Your insider’s guide to England’s highest mountain

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13 routes for summer Lake District Peaks Scotland

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7-PAGE GUIDE

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The one that couldn’t remem

ber how to not tell you its nam

e, Pike

Climb your FIRST peak Starting walking?Read this � rst!

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cover jun12 sw.indd 1 09/05/2012 11:45

out thereBeen there, climbed that? Send us a picture!out there

4 Trail june 2012 june 2012 Trail 5

out there jun12 swdapssi.indd 1 09/05/2012 11:47

OUT THERE

JUNE 2012 TRAIL 5

Send us your shots, share your adventures Email your photos to us, along with a description of what was special

about your day, and we’ll publish the most inspiring examples! Put ‘Out There’ in the subject box, and send them to trail@bauermedia.co.uk

Fan y Big Brecon BeaconsChris, posing on the ‘Diving Board’.

Suzanne (behind the camera) recalls this well-timed visit to south Wales. She says: “We were lucky enough to

have a week walking in the Brecon Beacons during the Indian summer at

the end of September last year. Glorious!”

out there jun12 swdapssi.indd 2 09/05/2012 11:47

Get out of your room! 10Exciting ideas to get your kids outdoors

A-Z of adventure 12OS maps in book form; plus porters’ kit update

Bonington begins 14 Even climbing legends have to start somewhere

Dream peak 16 Eigg’s An Sgurr: moulded in Montana?

OMM map pouch

TOM

BA

ILEY

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

Master Navigation! 39Now you’ve learned the basics, it’s time to get to grips with satellite navigation (aka GPS) in the fi nal part of our expert-led series

Ask Trail 46How to avoid ticks (they’re quite literally after your blood); boots for tough terrain; Scottish hills for ML training; making wild water safe

Trail talk 18 The world of hillwalking – according to you lot

Goal Zero gizmo offer! 50Subscribe NOW to get a speaker or battery pack

Why we love... 146...those free-to-use mountain shelters: bothies

3 Peaks: Scafell Pike 20The ultimate guide to England’s highest hill

Cnicht 52It’s Wales’ 689m answer to the Matterhorn!

A DV E N T U R ES

Y O U R T R A I L

S K I L L SO U T T H E R E

p20

8 TRAIL JUNE 2012 JUNE 2012 TRAIL 9

TOM

BA

ILEY

Scafell: a pike we like!

TOM BAILEY

‘Alp’ is at hand: Cnicht – page 52.PART T H R EE

NA

V I G AT I ON

p12

Get out of your room!

O U T T H E R Ep12

contents jun12 sidasw.indd 1 09/05/2012 11:49

G E A RGear news 66The must-have kit that’s coming soon

MSR Nook 68A light two-person tent from the States Lightweight jackets 70Walking waterproofs from £180 to £200

Sub-1kg sleeping bags 82Three-season feather-fi lled kip cocoons

Base layers 94 Have you cottoned on to their importance?

Lightweight jackets, soaked and poked

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

Brecon Beacons 107Route 1 Fan GyhirychPractise navigation on wild, windswept summits

Lake District 109Route 2 Scafell PikeGo ‘off-piste’ on a less travelled route to the top

South Highlands 111Route 3 Glen FallochA fresh approach with an explorer’s mindset

Dartmoor 113Route 4 East & West DartVisit two ‘especially beautiful’ river valleys

Snowdonia 115Route 5 Mynydd MawrAn adventurous alternative to the honeypots

Peak District 117Route 6 Chrome HillTraverse land walkers once had to trespass on

Mallaig 121Route 7 Sgurr Coire ChoinnicheanRoute 8 An Sgurr, EiggRoute 9 Morar - Tarbet Choose your perfect base, walk for three days! This issue’s fi rst Ultimate Weekend gives you a trio of routes from a Scottish west-coast port

Staveley 127Route 10 Yoke, Ill Bell, FroswickRoute 11 Harter Fell, Kentmere PikeRoute 12 Stile End and Nan Bield Passes Fancy a long weekend in the Lakes? This village has Kentmere valley’s peaks within easy reach

Yorkshire Dales 133Route 13 Yorks 3 Peaks Our Classic Route visits Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough on a limestone-littered stamina test

R O U T ES

JUNE 2012 TRAIL 9

Classic Route

with 3D maps

p70

48 extra pages!

