The Great Outdoors October 2021

I SPECIFICALLY REMEMBER the first time I was ever moved by a view of mountains. I was perhaps 10 or 11, and walking along the spine of High Street with my family. From that wide, whalebacked ridge, you can see the entire Lake District: a sea of fells, interlocking ridges rising and receding across the whole western skyline. Although I couldn’t name them at the time, I would have seen from the Coniston Fells in the south to Blencathra in the north, and everything in between – the hulking profile of the Scafells, the imposing dome of Great Gable, the ridges of Helvellyn – all cast in the soft light of an early evening in May. As a child, you tend to be more interested in the minutiae of things; but…

Lucy Thraves Lucy is an editor and writer, living in London and escaping to wilder places whenever possible. In her teenage years she orienteered competitively, then took up marathon running, and now can more often be found walking long distances (see her account of a long walk she undertook in response to violence against women on p24). This year she’s been wild camping in the Lake District, and most recently spent a night in a collapsed tent on remote Jura in order to scale the infamous Paps. She’ll be taking a tent pole repair kit on holidays in the future. Lucy Wallace Arran-based regular contributor Lucy has had a busy few months, working in the hills and on the coasts of Scotland. Guiding and teaching mountain skills over the summer has been a…

“Welcome to the desolate landscape of Glyder Fach’s expansive summit in Snowdonia National Park. The prominent landmark here is the jagged rock formation of the beautifully named Castell y Gwynt (‘Castle of the Winds’), rising theatrically like a huge shark’s fin from the barren landscape of shattered rock formations. Glyder Fach is the second highest mountain of the Glyderau range and sixth highest mountain in Wales. “To make the most of such a dramatic and much photographed-feature demands remarkable lighting conditions. Patience was rewarded after two hours of watching and waiting, when the storm clouds suddenly parted and an atmospheric ‘theatre of light’ was created when crepuscular rays flooded the scene.”…

Rebecca Underdown Medium: oils Size: 70x60cm WITH THE ROLLING, thunderous clouds often come turbulent storms, but Rebecca Underdown reminds us there’s a bright sky waiting behind the unpredictable change-of-season weather. “This painting is of the beach at Nairn, and I like the idea of bright light in the darkness, especially as the seasons turn and we head towards winter. After the light of the summer nights, the winter can seem long; but there is beauty in the fleeting nature of the day, and I wanted this piece to reflect that.” Rebecca explains that with small children, she doesn’t often get the opportunity to paint en plein air and so works from her photographs. “I knew I wanted to paint the beach at Nairn as it’s such an inspiring spot and the colours of the…

Panoramic views, heart-in-mouth exposure and often a spot of scrambling thrown in for good measure – it’s not hard to see why we’re so drawn to ridge walks, which allow us to get up high in the hills and stay there all day. The UK and Ireland’s superlative selection of ridge walks encompasses everything from multi-day Munro-bagging expeditions to scrambly horseshoes and relaxing whaleback traverses. Here are some of the best. SNOWDON HORSESHOE, SNOWDONIA Crib Goch gets all the plaudits– but linking it up with stickle-backed Y Lliwedd in the sweeping circuit known as the Snowdon Horseshoe extends this spicy-yet-succinct ridge into something much more sustained. Starting from Pen-y-Pass, the route kicks off with a Grade 1 scramble up steep-sided Crib Goch and continues up Crib y Ddysgl ridge for a brief brush…

MANY of the best ridge routes in the UK are to be found in the West Highlands, but some require difficult scrambling to complete. The Ring of Steall offers all the excitement – thrilling summits, sharp ridges, surprising views – without as much of the exposure, although there are still plenty of easier scrambly moments to enjoy. This challenging route rises to the south of Glen Nevis, and forms part of the Mamores range. The Ring of Steall makes use of two out-and-back extensions to the main range, forming a worthwhile circuit around the famous waterfall of An Steall Bàn, and takes in four classic Munros. ROUTE DESCRIPTION 1 START/FINISH Car park at end of Glen Nevis road GR: NN168691 The walk begins at the car park at the end of the narrow road through…