UK Mountain Walking

When talking to Europeans and particularly Danes, I am often confronted with the opinion that " there are no mountains in Britain ! ". This is 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 unfriendly and hazardous to the unsuspecting. Through the years walking in the mountains of Britain, alone or with friends, through the ML and IML schemes, 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.

Right: 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 summer of 1986, many remains of the original buildings could be seen. Below left: Looking north-west towards High Street, the route of a roman road that ran to the fort Galava at Ambleside. Below right: Wild flowers in abundance during June.

Below: Scandale Fell with the low point on the skyline being Scandale Pass which leads to Patterdale. The open land within the national park is used almost exclusively for sheep grazing, an industry that was hit hard by foot and mouth desease. 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.

Right: With a small group of walkers above Cwm Glas Mawr near the northern slopes of Crib Goch in Snowdonia in particularly wet conditions. On this day, it rained continuously and all the streams and rivers were in spate after only a few hours of heavy rain. Leading smaller groups enables you to ensure that everybody enjoys their day in the mountains (despite the weather).

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.

Views from Crib Goch. Left, looking down the top of the east ridge with Llyn Llydaw far below, and below, looking along the knife edge ridge of Crib Goch, with the first snows of the autumn covering Crib y Ddysgl and Snowdon behind. Be sure to see the Winter section for more white stuff.

Left and below: Mountain walking in Scotland, two pictures from the Scottish glens showing examples of the beautiful Scots pine.

Below, common hill mosses and scrubs of the British Isles.

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