The Mountains of England and Wales: Volume 1 Wales

Guidebook to walking 188 Nuttall mountain summits in Wales. Summits split into: Carneddau, Glyders, Snowdon, Moel Hebog, Moelwyns, Arenigs, Berwyns, Arans, Rhinogs, Cadair Idris, central Wales, Black Mountains, Brecon Beacons. The first of two guidebooks that give definitive lists with detailed route descriptions, maps and drawings of some England and Wales' highest peaks.

The ascent of all the mountains of England and Wales is not an objective one starts out with: it comes rather as the goal of a task already partly achieved after much time spent among the hills. For us it was after many visits to the Lake District and many hundreds of days spent climbing the mountains that we found ourselves within sight of completing all the Wainwrights, that is all the summits described in those seven delightful guides to the Lake District. The achievement of this took us to the less frequented areas where we discovered many fascinating places starting a new chapter in our enjoyment of the hills. What was to be our next objective? We would certainly return and climb again many of the mountains thus discovered and we had also acquired a new approach to the hills by wild camping among them. Sunrise, sunset and the stars at night added new experiences and enjoyment, but we needed a fresh challenge. What was it to be? Well, what about all the rest of the mountains?

The Munros were an obvious choice and we were soon planning holidays to tackle, but journeys north required several days to produce results and while our present tally has crept up, recently reaching one hundred, an objective closer to home was needed. Thus we came to climb the mountains of England and Wales, but this has by no means been second best. While the grandeur and remoteness of the Scottish hills is on a larger scale, there is so much wild and beautiful mountain country to explore south of the border that one could visit a different place every weekend for years.

Steadily, we progressed towards out goal; first the final summit in Snowdonia, then the Brecon beacons and finally the last Welsh top above the sleepy villages of new Radnor. England too was coming on nicely, but we were beginning to get uneasy. The list from which we were working was looking out of date. We were finding unlisted summits and others, resolutely attained after miles of flogging across bog and heather, turned out to hardly merit attention, rising by only trivial amounts above their surroundings.

What was needed, we decided, was an up-to-date, accurate list. Many hours were spent in Manchester Central Reference Library poring over the 1:10,000 maps. A great deal more time was spent in all weathers re-visiting all the tops, and several new ones besides, and in devising ways to link groups of summits into interesting walks.

The year in which we set out on our task proved to be the wettest since records began. What is surprising therefore is that we had a clear view from all but a tiny handful of tops. In fact the only summits from which the cloud has never lifted for us are Arenig Fach and Moel Eilio. On all the others we have be favoured on at least one visit with a complete, if rather grey, panorama. Much of the time we have walked alone with no other person for miles; there is still plenty of room in the hills.

Of the many memorable days we would pick a few to treasure; a brilliantly clear day of ice and snow in the Arans, the fences sparkling with frost needles and long icicles cascading over the rim of the streams; a scorching hot, shirtless day above Blaenau Ffestinig with the evening in the hotel garden, the village looking quite alpine with geranium-filled window boxes; the mist playing hide and seek with the summit rocks of Glyder Fach and the Castle of the Winds, and many nights in our mountain tent high among the hills, while even on days of torrential, unceasing rain there is a wet satisfaction wading through the rivers and bogs, but all these days have had something special even if it has only been the cold wind in our faces and the freedom of being away among the hills.

It is with sadness that for the coming months we shall no longer be setting off for Wales at the weekends, but instead the mountains of England beckon and there is much to look forward to. We have had a superb last year with unforgettable days in the hills. This is our way of saying thank you and passing on some of our appreciation.