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Bredon
Hill
Location: Vale of
Evesham
Grid Ref: SO
957402
Height: 981 ft (299
m)
Status: Marilyn
Notes: Bredon Hill
lays alone within the Vale of Evesham, a broad, wooded hill covering an
area of several square miles. It stands above the lovely village of
Elmley Castle, about four miles west of Evesham, from where there is a
track to the top. This ascent is exceptionally muddy but it does hide
the best of the views until you reach the summit. The panorama is
allegedly glorious, taking in the Cotswolds, the Malvern Hills, the
Forest of Dean, Black Mountain and the whole of the vale of the Severn
from Bristol to Birmingham - though on the day I climbed Bredon Hill in
March 2005 a dense fog denied me any view whatsoever. The summit is a
broad pasture ringed by a drystone wall and some Iron Age earthworks.
There is a topograph set within a lone rock, while a couple of hundred
metres to the south a squat brick tower (pictured) appears to occupy
the highest point of the hill. |
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Bush
Howe
Location: Howgill
Fells
Grid Ref: SD
659980
Height: 2044 ft (623
m)
Status: Nuttall
Notes: A minor top of
the Howgills about fifteen minutes' walk northwest of the Calf. The
summit is a grassy dome almost devoid of features. The view is similar
to that of the Calf to the south except that it looks directly down
Chapel Beck to the southwest, to where the M6 motorway and the West
Coast main line squeeze between the hills. |
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Butser Hill
Location: South
Downs, Hampshire
Grid Ref: SU
716203
Height: 886 ft (270 m)
Status: Marilyn
Notes: A prominent
top on the South Downs, Butser Hill lays a handful of miles southwest
of Petersfield. Although the north slopes contain most of the hill's
interesting features there is no legitimate approach on this side;
access has to be from the south. A road leads almost to the summit from
the south side and the South Downs Way passes within a few hundred
metres. The summit features a trig pillar and a small village of radio
huts as well as a prominent microwave tower. The view is fairly
extensive and includes the Portsmouth / Southampton conurbation to the
south along with the Isle of Wight. |
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Bynack
More
Location: Scottish
Highlands,
Cairngorms
Grid Ref: NJ
042063
Height: 3576 ft (1090
m)
Status: Munro,
Murdo,
Marilyn
Notes: Bynack More
(or Ben
Bynack, or Beinn Beithneag, or Caiplich) lays in the north west of the
Ben Macdui massif of the central Cairngorms, the highest range of
mountains
in Britain. It's the highest point of a vaguely wedge-shaped piece of
land
lying between Strath Nethy and the Lairg an Laiogh. Like most of the
Cairngorms
it's a vast, gently-rolling upthrust of pink granite carpeted by mosses
and short, wiry grasses. It's superb, easy walking terrain although
quite
remote. The easiest ascent is from Loch Morlich via the Ryvoan pass and
the Lairg an Laiogh, a distance of 8½ miles involving 2600 ft of
ascent. Views of the central and eastern Cairngorms, some of the
grandest
scenery in Britain, are superb.
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Caer
Caradoc
Location: Shropshire Hills
Grid Ref: SO
477953
Height: 1506 ft (459
m)
Status: Marilyn
Notes: A dramatic
and craggy little hill standing a couple of miles northeast of Church
Stretton in Shropshire. The normal route of approach is by a path
rising up the eastern flanks from the south - avoid the direct route
from Church Stretton as the lane adjacent to New House Farm is
atrocious, but instead take the farm track and bridleway east of
Helmeth Hill. The summit is unmarked and any one of half a dozen craggy
outcrops could be the highest point. The earthworks on the summit are
the remains of an iron age hill fort, claimed to be the last stand of
Caractacus in his battles against the Roman invaders (though that
battle probably took place elsewhere). The expedition from the town
takes just 65 minutes and the reward is a glorious view that takes in
the Long Mynd to the west, Wenlock Edge to the east and the Wrekin to
the northeast. |
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Caerketton
Hill
Location: Pentland
Hills
Grid Ref: NT
242662
Height: 1483 ft (452
m)
Status: none
Notes: Caerketton
Hill stands
at the northeastern tip of the Pentlands and provides a superb view
over
the city of Edinburgh. It is an outlier of Allermuir Hill, not quite a
mile to the west. Standing directly above the Hillend dry ski slope, it
can be ascended from Hillend's car park in about 45 minutes.
