Finishing the Hewitts, aged 74, I felt I wasn’t quite ready to give up. So I needed a new target, and the Simms of England and Wales provided it.
First, the definition. Hewitts are an odd mix – 2000ft (imperial) of elevation, with 30m (metric) of re-ascent. The Simms get around that by having a nice round 600m of elevation with the same 30m of re-ascent, so safely metric throughout. Simms stands, I believe, as an acronym for SIx-hundred Metre Mountains.
Now the difference between 600m and 2000ft is not great; 600m is just over 1968ft. In Wales, there are only 14 Simms that are not also Hewitts. When I had finished my Hewitts, I had already climbed two of these – and, annoyingly, been within half a mile or so, sometimes just feet, of three more. But they are spread nicely across the main hill areas and will provide much enjoyment over the next few years.
No certificate at the end though.
The two I had climbed earlier were Foel Goch, a Snowdon / Yr Wyddfa outlier, and Foel Lwyd, in the foothills of the Carneddau. Both appear on my Northern Snowdonia page. In 2026 I climbed the two in the Berwyn, and they appear on the middle tab below.