Inside: your complete guide to enjoying Britain’s uplands

p82

MSR Nook: � rst look – page 68.

Sub-1kg sleeping bags, snoozed and abused

JUNE 2012

contents jun12 sidasw.indd 2 09/05/2012 11:50

out there

16 Trail june 2012 june 2012 Trail 17

No, it’s not in Arizona. It’s Scottish. And you can do it this month...© Tracy HalleTT / alamy

dream peak jun12 swdaps.indd 1 09/05/2012 11:50

june 2012 Trail 17

an sgurr eiggFor some a butte uprooted from America’s Monument Valley, for others some kind of

prehistoric beast frozen in mid-lunge, An Sgurr is one of the most striking mountains in Europe.

Few see it, though, and even fewer climb it. Cloistered on the Scottish Isle of Eigg, An Sgurr dominates a landscape of spellbinding beauty,

sculpted from the ruins of an ancient volcano and forming the centrepiece of the longest pitchstone ridge on the continent. While it may be a tiddler at

393m, its scrambly ascent offers staggering views of Skye, Rum and the North Atlantic. The whole experience of this unique island is one for once

in a lifetime – and May’s the month to do it.

do it! ›› turn to page 123

dream peak

dream peak jun12 swdaps.indd 2 09/05/2012 11:51

JUNE 2012 Trail 21

Where? Scafell Pike, EnglandWhat? The Three Peaks part 2

Looking down the scree slopes of Great Gable towards the Scafell massif, Wast Water and Wasdale.© Stewart Smith / alamy

20 Trail JUNE 2012

scafell opener jun12 sw.indd 1 09/05/2012 11:51

scafell pike JUNE 2012 Trail 21

In part 2 of our Three Peaks special – a celebration of the highest summits in England, Scotland and Wales – Trail presents your

guide to the Lake District's most muscular mountain monster.

lake District, englanDHeigHt 978msummit nY 21551 07212

T h e T h r e e P e a k s

scafell opener jun12 sw.indd 2 09/05/2012 11:52

scafell pike

26 Trail JUNE 2012 JUNE 2012 Trail 27

The east buttress of Scafell seen from Mickledore. Note the vertical stripe of Lord’s Rake (centre right) and the varying pillars of Broad Stand (left).

scafell feature jun12 swdasi.indd 1 09/05/2012 11:52

JUNE 2012 Trail 27

Often climbed but seldom mastered, the Scafell massif is an intricate prism of a mountainscape.

Trail takes you to England’s highest point.

king of hillsdiscovering lakeland's

Words dan aspel PhotograPhs Tom Bailey

cafell Pike is popular. And not just among the hard-walking, tough-talking, OS-toting, peak-conquering readers of Trail. It’s universally popular, like a 3,000ft rock and stone rendering of Queen’s Greatest

Hits. If that puts you off, you’re not alone. I’d stubbornly refused to climb this Bohemian Rhapsody of a mountain until it was absolutely necessary. Turns out (and here’s the tragedy) I’ve spent years denying myself one of Lakeland’s finest walks...

S

�

scafell feature jun12 swdasi.indd 2 09/05/2012 11:52

On the main menu page select ROUTES.

Scroll down to NEW ROUTE.

By pressing ENTER twice you will be prompted to choose

a waypoint from a list of the ones you have created. Select them in a logical order.

When you have entered all of them scroll to FOLLOW.

You will now be prompted to indicate which way you want

to follow them (so when you are at the end you can come back!).

The compass screen appears with the arrow, and you

follow this in exactly the same way to each waypoint on your route. As you approach each waypoint your eTrex will show your distance to it, and a few metres before you reach it the compass pointer will turn to the next waypoint on your route.

Press ENTER and select STOP NAVIGATION when

you have arrived at your destination.

TECHNIQUE 5 Using your satnav to find your position on the map

44 Trail june 2012

trail skills outdoor advice from our hillwalking experts

june 2012 Trail 45

MASTER NAVIGATION

Always remember to clear your track log at the beginning of your journey.

By default all satnavs give waypoints numbers;

but after a short while it is easy to forget which number relates to what, so it’s much better to name them using abbreviations such as GT = gate, ST = stream, RD = road etc, then you can have GT1, GT2 and so forth.

