trossachs when it was simply a small, wooded glen that occupied the area in and around Loch Katrine but on publication Lady of the Lake sold 25,000 copies in the first eight months (in contemporary terms a blockbuster with Scotts fame growing internationally) and, as a result, became hugely influential in drawing visitors to Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, a popularity that endures tothisday.

In 2011 people made 2.2 million trips to the National Park and we have approximately 4 million visitors each year, says Mhairi Bell, who is Head of Visitor Experience for the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. One

reason for people wanting to visit is the strong connection between landscape and culture, Mhairi explains. In 2010 the National Park held a programme of cultural events, including ScottsLand, which celebrated Walter Scotts relationship with the Trossachs. It attracted over 7,000 visitors, giving a positive indication of the interest and potential in the cultural history ofthe Park.

In 1817 Scott published RobRoy, a fictionalised account of Rob Roy MacGregor that romaticised the life of the eponymous hero who was born at Glengyle, at the head of Loch Katrine, in 1671. Robbecame a folk hero, chiefly because of his feud with James Graham, 1st Duke of Montrose, and died at Inverlochlarig near Balquhidder in 1734 (W.H. Murray, the pioneering mountaineer and author, wrote a superb biography of Rob Roy in 1982). As with Lady of the Lake, Scotts book contributed greatly to the popularity of the Trossachs, LochLomond and thesurrounding area.

This reputation continued over the subsequent two centuries and in 2002 Loch Lomond and The Trossachs became Scotlands first National Park (the Cairngorms

became Scotlands second, and so far only other, National Park a year later). It has 40 mountains over 762m/2500 feet in height including some of Scotlands most iconic Munros; Ben Lomond, the craggy peaks of Ben Vorlich and Stuc aChroin above Loch Earn, and big, brutish and beautiful mountains like Ben Lui, Stob Binnien and Cruach Ardrain.

The concentration of exceptional hills that comprise the Arrochar Alps contains a

selection of Munros and Corbetts such as Ben Ime, Beinn an Lochan and the renowned Ben Arthur (more popularly known as The Cobbler), whose triumvirate of pinnacles make climbing to the top one of the most enjoyable walks within the Park. Many of the stories in Always a Little Further, Alastair Borthwicks classic account of hiking and climbing during the social changes of the 1930s, take place in and around the Arrochar Alps.

A number of smaller hills such as Beinn Dubh above Luss, Conic Hill, rising from Loch Lomonds eastern shores at Balmaha, and the stunning Ben Aan, near Aberfoyle (although barely sneaking over the 400m mark, Ben Aans summit grants one of finest views in the Southern Highlands), means there are ample walking opportunities for everyone a good portion of the West Highland Way strikes its course through the heart of the park as well. This mountainous landscape, combined with the

many gorgeous lochs, great tracts of woodland and diversity of wildlife, drew, even before Walter Scott, a number of literary luminaries, to be inspired by, and ultimately to inspire others to witness for themselves, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs.

Naturalist and travel writer Thomas Pennant travelled through the area as he toured the Highlands in the mid 18th century, while Robert Burns visited Loch Lomond during his West Highland tour of 1787, staying overnight near Arden where he, apparently, happily accepted all the local hospitality that was directed his way. William

TAY The River Tay brims from Allt Coire Laoigh, flowing through various guises until it reaches the loch of the same name

IT HAS 40 MOUNTAINS INCLUDING SOME OF SCOTLANDS MOST ICONIC MUNROS

Pho

tos:

Kei

th F

ergu

s



TYNE Formed by the joining of the North and South Tyne, the former begins in Deadwater Fell near Kielder and the latter from Alston Moor in Cumbria

and Dorothy Wordsworth, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge in tow, first visited in 1803, stimulating William to pen several works including To a Highland Girl and Stepping Westward. Charles Dickens, Hans Christian Anderson and Gerard Manley Hopkins (among many others) all came to see what the fuss was about. Another visitor was the French writer Jules Verne, whose 1877 novel TheUnderground City is a story about a mining community who lived beneath Loch Katrine.

More recently the renowned Scottish writer and naturalist Seton Gordon wrote extensively on Loch Lomond and The

Trossachs in his marvellous book Highways and Byways in the Central Highlands while Tom Weir, possibly Scotlands best-known writer, hillwalker and broadcaster, lived in Gartocharn, on the southern fringes of the Park, until his death in 2006. At present there is a campaign to raise 50,000 to erect a statue near Loch Lomond inTomsmemory.

A Literary Trail currently being developed by the National Park Authority will open in time for the Year of Homecoming in 2014, and this will further enhance the already strong literary links that exist in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

SEVERN The 220-mile Severn rises at 610 meters to the West of Plymlimon

KEY FACTSLoch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park covers an area of 720 square miles (1,865 square kilometres), and is split into four distinct areas; Loch Lomond, Argyll Forest, the Trossachs and Breadalbane. The villages of Balloch and Tyndrum lie at the southern and northern extremities of the Park while Lochgoilhead and Callander sit near to its western and eastern boundaries. Within the Parks confines are 21 Munros, 19 Corbetts, around 50 rivers and burns, two Forest Parks and numerous lochs and lochans, including Loch Lomond (the largest body of freshwater in the UK),

and several sea lochs perhaps surprisingly Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park boasts over 60km of coastline. Deer, red squirrel, otter, osprey, water vole, black grouse and capercaillie are just a small selection of the wildlife that can be spotted when out and about in this marvellous landscape.

The Cairngorms National Park is Britains largest, covering an enormous 4,528 square kilometres, twice the size of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs and the Lake District National Parks. Cairngorms National Park contains five of the highest mountains in Britain and another 55 peaks over 900 metres in height.

