A combination of recent lockdown relaxations and a decent weather forecast proved much too hard to resist and we headed back to Wales for a long overdue walk in the hills. In the spirit of social distancing we headed for the unaccountably perma-quiet Cambrian Mountains of mid-Wales. Crowning glory of the range, and one of … More Back in business!
Despite being the tallest hill in Shropshire, Brown Clee (540m/1770ft) receives a fraction of the visitors of its showier neighbours further west. Visit the Long Mynd or Stiperstones on any weekend and you’ll be sharing the well-trodden paths with plenty of other people, all out enjoying the fresh air. Perhaps it’s the lack of obvious … More Brown Clee
It was my great pleasure to be working with my friends at Mountain Escapes on the longest day of the year, leading a group of 20 enthusiastic walkers to the top of Snowdon to watch the sunset. After assembling in Llanberis we took the Sherpa bus to Pen y Pass and began a steady ascent … More Snowdon Summer Solstice Sunset
Pumlumon (pronounced “Pimlimon”, meaning ‘five peaks’ and often anglicised to “Plynlimon”) dominates the wild, empty uplands of mid-Wales. Its windswept summit, Pen Pumlumon Fawr (752m/2467ft) is the highest point in the Cambrian Mountains, while its flanks give rise to three major rivers; the Rheidol, the Wye and the Severn (the UK’s longest river at 220 … More Pumlumon – from summit to source
For a long, long time I’ve been meaning to visit the Howgills, that appealing range of velvety lumps on the wrong side of the M6 from the Lake District. That was our plan for the weekend. On Friday evening a route was plotted and bags were packed and early Saturday morning we were off… to … More The Howgills…erm The Aran Ridge
Some years ago I remember someone saying that the Cairngorms were “a bit boring…just rounded hills, lacking in interest”. Looking back, I now wonder if they’d actually ever been there because my word, how wrong they were! For wild and remote mountains, huge views, dramatic crags and wonderful wildlife, the place has few equals. Since … More A couple of Cairngorms classics
Hmmm, Snowdonia or the Lakes? A common question in our household, usually on the Friday evening preceding a ‘planned’ day of walking on Saturday. I say planned, but what usually happens is a conversation between me and Mrs. C. along the lines of, “Fancy a walk Saturday?” “Can do. Where you thinking?” “Snowdonia or the … More Chicken or beef?
Mrs. C. and I seem to have started a tradition in recent years for a last-minute week away in Scotland. This time we managed to bag a great self-catering apartment in the sleepy village of Kinloch Rannoch. With omnipresent views across the loch to the ‘fairy hill of the Caledonians’, Schiehallion and surrounded by woods … More A week in Kinloch Rannoch
Julian Cartwright 