Tabla de contenidos para April 2024 en Trail

GET 50% OFF All first-time Trail Subscribers get 50% Off OS Maps, the Ordnance Survey's digital mapping service. That's the equivalent of 607 paper maps in your pocket! PAGE 38 As far as I'm concerned, nothing beats the view from the top. I like pretty much everything about being in the mountains, but if I had to boil my motivations down to one thing, I struggle to see beyond that pay-off from the summit. If, like me, you don't live as close to the mountains as you'd like, then you'll be familiar with the logistical and financial strain of organising a weekend surrounded by summits. And that's before you start thinking about how knackering they are to climb. But when the weather plays ball and you get that result off…

WILD SLEEPS THIS MONTH Pen yr Ole Wen Y Lliwedd Elidir Fawr Carnedd Llewelyn TRAIL 100 BIVVY COUNT 77/100 Mountains and clouds go hand in hand like an old married couple. Often stuck together, with the gloomy cloud spoiling the day. But on rare occasions they are the perfect match for each other, if the cloud is having a great time and all is good with the world. In Wales this month I experience clouds at their very best. PEN YR OLE WEN is the perfect camp for a late arrival. Make the very steep climb from Llyn Ogwen and in under two hours you are at the top. The clouds today are puffy and white, floating across the mountain tops like a butterfly fluttering, constantly changing shape and direction.…

MOUNTAIN LIVES In 2022, Juls Stodel set out alone to visit every bothy in Britain. Currently 106 of these remote and simple shelters are looked after by the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA) and she planned to spend at least one night in every single one. The journey was one through landscape some of the roughest in England, Scotland and Wales – and through the particular histories of each restored building. For those not already in the know, a bothy is a remote house or hut, often an old crofter's or shepherd's place, that has been renovated for use by hillside wanderers. They're simple places. No electricity, taps, lights or beds, just a wooden sleeping platform and a watertight roof. Some are tiny, accommodating only two people, while some have two…

Anna Humphries Ralph Storer Marieke McBean Ronald Turnbull Kate Worthington Jen & Sim Benson Vivienne Crow GET TRAIL ROUTES ONLINE Every Trail magazine route is published digitally in OS Maps, allowing you to view, download and follow it using the Ordnance Survey's award-winning app. All you need to do is scan the QR code on each route with your camera to open it on your phone. Plus, all first-time Trail subscribers get 50% OFF OS Maps, giving you digital Ordnance Survey maps for the whole of Britain. Full details on PAGE 38 IN ASSOCIATION WITH Ordnance Survey SUSTAINABLE STEPS Look for our Tread Lightly logo throughout the routes section for tips on how to lessen your environmental impact. ALWAYS CARRY A MAP! Trail routes are written as guides, but for…

Isolated on the shores of Loch Hope, close to the north coast of Scotland, the craggy wedge of Ben Hope makes a fitting northern-most Munro. Surrounded by moor and water, and uncomplicated by satellite tops, its commanding dome-like summit has an air of spaciousness unequalled on the mainland. To the north is only sea. It is no coincidence that, to celebrate the completion of a Munro round, many Munro baggers elect to leave Ben Hope until last. It's a summit that you simply don't want to leave. It must have been a stirring sight to the Vikings of old after their hazardous journey across the sea and it is the only mountain of Munro height that they named. Hope is the Norse word for ‘bay,’ referring to nearby Loch Eriboll.…

Nestled within the picturesque Lake District, these four Wainwrights – Red Pike, Haystacks, High Stile, and High Crag – stand as a testament to the breathtaking beauty of England's northern landscapes. Red Pike, with its commanding presence, provides panoramic views of Buttermere and Crummock Water. A journey to its summit reveals a rugged terrain and a sense of accomplishment that resonates with every step. Haystacks, famously beloved by Alfred Wainwright himself, boasts an unassuming charm. Its rolling ridges and hidden tarns create an enchanting setting, making it a must-visit for those seeking tranquillity amidst the peaks. High Stile and High Crag stand as formidable neighbours, offering challenging ascents and rewarding vistas. This quartet form a harmonious symphony of nature's grandeur. Each summit is a unique chapter in the Lake District's…

1 SH852188 Turn [eft onto the road and follow it past a farm on your left. Where the road ends and turns into a stony track, continue to follow it up the hill past the camping pods at Cut Cywarch to reach a footpath on the left. Take this and follow it uphill across open hillside, crossing a footbridge to a steeper path on the right of the stream. Walk up this winding, scrambly path to the saddle, with a fence and gate on your left. 2 SH840200 Follow the path to the right, picking up the fence and keeping it to your left as you cross the sometimes boggy moorland. Some sections are very wet, navigated by plank walkways. Continue over the moorland and a couple of stiles that…