19August 2013 THE GREAT OUTDOORS


WALES BRITAINS ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND Mountain biking, scrambling, coasteering, climbing and, of course, amazing hillwalking, Wales has your adventure holiday sorted

020-027_Wales.indd 20020-027_Wales.indd 20 05/07/2013 13:1205/07/2013 13:12

WALKING Clifftops and castles, poetry and pints, missiles and mist; ChrisMoss, author of a new guide to the Wales Coast Path, celebrates the gritty beauty of the stretch between Amroth and Swansea

FROM RHOSSILI I COULD SEE, AT LAST, almost the whole of my walk. The sea here might only be the Bristol Channel, but a powerful westerly was forcing the waves to come fast and frothing high on to the long sandy beach. The wind had blown away the haze and I could follow the line of the coast across to Kidwelly, to the three estuaries around Llansteffan, and to the beaches at Pendine. One week, 160 kilometres done, thirty more to go. Directly in front of me was Worms Head, a limestone promontory that takes its name from the Old English for dragon. Weather and water have eroded the sandstone bridge that connects it to the peninsula and as the sea rises it becomes an island; this means you can only visit for a couple of hours between tides. I checked my watch and set out west.

Amroth is where the long-established Pembrokeshire Coast Path ends and so it seemed a logical place to start out on an east-to-west walk along the new Wales Coast Path. The trail runs for 870 miles (1400km) from Saltney, just outside Chester, to Chepstow, but, having relocated in spring 2012 to the town of Laugharne, I first wanted to get to know the section in Carmarthenshire, my new back garden.

A few hundred metres in, I stepped off the sealed road to follow a footpath that sliced through clumps of scented gorse and foxglove. Beneath me were great ledges jutting out from the coal-black cliffs, a solitary sunbather

prostrate on the rocks. The July sun was out, the heat making the grass sweat, the sky was cloudless and blue. A little further along was the long, wide, empty swathe of Marros Sands. The beach had everything youd want from a summery shoreline, except infrastructure; it had been left wild and vacant, the only marks in the sand strange squiggles where an angler had been digging for lugworms. Just visible at the edge of the surf were the stumps of trees from a forest submerged when glaciers melted in the last ice age.

When I got to around 100 metres above sea level I could see right across the sea-like expanse to Devon. It was time for a sit down and a snack. Dippers were feeding and shags were drying their wings down below, while up the beach two paragliders were circling upwards on thermals.

After my rest I followed a steep slope downwards into the tiny National Trust-owned Morfa Bychan, a pebble beach where Allied Forces rehearsed the Normandy landings in 1944. Next door is Pendine, a town made famous by Malcolm Campbell and J.G. Parry-Thomas, who set the world land speed record five times there between 1924 and 1927. The latter died on Pendine Sands on 3rd March 1927 when a chain broke away from the engine as he was driving at 170 mph and partially decapitated him.

The beach is a beautiful 12-kilometre long swathe of dead flat sand, backed by high

Walking along Worms Head

Pho

to: C

hris

Mos

s



heading way out into the bay.Llansteffan to Burryport was pastoral

humid glades and copses, wild hay meadows and rich farmland with a brief urban moment as I crossed a bridge in the county town of Carmarthen. On a long loop through Pembrey Forest I made a discovery. On several occasions earlier on in the walk I had spotted something white and shining low on the horizon, and now as I reached the summit of a dune I found myself looking down on the shining white sands of Cefn Sidan. The name is Welsh for Silky Back and the beach glows all the way to Tenby.

A GREEN DESERT?At Burryport you enter the fringes of post-industrial Wales. Nature-lovers may prefer pristine and picture-perfect wilderness, but I was happy to have cafs every few miles, plaques about long-gone mines and trains and tinplate to read, and easy walking along the 24-kilometre promenade of the River Loughor. I didnt mind the ruderals, the landscaping, the golf courses; the coast used to be closed off to working people, and until as recently as the 1970s the streams were toxic. Now its family-friendly and neat and the breeze is refreshing and clean. Wales has been described by poets as a green desert, because of its harsh, unpopulated interior. The Welsh have made their living and forged their identity at the lands edges and the Wales Coast Path gives walkers a rolling account of that relationship.

dunes. Several hundred metres wide when the tide goes out, its easy to be all alone here and coast walkers can take the beach route at weekends to get to Laugharne. But on weekdays the military test their armaments on the dunes of Pendine Burrows so I had to walk on the roadside for an hour, before being directed down a side road in to a fine pastoral landscape. On my right were salt marshes, where Welsh cobs, sheep and rare breed cows were grazed. The path ran beneath high, fern-clad cliffs and then climbed a steep staircase. A wooden sign for Dylan Thomass birthday walk told me I was nearing home.

Naturally I broke my journey here and spent the night at my cottage, but after a long days walking I decided to have dinner at The Cors, my local restaurant. Dylan Thomas is reported to have been happiest during his four (and final) years in Laugharne, and his writing shed gazes out at the heron priested shore. He called the town a lazy little black magical bedlam by the sea, a line unlikely to please the locals, many of them descendants of the butchers, bakers, boozers and layabouts he caricatured in Under Milk Wood. Even now its astrange, intense and idiosyncratic place. Amongthe pilgrimage sights are Browns, an inn in Thomass time and now a bright, airy hotel, and the Boathouse where he lived, but Laugharne is too lairy to be a Haworth or a Bath.

THE GREEN HINTERLANDEarly next morning I walked right past his writing shed and on into dense, dank

woodlands alive with the raucous chatter of crows. Soon I was into the green hinterland of rural Carmarthenshire: farmland, pastures, bogs, wild grassland, more marshes and the river Taf, winding its way up to the hills.

