Rock climbing and mountaineering

If you want to experience wide panoramas without leaving terra firma, why not try mountain climbing or rock climbing? Britain has a number of challenging peaks that cry out to be scaled. Rock climbing was pioneered in Britain over a century ago and today there are thousands of enthusiasts and numerous indoor walls. But the best buzz comes from climbing outdoors.

First class mountaineering areas are the mountains of Scotland (especially the northwest), favourite spots include Glen Coe, the Ben Nevis area and the Cuillin Ridge on Skye. England’s main draw for long routes is the Lake District (www.lakedistrictoutdoors.co.uk), while the Peak District (www.dangeroussite.com/) is home to world-famous gritstone ‘edges’ of Stanage and Froggat and the limestone cliffs of the Yorkshire Dales (www.yorkshiredalesguides.co.uk/climbing.htm) offer great possibilities too.