As well as compiling the Awards I've also written about interesting new gear that I saw at the Outdoor Trade Show back in June. Some of this might well be in the Awards next year.
The theme of this issue is 'tales from thin places ..... places with porous boundaries, portals to the unseen'. To that end Hanna Lindon explores upland legends from around Britain and Emily Zobel Marshall knits past, present and legend together on an adventure over the Welsh 3000s.
On the Isle of Skye David Lintern and friends have an adventure on the Cuillin Ridge, noting that 'any time on the ridge is threshold-altering'.
In the far north of Sweden Mark Waring describes a different though equally challenging adventure as he and his companions packraft the great Pitealven river.
The opening big picture by James Roddie shows a dramatic Glen Affric in autumn with golden trees and snow-capped mountains.
In shorter pieces Nadia Shaikh describes the ptarmigan, one of my favourite birds. I review Ian Crofton's excellent book Upland: A Journey through Time and the Hills. Andrew Wang writes about diversity, access to the outdoors, and nature connection. Jim Perrin's Mountain Portrait looks at the Herefordshire Beacon and the Malvern Hills. Trail of the Month is Glyndwr's Way in Mid-Wales, described by Francesca Donovan. In her advice column, Uphill Struggles, Juls Stodel considers digestion and gut health.
Wild Walks has a bothies theme. In the NW Highlands Norman Hadley has a bothy stay while climbing Maol Chean-Dearg and An Ruadh-Stac and James Roddie does the same while visiting Bidein a' Choire Sheasgaich and Lurg Mhor. In Northumberland Vivienne Crow walks the Pennine Way over Ravens Knowe and enjoys a night in Spithope bothy. Ian Battersby does the same at Warnscale Head Bothy on a walk over the Buttermere Fells in the Lake District and at Greenhaw Hut in the Yorkshire Dales on a trip to Aysgarth Falls. In Wales Andrew Galloway goes to Cae Amos bothy in Eryri/Snowdonia and Roger Butler climbs Drygarn Fawr and stays at Moel Prysgau bothy in Mid Wales.
