IN BRITAIN’S small but brilliant constellation of mountain summits, a few stars shine brighter than all the rest. It’s understandable that hillwalkers tend to fixate on these big names – after all, they usually deliver the highest, spikiest and most dramatic days out. But what about the peaks that don’t dominate outdoors headlines? Some have been sidelined in favour of more famous neighbours.
Others are too remote or inaccessible to attract much attention. And there’s a third category as well – mountains that have been stigmatised as boring, disappointingly straightforward or just so over-exposed that their charms are best left to the Insta-hordes.
That doesn’t seem quite fair. Okay, you can have a spectacular day out scrambling the CMD Arête or hopping rock to rock up Tryfan. But some of the most sublime experiences in the hills arise from taking the route less travelled, whether that’s exploring a summit that barely anyone has heard of or taking a new approach to a popular classic.