Has anyone here climbed Mount Etna or a similar mountain?

[Wheelerdealer]

Im not interested in actually climbing mountains but more the view when you get to the top so Id like some ideas on mountains that are fairly easy to walk up without needing breathing equipment etc..

[Wheelerdealer]

Thinking about it even a mountain that you could drive up would be good as I remember seeing mountains on Tv where the view was a breathtaking awe inspiring one above the clouds.

[redman41]

Snowdon in Wales has a Train which will take you to the Top. Saves walking.

[jno]

you can get to the top of Vesuvius - most of the way by road, last bit on foot. I think Etna requires a good deal of walking, though. The views are ok (the bay of Naples off Vesuvius, the Sicilian coast from Etna) but not stunning. Maybe you need the right cloud patterns. Any special reason why you want a volcano?

[JMR27]

We drove up as far as we could on Mt Etna to where the cafes/gift shops were. We weren't lucky as it was a misty day so there were hardly any views plus it was like trying to climb a gigantic slippery black *** heap.
Are you in the UK? Ben Nevis has tremendous views from the summit (weather permitting) and there's a well-defined path - as long as you're relatively fit and well-prepared in the event of adverse weather conditions.

[Wheelerdealer]

Thanks redman but wales doesn't seem to have the same wow factor due to the weather. Jno It's just something that popped into my mind moments ago when i was watching the program Coachtrip so It's a fairly fresh idea and I'm opened to suggestions.

[JMR27]

Oh dear, I got asterisked..s + lag heap
We'd never go back to Sicily ...hated that holiday!

[237SJ]

I climbed up Kilimanjaro but did the last 6 hours in a blizzard. The clouds parted briefly when I got to the top so I could get a quick view of the glaciers before they closed in again so I didn`t see very much at all. I also climbed Mount Fuji which isn`t too difficult. I was above the clouds and there was a thunderstorm beneath me which was quite spectaular as it was at night. Volcanos are good to climb because there`s always an interesting crater to peer into at the top.

[Wheelerdealer]

Lol so JMR27 it was not as exotic as I just seen on Tv it seems. Ben Nevis again is in the Uk and our weather is terrible. What starts off as a quest for inspiration would probably end up turning into a search and rescue mission knowing this weather and my luck.

[JMR27]

For the wow factor try Yosemite - utterly awesome and you can drive up to some terrific heights - the views are wonderful.

[Wheelerdealer]

Wow 237SJ, that sounds like you had an exciting time, which experience did you rate as the best?

[237SJ]

Kilimanjaro without a doubt. It was pretty difficult but I`ll never forget it. I wouldn`t mind doing it again but I`d want to camp the night at the top. When I see pictures of it now I can`t believe how the glaciers are disappearing.

[boxtops]

Mount Tiede on Tenerife is the highest point in the Canaries - you get up into the foothills by car or coach, then there is a cable car up to within a couple of hundred feet of the summit. The won't let you walk right up to the top unless you have certificate of fitness from your doctor, it's over 4000 ft, I get breathless at the bottom of the cable car!

[Wheelerdealer]

JMR27 I've just had a google search on images and what a breathtaking place though I can remember a program about Super Volcanos saying that they expect the one at Yosemite to erupt in the nearish future and it will be a big one and as It's forest there are many bears in the vicinity so things have the potential to get very hairy indeed!

[JMR27]

In Sicily I despatched mr jmr to climb to the very top of Etna and look into the crater - he returned covered in black ash and said something like 'what a waste of time' lol

237SJ obviously visits more up-market volcanoes than we do :o)

[Wheelerdealer]

Boxtops that sounds great as i would like to combine a clubbing holiday as well as climbing a mountain, what's the nightlife like there?

[Wheelerdealer]

JMR27 he got covered in ash just looking into the volcano? Did he fall in? lol, does it still smoke?

[JMR27]

Hi Wheelerdealer, no it's the volcano at Yellowstone which is due an eruption not Yosemite. If the Yellowstone volcano blows I think we'll all have had it no matter where we are.

[Wheelerdealer]

My memory and geography needs an overhaul I think JMR27!

[JMR27]

No he didn't fall in lol - it's just that he was at times knee-deep in shale + cinders. Yes, there were the occasional plumes of smoke. Take my advice and skip Sicily.

[Wheelerdealer]

Thanks JMR27 I'll keep that in mind!