An ascent of AukÅ¡tojas Hill, the highest mountain in Lithuania

August 28, 2019 Trip reports aukstojas hill, edita, juosapine hill, lithuania, peak bagging, vladas vitkauskas 4 Comments

Since 2015, Edita has been gradually ticking off the highest peaks in the UK. First it was the highest mountain in Wales; then the highest mountain in England and then in May the highest mountain in Scotland. It was high time she introduced me to the highest mountain in her own country, Lithuania.

What was the highest mountain in the world before Everest was discovered?

August 21, 2019 History aconcagua, alexander von humboldt, andes, charles-marie de la condamine, chimborazo, dhaulagiri, everest, himalayas, joseph barclay pentland, kangchenjunga, pierre bouguer, sajama 2 Comments

Yes, I know that a number of pedants will read the title of this blog post and mutter under their breaths with a shrug of indignation: ‘What was the highest mountain in the world before Everest was discovered? Why, Everest

The Ring of Steall: a Scottish hill walking classic

August 14, 2019 Trip reports am bodach, an gearanach, ben nevis, britain, hill walking, mamores, munros, ring of steall, schiehallion, scotland, scottish highlands, sgurr a mhaim, stob coire a chairn 5 Comments

A short distance south of Ben Nevis is a hidden sanctuary encircled by mountains. This hanging corrie has a single outlet which drains into Britain’s second highest waterfall. A full circuit of the ring of mountains involves 4 Munros and 7 peaks in total.

The only video on YouTube of the whole Antisana climb

August 7, 2019 My books and writing andes, antisana, ecuador, edward whymper, feet and wheels to chimborazo, mountain films, mountain literature, travel writing, volcanoes 1 Comment

A chance meeting at Refugio Carrel on Chimborazo on the evening before our second ascent reminded me of another favourite climb in Ecuador a few years earlier. It was a climb that produced a unique video that lives long in the memory.