I started climbing in my late teens, but I wasn’t passionate about it back then. My first experience was being dragged up peaks by my parents; freezing cold with nothing to see. But later on, when I was a little bit tougher and had more of an idea of what I wanted to do, I tried it again and got totally hooked. I’m still totally hooked now – if I spend any time away from mountains, especially Snowdonia, I begin to feel it really quite badly.
Only a small percentage of people go climbing, so you instantly take yourself away from the crowds, and find a little bit of paradise on the rocks. I’m not a great technical climber, but over the years it has given me the opportunity to see wonderful corners of Britain that I wouldn’t have been able to experience any other way.
My favourite climb is St Kilda, west of Benbecula in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. It’s incredibly remote, with the highest sea cliffs in Britain.
I had the opportunity of climbing a new route there with climbing legend Dave “Cubby” Cuthbertson. We had to abseil down to the water’s edge before we could begin the climb and it took most of the day; it was a rare privilege – it’s highly regulated because of the important and rare species of birds there.
St Kilda has got everything you would want, from wilderness to incredible landscapes, towering cliff faces that drop down into wild seas and wildlife all around.
Britain has some of the finest climbing on the planet, with a sense of wilderness that rivals anywhere else on earth. You can be on a rock face watching crashing waves and feeling a million miles away but because we’re a small isle, you’re never really that remote; there’s always a village nearby.
Climbing is sociable for me – I climb with friends; there’s a profound connection to the rope and an awareness that you are maintaining someone else’s life. In modern life, when you’re talking about putting your life in someone else’s hands, it’s usually trivial but when you’re climbing it’s very real.
Most climbers today tend to be quite sinuous with great strength-to-body weight ratio – they are more like gymnasts than sportsmen. I’m not like that. But your build is less important than the desire to climb to your limits. Your will and mental fortitude matters much more than your physical strength. Great climbers are mentally strong.
What drives me on is the thrill of standing on the summit of a peak. Even at the top of a small hill or mountain, you can feel king of the world. The views are bigger, you can have several counties in your gaze, and it’s incredibly liberating.
As told to Emma Cook
Mountain: A Life on the Rocks by Steve Backshall is published by Orion, £14.99.
Steve’s top five climbs
Welsh 3000s
My favourite route in Snowdonia takes in all the 3,000 peaks – known as the Welsh 3000s Challenge – with a huge breadth of landscape. Navigation needs to be sharp and you need to be in good shape, but it’s a great achievement – you feel as if you’re a million miles from anywhere when you reach the summit of Snowdon.
Where Three ranges with 15 summits in Snowdonia.
Height 992m.
Level and type of climb Requires stamina to complete the 3000s challenge; all 15 peaks in 24 hours.
Time taken I took nine hours, but you could do it over several days.
Ben Nevis
The north face of Ben Nevis in winter is a proving ground for mountaineers. It’s the most alpine in scale that we have in the UK, and is where the greatest mountaineers have learnt their trade. It can be extraordinarily challenging, but there are also some classic routes that are quite easy.
Where Western end of the Grampian Mountains close to Fort William.
Height 1,346m above sea level – the highest mountain in Britain.
Level and type of climb There’s a ange of classic scrambles and rock climbs for beginners and advanced.
Time taken This depends on route but if you follow a walking path, you can do it in around five hours.
Bosigran
These vast slabs of extremely solid granite in Cornwall are an incredibly beautiful place to explore for beginners and experts alike. It’s a very special place with amazing views and some of the most classic climbing routes in the country, which can be long, but also quite easy. One of the best beginner routes is the Commando ridge – nice and easy climbing.
Where West Penwith on the tip of the Cornish peninsula.
Height 32m.
Level and type of climb A range of easy and challenging climbs.
Time taken A couple of hours.
The Cuillin Ridge
Skye is a major hotspot for wildlife and wildnerness and this is a remarkable place to climb. Cuillin is one of the finest mountaineering routes in the country, very exposed with sheer drops and amazing views of the sea and other mountains around you.
Where A range of rocky mountains on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.
Height 992m.
Level and type of climb It’s a long climb, but not that hard and well worth the effort.
Time taken Usually up to two days.
Dancing Ledge
Part of the Jurassic coast, Dancing Ledge is a flat area of rock at the base of a small cliff. It’s the closest place for me to climb, and there is a huge range of routes. There are small, safe climbs but also formidable sea cliffs, which can be very challenging. Spectacular scenery – lots of craggy rocks and crashing waves – and Swanage is only a couple of miles away.
Where Near Langton Matravers in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset.
Height 110m.
Level and type of climb Great range from easy to challenging
Time taken A couple of hours to all day.
Tips for beginners
I was very much a self-taught climber and I’ve had a fair few misses when I was getting started. It’s much better to go to climbing centres where you can learn quickly in a matter of days, and in safety.
One of the fastest-growing activities in the UK is indoor climbing, so I would recommend a climbing wall which is safer than football in your local park. It’s great for mastering skills for getting started, as well as meeting other climbers at a similar level as you.
Climbing centres around the UK
Ice Factor, Lochaber, near Ben Nevis, has the world’s biggest indoor ice climbing walls.
The Castle climbing centre in Stoke Newington, north London, is one of Europe’s busiest.
Climbing Works in Sheffield has the world’s biggest bouldering wall.
Bloc climbing centre in Bristol has more than 1,200m of indoor climbing surface.
