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Pewsey Downs – A Wiltshire Wanderland

Pewsey Downs – A Wiltshire Wanderland

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 country) to showcase the charm of the chalk downland amidst a quintessential English countryside setting. These hills may attract a rating of 67 but to miss them would leave a hole in your outdoor education and they are therefore awarded full Worthy…

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Yr Eifl – Snowdonia’s Miniature Rival

Yr Eifl – Snowdonia’s Miniature Rival

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 when it is thought to have described a Trident or Fork, which is certainly an apt physical description. The hills form the highest land on…

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Arenig Fawr – The Belvedere of Snowdonia

Arenig Fawr – The Belvedere of Snowdonia

Arenig Fawr gains its place on the Worthy list principally through the attractive combination of altitude, isolation and the consequent superiority as a viewpoint. As an ascent, the route via Llyn Arenig Fawr is a rewarding walk and the summit is a fine place to be. Beyond that, the mountain’s other faces are less distinguished, although this quiet, unpretentious slice of Wales definitely deserves to be on your to-do list. Located towards the eastern fringes of the Snowdonia National Park,…

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The Dark White Edge – Peak Perfection

The Dark White Edge – Peak Perfection

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 park, albeit relatively diminutive ones, found primarily amidst the limestone country. However, you will not find any on this outing, which in fact only loosely…

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Craig Cerrig Gleisiad – a landscape of the lost world

Craig Cerrig Gleisiad – a landscape of the lost world

Within sight of the bustling caterpillar assault of the masses on Pen-y-Fan, the serenity of Craig Cerrig Gleisiad is emphatic. Aptly 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 the vertiginous slopes creating an extraordinary environment. It’s a fine little hill to climb too and despite the compact proportions resulting in a sub 70…

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Hartland Peninsula – a coast for connoisseurs

Hartland Peninsula – a coast for connoisseurs

The Hartland Peninsula is a special 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, the section from Hartland Point to Bude is generally regarded as the toughest on the whole 630-mile South West Coast Path. I’m not sure I…

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The Compelling Case For The Coast

The Compelling Case For The Coast

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 hand, coastal walks seldom attain the lofty altitudes of mountains, although height alone is not a classification for Worthiness. Quality is the key. It is…

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Judging the Worthies – Part Two

Judging the Worthies – Part Two

I certainly suspected that introducing objectivity into the selection process for the Worthies would be tricky and it has indeed proved to be exceptionally complex, because subjectivity inevitably interferes with every appraisal. I reached out to various groups for perspective on what qualities attracted them to climb a particular hill and the answers were rather unexpected. A large proportion of people don’t really give it that much thought. For many it’s simply a matter of ‘because it’s there’. It isn’t…

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Worthy Criteria – Judging the best (part one)

Worthy Criteria – Judging the best (part one)

Compiling a list of the finest hills in Britain and Ireland is necessarily subjective, even if strict criteria is adhered to. Most lists are qualified by height and relative prominence, with no weight given to what we might define as quality. There are many books in the ‘Greatest Walks’ category, although all have precepts, limitations to content or curiosities in their selection process to some degree. Similarly, if you Google ‘Best Hills’ you will find numerous offerings from many sources,…

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Ben More Coigach & Stac Pollaidh – a gateway to heaven

Ben More Coigach & Stac Pollaidh – a gateway to heaven

Ben Mor Coigach forms the entrée to Coigach and Assynt, a land of mystical pointy mountains. Driving north from Ullapool to Ardmair Bay the imposing wall of Garbh Coireachan thrusts into view, an awe-inspiring sight, with the dynamic interplay of light and sea constantly reflecting the capricious atmospheric conditions. What most observers will not comprehend is the crest of the vertiginous precipice actually forms a sharp arete that is merely the front man to a complex of tops beyond, crowned…

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