The UK's County Tops. Jonny Muir
for enjoyment. Do not infer that a county top with a zero or one score means it is an awful place that is hardly worth visiting. It simply indicates that it is not as exciting as Helvellyn or Snowdon. Generally speaking, enjoyment and excitement levels go up the higher one ascends, but that is not always the case. Hills such as Holyhead Mountain on Anglesey, Leith Hill in Surrey and Worcestershire Beacon are fantastically rewarding places to visit, despite their relatively low altitude.
Enjoyment is, of course, hugely subjective. Climbing Ben Nevis can be a joy. There can be no greater feeling than standing on our nation’s summit. But a clag-shrouded, wind-buffeted Ben Nevis is a different proposition. Enjoyment levels begin to plummet and enthusiasm starts to flag. Weather, as always in the UK, is a great determinate of mood.
Timing
A frequent complaint about guidebooks is that the author has under- or overestimated times for walks. It is hard not to make a similar error. Wide time margins have therefore been provided in some cases, giving the shortest time for quick and experienced walkers and the longest time for those who prefer a slower pace. If anything the timings in this guide may be on the fast side. After you have followed a couple of the routes, however, you should be able to gauge where you fit into the ranges given and estimate your likely time accordingly.
Ascent
The total ascent – given in metres – includes not just the cumulative height climbed from start to summit, but also any encountered during the descent. Again, like timing, the amount of ascent may differ if slightly alternative routes are inadvertently followed.
When to go
The UK’s temperate climate means its hills and mountains are accessible year-round, although the highest Scottish mountains, Snowdonia, the Lake District peaks and the Pennines are likely to be snow-covered for long periods during the winter months. There are access restrictions on two of the county tops – High Willhays in Devon and Mickle Fell in Yorkshire – because both rise on Ministry of Defence land. Great Rhos in Radnorshire also lies close to a military ammunition testing area. Further details on access to these hills are given in the respective sections for each county top.
The best-known and most popular county tops – Ben Lomond, Ben Nevis, Dunkery Beacon, Helvellyn, Scafell Pike and Snowdon – can be tremendously busy during periods of fine and settled weather, especially during school holidays and the summer months. Ben Nevis is notoriously congested, with an estimated 160,000 people – a quarter of them charity walkers – scaling the mountain every year, the vast majority by the same path. To avoid the crowds on Ben Nevis and the other busiest county tops, begin an ascent early in the morning or go out of season.
Getting there
Unfortunately, public transport is not geared around the UK’s hills and mountains. Buses and trains will only get the walker so far. It may not be the most eco-friendly way, but a car is usually the easiest and quickest option and advice on where to park is given in the information box at the start of each route description. Mountain bikes can be used to speed ascents, particularly on long walks such as Ben Macdui and Morven. To get to Arran and Hoy (on Orkney), ferries must be called upon, departing from Ardrossan in Ayrshire and Stromness on Orkney’s Mainland respectively. Air and sea services operate between the Scottish mainland and Orkney and Shetland.
Safety in the hills
The UK’s hills and mountains can be challenging and daunting places, claiming dozens of lives each year. In 2009, mountain rescue teams in England and Wales dealt with 37 fatalities, while a further 667 people were injured. The number of reported incidents has increased year-on-year since 2004, rising from 609 to 1054 – close to three a day – in 2009. Falls and trips represent almost half of all mountain incidents, while many other call outs were prompted by walkers who were overdue or lost. Meanwhile, mountain rescue teams in Scotland reported 20 deaths and 60 serious injuries in 2008. Of the fatalities, seven occurred in summer walking conditions and six in winter. The busiest group was Lochaber, the team with responsibility for Ben Nevis. The two mountain rescue teams operating in Northern Ireland – Mourne and North West – were called to 54 incidents in 2008. Across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, teams dealt with 13 deaths (although four were the occupants of a light aircraft) during the year. More than half of the 214 incidents happened at weekends, with Sunday being busier than Saturday.
Rime-coated toposcope on Ben Macdui (Route 68)
Heavy winter snowfall in 2009 and 2010 also greatly heightened the risk of avalanches, particularly in Scotland. Three climbers died in an avalanche on Buachaille Etive Mor, a Glencoe Munro, in January 2009, in what was one of the worst disasters in the Scottish mountains for decades. Up-to-date information on avalanche risk in Scotland is available at www.sais.gov.uk.
The ridge walks described in this guide, notably the Carn Mor Dearg Arête close to Ben Nevis or Striding Edge on Helvellyn, are potentially dangerous, and care should clearly be taken. Away from the obvious challenges of navigation, terrain and the gradient of a slope, an ever-present variable factor is the weather. Weather in the UK, particularly in Scotland, is notoriously changeable; Scots are not joking when they refer to ‘four seasons in one day’. Even in summer, the weather on the highest county tops can be extreme: high winds, thick mist and sometimes snow.
10 top tips for mountain safety
Always go equipped with a compass and map (and GPS if you can) – and know how to use them.
Plan your route in advance.
For the more challenging tops, work out an escape route should conditions deteriorate unexpectedly.
Always wear appropriate, comfortable footwear and carry waterproofs.
Always check mountain weather forecasts.
Know your own fitness levels.
Prepare for the temperature to be several degrees lower at the top of the hill than at the foot, and take the potential wind-chill factor into account.
Never be afraid to turn back or reduce expectations.
Make sure you tell somewhere what you plan to do, and tell them when you return.
And never forget: the hill will still be there tomorrow.
Merrick and Loch Valley from the Rig of the Jarkness (Route 56) (photo: Ronald Turnbull)
ALAN HINKES AND THE COUNTY TOPS
What does a man do once he has conquered the world’s 8000m mountains? He climbs England’s county tops, of course. Alan Hinkes, the first Briton to scale the 14 highest peaks on the planet, took up the challenge in 2010 to raise money for mountain rescue teams. Starting on The Cheviot and finishing on Helvellyn, Hinkes visited 39 county tops in just eight days. The summits chosen by Hinkes were predominately the historic county tops. There were three exceptions, however: in Oxfordshire he scaled Whitehorse Hill rather than Bald Hill; in Warwickshire he swapped Ebrington Hill for Turner’s Hill; in Cheshire he replaced Black Hill for Shining Tor. Reflecting on his marathon effort, Hinkes said: ‘The British mountains are not insignificant and I love to be out there, especially in Yorkshire and the Lakes. Other places might fascinate me at first impact but after being there a while I realise my heart is in the British hills.’
ENGLAND
Introduction
Worcestershire Beacon in the snow (Route 16)
From the lowlands of East Anglia to the high lands