Introduction to the Apennines — Part 1: Gran Sasso

March 7, 2018 Opinion and advice abruzzo, apennines, cicerone guides, corno grande, corno piccolo, gran sasso, hill walking, introduction to the apennines, italy, monte brancastello, monte camicia, monte corvo, pizzo cefalone, pizzo d'intermesoli 3 Comments

Without doubt the Gran Sasso massif is the crowning glory of the Apennines. It contains its highest and most dramatic peaks, limestone cathedrals, ruled over by 2,912m Corno Grande, the highest mountain in the Apennines.

The Brecon Beacons: our Welsh Apennines

February 21, 2018 Trip reports brecon beacons, britain, cribyn, edita, fan y big, hewitts, hill walking, italy, marilyns, nuttalls, peak bagging, pen y fan, wales, waun rydd 1 Comment

It’s been four months since we moved back to London, and we’d not been out into the UK hills. It takes effort to get out of London for a weekend of hill walking, but the effort is always worth it, and the Brecon Beacons are not so far away.

The truth about the first Lithuanian ascent of Sgurr a’ Chaorachain

September 6, 2017 Humour britain, conrad bartelski, corbetts, cycling, edita, false summit claims, first ascents, hill walking, munros, north coast 500, scotland, sgurr a chaorachain 2 Comments

False summit claims were back in the news when a Swedish mountaineer retracted his summit claim after studying photographs and realising he hadn’t reached the very top. He was praised for his refreshing honesty, but a similar story of mountaineering integrity also deserves attention.

The peat-bog method of training for a big adventure

September 1, 2017 Expedition dispatches an teallach, britain, chimborazo, corbetts, cycling, ecuador, edita, hill walking, munro bagging, munros, north coast 500, peak bagging, scotland 1 Comment

In the last three weeks I’ve cycled 830km across 1273 hills, hiked up 8 Munros and 4 Corbetts, and scratched 253,953 midge bites 37 times per day. I camped for 20 consecutive nights and have lost count of the number

Get me off this bike and back on my feet

August 21, 2017 Expedition dispatches britain, cycling, edita, hill walking, north coast 500, scotland, wildlife 1 Comment

There was a surreal moment during our cycle ride of the North Coast 500 a few days ago. I had pedalled myself to complete exhaustion up and over steep hills for nine days, and my legs had nothing left. I

Unfinished business on Corno Piccolo

July 29, 2017 Expedition dispatches abruzzo, apennines, corno grande, corno piccolo, gran sasso, hill walking, italy 2 Comments

Our big adventure was due to start in the Dolomites, but just before we left Rome, we had one final opportunity to sneak up Corno Piccolo, the last major peak in the Gran Sasso range to elude us.

The Corno Grande and Corno Piccolo traverse

July 19, 2017 Trip reports abruzzo, apennines, corno grande, corno piccolo, edita, gran sasso, hill walking, italy, pizzo d'intermesoli, scrambling, via ferrata 1 Comment

The Corno Piccolo and Corno Grande traverse is a classic day hike and scramble that is not for novices. It’s a must for any fit and experienced hill walker who visits the Apennines. Here it is, described in English for the very first time (I think).

Monte Acquaviva: the Maiella massif from both sides

July 12, 2017 Trip reports abruzzo, apennines, edita, hill walking, italy, maiella, monte acquaviva, monte amaro 0 Comment

I wanted to climb Monte Acquaviva, the second highest peak in Maiella, from the east. I believed it would be a more unusual and quieter route, but it was a 2,300m ascent. Neither of us had climbed that amount in a single day before. Was it possible, or should we climb it by another route?

The Lithuanian conquest of the Apennines

June 28, 2017 Trip reports abruzzo, apennines, corno grande, edita, gran sasso, hill walking, italy, monte brancastello, monte prena, monte sirente, monte velino, sirente-velino 0 Comment

Recently I had a chance to return to Monte Sirente, a mountain Edita and I attempted in winter a couple of years ago. The occasion was a visit from two of Edita’s Lithuanian relatives, her sister Jolanta and niece Bernadeta. For them our visit to the Apennines was an unforgettable experience.

Keeping one’s shirt on up Monte Camicia

June 7, 2017 Trip reports abruzzo, apennines, corno grande, edita, gran sasso, hill walking, italy, monte camicia, monte prena 1 Comment

Monte Prena and Monte Camicia are the two highest peaks on a jagged 20km ridge, the Cresta Orientale, in Gran Sasso, the most dramatic mountain range in the Apennines. We climbed both peaks in mid-May, while they were still clad in winter white. It was one of our favourite trips in Italy so far.