Blog: johnloguk

MOUNTAINS - DO THE CLICHES OR GO YOUR OWN WAY?

As outdoor sports get more popular, including hill-walking and climbing, this old chestnut comes to mind. Do you knock off the cliched hills, ticking off the highest in the land, doing the "postcard routes", following the coffee table books and their glorious photos; or do you ignore the crowds and head off into the hills to look for lesser known gems?

It is a dilemma. Most hill-walkers do it for some semblance of solitude, as an antidote against the excesses of the modern world. But most of us also want to climb the highest and most spectacular mountains too, and these can be very popular. Not much solitude to be had on Ben Nevis or Snowdon, or even the trail to Everest Base Camp!

Guidebooks, especially the latest full colour coffee table ones, have always been a double edged sword. Encouraging people into the hills to experience peace and solitude, but at the same time causing huge erosion, environmental damage and precious little wilderness experience.

I'm a classic hypocrite, preaching the joys of mountains as wilderness, encouraging others to do the same, and yet hoping that no one takes me up on it so I can keep my special places to myself! All I can say in my defence is that there is plenty to go around, and if you put a little thought into it you can have the best of both worlds.

If you really want to climb the popular mountains, at least pick a less popular route. The summits of Snowdon and Ben Nevis are busy most days, but at least if you use the Snowdon Ranger path, or the CMD arete, you will pretty much be on your own until you get to the top. You can even avoid summit crowds by choosing your time of day. I once had Scafell Pike totally to myself because it was only 9am. I had camped wild at Sprinkling Tarn and was on the summit while most people were still having their breakfast.

Once you've got the cliched summits out of your system the mountains are your oyster. In Snowdonia or the English Lake District, most people congregate on a few mountains. Try the Carneddau for wilderness in North Wales, only slightly lower than Snowdon too. In the Lakes try the Climbers Traverse on Great Gable, a simple scramble well within the scope of most walkers. Watch climbers dangling off the Napes Needle and see the stunning view of Wasdale from the Sphinx Rock, all from the safety of a quiet little path. There are many routes like this, but it takes some will power to leave the crowds on the blazed trail to Styhead, safety in numbers I guess, but not exactly what I go to mountains for.

The Scottish Highlands are so huge that you can soon lose the crowds, especially if you are prepared to backpack and camp wild. Or even use bothy's if you want a bit more "luxury". The honeypots of Glen Coe, Fort William and Aviemore are rightly popular for their spectacular mountains, but they can be very very busy too, unless you go out of season and pick your routes.

Munro bagging is much maligned, because it involves ticking off the 3000' mountains and ignoring the rest. But the majority of "munros" are rarely frequented so will still give that solitude most of us seek. Yes do the popular ones by all means, they are generally popular because they are spectacular, but there are many hidden gems out there too. Few mountains are boring, although I can think of a few peaty puddings that come close!

By all means spend hours looking at pretty photos and the popular routes, but then take some time to look at maps and plan more adventurous routes. Backpack your way around the Cairngorms for instance, and be amazed at how soon you leave the crowds behind. Pitch your tent by Loch Etchachan at over 3000', and see how easy it is to climb a 4000' peak from there rather than from sea level!

Finally, for the best peace and solitude make the best use of those long Scottish summer days. With only a couple of hours of true darkness in the NW Highlands during June it seems daft to make climbing a mountain a 9-5 experience. I guarantee that if you leave it later in the day, and plan your descent route so it can be safely done in the dark with a torch, you will have a magical experience. Mountain sunsets, with mist rolling around the foot of the peaks, with the sun finally setting into the sea, are hard to beat.

It goes without saying that to get the best from mountain experiences you need to learn the skills of the trade. Map-reading is essential. Learn it the proper way, don't be lazy and rely on GPS. A clever GPS might tell you where you are, but it won't tell you where the stunning hidden routes are, a map will! Learn camp craft, backpacking is a fantastic way to experience the hills. Gain the skills necessary to enjoy mountains in winter too, then the fun really starts.

by johnloguk on 14:45 on 10th September 2007