The Wales Coast Path is new, and while much of the time there were dragonshell waymarkers telling me I was on the right track, along some stretches between Laugharne and Carmarthen, I was trudging in a rain-drenched swamp, avoiding curious bullocks and map splayed and brow furrowed doubling back time and again to find the right course. I got lost several times and found myself laughing up at the (drizzling) sky at the absurdity of being on a coast path with no estuary, or sea, or even river in sight, but I pressed on. Some walkers will be surprised that there are long sections that take you miles upriver, but thats the nature of estuarine topography. I actually enjoyed the different viewpoints and the way the coast path and inlets weaved towards and then away from each other and then joined up deep inland again.

Relief midway through the mire came at a graveyard at Llanfihangel Abercowy, where I stumbled on three beautiful, moss-covered medieval tombs and at Wharley Point at the tip of the Llansteffan peninsula. It was a joy to be up on the cliffs again after wading through the lowlands, and the beach was stunning, its outer edges blurred and swirling because of the tides. All morning there had been a fretfog, as Carmarthenshire people call the low clouds that worry their hilly coasts, but now it had lifted to let the sun warm the water. Some kids were dipping their toes in the sea, and a kayaker was

SUMMER ADVENTURESW A L E S

Approaching Whiteford Point Lighthouse, Gower

Whiteford Point Lighthouse

Photos: C

hris Moss

22


ESSENTIAL INFORMATION

TRANSPORTA car is the easiest way to get to south-west Wales but you will have to use a taxi to collect it later should you head off on a linear walk. There are fast trains from London to Swansea and onward connections to Llanelli and Carmarthen, and also regular services from Manchester Piccadilly; from Carmarthen, its a 20-minute taxi ride (one way) down to the coast atLaugharne, Amroth, Llansteffan or Pendine.

PLACES TO STAY & EATCAF VISTA With great Mediterranean food, good coffee and fine views across the harbour, this is Tenbys best caf-cum-restaurant. 3 Crackwell St, 01834849636

ST BRIDES SPA HOTEL With several rooms affording good views over Saundersfoot harbour and a good restaurant serving meals made with local produce, this is a stylish spa hotel. Doubles from 150 B&B. 01834 812304, stbridesspahotel.com

BROWNS HOTEL This former pub said to be the address Dylan Thomas gave to his publishers for correspondence was reopened in July 2012 as a smart, understated 14-room hotel. Doubles from 80 B&B. 01994 427688, browns-hotel.co.uk

THE CORS Acclaimed small and very romantic restaurant with three rooms and a beautiful garden; chefowner Nick Priestland changes the short menu every day. Open Thurs, Fri and Sat evenings only. Doubles 80 B&B. 01994 427219, thecors.co.uk

FAIRYHILL An 18th century Georgian country mansion, with eight lavishly appointed rooms, 24 acres of parkland and a fabulous gourmet restaurant and wine cellar. Doubles from 180, B&B. 01792 390139, fairyhill.netMore accommodation at visitwales.co.uk

PLACES TO VISITMuseum of Speed This little museum in Pendine has a few vintage motorbikes on display and, in pride of place, J.G. Parry-Thomass massive 27-litre racing car Babs, in which he broke the land speed record in 1926 and in which he died trying to break it again in 1927. Entry is free. 01994 453488.

The Boathouse and writing shed Dylan Thomass home in Laugharne from 1948 until his death in 1953, with his workplace next door, both with lovely views of the Taf estuary. Entry 4. dylanthomasboathouse.com

National Wetlands Centre Managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, this 450-acre nature reserve on the Wales Coast Path has lakes, scrapes, streams and lagoons and hides for observing godwits, curlew, pintail, shoveler, snipe and little egrets. 01453 891900, wwt.org.uk/visit/llanelli/

Laugharne and Llansteffan Castles Two impressive Anglo-Norman bulwarks; for these and other historic sites see cadw.wales.gov.uk

FOR YOUR DIARYDT100 The centenary of Dylan Thomass birth is being celebrated across Wales during 2014 and Laugharne will be at the centre of it all; see dt100.info for information.

The Laugharne Weekend Three days of cultural debate, poetry readings and music concerts, in venues around the township every April see thelaugharneweekend.com; 2014 dates: April 4-6.

GUIDEChris Mosss guide The Wales Coast Path: Amroth to Swansea will be published by Aurum in 2013.Maps OS Explorer sheets OL37 and 177 information The Wales Coast Path: see walescoastpath.gov.uk

The Gower, though, was neither green desert nor farmland nor swamp. From the cockling town of Penclawdd onwards, I was in a landscape that was boldly and breathtakingly picturesque. I spent a night at the lovely, secluded Fairyhill hotel. To get there I had to climb up to the spine of the peninsula and from the top I could see both of its coasts and their different seas the south, blue and foam-specked and wide, the north all dreamy sandbanks and treacherous mudflats.

As the sea began to rise at Worms Head, I turned round one last time to face the east. I had a full days walk ahead of me, first to Mumbles and then on to Swansea. We all speed up at the end of a walk and I had the wind behind me, but still I found myself lingering. The coast has an addictive quality and I was in no hurry to complete this journey. The South Gower has all the qualities of the finest coasts in Britain thrashing seas, clouds of gulls, prehistoric ruins and secret coves and if its too well-trodden to be truly mysterious, at least I could now put away my map and enjoy the views and the deep and primitive pleasure of walking. I positively sauntered along, thinking: Well, I might have chosen bedlam for a base, but at least the garden is nice.

Walking south on the Gower



MOUNTAIN BIKING IN NORTH WALESMORE PEOPLE THAN EVER SEEM TO BE into multifarious outdooractivities. Perhaps its the need to get outdoors and have an adventure no matter what the unpredictable British weather throws at us. North Wales is a great place for such stuffers people who like to stuff their car at weekends with bikes, surf-boards, walking boots and climbing gear to keep their options open. The region recently branded itself as the Heart of Adventure based on the variety of activities available, with something for everyone.

