Free delivery on orders over £80The Best Winter Hikes in the UK
Image credit: James Forrest
Words: James Forrest
Hiking in winter can be a magical experience. Cold crisp mornings, snow-sprinkled summits, starry nights, quiet paths - there's so much to relish about hillwalking at this time of year.
Many miss out on these wonders, fearing the wintry high fells will be too gnarly and perilous. But that doesn't have to be the case. Winter walking isn't all about death-defying ascents of icy ridges. There are plenty of non-technical winter routes suitable for the average hillwalker. From the Lake District to Wales and beyond, here are a few of our favourites.
COLEDALE ROUND
LAKE DISTRICT
18km / 1,500m
Image credit: James Forrest
There is fierce competition for the title of ‘best horseshoe walk’ in the Lakes. Perhaps the number one spot should go to the Kentmere Horseshoe? Or maybe the Mosedale Horseshoe from Wasdale Head or the Newlands Round from Little Town are deserving of the crown? Another strong candidate is this walk: the Coledale Round from Braithwaite, a high-level, summit-bagging loop of Coledale Beck. It is one of the finest walks in the north-western fells of the Lake District – and an efficient outing for Wainwright-baggers.
There are many versions of the round. Energetic hikers opt for 10 summits, but we’d suggest excluding Grasmoor and Wandope to complete a more than adequate eight Wainwrights. Starting with a wintry ascent of Grisedale Pike’s shapely eastern ridge, you are greeted with panoramic views over Keswick, and ahead to the dark, brooding cliffs of Hobcarton Crag, plunging dramatically into a secret, craggy amphitheatre. The delights keep coming. Hopegill Head has grandstand views of the Vale of Lorton; the lumpy-bumpy ridge from Scar Crags to Causey Pike’s knobbly summit is airy and delightful; and the grassy humps of Outerside and Barrow feel like two freebies for your Wainwright box-ticking. All of this might just make it Lakeland’s best horseshoe walk.
ARROCHAR ALPS
LOCH LOMOND
42km / 3,750m ascent - across three day walks
Image credit: iStock
They might not have the towering height, permanent snows and majestic glaciers of their European namesakes, but the Arrochar Alps are worthy of the name. Complex, steep and dramatic, with distinctive profiles, this compact group of peaks in the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park are rightly popular. It’s possible to bag the range’s four Munros in a rather ridiculously arduous day walk, but why rush? If you can spare a long weekend, simply take things slow and bag the Munro foursome – Ben Vorlich, Ben Vane, Beinn Narnain and Beinn Ime – over three walks.
First up is Ben Vorlich from Inveruglas, a rugged hike that serves up eye-watering views over the isle-dotted expanse of Loch Lomond, and for day two there’s the similarly dramatic climb of Ben Vane, again from Invergulas. But the real highlight comes with the horseshoe walk of Beinn Narnain and Beinn Ime from Glen Loin. This route also takes in The Cobbler, one of Scotland’s most iconic Corbetts: a weirdly-shaped mountain with a rocky summit known for its nerve-jangling, grade 3 scramble (definitely not advisable in winter). You don’t have to go to the top, however. Simply stand next to the rocky blockade and take in one of Scotland’s most iconic scenes.
BERWYNS
NORTH WALES
17km / 850m
Image: James Forrest
They are regularly labelled the ‘Boring Berwyns’, but is that fair? The Berwyns are an often-ignored mountain range of high moorland east of Bala, lying just outside Snowdonia National Park. Most of the rounded tops are covered in thick, energy-sapping heather – enough to turn off all but the most dedicated of hillwalkers, unless you fancy an exhausting day of vaulting never-ending heathery obstacles.
