Cross-country ski to summit Hedgehope Hill in The Cheviot Hills

Описание: A trek on cross country skis in the exceptional weather which saw freezing temperatures and snow. It turned out to be a real trial with un-skiable and un-walkable terrain. Total time of six hours with no stops…

Hedgehope Hill is a mountain in the Cheviot Hills of north Northumberland in northeast England, and categorised as a Hewitt. It is the second-highest mountain in the area after The Cheviot itself. At a height of 714 metres (2,343 ft) and a distance of about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the Scottish border, it is best climbed from Langleeford in the Harthope Valley, over which it looms.

Me and experienced climber, Rod Molyneux made the trip together. The first part of the ascent was relatively easy, with shelter from the wind and sun in our faces. The conditions were superb and rarely experienced. The traverse across the foothill below Hedgehope Hill was lovely, with the skis gliding nicely in a smooth skating motion. The climb up to the summit was tough, but doable, reaching the top was met with severe cold wind, with a wind chill factor making the effective temperature well below zero.

We didn't plan to hang around at all, as there is absolutely no shelter, so we headed down, and discovered the reality of the descent with wind blown choppy neve snow, in patches with heather that caught our skis. This was tough. Reaching the lower slopes we resorted to skinning up to prevent breaking through the crusty snow surface to thigh depth making travel slow if not impossible. We were making poor progress at this time and hadn't had the opportunity for a real stop, but with the time approaching 4pm, we were running out of light so crossed the traverse quickly, past the crags and down to a very welcome car. Six hours in total. Absolutely shattering but very rewarding in hindsight!

The link to the Outdoor Active map is here: https://www.outdooractive.com/en/trac.... Let me know if you make the trip.