Make 2016 Your Year of Hillwalking Resolutions

© Dan Bailey

Whether you fancy the fun of bothy nights, toy with the idea of Munro bagging, itch to move your scrambling to the next level, or dream of exotic high altitude snow peaks, this could be the year to make big ambitions a reality. To give direction to your hillwalking in 2016 why not adopt one of our top ten new year's resolutions.

Start a new ticklist

Esk Hause - it doesn't have to be a summit to be a top day out  © Dan Bailey
Esk Hause - it doesn't have to be a summit to be a top day out
© Dan Bailey

Wainwrights, Corbetts, Munros, Welsh 600-ers, Donalds, Grahams, Marilyns, the Lakeland passes, the county high points, every summit beginning with an A - there must be dozens of hill lists out there, from the well known and respectable to the odd and obscure. It doesn't matter which set of arbitrary rules you choose to follow; it's probably not important if you even complete your list; the key thing is enjoying the new hills and places that it takes you to. The journey counts for more than the goal - the list is simply a useful pretext on which to base your hillwalking, and a motivator to get you going.

Camp wild

Home for the night... and it's all mine  © Dan Bailey
Home for the night... and it's all mine
© Dan Bailey

Whether you're having a jolly with a group of friends or immersed in the wild on a soulful solo trip, camping up in the hills far from civilisation is one of life's essential experiences. As outdoor activities go this one is incredibly simple, requiring no special talent or skills; all you've got to do is pitch up and lie down. Newcomers to the gentle art of wild camping may find the idea a little alien, but there's no mystery to it. From remote summits to hidden tarns, Britian's hills are peppered with idyllic camp spots. Just get out there and enjoy them. For a few pointers see our Ten Top Tips for Wild Camping

Try a grade 2 scramble

forcan ridge, the saddle  © jacobfinn
forcan ridge, the saddle
© jacobfinn, Mar 2009

You've done Crib Goch and not only lived to tell the tale, but loved it. You just wish Sharp Edge was a little sharper and a whole lot longer. With several classic routes like these under your belt you feel confident on the grade 1 scrambles. Now you want to up your game. Sitting at the upper limit of what can sensibly be considered hill walking, the big grade 2s loom large in most walkers' consciousness. With classics the calibre of Aonach Eagach, Liathach and the Forcan Ridge among them, no hillwalking CV would look complete without a few. Their daunting reputations precede them; but exactly how tough are they? The flippant answer is - like grade 1, just a little more so. Hands-on bits will be harder, difficulties are likely to be more sustained, and escape options rather fewer. But don't be put off. Pick a warm, dry day with light winds; go with a competent team and take your time, and the step-up to grade 2 should prove very manageable.

Visit more bothies

Bothy Life - Corrour Bothy  © Alistair Jones
Bothy Life - Corrour Bothy
© Alistair Jones, Jan 2014

A storm-proof base in wild mountain country; a welcome refuge from the midges; a place for chance meetings and whisky-fuelled fireside fun; a door open to all, completely free of charge - there's a lot to be said for bothies. From Snowdonia to the far north of Scotland, these spartan shelters are tucked away in all sorts of scenic and remote corners, making them great bases for wild weekends. Why not get out and experience a few bothy nights this year? For some of the dos and don'ts see Ten Top Tips for Bothy Trips

Explore a new area

photo
On the Arans
© Andy Merrick, Apr 2013

Are you stuck in a hillwalking rut? Do you find yourself gravitating to the same few favourite locations again and again? Ogwen may be awesome, Wasdale certainly has the wow factor and Glen Coe is just plain great, but however good a venue may be there's such a thing as over-familiarity. Why not think outside the box? Unless you are an exceptionally well travelled hillwalker then chances are there will be hills, ranges, even entire areas that still come up blank on your mental map. Instead of Snowdon, what about the obscure delights of mid Wales? Give the busy Lakes a miss and check out the deserted Howgills and Mallerstang. Forget the Highlands and stop at Galloway instead. Give the Cheviots a chance to charm by, you know, actually going there. The Berwyns, the Mournes, the Arans, those rarely-talked-of lumps up in Caithness... the lesser-known hills are out there just waiting to feel the tread of your trail shoes. One or two of them might even end up firm favourites.

