The TRAIL 100 – 12 new summits

In the January 2020 issue of TRAIL magazine, it was announced that in the February 2020 issue (published in December 2019) there would be a feature about the TRAIL 100 list – "THE UK'S ULTIMATE MOUNTAIN TICK-LIST".  I thought that it would be a revisit of the original list first published in the April 2007 issue but looking at the teaser list of mountains I noticed that Slioch was included; Slioch wasn't on the original list.

I Googled "TRAIL 100" which returned the Live For The Outdoors website and I followed the link.  I wasn't expecting anything new on that page as TRAIL magazine generally doesn't populate links until after the relevant issue has been published.  But this time I was in luck – the "new" TRAIL 100 list was there in its (almost) entirety.  There were 99 mountains listed; the missing entry was Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland but this was just an oversight which Oli Reed (TRAIL’s editor) confirmed after I tweeted him.

The new list had changed – 12 summits had been removed from the list and replaced by 12 new ones.

The 12 summits that are no longer on the list are:

            Beinn Tarsuinn                         Arran

            Bleaklow Head                         Peak District

            Cadair Berwyn                          Berwyns

            Cairn Toul                                 Cairngorms

            Clougha Pike                            Lancashire

            High Pike                                  Lake District – Northern Fells

            High Raise                                Lake District – Central Fells

            Hound Tor                                 Dartmoor

            Loughrigg Fell                          Lake District – Central Fells

            Moel Ysgyfarnogod                  Rhinogs

            Rhobell Fawr                             Arenigs

            Worcestershire Beacon           Malverns

Of the 12, I have already ticked 8:

            Bleaklow Head, Cadair Berwyn, Clougha Pike, High Pike, High Raise, Hound Tor

            Loughrigg Fell & Worcestershire Beacon.

3 of the 4 unticked old summits are on my own ticklist either as Nuttalls (Moel Ysgyfarnogod & Rhobell Fawr) or as a Scottish 4000-foot summit (Cairn Toul).  I will keep Beinn Tarsuinn on my ticklist; I'll be able to tick it when I head to Arran to tick Goatfell.

The 12 summits that have been added to the updated list are:

            Ben Lawers                              Scottish Highlands – Loch Tay

            Ben More                                  Scottish Highlands – Crianlarich

            Braeriach                                  Cairngorms

            Cat Bells                                   Lake District – North Western Fells

            Crib Goch                                 Snowdon

            Ill Bell                                        Lake District – Far Eastern Fells

            Pen yr Ole Wen                        Carneddau

            Slioch                                        Scottish Highlands – Letterewe Forest

            The Devil's Point                      Cairngorms

            Y Garn                                       Glyderau

            Yr Aran                                      Snowdon

            Yr Eifl                                        Lleyn Peninsula

Of these 12, I have already ticked 6:

            Cat Bells, Crib Goch, Ill Bell, Pen yr Ole Wen, Y Garn & Yr Aran.

Only 1 of the 6 unticked new summits is already on my own ticklist as a Scottish 4000-foot summit – Braeriach.  All 5 of Ben Lawers, Ben More, Slioch, The Devil's Point & Yr Eifl will be added to my ticklist.

My ticklist includes the (old) TRAIL 100 summits and I had stood on the top of 64 of them.  Now that the list has been updated, that total has decreased to 62!

Overall I think that the updated list has a greater validity than the old.  The Lake District fells that have gone won’t be missed although Loughrigg Fell will have its supporters.  To me, Bleaklow is just a big peaty mess and Clougha Pike should never have been included as one of the UK’s 100 “finest”.

For those added to the list, I’m sure that people will be able to debate the inclusion of each of them.  I wouldn’t have chosen Pen yr Ole Wen but Slioch is probably the most deserving addition – I’m looking forward to visiting it.

However, whether the mountains listed deserve their place or not, I’ll be aiming to complete both the old and new versions of the TRAIL 100 list.  This means 112 summits and as I have already climbed 70 of them, I only need 42 to finish the task.