Mountain biking, at least of the waymarked trails with lots of singletrack kind, was born in Snowdonia. Dafydd Davis, as a Forestry Commission recreation ranger in the 1990s, carved out the UKs first purpose-built trails at Coed-y-Brenin, just north of Dolgellau. Trail centre riding exploded in popularity as the model was rolled out across Wales.

Coed-y-Brenin hasnt rested on its laurels and has recently seen a huge amount of development including a new visitor centre and a skills park that is due to open very soon.

One of the newest trails is the MinoTaur graded moderate that is ideal for introducing cyclists to off-road biking as well being suitable for adaptive bikes. Over time you can progressively build your confidence and skills on routes such as the Cyflym Coch (Difficult) through to intense day rides such as the Beast of Brenin (Severe). With some experience under your knobbly tyres youll want to take-on the Marin Trail (Difficult) near Betws-y-Coed, with great views across to Moel Siabod, and the remote feeling Penmachno Trails (Difficult).

The bridleways and byways of North Wales offer off-piste adventures galore for mountain biking. Being able to look after yourself in the hills is a pre-requisite. Carrying a waterproof map and spare clothing along with your tool kit is normal. Pick up a copy of Pete Bursnalls North Wales mountain bike guidebook (Ernest Press) and youll be spoilt for choice with 27routes between its covers.

The relatively short Druids route that

climbs away from the coast at Llanfairfechan will give you a good idea if heading out in the hills on two wheels is for you. For a real sense of getting away from it all head out on the Pont Scethin ride in the southern Rhinogs. On a fine day youll enjoy expansive views over the Mawddach Estuary to Cader Idris.

Snowdon is as iconic to mountain bikers as it is to hillwalkers and theres a choice of three bridleways, each offering over 1000 metres of gravity-fed fun from the summit. The Llanberis Path is the easiest ride/push-up as well as being the least technical in descent. The Snowdon Ranger and Rhyd Ddu paths are more challenging with sections where even experienced riders will choose to get off their bikes. Bear in mind that during the summer months (May 1Sept 30) there is a voluntary agreement on no riding on these routes between 10am and 5pm. A descent in the evening sun from the highest point in England and Wales makes all the hard work getting up there fade from the memory. Ray Wood



SCRAMBLINGCRIB GOCH, EARLY ON A STILL MORNING. There are worse places to be. The month is January, the air is crisp, and the sun yet to emerge when wed set off an hour earlier sits low in a clear winter-blue sky, spilling light and warmth over the Snowdon Massif. To be here, to breathe this air, to see these mighty slopes and ridges in their silent morning finery, to look around at the peaks and see not a soul but your friends: these are gifts. Theyre reasons why hillwalking holds such reward; and all the more so when the experience is spiced up by an element of scrambling.

Theres a visceral thrill to using both hands and feet to haul yourself up masonry. Scrambling is required to get up to Crib Goch, as well as to cross the arte itself. Its a big part of the buzz. Snowdon is a mountain of many assets, but perhaps chief among them is the fact that it provides so many routes up and down its slopes. Like Wales in general, its adept at catering for everyone from novice walkers to skilled climbers.

It offers excellent Grade 1 scrambling some say the most spectacular in the UK. A quick crammer: scrambles are graded from 1 to 3 in order of difficulty, so Grade

1 essentially translates as a straightforward undertaking for an experienced walker. Grade 2 scrambles dont always require ropes and real care still needs to be taken, particularly given the exposure on certain sections, while Grade 3 ascents are almost rock climbs.

Those choosing to reach the summit of Snowdon via Crib Goch will be faced with a Grade 1 scramble when crossing the famous knife-edge ridge, as well as in reaching it. The route through the barriers and crags of the East Ridge serves as the most common way of getting up there, although the nearby North Ridge offers a far less crowded, and arguably more scenic, Grade 1 approach.

Elsewhere in Snowdonia, other Grade 1 scrambles include Bristly Ridge (on the northern side of Glyder Fach, verging on Grade 2 difficulty at times), Y Gribin (a relatively short scramble with great views over the Ogwen Valley) and Tryfans northern face. For those looking for a more testing challenge, meanwhile, prime options include the Grade 3 ascent on the northern side of Garnedd Ugain, and the Clogwyn Y Person arte, also rated Grade 3 and one of the finest.Ben Lerwill


NORTH WALES IS A GREAT PLACEE FOR STUFFERS

PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO STUFF THEIR

CAR AT WEEKEND WITH BIKES, SURF-

BOARDS, WALKING BOOTS AND

CLIMBING GEAR TO KEEP THEIR

OPTIONS OPEN

Scrambling to the summit of Crib Goch

Descending from Snowdon on the Llanberis Path

Pho

to: D

anie

l Nei

lson

Photo: R

ay Wood



MULTI-PITCH ROCK CLIMBINGFOR MANY ROCK CLIMBERS, THE ACTIVITY was a natural progression from hillwalking and scrambling. Having developed a sense of mountaineering judgement on steep terrain, it was only a matter of acquiring the necessary ropework skills.

Today, a climber looking to get started outside on the bigger crags is likely to possess the belaying and movement skills from the sanitised world of indoor walls but may have a limited sense of route finding or reading the terrain for getting down afterwards. Plus, clipping bolts indoors does little to prepare you for placing your own protection as in the traditional style of climbing for which North Wales is renowned worldwide. Trad climbing involves wedging or camming pieces of metal into cracks, or fixing slings over spikes to protect the lead climber. They are removed by the second as he follows once the leader issafely secured at a stance.

North Wales is blessed with an abundance of relatively straightforward multi-pitch routes where climbers can cut their teeth once they feel comfortable leading outdoors, or develop those skills under instruction. Routes such as Bramble Buttress and Hail Bebe at Tremadog, both graded Very Difficult (VD) thats the low end of the grading scale despite how it may seem are easily accessible and are a good option when the weather is poor in the hills.