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Cairn Gorm
Location: Scottish
Highlands,
Cairngorms
Grid Ref: NJ
005040
Height: 4085 ft (1245
m)
Status: Munro, Murdo,
sub-Marilyn
Notes: Cairn Gorm
is the sixth
highest mountain in Britain. Seen prominently from Aviemore and the
Spey
valley, it has given its name to the massif as a whole (though properly
the Cairngorms are Am Monadh Ruadh, the Red Hills). Cairn Gorm is a
gentle
dome of a mountain, easily climbed from the base station of the summit
railway by an ascent of some 2100 ft. It was formely possible to take
the
chairlift to the Ptarmigan cafe at 3700 ft and walk the final kilometre
to the summit, but since the chairlift was replaced by the railway
visitors
are no longer allowed access to the summit from the top station. The
summit
is home to an automatic weather station run by Heriot-Watt University
in
Edinburgh. Views from the summit are awesome, particularly along the
line
of the northern corries (as depicted).
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Cairn of
Claise
Location: Scottish
Highlands,
Mounth
Grid Ref: NO
185788
Height: 3491 ft (1064
m)
Status: Munro, Murdo
Notes: An outlier
of Glas
Maol, Carn of Claise is situated northeast of its parent mountain and
stands
on the boundary between Aberdeenshire and Angus. A rise in the general
level of the plateau rather than a "proper" mountain, Carn of Claise
offers
no views as such, just a general vista of a stone-littered grassy void.
A stone wall leads away from the summit to the north but peters out. An
old track known as the Monega Pass runs past Carn of Claise a hundred
metres
to the east, and offers a very easy route from Glas Maol to those who
wish
to visit this summit.
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Calders
(a.k.a. Brant Fell)
Location: Howgill
Fells
Grid Ref: SD
670960
Height: 2211 ft (674
m)
Status: Hewitt,
Nuttall
Notes: A fell in the
Howgills, roughly 3 miles northeast of Sedbergh, from which it can be
climbed in about 90 minutes via Arant Haw. It's a lonely place,
overlooking grassy fell ridges and empty valleys. The Calf dominates
the view to the north, and Arant Haw ditto to the south. Some of the
Lakeland fells are seen to the northwest and Pennine tops such as Great
Knoutberry Hill and Whernside appear to the east and southeast. |
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Calf,
The
Location: Howgill
Fells
Grid Ref: SD
667970
Height: 2218 ft (676
m)
Status: Marilyn,
Hewitt,
Nuttall
Notes: The Calf is
the highest summit of the Howgills, a relatively unfrequented group of
hills situated between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. This
hill and its neighbours loom above the M6 motorway and the West Coast
main line as they squeeze together on their way north from Kendal to
Penrith. The hill therefore overlooks the motorway and railway, beyond
which are the far eastern groups of the Lakeland fells. Yet more lonely
hills feature in just about every other direction. The best base for
the Howgills is the town of Sedbergh that lies immediately to the
south, from which the Calf can be climbed in around two hours via Arant
Haw and Calders. The highest point lays a little way east of the trig
pillar. |
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Capelaw
Hill
Location: Pentland
Hills
Grid Ref: NT
215660
Height: 1490ft (454 m)
Status: none
Notes: A grassy
dome in the
northern Pentlands, immediately west of Allermuir Hill, from which
there
is a path all the way. The top is marked by a wooden post. The ridge to
the east looks higher, but this proves to be an optical illusion. A
pleasant
enough place to be, with a splendid view of the city of Edinburgh, but
worth climbing only as part of the Pentlands ridgewalk.