1 NY2Q0009 From the National Trust's Wha Flouse parking area, 1km east of the Woolpack Inn, turn left along the road and take the next track on the left. This passes through the yard at Taw House Farm and ends at a gate into a field. Go through and head uphill beside an old wall. Beyond the ladder stile in the top wall, continue on the track beside a wall on the right. 2 NY214024 About 80m beyond the bridge below Scale Gill Falls, fork left. This path soon swings left, climbing in a series of zigzags. As the gradient eases, the path swings north along the edge of a boggy hollow and you get your first glimpse of something a little more exciting ahead – the Scafell group. The…

Head to Craig y Bera, at the southern end of Mynydd Mawr, for astounding views of Eryri superstars Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and Yr Aran. CLIMB A STAR OF THIS ISSUE P26 WALK IT Start at the lay-by next to Llyn y Dywarchen. Follow the shore path around the western end of the lake, then its northern shore until you come to a few ruins. Head north across initially boggy ground until you hit the path on the ridge crest. Now follow the ridgeline west, with a plantation right. As the ridge steepens, you lose the trees and the ridge narrows, but you'll still be heading west. The summit of Foel Rudd is reached, and the gradient slackens as you head south-west, then north-west along the tops of the Craig y…

EXPLORE MOOR This app is dedicated exclusively to the uplands, with categories for wildlife, plants and landscape features, and the ability to build your own list of sightings. It won't actually identify anything for you – you'll have to make the observations yourself but by refining the species list to only those you're likely to see, it makes this much easier. It makes it very tempting to tick sightings off scavenger hunt-style too. MERLIN BIRD ID This is one of the best bird apps out there, with a particularly good sound ID function. Results seem to be quite accurate, though it's worth remembering that there's about a half or full second delay in the results, so the birds it comes up with are the birds detected a moment ago. It…

Ordnance Survey Custom Made Map £20 A good map is a key navigation tool, and there are many to recommend. The Ordnance Survey Landranger (1:50k scale] and Explorer (1:25k) maps are both superb, while Harvey's range of maps (1:25k and 1:40k] are tailored specifically for hikers, doing away with much of the unnecessary clutter found on other maps. But if you want something a bit special, a Custom Made Map from OS allows you to centre a map (Landranger or Explorer) on a point of your choosing, whether that's to celebrate a favourite place, or simply to make it easier to navigate an area that would otherwise cross over two map sheets. Lifeventure Waterproof map Case £23 Paper maps can be vulnerable to damage from the rain, and even the…

TRAIL MAGAZINE Snowdonia Eryri LAKEVIEW TRAVERSE Tryfan, the rock star of the mountains, boasts two mighty 3m monoliths known as Siôn and Siân (or Adam and Eve if you prefer the English touch) perched atop its summit. Nestled in the Ogwen Valley and contributing to the grandeur of the Glyderau range, Tryfan stands tall as Wales’ 15th highest peak, but it has won the hearts of adventurers across the UK, securing its title as the ultimate mountain. The name Tryfan itself stems from ‘Tri Faen’, a nod to its trio of prominent peaks. Standing beside it we have Glyder Fach and Glyder Fawr, straightforwardly named ‘small pile of stones’ and ‘big pile of stones’, which are exactly what you'll find on these colossal Welsh slopes. And if you're looking for a…

The Carneddau range (‘the cairns’) is the largest uninterrupted upland area in the Eryri National Park. Its lofty, rock-strewn summits and wind exposed slopes provide a smoothly beautiful backbone, stretching from its foothills on the north Wales coast before rapidly and dramatically plunging towards Llyn Ogwen, to the south. Two of Eryri's ‘1000m Peaks’ watch over this range; namely Carnedd Llewelyn and Carnedd Dafydd – two proud summits inspired by the names of ancient princes of Gwynedd. Five additional summits stand above 900m in the Carneddau, offering committing and high-level walking, complemented by contrasting views of mountain and coast. This route provides a logical and accessible loop from Bethesda, but its circuit certainly takes in some quieter mountain moments found on the slopes of Yr Aryg and Foel Meirch, with…

1 SH855150 Take the steep, narrow footpath from the western end of the lay-by, heading up into the woods. Continue up the hillside, climbing several sets of steps and trending generally south-west to reach the edge of the forest at Nant Dol-hir. 2 SH848148 Leave the woodland and follow the path as it contours below the summit of Foel Dinas – the northwesternmost peak of the Dyfi Hills. Continue on this rough trail, which is hard going at times, traversing around the valley to eventually reach a fence and the edge of some recently felled forestry land. The Cambrian Way trail now joins your path here from the left. 3 SH837137 Turn right, following the Cambrian Way along the fence and then trending right, away from the fence and up…

