UKC

Hi guys, first time poster here , im looking for some advice on a good mountain to hike/climb, maybe in europe. Ive done very little actuall climbing, ive done y3p once and we're doing it again on saturday followed by snowdon next month. Im hoping to do the national 3 peaks at some point but im curious about aiming for something a little farther afield. Me and my friend are reasonably fit and up for a challenge but proabably nothing too dangerous to start off with. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, looking probably for something bigger than snowdon , maybe the 1500-2000m range 

You could try some hiking in the Pyrenees, Austria or Haute Savoie? See how you get on, and if you want to go for bigger mountains after that maybe go on a beginners Alpine course with the BMC? 

Thankyou ! Ill do some research on the places you mentioned and the begginers alpine course. 

The HR10 in the Pyrenees is great, easiest navigation I've ever come across thanks to painted markers on the route. Brilliant views, people and wine!

Sounds perfect , thankyou , ill check it out 

There is also some excellent mountain walking in Majorca and Corsica, the latter best after the middle of June if there has been Spring snow or you may need ice axes and crampons. July and August will be hot in the European mountains, but September and October can be good. Another suggestion is some of the Spanish Sierras - again autumn is good. Treat the Sierra Nevada with respect. They don't look spectacular, but they are big and best avoided if there is any risk of snow if you are beginners - deaths from exposure are too common. Conversely bloody hot in mid summer!

Enjoy!

If considering the uk national 3 peaks i encourage you to read this article by the bmc https://www.thebmc.co.uk/three-peaks-challenge

i think there are a lot better ways to enjoy our mountains. 

I was actaully looking at the corsica gr20 , looks breathtaking but from what ive read its quite difficult so maybe thats one to do further down the line, ill have a look at the others , thanks again 

The GR20 is a great mountain walking experience, if you want spectacular mountain scenery in a managed way with little danger, a line of red and white dashes to follow and the guarantee of  a good refuge at the end of every day's walk. We did the northern half of it S to N  with our then three remaining teenagers, the youngest of whom was just fifteen and none of them known for their love of exercise. That northern half includes the Circe de Solitude, supposedly the most difficult section (it's easy!),  and the first day has a lot of ascent. The kids took it in their stride. In the end, it's a strenuous path, with a beer to hand at the end of every day. 

The youths grumbled now and then at the time, but still talk about it fondly seven years on.

The website on which you have to book the refuges is notoriously fickle mind. I could get no proof out of it that I had actually booked places at refuges, which caused me hassle every night when we were there, and from an earlier thread here, I don't seem to be alone in having had that experience. 

I've done several sections of the GR20 as part of other mountain circuits in Corsica, but never the whole route. Most of it is relatively easy walking, with some sections of fairly exposed scrambling, although the Cirque du la Solitude requires a good head and care. Corsica is a mountain paradise and there is a huge network of well marked footpaths. One of my favourite islands. In June I've done snow and ice climbing high on Paglia Orba one day, and been swimming off a lovely beach the next day in beautiful weather.

Sounds great, maybe the hard part was completing the whole route in on go. GR20 will definately go on my to-do list although id like to try the whole route if i was doing it however theres a fine line between enjoyment and punishment. I dont like the sound of the vague booking precedure though.

Yeah i did a little research on it and i like the idea of the dramatic changes of scenery, looks beautiful. 

Yeah that puts a bit of a dampener on it but at the same time i feel like i need to do the 3 highest peaks in the UK before i venture anywhere else. One of the issues i have is that with spending time with the family its hard to fit these trips in so doing Ben Nevis and Scaffel in one hit would free me up to move onto something else. I know this isnt reallly the ideal way to experience these things but time is precious at the moment.

It is a strenuous walk, no doubt, but on several of the 9 days we were on the route we arrived with plenty of time to relax and get well fed at the refuges. It is, in the end, just a walk, albeit one in a mountain environment with lots of ups and downs, but one  on which I was happy to take my inexperienced, not terribly willing teenage kids, and not, at least in the summer,  some desperate Alpine thing. 

That said, when the weather turned foul on the second day, we did bail, then get back onto the trial after a night in the lowlands (Corte). Just doing that was fun too.

We did not have time, with children, to do the whole route in one go, and so elected to start at Vizzavona, where the NE/SW diagonal railway line crosses the trail, and do the more mountainous northern half.

Don't do the three peaks. After Snowdon just take another trip to do Ben Nevis, that is about the most ascent you will have to do in one day wherever you go.

Don't forget that in the alps the valleys are much higher than they are here - you can quite easily park your car at over 1600m in many places. So the question I have for you, is do you want a bigger day out than a UK mountain (more ascent from the car/chairlift), or simply a higher altitude?

Mettelhorn is a great hill, big enough to be a good challenge, small enough for a day and a 360° panorama view of some of the best mountains in Europe.

Not seen that article before. Seems a bit condescending but I guess the ethos is correct.

I've never understood the reasoning behind going to Wasdale though. We did it via Seathwaite, it reduces your driving by about 2 hours and you get to spend longer walking on mountains.

To the OP..I thought the Y3p was harder than the national to be fair, I'd suggest you do some long mountain walks around Snowdon. Maybe start with the horsehoe, then explore the other ranges, possibly look at doing the 15 either non-stop or over 2 days.

The '3 peaks' aren't the highest in the UK, most of the highest peaks are in Scotland, so there is little point in climbing Ben Nevis and Scafell in one go. Besides, altitude is not an issue on UK hills, it's more about gaining fitness and experience. You could save yourself a lot of time/bother by just heading to one group of hills and putting together your own itinerary. It wouldn't take a great deal of research. Better still, forget about the 'highest anything' as sole criteria and the UK has a host of brilliant small adventures perfect for your progression. Good luck and have fun

Very much what he said! in the UK hight really doesn't make much difference to difficulty. There are vastly better mountain adventures to be had. Not that ive done the 3 peaks but i understand the hardest bit to be the driving, for most people used to walking, whitch tbh sounds shite

They're not pretending to be, they are the highest in Scotland, England and Wales. Climb the peaks in 24 hours, however you choose to travel between them. It's a valid challenge and has just become too popular with people who don't appear to care about nature that's all.

It's still worth doing if that is what you want to do.

It really depends what your reasoning is for wanting to walk in the mountains. If you just want to tick 'highest peak' boxes, then maybe the 3 peaks is for you.

But if you just want an interesting day (or longer) out, with a strenuous climb in nice scenery, then there are hundreds of possibilities. Most of them in Scotland, though, with lesser numbers in England and Wales.

If you're into ticking lists, you could look at the Munros, the Corbetts, the Marilyns, the Wainwrights, the.. etc etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_mountains_and_hills_in_the_British_I...

Even if list-ticking isn't your thing, those lists are a good place to start for things to do.

The op state that he wanted to climb the highest mountains in the UK to get experience for something bigger, hence the reply. I'm perfectly aware of what the 3 peaks are.

Piz Boe

http://www.planetmountain.com/english/Trekking/itineraries/scheda.php?lang=...

A big hill that can be made as hard or as easy as you like depending on your choice of route.

The link shows the shortest option via the cable car but there are other walking routes and Via Ferrata routes.

Edit: Another link (with nice photos) of a slightly tougher route.

https://www.alta-badia.org/en/leisure-activities/mountains-and-hiking/alpin...