Nowhere is more traditional for climbing than the Llanberis Pass and Ogwen Valley.

Sub-Cneifion Rib (VD) in Cwm Idwal is delightful, nowhere particularly steep and on solid rough rock in a great mountain setting. At nearly 300 metres long, Amphitheatre Buttress (VD) on Craig yr Ysfa across the way is a mountain adventure with an alpine feel.

In the Pass, Flying Buttress (VD) on the right side of the impressive walls of Dinas Cromlech is a classic, although gaining the base of the chimney on the final pitch may cause a pause for thought and a quick check that your protection is well-placed. Descending the gully to its left (looking out), but you need to be comfortable negotiating some awkwardsteps

High up in the secluded Cwm Glas, the western flank of Clogwyn y Ddysgl offers an experience closer to mountaineering than crag climbing. Taking the Parsons Nose directly (Difficult) and continuing up the scramble, pitching it as you wish, to reach the Snowdon Horseshoe ridge is a great day out. If youre looking for more of a challenge then Rectory Chimneys (VD) and the slightly harder Gambit Climb (VD/Severe) around to the right both lead up to join The Parsons Nose.Ray Wood

GUIDEBOOKS Scrambles and Easy Climbs in Snowdonia by Jon Sparks; North Wales Rock Selected Rock Climbs in North Wales (Ground Up)

INSTRUCTORS/COURSES Libby Peter (libbypeterclimbing.co.uk); (Garry Smith (gethigh.co.uk); Plas y Brenin (pyb.co.uk).


Easy climbing on the Sub-Cneifion Rib

THROWING YOURSELF INTO THE IRISH SEA MAY NOT BE EVERYONES IDEA OF FUN, BUT COASTEERING IS A BRILLIANT DAY OUT, AND AN ACTIVITY BORN ON THE SEA CLIFFS OF PEMBROKESHIRE

Photo: R

ay Wood



COASTEERINGSOME CLIMBERS ARE FOND OF SAYING there are three types of fun. Type one is when something is fun while its happening. Type two is something that is fun in retrospect (climbing, for me at least, falls into this category). Type three is something that feels fun when it shouldnt. Despite a certain amount of clambering up rocks, coasteering is wholeheartedly type one. Although the fact hasnt been recorded in writing, it may even have once been called spurlunking, or arrgghhh-splush, or any other onomatopoeic word that suggests climbing up a rock and throwing yourself into the Irish Sea. OK, to be fair, throwing yourself into the Irish Sea may not be everyones idea of fun, but coasteering (to give it a rather boring name) is a brilliant day out, and an activity that was born on the sea cliffs of Pembrokshire.

I found out about it thanks to the fun-loving folk at Preseli Venture

(preseliventure.co.uk) who have been encouraging people to jump off cliffs for years, as have a few other outfits nearby.

I teamed up with Jon Kellie, a friendly chap who has made a living of leading people around the Pembrokshire Coast. Once kitted out in a wetsuit and a helmet, we waded out to the cliffs. Jon coerced me along half in the water half out. Just go with the water, he said. Erm, OK. I thought to myself, not particularly enjoying the waves smashing against the rocks around me. Come out a little bit. And as I did a feeling of liberation consumed me, the type that eventually led me to whoop like a loon. We climbed up a few feet and then crashed down into the sea. We swam out to little islets, and jumped in again. We traversed a headland, got washed around natural whirlpools, and scrambled ever higher up the rocks and leapt in again. Around a great cave, with a beautifully-angled arch, Jon

climbed up high and dropped in, much higher than I dare, but he was laughing with joy, and so was I. We swam into the sea cave, right to the pointed end where waves crashed arund us a remarkable space. Unnerving, but incredible. But the best was for last a narrow submerged tunnel that we swam under, but the water was on the most iridescent pea green. A vividness unlike Id ever seen.

I emerged elated, and went back down to see it, again and again. This, I learnt was the beauty of coasteering. Yes, it was remarkable, but we see our environment from a completely different perspective. After a night at Preseli Ventures comfortable digs, I spent the day walking north along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path from the same place we swam. I looked down on the seals in the inaccessible coves, and knew how different the world looked from down there. Daniel Neilson

Coasteering on the Pembrokshire Coast

Pho

tos:

Pre

seli

Vent

ure



SUBSCRIPTION FORM

Yes I would like to subscribe to The Great Outdoorsand receive a water fi lter worth 24.95

UK 1 year subscription (13 issues) direct debit 44.95 I have read the terms and conditions for this offer

The Water-to-Go fi lter technology was developed for NASA in the USA. It eliminates over 99.9% of viruses, bacteria and bad odours and taste from water while keeping the benefi cial minerals such as sodium and magnesium. Outdoor enthusiasts no longer need to carry heavy water bottles or restrict their intake of water. The Water-to-Go bottle ensures you can have fresh drinking water wherever you are.

Water-to-Gos water bottle is an amazing water purifi cation bottle that can be used anywhere to turn pond, stream or rainwater into drinking water. Simply fi ll the bottle up from any non-saltwater source, screw on the unique patented fi lter and drink clean water.

RRP 24.95

Can be dishwasher cleaned

BPA Free

Filter lasts 3 months and will purify 200L

of water

2 replacement fi lters costs 14.95 See an amazing video of this bottle in action turning Coca Cola into clear drinking water:

www.youtube.com/user/WaterToGoTV

Ref TGOAUG13

PLEASE FILL IN AND RETURN THIS FORM TO:

TGO, c/o ESco Business Services, Trinity House, Sculpins Lane, Wethersfi eld, Essex CM7 4AY, UK

CONTACT DETAILS

Title Forename

Surname

Address

Postcode

Telephone

Email

I would like to pay by Direct Debit (UK bank accounts only)

To the manager Bank/Building Society

Bank Branch

Name(s) of Account Holder(s)

Bank/Building Society Account No. Branch Sort Code

Instruction to Bank or Building SocietyPlease pay TGO Direct Debits from the account detailed in this instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with TGO, and if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society. Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit instructions for some types of account.