1 NY246016 From Cockley Beck Bridge, walk north-west along the Flardknott Pass road for 30m and then ford Moasdale Beck. Beyond the gate, walk beside the fence for 65m and then head northnorth-west over pathless ground, later picking up guad bikes tracks climbing up the western side of Clemety Sike. These lead to a gate in a wall. 2 NY246023 Go through the gate and walk north-east. Reaching rockier ground, head south-east (veering east-south-east] to skirt the base of the slope for 275m. When the ground to the north becomes grassier, climb it; then follow a shallow, rockier gully uphill. This provides a passage between a more consistent line of crags about 550m into the ascent. At the top of this steeper section, contour west-north-west for 100m and then start…

Ridges are arguably the most exciting parts of the mountains – probably even more so than the summits. As routes of ascents, they can be easy-going walks, thrillingly exposed scrambles, and everything in between. Little wonder that many of the most popular UK hiking routes feature a ridge of some kind. In this new series of ridge guides we'll be putting some of these magnificent mountain features under the spotlight to examine what makes them special and why you should check them out. We're kicking off with the Ptarmigan Ridge on Ben Lomond. An ascent of the most southerly Munro nearly always involves a ridge of some kind, but usually it's the mountain's long Sron Aonaich spur that is climbed. In truth, it's only just definable as a ridge; it's…

Sheep – there's no getting away from the fact that they're everywhere in our uplands. And it's largely because of them and the way they're managed that the fells look the way they do. There's one breed in particular that epitomises hill and mountain sheep – the Herdwick, the rare breed that belongs to the Lake District. Herdwicks are about the toughest, most kick-ass sheep going. They're thought to have been derived from flocks brought over by the Vikings. Even the name Herdwick is a Norse word meaning sheep pasture, and to back up the theory their DNA has similarities with Texel sheep which are from Scandinavia. Herdwicks are the result of generations of selective breeding, the end result being the most suitable animal for the conditions. They've been relatively…

Buff Polar Multifunctional Neckwear £ 27 There really is a Buff for almost any conditions. There's the original Buff, sun protective Buff, and merino Buff. But when the winter is really cold, it's the Polar Buff you want around your neck. Made using PrimaLoft Bio Fleece (which is 97% recycled content and fully biodegradable] you can wear it as a neck warmer, hat, balaclava and more. Rab Vapour-Rise Summit £195 Rab's Vapour-Rise jackets have always been loved by all types of mountain sports enthusiasts. Its current range includes jackets for cycling, running, and mountaineering, but the Vapour-Rise Summit is aimed squarely at cold weather adventures, boosting the Pertex Quantum Air outer's breathable windproof protection with a feathery VR Warm lining which traps heat, wicks moisture, and is extremely comfortable. Hanwag…

Cat Bells, the hill above Derwent Water, is one of the most recently tagged among the Trail 100 summits. Sometimes people tend to do Cat Bells down. Starting with the surveyors, who've given it a measly 451m of altitude when anyone looking at it from Derwent Water can see it's much, much bigger than that. But it's also criticised for being an overtrodden hotspot, with a car park at the bottom you can't even get your car into. Well, if you do want to look down on Cat Bells, the place to look down on it from is the cairn above Bull Crag, high on the plateau edge of Maiden Moor. And to avoid the clogged up car park, climb Cat Bells from somewhere else altogether. With a walk that…

1 SH684302 Head out of the car park, following the obvious track as it curves to the left, passing Graigddu-isaf farm on your right. You could also follow the bridleway from the car park to this point, but it's often very wet underfoot. Carry on past the farm to a path junction signed to Bwlch Tyddiad and Pistyll Gwyn. 2 SH679298 Turn right and follow the smaller path through dense woodland along the banks of Nant Llyn-du. Pass a couple of small waterfalls on the right before heading into an area of felled forest. Follow the path straight ahead, going straight over a large forest track and following signs for Bwlch Yyddiad, eventually reaching a footbridge. 3 SH667297 Cross the bridge and continue on a gravelly path that ascends into…

1 NY213011 With your back to the parking area near the cattle grid at the western base of Hardknott Pass, turn right and walk up the road for 370m. Take the trail on left, ascending to Hardknott Fort's south-west gate. Walk through the fort and leave via its north-east gate. A faint, grassy path heads north-east, directly towards the crags of Border End. It climbs slightly and then crosses a flat, grassy area. 2 NY221017 After climbing slightly again, bear right (east-south-east] along a narrow path and aiming for a grassy gap between the crags to the left and a small, grass-topped ‘bump’ to the right. When you reach the gap, continue on the faint trail, along a grassy ledge at the base of the fell. This rejoins the road…