The Mountains

Last updated: September 2026

The Saas Valley is home to one of the highest concentrations of 4,000ers in the Alps, with 18 4,000m peaks surrounding the valley. These range from Allalinhorn, one of the most popular first 4,000m peaks, to more technical summits such as Lenzspitze. Nadelhorn sits somewhere in between: a step up from the easier 4,000ers, but without becoming overly technical.

At 4,327m, Nadelhorn is also firmly in the big leagues, with the normal route from the Mischabelhütte requiring an alpine start for a glacier crossing before an airy climb up the Northeast Ridge. On paper, the route is a relatively straightforward PD route – but as we found out, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s straightforward on the day.

Last updated: September 2026

The Atlas Mountains stretch across North Africa, forming a natural barrier between the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean. The range tops out in the High Atlas at Mount Toubkal (4,167m), the highest peak in Morocco and North Africa. Characterised by an arid landscape, the Atlas Mountains stand in stark contrast to their European counterpart, the Alps. In summer, the peaks are dry and scree-clad, while winter brings snow and ice that transform the mountains. Yes, it does snow in Africa.

Climbing Toubkal is one of the most accessible ways to reach 4,000m, and its popularity has grown in recent years, helped by relatively low guide fees and social media coverage. The trek starts from Imlil, at the base of the Toubkal National Park, which is home to the majority of Morocco’s 4,000m peaks. Despite being one of the main tourist hubs in the Atlas Mountains, Imlil is a far cry from Alpine resort towns - there are no cable cars or luxury hotels, just a handful of food shops and some outdoor stores renting out battered mountaineering kit. This rural setting is part of the appeal; you climb the whole mountain with minimal creature comforts.

Last updated: July 2026

Sitting above the popular tourist hub of Keswick is the little summit of Latrigg, overlooked, quite literally, by Skiddaw to the north and the more popular Catbells to the south.

No summit in The Lakes exceeds 1,000m, and yet the landscape is one where the line between hill and mountain is blurred. Scafell Pike is a definite mountain, as is Helvellyn. Latrigg sits at the other end of the spectrum -  a modest 368m, grassy and unassuming.

Why dedicate a page to it then?



Because the walk to Latrigg’s summit offers one of the best effort-to-view ratios in the Lake District, the walk is extremely accessible - one that the whole family can enjoy, year-round. There are days to test yourself, but now and then it’s good to take a stroll and soak up the views.

Last updated: July 2026

There are a few fells in the Lake District that have obtained sticker status – the kind you’ll see plastered across water bottles and rucksacks (guilty). Catbells is one of those fells; its unassuming stature (451m) holding its own against the greats of Scafell Pike and Helvellyn, despite being barely half their height.

Unlike Scafell Pike, Catbells is an easy half-day route, making it a perfect option when there’s a brief gap in the weather. We climbed Catbells in December as a more relaxed day between two bigger days on Skiddaw’s north-west ridge and Scafell Pike. Whilst the day started dry and clear, it soon turned into a traipse in the rain – which is, funny enough, much the same experience I remember from climbing the same hill in August as a kid.

Last updated: September 2026

Allalinhorn isn’t exactly a famous name outside of climbing circles – I hadn’t heard of it before booking a trip to Saas-Fee. It doesn’t have the looks of the Matterhorn or the legendary status of Mont Blanc, but it does have a reputation as one of the more “friendly” 4,000m peaks in the Alps. The Alps have over eighty of these so-called “4,000ers” and, while most require long treks to refuges, tricky ridges or a painfully early alarm clock, Allalinhorn is a little more forgiving for us mortals. Thanks to Saas-Fee’s lift infrastructure, two separate cable cars followed by the MetroAlpin (the highest underground funicular in the world), you can be standing on a glacier with crampons and an ice axe within an hour. All this infrastructure makes it feel almost like cheating, but we weren’t complaining.

That convenience makes it popular, though. The first funicular is usually heaving with climbers. From our hotel in the valley, we’d already seen a winding line of people making their way up the glacier on the Saas-Fee webcam. We ended up taking a later lift, at least partly by design, and while this meant there were fewer people on the mountain, it also meant crossing snow bridges that were softening under the late-morning sun.