But, in truth, the ‘boring’ label applies more to the northern and western sections of the range. In the middle the heather relents, good paths abide, and an enjoyable high-level horseshoe walk is possible from Cwm Maen Gwynedd, taking the ridge of Foel Wen and Tomle, before bagging the higher trio of Cadair Bronwen, Cadair Berwyn and Moel Sych, and then descending south-east over Moel yr Ewig and Godor – the best day walk in the Berwyns. And, for added interest, when you’re standing atop Cadair Berwyn you can ponder the ‘Roswelsh Incident’: a bizarre occurrence in 1974, when loud noises and bright lights were seen over the 830m mountain. Was it a UFO crash subsequently covered up by the government? Or an earthquake combined with a meteor shower, as per official statements? Not such a boring story, really.
HOWGILLS
YORKSHIRE DALES NATIONAL PARK
16.5km / 1,200m
Image: James Forrest
If you’ve ever driven north on the M6, bound for the Lake District or Scotland, you may well have had your eyes drawn east near Kendal to the rolling fells of the Howgills. You may well have wondered what it’d be like to go walking there – but it’s unlikely you ever have. The quiet, no-frills tops are barely frequented, overlooked because their rounded, grassy nature, devoid of crag and cliff, isn’t exciting enough to attract the time-poor hiking enthusiast. But this gentle nature makes them perfect for winter walking. No crampons or ice-axes are needed in this quiet corner.
Lost in a no-man’s land between the Lakes and the Dales, part of Cumbria but located within the expanded Yorkshire Dales National Park, the Howgills are far less busy than their more famous neighbours. And that means a day in the wintry Howgills can offer a welcome dose of silence and solitude. The best route starts in Sedbergh, a delightful little town, and climbs over gentle, easy slopes to The Calf, the highest point of the Howgills, before visiting Cautley Spout, England’s highest waterfall. With a bit of luck, you’ll have the hills all to yourself.
CUMBRIA WAY
CUMBRIA
112km / 2,900m
Image: James Forrest
The Cumbria Way is a 73-mile walk through (obviously) Cumbria and the heart of the Lake District. It journeys the length of the county, starting from the quirky market town of Ulverston in the south to the city of Carlisle in the north, via Coniston, Great Langdale, Keswick and Caldbeck. Devised by local Ramblers groups in the 1970s, the official Cumbria Way route is predominantly a low-level, flat walk and therefore perfect for a winter backpacking adventure. Some guidebooks offer mountain alternatives for those who prefer summits to the valleys, but these are entirely optional.
Most walkers take five or more days to complete the trail, staying in accommodation along the way. For the luxury approach, opt for quaint B&Bs and eat every night in rustic country inns; for the intrepid approach, pack your tent and winter sleeping bag and go on a wild camping odyssey. Either way, you’ll see so much of the Lake District’s charm and beauty in just a few days. Think wobbly dry stone walls, cute-faced Herdwick sheep, sweeping mountain ridges, jaw-dropping cliff sand crags, towering peaks, tumbling streams and glistening lakes. Plus, if the fells are dusted in snow, the Lakes will be transformed into a postcard-perfect scene of wintry bliss.
HELM CRAG
LAKE DISTRICT
13.5km / 850m
Image credit: James Forrest
Guidebook writer Alfred Wainwright labelled Helm Crag’s summit as better than Scafell, Helvellyn and Skiddaw. He waxed lyrical about the ‘remarkable array of rocks’ that ‘yield a quality of reward out of all proportion to the short and simple climb’. Climbing Helm Crag from Grasmere explores all of these rocky wonders – and they don’t disappoint. But getting to the top of them is not for the faint-hearted, particularly in winter.
First comes The Lion and The Lamb, a dramatic excrescence on the south-east end of the ridge. It does-what-it-says-on-the-tin – resembles a lion and a lamb – and involves a relatively easy scramble to the top. But, alas, this isn’t the true summit. Beyond lies The Howitzer, a fear-inducing slab of angled rock that rises dramatically to claim its status as Helm Crag’s highest point. We wouldn’t advise taking it on in winter, due to the precipitous drops and slippery surface – but don’t worry about not doing it. Alfred Wainwright famously wimped out himself, even in summer, and instead you can focus on completing a delightful circular walk. Take the ridge ahead to Gibson Knott and Calf Crag, before returning via the Far Easedale valley. A classic Lakeland fell walk - even if you don't make it to the true summit.
