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There are few hills worthy of the name ‘peak’ in the Peak District, with two very distinct exceptions. Geographically secreted in the upper Dove Valley, Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill are spectacular craggy etchings on the skyline of the limestone landscape. Figuratively titled the Dragon’s Back, these peaks are not the only examples of the … Read more
Hungry Hill exerts an enticing, powerful presence, undeterred by its relatively modest altitude. Irish mountains excel at compressing extensively gruelling terrain into compact proportions and Hungry Hill is a champion in this regard, warranting respectful exploration from its aspirants. This is rocky country par excellence. The mountain is, nonetheless, at 2247ft (685m), the highest point … Read more
Blencathra is amongst the Lake District’s finest mountains, its public face dominated by a battalion of fell tops spread along the extensive summit ridge, whose imperious presence descends dramatically in a riot of rocky ridges down to the buzz of vehicles on the A66 trunk road at its foot. For the motorist on this highway, … Read more
The Nantlle Ridge is frequently recommended as an alternative to Snowdon without the crowds, although this is to undersell an entirely independent massif that warrants recognition, not as a quieter surrogate, but because it is one of the finest standalone ridge walks in Wales. Furthermore, the Nantlle Ridge provides not just the mountain grandeur of … Read more
In the south west of Ireland lies the ancient Kingdom of Kerry, boasting the magnificent mountain range of the Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, home to the country’s three highest mountains, its highest lake, and (arguably) Ireland’s finest ridge walk, the Cumeenloughra Horseshoe. Crowning the range is Carrauntoohil, the roof of Ireland, which thus attracts more visitors than … Read more
Small in stature yet abounding with character, the eastern fringes of the Chiltern Ridge emerge from the woodlands that cloak the main body of the hills, forming a shapely swathe of open, chalky grassland. But how can a tiny compass of rolling downs command Worthy status when compared to the giant mountains of the north? … Read more
The subject of this Worthy is the noble curving escarpment that dramatically marks the north-western edge of the North York Moors. The extent of the full escarpment is around fifteen miles, although it is the western half that is the most distinctively enjoyable, comprising an undulation of four linked hills – Carlton Moor, Cringle Moor, … Read more
There is something special in the air amidst the Preseli Hills, a pervading atmosphere of antiquity that captures the imagination, elevating this ridge of gently undulating moorland into a quest for adventure. Wherever you wander, there is a sense of an ancient past, from the prodigious quantity of prehistoric remains to the powerful links with … Read more
The Ochil Hills thrust a forbiddingly steep escarpment above the flat carselands of Clackmannanshire, abruptly liberating the hills from a Lowland landscape; their southern flanks incised by a succession of deep folds shutting out the world. Beyond this, as the gradient eases, the terrain softens into grassy, rolling hills that gradually decrease in elevation to … Read more
Beachy Head presents the highest exposed chalk cliffs in Britain, which together with the adjoining and equally precipitous Seven Sisters, comprises a landmark spectacle of extraordinarily raw grandeur. Danger is ever-present in the form of frequent rockfalls; the crumbling chalk crashing onto an uncompromising beach, itself blockaded by vast boulders and lashed by heavy seas. … Read more