Is this the world’s most expensive boat trip? Climbing the Mullardoch Munros

July 24, 2024 Trip reports boat trips, britain, hill walking, munro bagging, munros, peak bagging, scotland 1 Comment

We left the longest walk of the trip until the second week, when we hoped to be more mountain fit. Even so, when we stood on the summit of Toll Creagach and looked across Loch Mullardoch to its four associated Munros (the ‘Mullardoch Munros’), we could see quite clearly that it was going to be a loooong day.

All 14 Welsh 3,000ers for the Queen’s jubilee

June 15, 2022 Trip reports britain, hill walking, peak bagging, snowdon, snowdonia, wales, welsh 3000ers 5 Comments

Our beloved monarch Queen Elizabeth II has now been sitting on the throne for 70 years. To celebrate this event, and because the people of Britain had been granted an extra day of public holiday to mark it, I decided to do something special.

The Ben Lawers Five: peak-bagging perfection

November 3, 2021 Trip reports an stuc, ben lawers, britain, hill walking, munro bagging, munros, peak bagging, scotland, scrambling 2 Comments

You’ve heard of the Famous Five and the Jackson Five, and you may even remember the Dave Clark Five, but if you’ve never heard of the Ben Lawers Five then you’re missing out – it’s one of the great days out for Munro baggers.

The Glen Spean Nine: peak bagging and bet hedging in Central Scotland

August 20, 2021 Trip reports binnein beag, britain, creag meagaidh, glen roy, glen spean, hill walking, munro bagging, munros, peak bagging, scotland 1 Comment

Glen Spean is a good place “for those who want to hedge their bets with the weather” said the Walkhighlands guidebook. Given that the weather in the Highlands of Scotland is famous for being unreliable, this sounded like a pretty good recommendation.

When reaching the summit is just a tick in the box

June 30, 2021 Trip reports ben nevis, binnein beag, hill walking, mamores, munro bagging, munros, peak bagging, ring of steall, scotland, scottish highlands 3 Comments

Binnein Beag is probably a peak that most Munro baggers leave till last because it’s not worth climbing until you have to. Squirming up its rubble felt like a tick in the box. But would I taste fulfilment when I reached the summit?

Nirmal Purja’s ascent of all fourteen 8,000m peaks: why is it controversial?

November 6, 2019 Opinion and advice 8000m peaks, explorersweb, first ascents, himalayan database, kim chang-ho, media sensationalism, mountaineering ethics, nepal, nirmal purja, peak bagging, reinhold messner, seven summits treks, sherpas

Last week was one of those weeks when a mountaineering story is so big that it makes it into the popular press. On the face of it, it was a straightforward story of someone smashing a record to smithereens. But if you dig a little deeper, there is another side to it.

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.

Scafell Pike, the highest peak in England, from Wasdale

July 18, 2018 Trip reports britain, camping, edita, ennerdale, eskdale, hill walking, lake district, langdale, microadventures, peak bagging, rock climbing, sca fell, scafell pike, wasdale 4 Comments

I had only climbed the highest mountain in England once, from the east side 22 years ago. It was time for me to climb it from Wasdale on the west side, and it was time for Edita to climb it for the very first time.

Monte Marsicano up the back side: 8 summits in one day

June 27, 2018 Trip reports abruzzo, apennine 2000ers, apennines, cicerone guides, club alpino italiano, edita, europe, hill walking, italy, monte marsicano, peak bagging, wildlife 2 Comments

Since climbing Monte Marsicano from the south on one of our first visits to Abruzzo National Park, we’d had in mind to climb the mountain via a longer route from the more remote northern side. This route took in no fewer than 8 Apennine 2,000ers in a single day.

The Ennerdale Horseshoe: a Lake District gem

June 13, 2018 Trip reports alfred wainwright, backpacking, britain, camping, cicerone guides, ennerdale, forestry commission, graham uney, great gable, high stile, hill walking, lake district, microadventures, peak bagging, pillar, scafell pike, wild camping 0 Comment

A sunny bank holiday weekend in northern England was the signal for a visit to the Lake District. As we headed out for a backpacking and wild camping microadventure in Ennerdale, I couldn’t quite believe that it had been five years since my last visit.

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