You have already set the last field on the Trip Log screen to LOCATION. This displays your location in the local grid reference system, and on the Main menu you set this to Ordnance Survey GB. You need to be able to take a grid reference for this; check out last month’s Trail to see how.

l The letters BNG in the bottom left of this box tell you that you are using the British National Grid.

l Above this the two letters describe the 100km x 100km box you are in and must always match to those on your map.

l The five numbers on top are your easting (this runs left to right on your map).

l The bottom five numbers are the northing (this runs bottom to top on your map).

l Therefore your satnav gives you a 10 figure grid reference, which describes an area of 1m2.

This is too small an area for you to identify on your map so we ignore the last digit on the top set of five numbers and do the same on the bottom set to give an 8 figure grid reference, for when we are using a grid reference tool. This places you in an area of 100m2.

If you are using your compass roamer you can only use a six figure grid reference and to do this we ignore the last two numbers on each line. This places you in an area of 10,000m2.

TECHNIQUE 4 Creating a track TECHNIQUE 3 Creating a route

Trail expert tip!

Trail expert tip!

On the main menu page select TRACKS.

Scroll to CLEAR and delete the current track.

Scroll down to SETUP and switch the recording to ON and

change the record interval to AUTO (you can change the

interval to distance if you’re in difficult terrain, with a value of 10m (shown as 00010.0m)

Start to walk off in any direction, making occasional turns until

you are around 100m from your start point.

On the TRACKS screen select SAVE.

You will now be given a choice of various names; select the

nearest time to now.

The MAP screen appears with your track and where

you are on it. You can watch the screen and follow your progress on it, or if you prefer, swap to the COMPASS screen.

12

5321 6

74

By joining together waypoints that you have created, you create a route that you or other people can follow. To practise this technique, move around a large area and create a set of waypoints, for instance at a gate, a bridge, a bench and at a café (GT1, BR1, BN1 & CA1).

3

45

6

7

The eTrex H stores a maximum of 10,000 track nodes in 10 tracks. Download tracks and routes you do not frequently use on to your computer and upload them again to use them.

This feature records a track log while you are moving that, at any time, you can follow back along the same path. It is one of the most useful features, especially in poor visibility.

Go to the main menu screen and check your ROUTES. You will see your satnav has automatically saved this route for you to use at any time in the future. You can store 20 such routes – each with 125 waypoints – on your eTrex H.

skills navigation jun12 swsi.indd 5 09/05/2012 11:54

OUTDOOR ADVICE FROM OUR HILLWALKING EXPERTS

JUNE 2012 TRAIL 45

MASTER NAVIGATION

As you become pro� cient at transferring data from your satnav to Google Earth and

vice versa, try one of the free mapping programs that use Ordnance Survey maps,

such as www.maptogps.com

Trail expert tip!

TECHNIQUE 6 Using Google Earth

123

Viewing your waypoints, tracks and routes on Google Earth and sharing them with other people is such good fun. It’s a really valuable way of storing all of your data; also it could not be easier.

Connect your satnav to your computer and turn it on.

Open Google Earth and select from its menu bar TOOLS/GPS.

On the tab Import check these boxes: GarminWaypointsTracksRoutesKML TracksAdjust altitudes to ground height

Click the Import button and – hey presto! – all of your information is loaded onto Google Earth.

If you right click on any of your data displayed on Google Earth you are given a choice of actions from saving it to a personal folder to emailing it to friends.

Lyle’s off now, but...Trail’s navigation expert Lyle will be back soon – but for more, check out the Ultimate Navigation Manual, pb Collins, which is setting the standard for instructional texts worldwide. www.micronavigation.org

45

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO LESSONS ONLINE!