Make more use of public transport

Ribblehead Viaduct  © mickofingleton
Ribblehead Viaduct
© mickofingleton, Jan 2014

We all know we should, but how often do we? Leaving the car at home and throwing yourself on the mercy of bus and train timetables can seem such an effort. There are advantages though, from the post-walk pint to the fact that you're spared the dodgy night drive home after a long hard day out. It is perfectly possible to achieve big things on the hills without once setting foot in a car, as UKH contributor Drew Whitworth demonstrated a couple of years ago when he completed all 214 Wainwright fells in the Lake District entirely by public transport from West Yorkshire (see the article here). Let's see someone try that on the Munros. You don't have to go that far of course, but adding a few train and bus journeys can certainly bring a bit of variety to your walking year. Some railways could have been purpose built for hillwalking: the West Highland line for instance, or the Settle-Carlisle line snaking through the Yorkshire Dales.

Get into fell running

Running the Whiteside ridge towards Hopegill Head, near Keswick  © Ice Nine
Running the Whiteside ridge towards Hopegill Head, near Keswick
© Ice Nine

Every year I think I might. But spring and summer go by without me once finding the motivation to don the trainers and run up hills, and by the time Christmas rolls around there's no point even pretending. Maybe 2016 will be different. Moving quick on the boring flat bits, the thrill of throwing yourself down scree slopes without regard for your ankles, the joy to be found in going truly lightweight, the glory of coming last in races and mountain marathons, an excuse to wear stupidly short shorts... What's not to aspire to?

Go large on the hills

Lakeland 3000-ers (etc) - Catstye Cam from Lower Man  © Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com
Lakeland 3000-ers (etc) - Catstye Cam from Lower Man
© Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com, Aug 2012

You don't have to be moving at running pace to find challenge. We walkers may lack speed, but we can do endurance til the cows come home. When it comes to hills less is rarely more, so why settle for a couple of summits when you could climb several? The most memorable days tend to be those that really stretch you, the ones that pack in unfeasible distance and ascent yet still leave you smiling. It might be a well-known challenge walk like the Ennerdale circuit or Yorkshire's Three Peaks; perhaps you're aiming to do every Munro in a range (all 10 Mamores, the Welsh 3000-ers…); or maybe it's a route of your own, a DIY link-up of two or three hill groups – whatever your goal, make 2016 a massive one. For a few pointers see Ten Top Tips for Epic Hill Days

Take on an overseas biggie

Easy but exposed on Huayna Potosi's summit ridge  © Dan Bailey
Easy but exposed on Huayna Potosi's summit ridge
© Dan Bailey

Our hills may be perfectly formed, but let's be realistic: on the world stage they barely register. From the glaciers of the Alps and the vast wildernesses of North America to the rarefied altitudes of the Andes and the Himalaya there's no denying that there are some key mountain experiences that you just cannot have in the UK. We simply lack the scale. Even if it's only once in a lifetime, a big overseas adventure should be high on every hillwalker's wish list. Go, if only to escape our relentless weather. Not everyone wants to spend their holidays wrestling grizzly bears or pioneering cutting edge climbs on Karakorum giants, but luckily they don't have to: there's a biggie out there for everyone.

Backpacking: Try a classic hut-to-hut trek such as the Tour du Mont Blanc or the Pyrennean GR10. Or head further afield to the treks of Nepal such as the circuit of Manaslu or Everest base camp.

Scrambling: Take on some Dolomites via ferrata.

Snowy summits - big but not too technical: Breach 3000m on mainland Spain's high point Mulhacen; Top 4000m on Morocco's Toubkal; pop your 5000m cherry on a massive Mexican volcano; go over 6000m with some classic Bolivian snow plodding.

Traverse the Cuillin Ridge

Traversing the north ridge of Sgurr a'Ghreadaidh, a Munro on the Isle of Skye  © Colin Henderson
Traversing the north ridge of Sgurr a'Ghreadaidh, a Munro on the Isle of Skye
© Colin Henderson, May 2014

Back on home soil, and we've saved the best for last. The Cuillin must be the most sought-after big route in Britain, the one, surely, to which every hill-goer aspires. A sawtoothed alpine range looming straight out of the sea, Skye's Cuillin are unique in the British Isles for rocky severity, making the full traverse of the main ridge a mountaineering experience unlike any other. With around 11km of fall-off-able ground, 3000m of ascent, continuous exposure, sustained hard scrambling spiced with occasional pitches of graded rock climbing, abseils, mind-numbing route finding, interesting logistical and tactical variables, and of course the Hebridean weather, it's not a route to undertake lightly. For DIY efforts prior knowledge of the ridge's complexities helps hugely, while appopriate climbing skills, gear and experience are of course utterly essential. However fit, competent scramblers shouldn't let that put them off. If you're not quite up to it yet then why not work towards it as a long term goal? And if you simply can't wait to get a piece of Cuillin action then there's always the option of hiring a guide for a two-day traverse.



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