Sgurr na Banachdich to Sgurr a Ghreadaidh: touching cloth in the Black Cuillin

November 11, 2020 Trip reports britain, cuillin ridge, dave fowler, edita, hill walking, isle of skye, munros, norman collie, scotland, sgurr a ghreadaidh, sgurr na banachdich 1 Comment

I had injured my leg and didn’t know if I had time to recover for the next day of scrambling. What should I do: an easy walk to test it out, or a long day out I’d been looking forward to for a long time? Luckily, our guide Dave had a cunning plan.

Sgurr Alasdair to Sgurr Mhic Choinnich: the secret of Collie’s Ledge

October 28, 2020 Trip reports alexander nicolson, britain, cuillin ridge, dave fowler, edita, hill walking, isle of skye, munros, norman collie, scotland, sgurr alasdair, sgurr mhic choinnich 3 Comments

In last week’s post, I explained how we had hired a mountain guide to do Skye’s infamous Cuillin traverse, over 11 Munros with many technical sections. I had injured my knee backpacking the previous week, but I was determined to give it a try. Would I cope?

The Cuillin Traverse – to do or not to do?

October 21, 2020 Trip reports andy hogarth, britain, cicerone guides, cuillin ridge, dave fowler, edita, hill walking, inaccessible pinnacle, isle of skye, mamores, munros, scotland 7 Comments

We’d hired a mountain guide to do the Cuillin traverse, a 12km ridge on Scotland’s Isle of Skye, which takes in 11 Munros and many subsidiary peaks. But with injuries in both legs and a knee that couldn’t bend more than 90 degrees it seemed inconceivable for me.

Beyond the Nevis watershed, part 2: the Grey Corries

October 7, 2020 Trip reports backpacking, grey corries, hill walking, mamores, munro bagging, munros, scotland, scottish highlands, weather, wild camping 0 Comment

Our plan for the second day of our backpacking trip beyond Glen Nevis was to climb the Grey Corries on the north side of the valley. We had a long day ahead of us, and an ambitious plan to complete a full traverse of the ridge across four Munros and eight summits.

Beyond the Nevis watershed, part 1: the eastern Mamores

September 30, 2020 Trip reports backpacking, grey corries, hill walking, mamores, munro bagging, munros, ring of steall, scotland, scottish highlands, wild camping 5 Comments

When I hiked the Ring of Steall last year, I saw an emerald valley to the east, accessible only by foot and surrounded by Munros. I imagined wild camping in that idyllic location, and picking off the mountains one by one. Barely a year later, my dream came to fruition.

The world’s most stupid navigational error

September 23, 2020 Humour britain, edita, grey corries, hill walking, munros, navigation, scotland, stob choire claurigh, weather 3 Comments

After a promising start to the day, the clouds moved in and the rain started pounding against them as they ascended the south ridge of Stob Choire Claurigh, the highest point in the Grey Corries, a ridge of quartz-laden peaks

An audio excerpt from my book Seven Steps from Snowdon to Everest

April 8, 2020 My books and writing everest, george mallory, hill walking, john d burns, mountain huts, mountain literature, seven steps from snowdon to everest 0 Comment

Well folks, I have something rather special this week to help stimulate the senses while you are in coronavirus lockdown. Fellow mountain writer John D Burns has featured an audio excerpt from Seven Steps from Snowdon to Everest on his weekly podcast, and it’s great — a dramatic reading of the crux section where I tackle the infamous Second Step.

Why the outdoor community should not ignore coronavirus restrictions

March 24, 2020 Good causes britain, global health, hill walking, walking 12 Comments

I’m posting early this week, because this is an important message that can no longer be delayed. There are no jokes in this week’s blog post. Normal service will be resumed next week with more light-hearted banter to see us

How the Duke of Cornwall stole a footpath and I rediscovered it

February 19, 2020 Good causes bodmin moor, britain, cheesewring, cornwall, hill walking, ordnance survey, public access, public footpaths, ramblers association, walking 5 Comments

The Ramblers Association has launched a campaign to reclaim some of Britain’s lost footpaths before legislation comes into effect that turns them permanently into private land. The campaign was accompanied by the launch of a clever app which I had some fun with last weekend.

Monte Amaro up the backside: a bittersweet ascent in the Apennines

November 13, 2019 Trip reports abruzzo, apennine 2000ers, apennines, hill walking, italy, maiella, monte acquaviva, monte amaro, monte macellaro, monte morrone 0 Comment

Welcome to this, the second in my series of Apennine ‘up the backside’ posts, so called because I tackle the mountain from the opposite of its usual side. I have previously talked about an ascent of Monte Marsicano via its