Join Lyle Brotherton for some special video tutorials on www.livefortheoutdoors.com/navigation

x

skills navigation jun12 swsi.indd 6 09/05/2012 11:54

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52 Trail JUNE 2012 JUNE 2012 Trail 53

Want to tackle a big-name peak but lack the time, money or skills? Meet Wales’ Alpine imposter for an adventure without the angst…

Words phoebe smith

PhotograPhs tom bailey

ome mountains were made to be icons. Monte Cervino – aka The Matterhorn – is one of them. Rising 4478m above sea-level in the Swiss-Italian Alps, its distinctly pyramidal summit acts as a gneiss beacon that calls out to mountaineers from all over the world. Rated as an ‘AD’ in terms of difficulty (which roughly translates as ‘bloody hard’), since it was first climbed in 1865 its flanks have claimed the lives of over 500 people, with a current average of 12 deaths per year. With flight, acclimatisation, hut and guiding fees, a trip there will set you back in excess of £2,500 and take about two weeks. But for us regular hill-walkers, who can struggle to find the time and petrol money to even manage a regular weekend in the UK hills, and whose skill set will realistically take us comfortably to Grade 1 scrambling territory before we need a guide or skilled up friend – there is an alternative. And the best news is you can find it right here in Britain…

Where? SnowdoniaWhat? Climbing Cnicht

Conqueringthe Welsh

Matterhorns

�

cnicht jun12 psswdasi.indd 1 09/05/2012 12:00

JUNE 2012 Trail 53

Conqueringthe Welsh

Matterhorn

It's pointy, it's good-looking – and it's in Wales. Cnicht proves

you don't need the Alps for mountain thrills.

cnicht jun12 psswdasi.indd 2 09/05/2012 12:00

70 TRAIL JUNE 2012 JUNE 2012 TRAIL 71

GROUP TESTOur test takes the sweat out of choosing a lightweight waterproof.

Lightweight jackets £180-200

WHAT WE TESTEDMountain Hardwear STRETCH TYPHOON £180Vaude MISCHABEL £195Berghaus VELUM £200OMM CYPHER £200Mountain Equipment FIREFOX £200 Kathmandu PATRONUS £200Marmot STRETCH MAN £200Jack Wolfskin ACCELERATE XT £200

Looking for a lightweight waterproof that won’t break the bank? Trail put eight of the best head-to-head to fi nd the perfect featherweight jacket for this season’s hillwalking.

TEST DAN ASPELPHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY

lightweight jackets jun12 swdasi.indd 1 09/05/2012 12:01

JUNE 2012 TRAIL 71

LIGHTWEIGHT WATERPROOFS

Lightweight jackets £180-200

lightweight jackets jun12 swdasi.indd 2 09/05/2012 12:01

82 TRAIL JUNE 2012 JUNE 2012 TRAIL 83

GROUP TEST

TEST PETER MACFARLANEPHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY

LIGHTWEIGHT

SLEEPING BAGSEven if the sun is shining, the nights can be chilly – so if you’re camping out from spring through autumn you’ll still need a warm sleeping bag. Here we’ve tested sub-1kg bags for packable 3-season warmth.

sleeping bags jun12 swpssi.indd 1 09/05/2012 12:02

JUNE 2012 TRAIL 83

SLEEPING BAGS

Simon’s as snug as a bug in a rug, thanks to the right choice

of sleeping bag.

LIGHTWEIGHT

SLEEPING BAGS

WHAT WE TESTEDThe North Face  GOLD KAZOO £180Cumulus  ULTRALIGHT 350 £195Rab  NEUTRINO ENDURANCE £225Mammut  SPHERE ALPINE SPRING £270Mountain Equipment  XERO 350 £280Mountain Hardwear  PHANTOM 32 £300Marmot  HYDROGEN £330Yeti  VIB 400 £360

sleeping bags jun12 swpssi.indd 2 17/05/2012 10:59

The wild, windswept summits of Fforest Fawr are perfect for practising off-piste skills, especially those of a navigational nature. Tom Hutton leads the way.

18km/11 milestrail

routeBrecon Beacons 1STRENUOUSNESS

NAVIGATIONTECHNICALITY

■■■■■

■■■■■

■■■■■

The cairn on Fan Gyhirych.

Near point 3 on a misty Fan Gyhirych. �

Fforest Fawr is something of a misnomer; there’s not

a tree to be seen. The name actually refers to medieval times when the region was a royal hunting ground. These days it’s a superb mountain range with lofty but lonely summits that see far fewer footprints than those of the nearby central peaks. It’s therefore a great place to get off the beaten track. This walk crosses large tracts of the Cnewr Estate, which was once accessible only by permissive path but these days can be fully enjoyed as open access land under the 2000 CRoW Act.

