BIG HITS AND B-SIDES
BRITAIN’S MOUNTAINS are full of the hillwalking equivalent of classic songs. We’re all familiar with these Top 10 hits, these classic A-sides. They are often classics for a good reason, taking walkers to the top of our highest summits, or through the finest terrain, or along the airiest ridges.
But for every classic track, flip the disc and there’s another side to be discovered: a lesser-trodden alternative to the big hit, offering a different slant on a well-known peak or a place of refuge from the honeypots.
These more modest mountain songs provide the perfect foil to the razzmatazz of their famous siblings, shedding new light on familiar ground. And they often come with a fraction of the crowds, without suffering in quality. Get away from the well-worn grooves – even by just a little – and you can be amazed at how easy it is to get a piece of mountain heaven to yourself. And given the well-publicised pressure on our most popular routes, opting for the less obvious option is always to be encouraged. So we asked a few of our regular contributors for their finest 7-inch slabs of classic mountain soul – plus their favourite ‘B-sides’ – in five of Britain’s greatest mountain regions. Vinyl is back, but the classics never went away.
NORTH-WEST CLASSICS
by James Roddie
A-SIDE AN TEALLACH
Universally revered by hillwalkers and scramblers, An Teallach is fully deserving of its reputation. It is perhaps the most impressive mountain in the UK, and its main ridge traverse is a route of uninterrupted interest and quality. Whilst it can be hard to define the individual character of some hills, An Teallach leaves little