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Carn
a' Chlamain
Location: Scottish
Highlands,
Mounth
Grid Ref: NN
915758
Height: 3159 ft (963
m)
Status: Munro, Murdo,
Marilyn
Notes: A landrover
track from Glen Tilt virtually all the way up to the summit makes this
hill one of the easiest Munros to ascend, although what the hill lacks
in difficulty it makes up for in distance, being a good ten miles from
Blair Atholl. This does make it quite a stretch for those without
transport, and a bike ride up the glen to Clachghlas cottage will save
a lot of time and effort. The conical top stands well back from the
south east ridge along which the ascent track rises and is not seen
from the glen itself. A glorious view is dominated by the various
summits of the Beinn a'Ghlo massif across the glen, but perhaps most
interest lays to the north where the high tops of the Cairngorms are
spread out. Five hours on foot from Blair Atholl, three and a half
hours back. |
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Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach (a.k.a. the White Mounth)
Location: Scottish
Highlands,
Mounth
Grid Ref: NO
226845
Height: 3642 ft (1110
m)
Status: Munro, Murdo
Notes: The White
Mounth is part of the Lochnagar plateau and its summit cairn lays
roughly 2km southwest of Lochnagar itself. It's not so much a mountain
but more of a gentle swelling in the general level of the plateau, a
broad, rounded top whose gradients are almost imperceptible. There is a
path from Lochnagar, though you could more or less choose your own line
across the short, wiry turf. The walk between the two hills takes
roughly 45 minutes; there's not much difference in the far panorama and
rather less foreground interest but you will probably be rewarded
instead with solitude. The Anglicised name presumably refers to the
vast snowfields that lie here in winter. |
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Carn
a' Gheoidh
Location: Scottish
Highlands,
Mounth
Grid Ref: NO
107767
Height: 3199 ft (975
m)
Status: Munro, Murdo,
Marylin
Notes: The parent
hill of Carn Aosda and the Cairnwell, which together form the Glenshee
ski centre, Carn a' Gheoidh lays a couple of miles to the west of its
offspring and is far more secluded and pleasant. The intervening
terrain is a joy to walk - for the most part you can ignore the paths
and choose your own line over the short turf and gentle gradients.
Allow 65 minutes from Carn Aosda. The hill is excellently placed for
views into the western Mounth and isolated, remote hills such as Carn
am Righ and Beinn Iutharn Mhor seem very close. The Cairngorms and the
Beinn a' Ghlo massifs are the obvious highlights of the panorama, while
Ben Lawers and its neighbours appear way over to the west. Eastwards
lay Glas Maol and Lochnagar, while to the south the view extends as far
as the Fife hills (East and West Lomond). |
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Carn
Aosda
Location: Scottish
Highlands,
Mounth
Grid Ref: NO
134791
Height: 3002 ft (917
m)
Status: Munro, Murdo
Notes: Arguably the
easiest and most accessible Munro of all, Carn Aosda lays at the heart
of the Glenshee ski centre and can be climbed in a mere 40 minutes from
the car park. It only just qualifies as a Munro - various sources give
its height as between 2997ft and 3009ft. The ascent, by way of rough
vehicle tracks from Glenshee ski centre, is completely straightforward
though a little steep. The summit is only just clear of the intrusions
of ski fences and towbar supports; the view to the south is rather
spoiled by these developments and even more so by the clutter of radio
masts atop the neighbouring Cairnwell, but in other directions the
hills of the Mounth and the Cairngorms offer an exciting prospect. |
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Carn an Tuirc
Location: Scottish
Highlands,
Mounth
Grid Ref: NO
174804
Height: 3343 ft (1019
m)
Status: Munro, Murdo
Notes: A northern
outlier
of the Glas Maol massif east of the Glenshee ski grounds, Carn an Tuirc
is a stony ridge sitting atop grassy flanks. Though pathless it is very
easily ascended from the nearby Monega pass between Glen Callater and
Cairn
of Claise, there being barely two hundred feet of reascent from the
latter
Munro. Carn an Tuirc has a reasonably good view northwards, down the
glen
to Braemar with the high tops of the Cairngorms ranged around the
northwestern
arc, while the Lochnagar massif dominates to the east.
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Carn
Ghluasaid
Location: Scottish
Highlands,
Kintail
Grid Ref: NH
145125
Height: 3140 ft (957
m)
Status: Munro, Murdo
Notes: The
easternmost Munro
of those overlooking Loch Cluanie and Glenshiel from the north, Carn
Ghluasaid
commands a superb view to the east, down Glen Morriston towards the
Great
Glen. Ghluasaid is one of the easier Munros to ascend, thanks to an
excellent
stalker's path to the top from the locality of Lundie down in the glen.
The summit is a broad stony plateau, with two summit cairns (some 100
metres
apart) towards the northern edge. In the summit picture we're looking
northwest
to Sgurr nan Conbhairean, of which Ghluasaid is technically an
outlier.
