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UK Mountain Classifications - Bridgets

Despite the best efforts of various UK Mountain Classification Systems some worthy and quite well known Hills and Mountains just don't quite make the grade.

 

For example, every year thousands of people climb to the top of Mam Tor near Castleton in the Derbyshire Peak District, enjoy the splendid view from the Trig Point (see walks d123  d158  d229  d252  ) and descend again satisfied they have 'bagged' one of The Peak District's most famous hills.

 

But Mam Tor fails to meet the criteria laid down by any sensible UK Mountain Classification System because it is not a 'stand-alone' hill. In fact it is part of a long ridge that sweeps in from Win Hill (Winhill Pike) to the East and continues WSW over Lord's Seat before heading NW to Brown Knoll and up onto Kinder Scout. At no point on the ridge either side of Mam Tor does the ground descend far enough for it to get any 'official' recognition (i.e. 30m or 100ft).

 

Yet anyone who has climbed Mam Tor will tell you what a fine big hill it is offering fantastic views. Indeed, it would be remiss of any self-respecting hill walker not to climb it just because it failed to meet some mathematical formula and/or wasn't on a particular tick list.

 

The same is true of Wansfell Pike in the Lake District. Many Lakeland Walkers set out from Ambleside and climb up to the cairn on Wansfell Pike, marvel at the expansive views of Windermere and head back down again satisifed they have bagged a Lakeland fell.

 

Except that Wansfell Pike isn't 'officially' a Lakeland fell at all because Wansfell Pike is connected by a shallow ridge to a 2nd, slightly higher hill to the north called Baystones (Wansfell) - and Baystones (Wansfell) gets all the glory because it is classified as a 'Wainwright'.

 

Wansfell Pike is however, well worth climbing and ticking off your own personal list (see walk c177  ) and you needn't visit Baystones when you are up there if you don't want to. Besides, the view from Wansfell Pike is better than the one from Baystones (Wansfell).

 

So because Mam Tor and Wansfell Pike are worthwhile places to walk to that you might otherwise miss - we have decided to give these places a classification all of their own - Bridgets.

 

To qualify as a Bridget the hill/mountain must:

  1. Fail to meet the criteria of any other reasonable and sensible Hill & Mountain Classification System, and
  2. Be somewhere worth walking to.

Working your way through a tick list of hills can bring added purpose and inspiration to your walking.

 

It offers measurable results (i.e. hills visited and 'ticked/bagged') - whilst suggesting new places to walk and explore that you may not have otherwise considered (i.e. hills to be 'ticked/bagged').
 
In any event if it gets you out from in front of this computer screen and into the UK Hills and Mountains - that is reason enough.

 

If you feel we have omitted from our list of Bridgets a hill or location that deserves to be included - then email the and tell us why.

 

Some of the more common UK Mountain Classifications:

 

Mountains in England:

Hewitts (& sub-Hewitts) | Wainwrights | Wainwright Outliers | Bridgets

 

Mountains in Scotland:

Corbetts | Donalds (& Donald Tops) | Grahams |

Munros (& Munro Tops) | Murdos (& Murdo Tops) | Bridgets

 

Mountains in Wales:

Hewitts (& sub-Hewitts) | Bridgets

 

We are busy creating a complete set of Downloadable 'Mountain Tick Lists and Peak Bagging' pdf files for the UK. Each includes a Location Map and Tick List of hills and mountains by area.

 

A Mountain is a Mountain isn't it?
- What makes a mountain a mountain (and not a hill)

 

Peak Bagging
- How to get started

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