| UK Summer |
| When talking to Europeans and particularly Danes, I am often confronted with the opinion that "there are no mountains in Britain"! This is someway understandable when talking to someone who lives in one of the alpine regions, but it is rather odd when talking to a Dane - considering that Denmark is especially flat. The UK offers a selection of mountain terrain found nowhere else in the world. From rolling moorland and down to the more impressive Brecon Beacons of southern Wales, to the Lake District, or the imposing volcanic peaks of Snowdonia, and one must not forget Scotland; with 284 Munros (independent mountains over 3000 feet or 914m) and exposed ridges such as the Aonach Eagach or great mountain traverses such as The Cuillin of Skye. However, it is not only the terrain that is special, the weather plays an important roll too. In poor conditions, the mountains of Britain can be very fickle. Through the years walking in the mountains of Britain, alone or with friends, and through leading groups, I have developed a special affection for many areas. This page offers a very brief insight into a couple of areas. |
| Left, a summit gained during perfect weather conditions in July. Below, Hawswater in the Lake District National Park in northern England. Hawswater is a reservoir built to supply the city of Manchester (some 120 km to the south) with water. When the reservoir was built, the village of Mardale at the head of the valley was flooded. During the warm dry summer of 1986, many remains of the original buildings could be seen. Bottom, looking north-west towards High Street, the route of a roman road that led to the fort Galava at Ambleside. |
| Above, Scandale Fell with the low point on the skyline being Scandale Pass which leads to Patterdale in the Lake District. The open land within the national park is used almost exclusively for sheep grazing. The robust herdwick breed is special to the mountains in this area as it is one of the few animals that can cope with the harsh conditions. Sheepfolds like the one below are still used by the farmers. |
| Left, the cairn on the top of Pen Y Fan (pronouned 'Pen e Van'), the highest summit in South Wales at 886m. Cairns have been used for centuries as waymarks in the hills. However, they can also be very misleading. Crinkle Crags in the Lake District is an example of an area where cairns can lead you off the wrong side of the hill in poor conditions, leaving you miles from your destination if you are not careful! Below, part of the Brecon Beacons, a unique area of Devonian sedimentary old red sandstone which was formed about 360 million years ago and shaped into its current form at the end of the last ice age. The Brecon Beacons became a national park in 1957 and covers 1350 square kilometers of which half of this area lies over 600m. The view below is looking south-east towards Cribyn from Pen Y Fan and was taken on a beautiful sunny day when the temperature reached 32 degrees. |
| The picture below shows a very typical middle mountain scene for the British Isles with rough pastures for summer grazing, old stone buildings and mountain tarns against a backdrop of rockier mountain peaks with summits in the range 800 to 1400m. |
| Above, looking southwest past Clogwyn Du´r Arddu or Cloggy as the crag is known by climbers. This view is some 2km north of the summit of Snowdon, the highest summit in Snowdonia in North Wales. Another classic summit and climb is a traverse of Tryfan (915m). Below, we are scrambling up the north ridge, pausing at the canon which is a popular photo stop. Below us in the distance is Llyn Ogwen and Ogwen Cottage. |
| A day later on the same holiday (below), the weather was somewhat different with thick fog hugging the mountains. Here we have just ascended Crib Lem a 3 star grade one scramble behind the summit of Carnedd Dafydd (1044m). Once on the summit though, the sun did come out. |