Product Description

Ridges are epic. Graceful carved walkways slung between summits, twisted spines of stone - these can be the most beautiful of mountain landforms. With elegant lines and giddy exposure, ridge climbs emit a powerful siren call, drawing us out onto the rocks. Life on the edge has a special quality, born of the contrast of empty space all around, and intricate detail in close-up. The crests are strangely irresistible. Scotland's ridges are among the finest mountaineering lines in the country, every one a unique adventure. The variety of these routes reflects the breadth of the mountain experience: a rich mix of summer scrambles, technical rock and challenging winter climbs. This book covers both the popular classics and some obscure gems, aiming to celebrate these thrilling climbs as much as to document them. The chosen selection spans the grade range, with routes to suit all levels of ability. Whether an earthbound hillwalker or an accomplished climber, Scotland's ridges cannot fail to stir your imagination.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #57205 in Books
• Brand: Cicerone
• Published on: 2008-02-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
In short, this is a fantastic little book, which selects the best of Scotland's ridges, the best ways and days of enjoying them. Whether an enthusiastic young walker looking to move onto steeper ground, or a more experienced climber wanting to re-visit the scene of former triumphs, this book will prove stimulating to both and deserves a place in the bookshelf. Scottish Mountaineer, May 2006 Each of the 48 routes included in the guide is graded for difficulty, and features a navigable detailed route description. The in depth information, route maps and topos are what will be useful on the ground, but it's the photography that will get you out the door with your bootlaces still undone. Why bother with Europe when you eye's are opened to these gems.' Adventure Travel Magazine May/June 2006 There is no doubt that this book will prove of most value to mountaineers. Highly recommended.' Irish Mountain Log, Summer 2006 'I have always thought that if mountains were not meant to be climbed they wouldn't have grown ridges, what can be more natural than wanting to scale them? Included, as you would expect, are classic traverses of Aonach Eagagh, An Teallach, Liathach, the Black Cullin Ridge, along with lesser-know gems - Marathon Ridge on Ben Lair and Northeast Ridge of Sgurr Ghiubhsachain. Dan Bailey is a man who knows and loves his hills. To those who claim his book will merely encourage yet more feet on to our fragile mountains, he has this to say "If more people were inspired to visit the Highlands then perhaps their protection might move farther up the nation's agenda." And speaking as someone who rarely reads guidebooks, Scotland's Mountain Ridges certainly inspired me.' (The Scots magazine / March 2007) Also check out the reviews and articles on the following websites: Scotclimb.org.uk Ukclimbing.com (Aonach Eagach article) Ukclimbing.com (Tower Ridge article) Ukclimbing.com (Review) Mountaindays.net Planetfear.com

About the Author
A Londoner by birth - if not inclination - Dan Bailey escaped the Metropolitan gravity field, travelling extensively, and orbiting through Yorkshire, the Lakes and Snowdonia. He has come to rest in Edinburgh, happily settled with a good woman. Half-heartedly bodging all manner of jobs from outdoor retail to industrial abseiling, Dan finally chose to write about travel and mountains, subjects that are close to his heart. It's a meagre living, but the fun outweighs the poverty. His work has featured in Adventure Travel, The Sunday Times, Trail, High, The List, The Sunday Herald and Scotland on Sunday, among others. He has climbed and walked in North and South America, North Africa, Asia and throughout Europe and the UK. He's seen the rest, but still insists that Scotland is the best. Ridges are a particular passion, though having climbed so many for this book he'd now like to climb more deep dank gullies, just for a change of scene.

Customer Reviews

A climbing guide for real people
I really like the way Dan presents some of Scotland's most spectacular ridges. He provides invaluable information and shares his experience in a way that is inviting, not intimidating. He breaks down each section into approach, climb, continuation, and descent - really useful stuff. As a climber who started climbing Munros at age 50, I find some guides geared towards the super-fit or professional climbers. Dan's book is full of sound advice and the pictures are of ordinary people - not the professionals. I simply love Scotland's high and wild places, and Dan's book is the one I'll keep in my rucksack. Even if you don't climb at all, you'll enjoy the pictures and his vivid descriptions.

Reminiscent Ridges
For mountaineers there is something especially attractive and appealing about mountain ridges. It is to do with their aesthetically elegant and spectacular form embracing classic lines that provide open and airy climbing in thrilling situations, plus the traditional objective of coupling to summits. There are arêtes and buttresses for rock-climbers or scramblers according to technical difficulties, with hillside shoulders or linking high level traverses for fell-walkers, and all combinations in between. This whole spectrum is covered in `Scotland's Mountain Ridges' including tackling ridges in both summer and winter.

Probably my favourite British mountain expedition is the Cuillin Traverse on Skye and I am delighted Dan Bailey led up to this for his finale. I happen to agree with his selection of routes where all my Scottish favourites are included together with a few I don't know but am inspired to find out. A minor quibble may arise over definitions - for example from his first three choices I accept Arran's A'Chir Traverse as one of the greatest of Scotland's skyline `Moderate' ridges, and having done the nearby `VS' Rosa Pinnacle a couple of times I believe it is the best rock climb on Arran - but wonder why these sandwich the `Severe' Pagoda Ridge when it is not really a ridge? And is the range of grades set too wide? Whatever - `Scotland's Mountain Ridges' stirs happy memories spanning from a walk around the Ring of Steall, through light-hearted clambering on Stac Pollaidh to serious scrambling on An Teallach, with exhilarating climbing on Eagle Ridge or on the Ben's ridges, plus a winter epic on the Aonach Eagach and a hair-raising winter ascent of Dorsal Arête in a gale force wind - and many more.

`Scotland's Mountain Ridges' is bigger than usual `guidebook' size and even than `normal' book proportions, and though it is hardly a `coffee-table' publication its larger size benefits the marvellous photographs accompanying selected routes. Photographs include views and assist mountain identification, but are mainly action shots to support route descriptions - as are the entertaining and enlightening comments at commencement of each chapter and the various sketches throughout. This is a book to enthuse readers rather than serve as a manual or guide. Accordingly the notes on techniques, hazards etc. are brief, and the ridge descriptions lack pitch lengths. For the 48 selected ridges there are details on location (with maps), access, distance, time, height etc. but I am left uncertain what target audience is envisaged, and I suspect Dan Bailey wrote his book largely for himself - as the book cover states it celebrates as well as documents. I applaud this - it's for people like me who want to recall and revel in past experiences - and for that it deserves 5 stars. As a guidebook I would grant it only 3 stars, and hence my 4-star award. Producing `Scotland's Mountain Ridges' was clearly a labour of love for Dan Bailey - I wish I'd written it!

Fantastic
It's a great idea to collect the best ridges in Scotland into one book and it turns out there isn't space for them all in this one book - the appendix lists another 40 odd (mainly climbs). The book is written with a marvelous energy and joie de vivre that really draws you in; the maps are great and the photos too. It's a lovely book. I am a walker, not a climber, and, despite the subtitle, there are many routes in here suitable for reasonably experienced hillwalkers with a good head for heights. Do the winter routes as summer walks and Creise, Ring of Steall, Aonach Eagach, Liathach and many others become accessible to us mortals. Some additional route planning to cut out short climbing sections also opens up a number of the other routes given. Of course a good number of the routes are serious climbs. You'll never find me on Tower Ridge Ben Nevis, but, in summer, you might find me on the adjoining Ledge Route. Fantastic book, highly recommended to all who love the Scottish highlands.