Signed

Date / /

PAYMENT BY DIRECT DEBIT

Orig

inat

or ID

724

684

By signing up for a subscription Newsquest Specialist Media Ltd will automatically provide you with information relating to your subscription and other relevant Newsquest products and services via email, direct mail or telephone. From time to time Newsquest Specialist Media Ltd will allow carefully selected third parties to contact you about their products and services. Please indicate your preferences. Please tick here if you want to receive carefully screened work-related emails from selected third parties. Please tick here if you do not want to receive relevant work-related direct mail from selected third parties. Please tick here if you do not want to receive relevant work-related information via telephone from selected third parties. Payments will appear as Newsquest Specialist Media Ltd on your statement.

Terms and conditions

This offer is for a direct debit payment only by card. 250 units available. It is valid for NEW UK subscription only. The minimum subscription term is 13 issues. Gift choice and size is subject to availability on a fi rst come fi rst served basis. We reserve the right to substitute the gift advertised if circumstances require or extend a subscription by two months in its place. We reserve the right to reclaim the gift/value of the gift if you cancel your subscription before the end of the agreed term. In some cases, if a subscription offer includes a gift with a limited number available, no further gifts will be offered to those subscriptions received after the limit has been exceeded. Please note that we reserve the right to withdraw a promotion at any time. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery of your gift. UK subscription costs 44.95, 59.95 (Europe), $69.95 (USA and Canada), and 69.95 (rest of world). For all enquiries email: [email protected] or call 01371 851867.

TGO_SubsDPS_Aug13.indd 2 08/07/2013 10:06

Subscribe to The Great Outdoors and receive this remarkable water fi ltration bottle FREE

TO SUBSCRIBE

01371 851 867

Quote ref TGOA

UG13

WWW.TGOMAG

AZINE.CO.UK/SUBSCRI

BE

Enter ref TGOAU

G13 in the promotion co

de box

POST: RETURN

THE LEFT HAND FORM

TO

TGO, ESCO BUS

INESS SERVICES,

TRINITY HOUSE

, SCULPINS LANE,

WETHERSFIELD

, CM7 4AY

*please refer to

our terms and conditio

ns for this offer

Its a brilliant system that allows you to fi ll up the bottle and drink it straight through the nozzle like any sports water bottle. Its extremely simple, and actually quite innovative. For day-trips, this 75cl bottle is all I take.

A recent review in The Great Outdoors

TGO_SubsDPS_Aug13.indd 3 08/07/2013 10:09

Gods Own Country the Far North-West

Cameron McNeish takes a summer excursion to explore the far north-west of Scotland, the home of Britains most dramatic mountain landscapes and not a Munro among them

SCOTLANDM O U N T A I N S O F T H E N O R T H - W E S T

30

030-035_ScotlandNW.indd 30030-035_ScotlandNW.indd 30 05/07/2013 13:3105/07/2013 13:31

AS YOU TRAVEL NORTH FROM ULLAPOOL, around the head of Ardmair Bay, you cant help but notice that the landscape is changing dramatically, the result of the effects of the geological feature known as the Moine Thrust. West of the line of this ancient feature there are fewer rolling hills, no high-level plateaux or mini-mountain ranges. Herethe mountains are individual, stark and contrasting. The Torridonian sandstone that they are made from forms a wondrous array of shape and form, the result of millions of years of erosion some still have their protective caps of quartzite. Its no wonder this whole area hasbeen designated as the North-West Highlands Geopark, the first geoparkinScotland.

To get the most dramatic impression of this landscape, go west down the winding road below the craggy outline of Stac Pollaidh to Achnahaird. Just beyond the Brae of Achnahaird, get out of your car and look back at the rosary of isolated mountain shapes that form the horizon the hills of Coigach, Stac Pollaidh, Cul Beag and Cul Mor, Suilven, Canisp and Quinag. You are gazing at some of the most dramatic and enticing mountains in Britain, and not one of themaMunro!

AAAS YOU TRAVEL NORTH FROM ULLAS YOU TRAVEL NORTH FROM ULaround the head of Ardmair Bay, yaround the head of Ardmair Bay, y Stac Pollaidh from Suilven

Caisteal Liath of Suilven

I BELIEVE SUILVEN IS THE UNCONTESTED

SHOWPIECE OF SUTHERLAND

Suilven

Ben Mor Coigach

Stac Pollaidh

Canisp

Quinag

Pho

to: C

amer

on M

cNei

sh

Photo: D

ougie CU

nningham



Some years ago there were huge erosion problems on this wonderful little mountain. Some 30,000 people were visiting it every year, although comparatively few reached the actual summit which requires a bit of scrambling skill. I remember the erosion problems well people followed a nasty and dangerous route right up the south face of the mountain from the roadside car park, resulting in a horrible scree filled gully in which one woman had fallen and died from her injuries.

Some time later the Footpath Trust, a partnership involving Scottish Natural Heritage, Ross and Cromarty Enterprise and the Highland Council, took on the work of extending the path around the west shoulder of the hill, offering a circular route around the mountain which would offer a better descent than the stone filled gully. Since then the hill has become possibly even more popular.

