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Pick up a map of the Malvern Hills and they appear insignificant; even the Ordnance Survey sheet at 1:50k displays the topography as cluttered and too condensed for significant detail. However, if you jump into the car and drive along the M5 Motorway, the genially serrated ridgeline completely dominates the scene. Geologically, the rocks are … Read more
The Northwest Fells are arguably the most complex and integrated concentration of wonderfulness in the Lake District, a cluster of summits that combine to create a fellwalkers’ utopia, making the task of singling out Worthies particularly onerous. The natural divide of Whinlatter Pass does concentrate the quality to the south, and many would declare those … Read more
Creag Meagaidh is seen by many to be a mountain preserve for ice climbers, skiers and winter walkers, and indeed, under its customary white mantle, the mountain is undoubtedly at its finest. However, there is also much to recommend for the summer visitor, from the extraordinary natural regeneration of the landscape and the secluded splendour … Read more
The Mamores are one of the great ranges of the Highlands, a monumental group of ten Munros, with Binnein Mor being the mother mountain and highest summit at 3707ft (1130m). It’s name aptly translates as ‘big peak’ and many authorities regard Binnein Mor to be the finest of the range. The full traverse forms a magnificent … Read more
Cader Idris is not the name of a single mountain, but of a mountain range, which was once thought to be amongst the highest in Britain, a remarkable assertion considering that its neighbour Aran Fawddwy is taller, although neither even reaches three thousand feet in altitude. The misconception derives from the powerful, independent presence of … Read more
The Black Mountains comprise the most extensive upland range within the Brecon Beacons National Park, casting broad, grassy ridges projecting like the fingers of an arthritic hand. Collectively, the ridges stretch for fifty miles, with thirty miles of this above the 2,000ft contour. The culmination of these whale-backed elevations is at Waun Fach, an … Read more
Imagine a statuesque range of voluptuous hump-backed hills, cloaked in green velvet and rippled by an amplitude of homogeneous ridges sweeping gracefully down to a petticoat of bucolic pastures. Move in closer and a contrast emerges, for the ridges are separated by deeply riven gills, spouting lively streams that give vigour to an otherwise tranquil … Read more
The Mendip Hills form a pronounced upland plateau serving to distract the outdoor enthusiast driving though Somerset on the M5 motorway. This varied landscape extends for some fifteen miles, rising above the one-thousand-foot contour in several places, yet generally lacks individual definition. However, there is one major exception. Those travelling the M5 will observe a … Read more
The classically romantic prospect of the Langdale Pikes, when viewed from the glittering shores of Windermere, or the agreeably open common at Elterwater, was the quintessential showcase of Lakeland’s mountain splendour for the Victorian tourist. Today, this bustle of bristling summits surmounting a bulging fellside and etching the skyline with compelling distinction, still possesses enough … Read more
The Galtee Mountains rise prominently above the lush dairylands of Ireland’s Golden Valley, comprising the highest inland mountain range in the country, with Galtymore representing the sole ‘Munro’ (or Irish Furth) situated any appreciable distance from the coast. Galtymore is a domineering sight for motorists heading south on the M8 motorway towards Cork, akin to … Read more