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Popularity is bestowed on some hills due to their arresting appearance regardless of their altitude; Stac Pollaidh is an audacious example and so is the Cobbler, which scores on an additional front due to its southern Highland location, thus accessible to the masses from the Scottish Central belt. To describe the mountain as being like … Read more
The Old Man of Coniston is the crowning peak of southern Lakeland and one of the most popular ascents in the Lake District. When viewed from the shores of Coniston Water, the mountain exerts a massively dominating presence, although the Old Man is simply the highest point (and only that by supposition) amongst a compact … Read more
I would guess that few dedicated hillwalkers pay the Shropshire Hills much attention because Shropshire has no mountains, but it does have hills with mountainous attributes, and quite a fine selection there are too. The region also boasts a bewildering myriad official designations with blurred boundaries, which attest to the value of these hills, including … Read more
Hills don’t need to be mountains to provide walking pleasure and this exploration of the Wiltshire Downs is an excellent example. In my view the Pewsey Downs are probably the finest representative in the county – and arguably the whole of England – to showcase the charm of the chalk downland amidst a quintessential English … Read more
Commonly called ‘The Rivals’, rather appropriate for this group of three pointy peaks thrusting from the ocean and jostling for attention, the name is merely an anglicised adaptation from the pronunciation rather than a direct translation. In the modern Welsh language, there is no such word as Eifl and it perhaps derived from olden days … Read more
Arenig Fawr earns its place amongst the Worthies through the rare combination of height, isolation and an unrivalled position overlooking the heart of Snowdonia. While it lacks the dramatic architecture of some of its celebrated neighbours, few summits offer such an expansive appreciation of North Wales. This quiet, unpretentious slice of Wales definitely deserves to … Read more
A ‘peak’ is a pointed mountain top, so whoever bestowed the name Peak District upon the upland terrain at the southern rise of the Pennines was a little over enthusiastic, for the majority of the higher hills there are not peaks at all, but moorland giants. Nevertheless, there are peaks in this widely varied national … Read more
Within sight of the bustling caterpillar assault of the masses on Pen-y-Fan, the serenity of Craig Cerrig Gleisiad is emphatic. Often described as an ‘atmospheric amphitheatre’, this National Nature Reserve is a delectable discovery in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Here, trees, shrubs, rare arctic-alpine plants, wildflowers and peregrine falcons have colonised … Read more
The Hartland Peninsula is an exceptional slice of coastline, where North Devon passes the baton to North Cornwall. For our purposes, the whole route from Clovelly to Bude could be considered an excellent walk, although we trim the ends by commencing at Blackchurch Rock and terminating at Duckpool Beach. According to the Hartland Peninsula Association, … Read more
Hillwalking isn’t just about climbing hills. Those who solely climb hills are missing out on an equally enjoyable means of ascent and descent – the coastline. There are coastal mountains of course but the summits rarely consist of a trig point directly suspended above a sea cliff, making their coastal status dubious. On the other … Read more