Trail UK – February 2025

Summary

Ben Weeks argues Yr Wyddfa still rules on page 16, while Fliss Freeborn pitches Ben Venue as its quieter neighbour in Trail February 2025. The UK's best-selling hillwalking magazine takes readers inside an Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue call-out, maps 6 OS-backed routes from the Black Mountains to the Trossachs, and tests 6 winter boots and 6 gloves head-to-head. Your 2025 bucket list starts here, with Alpine hikes and Langdale scrambles.

Editors Oli Reed and the Trail team stack 12 pages of long-term gear tests, a Masterclass on kit you did not know you needed, and a Nature Diary on foxes beside a full Alpine long-distance feature. Laura Collins picks 3 of the best Alpine hikes, while the Mountain Rescue feature with Team Lead Alistair Read walks through what happens after the call. Regulars such as Peak of the Month (Pavey Ark), Base Camp news and Out There reader tales fill the front book.

A 7-page walk planner covers Waun Fach, the Berwynion, Cotswolds Way, Sheffield Pike, Beinn Mhor and a Yr Wyddfa-Moel Eilio loop, each with Ordnance Survey mapping. The Ultimate Weekends section gives Langdale Trio and Arrochar Alps as two-day itineraries. Subscription and OS Maps offers close the issue, alongside Rab's down-alternative jacket deep-dive in the Insider column.

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Content Guide

▸ Features / Mountain Rescue

p.16 · In praise of Yr Wyddfa
Ben Weeks defends Britain's most popular mountain against the crowd-haters, digging into its geology, routes and why its护栏 allure still holds. Pick one less-travelled ridge for your next ascent and leave the Llanberis Path to first-timers.

p.24 · Buttermere's secret rake
A High Crag adventure via Sheepbone Rake that dodges the tourist conga line. The scramble route stays exposed but logical. Link it with Red Pike for a full Langdale-style circuit before the midday crowds arrive.

p.32 · Choose Ben Venue
Fliss Freeborn makes the case for ditching Ben Nevis in favour of this Trossachs neighbour with summit views across Loch Katrine. Park at the Ledard Farm car park and take the direct ridge line for a 5-hour round trip that punches above its height.

p.38 · Behind the scenes with Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue
Team Lead Alistair Read walks through a typical call-out from the 999 handover to the stretcher carry-off. Know your six-digit grid reference before you dial and keep a head torch in your shell jacket year-round.

▸ Gear

p.48 · Insider: Rab's closest thing to a down jacket
Rab's synthetic alternative gets taken apart layer by layer. It packs smaller than most insulated jackets in its class and dries faster when wet. Stash it as a belay parka for wet Scottish winter days.

p.50 · Six of the Best Gloves for winter
From liner-weight to expedition mitts, Trail's test team graded dexterity, warmth and waterproof-breathability across 6 models. The winner combined a leather palm with a removable fleece liner.

p.56 · Six of the Best Winter hiking boots
B1 to B3 categories tested on frozen scree and wet grass. The standout pair used a full rubber rand and a Vibram outsole that held edges on icy traverses without crampons.

p.60 · Used & abused: Long-term tests
Gear that has survived a full season of Trail editors gets a final verdict. One waterproof jacket logged 180 days before delamination — that is the replacement trigger to watch for.

▸ Routes / Ultimate Weekends

p.79 · Langdale Trio, Lake District
A 2-day circuit bagging Pavey Ark, Harrison Stickle and Pike o' Stickle with a night at the Old Dungeon Ghyll. The Jack's Rake scramble on Pavey Ark is the highlight but should be skipped in wet conditions.

p.89 · Three of the best Alpine hikes
Laura Collins picks the Tour du Mont Blanc, the Haute Route and the Dolomites Alta Via 1 as three long-distance goals. Each route has hut-to-hut logistics summarised in a decision-table format.

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Editor's Take

Trail's February issue earns its shelf price through the Mountain Rescue insider piece and the OS-backed route pull-out — material a weekend walker will reach for repeatedly. The gear section is unusually strong: 6-page boot test, 6-page glove test and a long-term abuse column that gives honest delamination timelines. What drags the issue down is the thinness of the front-of-book — Base Camp and Out There together run just 4 pages, and the Nature Diary entry on foxes feels like filler. The Alpine hikes feature is solid but compresses three major routes into a spread that deserved double the space. This is for the hillwalker who wants buying advice and route inspiration in one package, not for the armchair adventurer.

Strengths
• Mountain Rescue call-out narrative with Alistair Read
• 6-boot and 6-glove comparative test
• 7 OS-mapped walking routes with grid references

Weaknesses
• Front-of-book sections feel padded
• Alpine feature cramped into too few pages

Verdict: Recommended — A strong gear-and-routes issue held back by thin front sections, best for winter walkers planning their 2025 season.