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Carn
Liath
Location: Scottish
Highlands, Mounth
Grid Ref: NN
936698
Height: 3199 ft (975
m)
Status: Munro, Murdo,
Marylin
Notes: The
westernmost summit of the Beinn a' Ghlo massif, Carn
Liath is a straightforward expedition from Blair Atholl. There is a
public road as far as the picturesque Loch Moraig, from where an estate
track and then a path lead directly (if somewhat steeply) to the
summit. Allow three hours for the climb from Blair Atholl, or two hours
from the car park. The rest of the Beinn a' Ghlo massif dominates the
view to the east, Ben Vrackie stands directly to the south and the Glen
Tilt hills and the Cairngorms fill the skyline to the north. The most
intriguing view is to the west, where to the right of Ben Lawers and
Schiehallion, the Glencoe and Mamore summits form a clearly visible
cluster some fifty miles away. |
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Castle
Crag
Location: Lake
District, North Western Fells
Grid Ref: NY
249159
Height: 978ft (298 m)
Status: Wainwright
Notes: Sandwiched
between the loftier hills of Grange Fell and High Spy, Castle Crag is
the hill that forms the "Jaws of Borrowdale", forcing the Derwent
through a narrow channel and effectively dividing Borrowdale into two
halves. It's the only fell less than 1000 ft high to figure in
Wainwright's guides. Although of very modest height is is surprisingly
steep and requires real effort to climb. It rewards those who reach the
summit with excellent views of Derwentwater to the north. |
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Castlelaw
Hill
Location: Pentland
Hills
Grid Ref: NT
225648
Height: 1601ft (488 m)
Status: none
Notes: A dark,
heathery dome
at the eastern end of the Pentlands, situated about a mile south of
Allermuir
Hill. A vehicle tracks reaches the summit from the north, ensuring an
easy
ascent, but Castlelaw Hill lays within the boundaries of an army firing
range so it should not be approached when the red flags are flying. The
summit features an observation point and a flagpost. The central
Pentlands
are seen to advantage from here. Should anyone ever compile a list of
Marylin
tops, Castlelaw Hill would be a typical example.
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Catbells
Location: Lake
District, North Western Fells
Grid Ref: NY
244199
Height: 1480 ft (451m)
Status: Wainwright
Notes: The striking
profile of Catbells and its position on the western side of
Derwentwater ensures that it is one of the Lake District's most popular
climbs. However, it is not a climb to be taken lightly. All ascents are
unpleasantly steep and the fell's topknott is craggy enough that the
summit is impossible to attain without some undignified and awkward
clambering. The view is glorious, taking in Derwentwater to the east,
the Newlands valley to the west, the Skiddaw massif to the west and a
host of Lakeland summits to the south. |
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Cefn
Eglwysilan
Location: Taff Vale
Grid Ref: ST
097925
Height: 1253 ft (382
m)
Status: Marylin,
Clement
Notes: A lonely
summit of rough pasture standing above Pontypridd to the east. The trig
point is exactly an hour's walk from Pontypridd railway station, with a
road most of the way; some walkers will find parts of it rather steep.
Motorists can make their task far easier by parking at the road bend
just below the summit dome. The whole summit pasture is open access
land and carries more paths than the map shows. There's not much of a
view from the top but the Brecon
Beacons should be seen to the north on clearer days.
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Chanctonbury Hill
Location: South
Downs, Sussex
Grid Ref: TQ
134120
Height: 781 ft (238 m)
Status: Marylin
Notes: Chanctonbury
Hill is one of many tops of the South Downs in West Sussex, and stands
out from the pack only because of its relative height. It is a few
miles north of Worthing and overlooks the village of Washington, from
where it is most easily ascended. There is nothing particularly special
about the hill save for the presence of Chanctonbury Ring, an ancient
hill fort a few hundred metres to the east. Worthing can just be
glimpsed to the south, while northwards there is a view across the
Sussex countryside towards Billingshurst and Horsham.
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Cheriton Hill
Location: North
Downs, Kent
Grid Ref: TR
196396
Height: 617 ft (188 m)
Status: Marylin
Notes: Cheriton
Hill is the
easternmost Marylin in Britain and is the highest elevation of the
Dover
and Folkestone downs, though the actual highest point - seen here -
lays
way back from the lip of the downs in standard farming country.
There's
no feeling of being at the top of anything and in that respect Cheriton
Hill is among the most boring of Britain's high points. The 1:50000 map
shows the highest point as a trig pillar adjacent to a reservoir, but
the
1:25000 map has a spot height on a road a couple of hundred metres to
the
west (as depicted). In truth the exact location doesn't really matter
because
the surrounding terrain is virtually flat. The upside of a visit to
Cheriton
Hill is that it introduces you to the possibilities of the North Downs
proper. France can be seen from the top of the scarp, three quarters of
a mile to the south. Cheriton Hill can be walked from Folkestone
railway
station in about 75 minutes.
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