We made an embarrassing error of judgment in Trail around a decade ago, and enough time has passed that I’m finally prepared to admit it.
The shameful facts are these: we dispatched our gear editor Ben to Ullapool in search of some great mountains to climb and then write about, as we often do.
He delivered spectacularly on the brief, chalking up memorable ascents of two icons of the Assynt region, in the kind of glorious weather we love to encounter on our photoshoots.
There was one problem, though – our Ben had climbed two more Bens (Ben Mor Coigach and Ben More Assynt), and we figured that was simply Ben overkill. So rather than give each mountain its own article, spread sensibly over a couple of issues, we asked Ben to cram the other two Bens, his words and almost 600 hard-won images into a few short pages.
Basically, as you may have guessed, we blew it. So this month we wanted to right that wrong, by sending our newest team member Fliss back up to Assynt to walk all over Ben Mor Coigach and finally give that mountain, and those photos we wasted, the space they always deserved. We hope you enjoy the article, and that you can find it in your hearts to forgive us.
Scroll down to see what other highlights await you in the new issue of Trail.
Oli Reed, Trail editor
Walking the Langdale Skyline
Jenna Maryniak sets off on a mission to walk every peak on the glorious Great Langdale skyline, then asks a very good question. Why is this never mentioned as one of the Lake District’s classic mountain horseshoes?
The stars in Snowdon’s shadow
The highest mountain in Wales is undoubtedly the star of the show, but have you ever stopped to consider the lesser-known peaks that exist in its orbit? Our team picks out 8 of the best for you to climb
Carry on camping
What started out as an innocent idea to camp on one of our favourite Brecon Beacons hills quickly descending into toilet humour once realised it involved Tom Bailey spending a night on Lord Hereford’s Knob. If you can handle an innuendo or two, you’re going to love the outcome of this brilliantly written article.
Occultist, magician, painter, poet… and mountaineer
Sarah Ryan does her usual spectacular job of digging into the backstory of one of the most intriguing and controversial characters in British mountaineering history, with a deep dive into the world of Aleister Crowley, AKA ‘The Wickedest Man in the World’.
Let there be light
Matt Jones gets the gig of delving deep into some North Wales caves to run the rule over the best hiking headtorches money can buy. Don’t feel too sorry for Matt though – he lives for this stuff, and has picked out six of the best for year-round hillwalking.
James Bond’s favourite mountain
OK, we don’t know for sure that 007 climbed the North and East ridges of Ben Starav. But what we do know for sure is that this magnificent Highland hillwalk starts and finishes in Glen Etive, which was immortalised in Skyfall as the wild, remote and beautiful glen that Bond grew up in. Let Ben Weeks guide you on a little-known Scottish classic.
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Every issue of Trail is packed with award-winning writing and photography, mapped mountain routes, expert reviews of all the latest outdoor gear, interviews with the biggest names in outdoor adventure, and expert advice from mountain pros on how to improve your hill skills.