Stac Pollaidh could be described as the perfect miniature. Drive over the road from Drumrunie and see it appear beyond a tree-lined lochan. On first viewing it makes you gasp. Its impudent in its other-worldliness. Rising from the surrounding moorland, it thrusts its jagged

Coigach lies just north of Ullapool, beyond Ardmair where an extensive wall of weathered Torridonian sandstone commands the northern shore of the bay, an ancient relic of one of the most ancient land masses in the world. Below the sandstone lies a platform of crumpled Lewisian gneiss, said to be well over a thousand million years old, toughened by heat and pressure deep

within the earths core. The long sandstone wall runs slightly south of west to north-east, from Garbh Choireachain to Speicin Coinnich, and is collectively known as Ben Mor Coigach. The hills protective cap of Cambrian quartzite has long since gone, like many of its neighbours, but the bare bones of this venerable relic still rise straight from the sea to almost two and a

half thousand feet, a mile long wall of seamed buttresses, gullies and cliffs, a living archive of this spinning rock we call Earth.

While that seaward wall is impressive, its really only a front, a craggy faade that hides an intricate, complex system of peaks, ridges, corries and lochans. This area of Coigach is a gem of a wild area. Unspoiled and challenging, it begins to express itself more fully as you drive further north on the A835. Ben Mor Coigach, at 743m, is the highest summit, but the other main peak of the area, Sgurr an Fhidhleir, rises to a sharp and dramatic point about a mile along a broad north-west ridge from Ben More. Its a high eyrie of a summit, the culmination point of a huge blade of rock that rises from the bare, soggy moors close to the reflective waters of Lochan Tuath.

The traverse of these two hills brings together all the finer characteristics of a walk that blends sea and mountain in that distinctive combination that you only find on Scotlands western seaboard. Indeed, its perhaps not too fanciful to imagine the traverse of Ben Mor Coigachs long south west ridge beyond Armair Bay as a high level promenade to Tir nan Og, the fabled land of eternal youth, beyond the shimmering ocean of the Celtic twilight.

Add to that the opportunity of gazing across at Stac Pollaidh, one of Scotlands most unlikely mountain icons, and beyond its serrated skyline to the equally unlikely shape of Suilven, and you begin to realise that this is a very special area indeed, perhaps Gods own country

Stac Pollaidh

Ben Mor Coigach

crest into the sky with a cocky bravado, dominating all despite its small size.

A good footpath circles the hill at about half-height before a subsidiary path lifts you up to a high bealach which is usually the high point for most folk. To stand on the true summit, to the west of the bealach, calls for

a measure of commitment for its an exposed and rocky scramble which calls for some skill in route-finding. But most folk are happy enough to sit amongst the rocky pinnacles of this narrow saddle to eat their

lunch and soak up the views towards Coigach or west to the Hebrides.

STAC POLLAIDH COULD BE

DESCRIBED AS THE PERFECT MINIATURE. ONFIRST

VIEWINGIT MAKESYOUGASP

Photo: C

ameron M

cNeish

Photo: C

ameron M

cNeish



I believe Suilven is the uncontested showpiece of Sutherland. From Elphin in the east it can look like the Matterhorn, rising from its bedrock plinth of Lewisian Gneiss to a narrowing spire, but from the Lochinver coast, its western sentinel, Caisteal Liath, forms a huge rounded bastion of quartzite-capped sandstone. From Stac Pollaidh, or Cul Mor in the south, its shape changes again into a long drawn out sugarloaf, with an obvious depression in the middle the Bealach Mor, the only break in the fortress-likedefences.

You can climb Suilven by a number of different routes from Inverkirkaig in the south-west, from Lochinver in the north, or from Elphin in the east. Take your choice. My own preference is to be dropped off by car in Elphin, and picked up at the end of the day in Lochinver, a wonderful through-route of some 16 wild miles. This route also offers the adventurous opportunity of a scrambling ascent of the mountains eastern prow, Meall Beag. This east-west traverse of Suilven is a day youll never forget.

Just beyond a bridge over the Ledmore River, just north of Elphin, a stalkers path runs along the north shore of the Cam Loch. About halfway along the lochside, just beyond the crossing of the Abhainn a Chroisg, the path begins to fade and its faint outline can

Suilven be difficult to follow through the heather as it bears north to climb onto the long ridge of Meall na Braclaich. Once on the rounded crest of the ridge, the route becomes clearer and the great spire of Suilven lies ahead. To the north the long trench of Lochan Fada reflects the slopes of Canisp and to the south, across the waters of the Cam Loch and Loch Veyatie, lies the craggy outline of Cul Mor.

As you approach Suilven its dominance gradually fades into something less portentous the angle of its eastern slope lessens and its with some relief that you realise that while still steep, its eminently climbable. By threading together a variety of ledges you can scramble up to the broad summit of Meall Beag surprisingly easily, but dont relax too much the main difficulties still lie ahead. Suilven doesnt submit its crown quite soeasily.

From Meall Beag the ridge narrows appreciably and you are greeted by a deep crack in the sandstone strata. Step across this fissure and continue until you reach a sudden and sheer drop with no obvious point of descent. This 100-foot drop poses a very serious obstacle, but it can be turned by descending steep ground on the north side of the ridge to where a faint line

can be found traversing west into the dank and gloomy bealach below Meall Mheadhonach. From this dripping recess, a faint path takes a zig-zag route up the steep slopes of Meall Mheadhonach from where more steep, rocky slopes eventually give way to grassy slopes dropping to the safety of the Bealach Mor.

As if to offer some assurance, an ancient drystone wall crosses the ridge at this point, pointing the way of the eventual descent route down a steep gully. If a wall can be built down the gully, it shouldnt prove too difficult to

scramble down! Easy grassy slopes now lead to the summit of Caisteal Liath, a rounded dome of a place with breathtaking views of mountain, moor and sea. Enjoy the panorama, a visual feast from the mountains of Assynt, the delectable outline of Quinag, the great massif that runs from

Seana Braigh to Beinn Dearg, the mountains of Inverpollaidh and the coastal hills of Coigach.

