The Ring of Steall: a Scottish hill walking classic

The Ring of Steall: a Scottish hill walking classic

A short distance south of Ben Nevis is a hidden sanctuary encircled by mountains. This hanging corrie has a single outlet which drains into Britain’s second highest waterfall. A full circuit of the ring of mountains involves 4 Munros and 7 peaks in total.

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Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain, via the CMD Arête

Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain, via the CMD Arête

An estimated 160,000 people climbed Ben Nevis last year, but it has a not-so-secret route around the back that follows a stunning ridge, and if you’re lucky you’ll have it to yourself. It was the obvious choice for Edita’s first ascent of Britain’s highest peak.

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Peak bagging the Cuillin ridge on Scotland’s Isle of Skye

Peak bagging the Cuillin ridge on Scotland’s Isle of Skye

Our aim was to climb as many of the 11 Munros on the main Cuillin ridge as we could in a series of day hikes, including the infamous Inaccessible Pinnacle, the only Munro that’s a technical rock climb. But the weather forecast was dreadful, and I knew from experience that would make a big difference on these peaks.

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Banished to Room 101: the Inaccessible Pinnacle

Banished to Room 101: the Inaccessible Pinnacle

If you asked a group of UK hill walkers to nominate items for Room 101, some of them might suggest the Inaccessible Pinnacle, a narrow shark’s fin of rock that crowns the summit of Sgurr Dearg, a 978m mountain on the Isle of Skye in north-west Scotland.

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Why I’m supporting the BMC’s Mend Our Mountains appeal

Why I’m supporting the BMC’s Mend Our Mountains appeal

The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) has just launched a new appeal, Mend Our Mountains, with the ambitious target of raising £1 million to repair footpaths in UK mountain areas. Here’s why I’m happy to dip my hand in my pocket for this worthwhile cause.

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

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

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.

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A winter wonderland above the Bridge of Orchy

A winter wonderland above the Bridge of Orchy

It might be April and the beginning of spring, but the conditions on Scotland’s hills are still distinctly wintry. I checked the avalanche forecast before spending Easter in the hills above Bridge of Orchy, home of the poet Duncan Ban MacIntyre, famous for composing an Ode to Trousers.

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