Fan Gyhirych tom

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JUNE 2012 Trail 107

Once you’re off the beaten track it’s vital that you know where you are at all times. This is often easier to do if you follow obvious linear features such as streams or ridges; or by linking summits and spot heights. But sometimes this isn’t possible. If in any doubt, have the map handy and folded in the right place, and keep a compass with it so you can orientate it regularly. It’s also worth keeping an eye on your watch as this gives an idea of how long you spend on each leg of your route and therefore roughly how far you’ve travelled. Remember that your speed will drop considerably on rough, untracked ground.

where are you?

R1 brecon beacons jun12 swdaps.indd 1 09/05/2012 12:04

CAT BELLS451m

SHINING TOR559m

ROSEBERRY TOPPING

320m

INGLEBOROUGH724m

PEN Y FAN886m

p16p14p11 p12

2 WELCOME TO HILLWALKING WELCOME TO HILLWALKING 3

FROM LOVELY LITTLE HILLS...Contents

p4

2-3 Welcome WTHW swda.indd 1 09/05/2012 12:05

WELCOME TO HILLWALKING 3

WELCOMEWant to hear something amazing? Our hills and mountains are some of the most spectacular in the world. That’s a fact. Just ask some of the mountaineering greats these

islands have produced. Sir Chris Bonington may tell you about the beauty of Slovenia’s towering Triglav, Joe Simpson will perhaps talk about the fearsome Alpine spire of the Aiguille du Dru and Kenton Cool could praise the Himalayas to the skies even as he heads off for his tenth attempt on Everest... but mention Britain’s hills and mountains to any of these titanic fi gures and see what happens. They’ll get a faraway look in their

eyes and start telling you about that certain ridge on Ben Nevis or the way the sun hits Derwent Water from the summit of Cat Bells, and swear there’s nothing like it. Britain is an eternally rich and vibrant country for the hillwalker, with everything from the family-friendly paths of the Yorkshire Dales to the spiky glory of Skye’s famed Cuillin to get your sharpened teeth into.

Better still, hillwalking is a hobby in rude and ruddy health. You’re not just stepping into a lifetime of achievements, but a community of like-minded souls too. Welcome!

Dan Aspel, Trail magazine

p19 p20 p22 p24 p31

TRYFAN917m

BEN LAWERS1214m

BEN NEVIS1344m

HELVELLYN950m

SNOWDON1085m

GEAR 32Getting the right kit to ward off the British weather is vital. Here are the essentials for those starting walking.

HILL SKILLS 39From mastering the lingo to navigating with confi dence. These key skills will keep you safe in the hills.

YOUR BEST 48 MOMENTS It’s not all rucksacks and OS maps... it’s about crafting a lifetime of memories too!

ILLU

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TOM

BAI

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...TO GREAT BIG MOUNTAINS

2-3 Welcome WTHW swda.indd 2 09/05/2012 12:05

16 WELCOME TO HILLWALKING WELCOME TO HILLWALKING 17

WHERE TO WALK

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16-17 Pen y fan WTHW sw.indd 1 09/05/2012 12:07

welcome to hillwalking 17

This hill in the Brecon Beacons is the stuff of military legend, the first peak in a gruelling route designed to test SAS trainees to the limits of their endurance. But if you take it slow and switch the 25kg bergen and camo gear for a daypack and waterproofs, it’s a surprisingly sweet climb to the top. From the Storey Arms, the path is clear and angles at a steady gradient across the mountain’s western slopes; and the views – well, the views are as extensive, impressive and beautiful as you might expect from the highest peak in southern Britain. And don’t feel like a wimp when a team of men with guns overtake you; be glad that you can take your time, enjoy your sandwiches and savour a panorama across the scalloped ridgeline to Cribyn and Fan y Big, and out over the green Powys countryside. Walk here now There’s a car park on the A470 at SN987198. Cross the river and follow the really clear path slicing north-east across the hillside to Pen y Fan’s sister peak Corn Du. You can skirt its summit or go right over the top, and then on to the cairn on Pen y Fan beyond. Then return the same way for an easy-to-navigate 7km/4½ mile round trip.

Pen y Fan Powys 886m

16-17 Pen y fan WTHW sw.indd 2 09/05/2012 12:07