The descent route follows the wall down the northern gully of the Bealach Mor. Pass the western outflow of Loch na Gainimh and find a stalkers path which crosses the Abhainn na Craich Airigh and continues down the glen towards Glencanisp Lodge and the tracktoLochinver.

YOU REACH A SUDDEN AND SHEER DROP WITH NO OBVIOUS

POINT OF DESCENT. THIS 100-FOOT DROP

POSES A VERY SERIOUS OBSTACLE

Pho

to: C

amer

on M

cNei

sh

SCOTLANDM O U N T A I N S O F

T H E N O R T H - W E S T



An old Scottish Mountaineering Club guidebook of the 1930s describes the 847m Canisp as uninteresting and then relents slightly by suggesting: as it is in the midst of so many striking and shapely hills it forms a fine viewpoint. Mmm its exactly because it is such a fine viewpoint that Canisp is anything but uninteresting!

The ascent of Canisp is simplicity itself from the head of Loch Awe, near Ledmore Junction on the A837 road, the hill rises in a long, slightly curving ramp to its summit whose slopes then fall precipitously on three sides. Its a long and steady pull from the road, initially over swampy, grassy ground then over drier, shattered screes and slabs of Lewisian gneiss, some of the oldest rock in the world. Keep well to the left of the ridge and enjoy the drama of the Inverpollaidh landscape as it unfolds belowyou.

As this low-lying landscape begins to open up, its topography becomes more and more astonishing. The bumps and hillocks and ridges are underscored and pock-marked by dozens

of pools and lochans and several long and linear lochs, angled in exact parallels, slash their course across the mottled landscape. On the far edge of this watery wilderness the spired peaks of Cul Mor dominate the curiously primeval outline of Stac Pollaidh and as you climb higher the fortress-like shape of Suilven dramatically appears out of the west, rising on its rocky plinth from the shores of Loch na Gainimh to a series of castellated turrets and spires, one of the most impressive landforms in Scotland.

As we climbed higher on an early spring visit,

over the bump of Meall Diamhain and onto the final summit slopes, our eyes were led beyond Suilven, beyond the immediate coastline to the distant Trotternish ridge of Skye and out to the blue hills of Harris, shimmering on the far horizon. Further north, beyond the mass of peaks and ridges that is Quinag, lay the conical outline of Ben Stack and the snow-covered ridge of Arkle. To the east, snow sparkled on Conival and Ben More Assynt and further south row upon row of mountains glinted white below a long layer of shredded cumulus.

Just beyond the summit cairn of Canisp lies a large stone-built shelter and it was good to settle down for a few minutes out of the wind and grab something to eat. I couldnt sit still for long though, aware that this hill, while lacking in any kind of spectacular features of its own, is undoubtedly one of the finest viewpoints in the country. I wanted to gulp it all down, as much of it as possible, to store it in the camera of the mind, ready to be projected, re-focussed and enjoyed any time I wanted.

THIS HILL, WHILE LACKING IN ANY KIND

OF SPECTACULAR FEATURES OF ITS OWN,

IS UNDOUBTEDLY ONE OF THE FINEST

VIEWPOINTS IN THECOUNTRY

Canisp

SCOTLANDM O U N T A I N S O F T H E N O R T H - W E S T

Photo: northlightim

ages/iStockphoto



Approaching Kylesku from the north, the first glimpse of Quinag can be intimidating. On dour days of scudding cloud she can look distinctly menacing, the main backbone of the mountain shy and retiring, hidden away by the perspective of the land behind steep, barrel shaped buttresses of terraced rock. From the Lochinver road, in the west, that retiring ridge becomes the dominant feature of the mountain, a three-mile wall of Torridonian sandstone with a splintered quartzite crest. In the fiery light of a winter sunset she can look fierce and distinctly threatening.

But given a long summers day, this old girl of the far north-west shows her kindly side and all her threats melt away. With a high-level start, obvious paths and wide-ranging views, the ridge-walks to her three Corbett summits make one of the best high-level excursions in the north.

Shaped like an elongated Euro sign, with those steep buttresses forming the ends of the two upper prongs, the mountains saving grace, as far as walkers are concerned, is that lower prong, which, unlike the other two, fades out into a long and gentle ridge and offers easy access to the hills backbone. Unusually for a Corbett, Quinag boasts three summits Sail Gorm, 776m, the highest point on the top prong of the Euro; Sail Gharbh, 808m on the middle prong; and Spidean Coinich, 764m on

the southern one. Indeed, its this southern top that is supposed to resemble the spout of a bucket, giving the hill the name Cuinneag Gaelic for a narrow-mouthed water stoup. For years we knew the hill as Queenaig, giving it a royal and female association. Old habits die hard and I still think of the hill as a her. Pronounce it coon-yak.

A parking space on the A894, at an elevation of almost 250m, makes a good starting point but dont be tempted by the footpath that appears to run up into the Coire Chornaidh. We met a couple on the summit of Spidean Coinich and their guidebook had told them to follow a path into the upper corrie from where they could climb on to Spidean Coinich. They looked a little shaken by their experience!

A far better way to reach Spidean Coinich is to follow the gently curving east ridge over grass and quartzy slabs to a small rocky top. Beyond this, steeper rocky slopes lead to the rounded summit. A steep descent down a narrow ridge is the highlight of the day, high above the watery wastes that form the hinterland of the Edrachillis Bay coast. On the other side of the ridge the dark waters of Lochan Bealach Cornaidh reflect the steep slopes of Sail Gharbh, which, in a few hours, will be your final top of the day.

The ridge drops to the broad Bealach a Chornaidh from where a well-used path zig-zags up to the ridge just east of a knobbly top. Skirting the top itself, the path traverses its north-east slopes and desce

t g outdoors -2013-08

Documents

greenland wax

anorak classic anorak

kaise anorak

adaptable g

woven fabric

warmer conditions

garmentour g

maximum wind protection