A Look At The February Issue Of The Great Outdoors

 
The February issue of The Great Outdoors is available now. In fact it has been for a while so my look inside is a little late. Apologies! Time is flying by.

Anyway, my contribution to this issue is a review of MSR's interesting new Switch Stove System.

Also in the Gear pages Alex Roddie and Kirsty Pallas review four pairs of hiking trousers each and Kirsty Pallas and James Roddie review four pairs of winter boots each. 

There's also a guide to layering for keeping warm on the hills from Mountaineering Scotland's Helen Gestwicki and Ross Cadie and a quiz on how to avoid hypothermia.

The magazine opens with a splendid photo of Ben Nevis in winter by David Lintern. 

The main theme of the issue is life-changing adventures with four authors recalling key moments. In the Andes climber and writer Anna Fleming meets the pioneering Indigenous Cholita Climbers of Bolivia. The cover of the issue is a great photo by Anna of the Cholita women in the mountains in their colourful clothing.

Back in Britain two story-walks by Corinne Fowler from her book Our Island Stories show how our colonial past is written into the rural modern-day. Francesca Donovan reviews the book elsewhere in the magazine.

Going abroad again Ross Brannigan describes his honeymoon spent fastpacking the Lycian Way in Turkiye.

In shorter pieces Creator of the Month is Munroist David Solomon, Andy Wasley writes about grey herons, and there's a look at recent problems in the John Muir Trust. Jim Perrin's Mountain Portrait is the Ridge of the Red Cairns (Nantlle Ridge). In recollections from her walk round the coast of Britain Emma Schroeder remembers reaching new horizons every day.

Wild Walks covers short walks for short winter days from the Highlands to Dartmoor. James Roddie climbs A' Chailleach in the Monadhliath while Alex Roddie tackles Ben Vrackie in Perthshire and the Tarmachan Ridge in the Southern Highlands. In the Lake District Vivienne Crow goes up Hay Stacks and James Forrest up Helm Crag. Ian Battersby has a snowy walk over Roseberry Topping and Highcliff Nab on the North York Moors and encounters more snow on Great Whernside in the Yorkshire Dales. In the Peak District Andrew Galloway climbs Black Hill. Over in Wales Fiona Barltrop visits Fan Frynch in Bannau Brycheiniog/Brecon Beacons. Finally Tim Gent walks over White Tor on Dartmoor.

A Look At The September Issue Of The Great Outdoors

 The September issue of The Great Outdoors is out now. I only have one piece in this issue, a review of a good pair of boots, the Danner Mountain 600 Leaf GTX. Also in the gear pages there's a review of the Ombraz Viale sunglasses by Francesca Donovan and comparative reviews of six family tents by John Manning and three hiking shirts each by Lucy Wallace and Peter Macfarlane. 

The main features in this issue have the theme of adventuring in good company. Five outdoor lovers describe what's special about sharing their passion in a piece introduced by David Lintern; photographer and access activist Fern Leigh Albert documents the wild camping campaign on Dartmoor; Andy Wasley, normally a solo hiker, walks Grindelwald's Swiss Alpine Trails with six strangers; and Hanna Lindon takes her family on a walk round the Cirque de Gavarnie in the Pyrenees. 

In shorter pieces sound artist and filmmaker Dan Fox is Creator of the Month; Francesca Donovan reviews Helen Mort's Ethel: the biography of countryside pioneer Ethel Haythornthwaite; in the Opinion column Mary-Ann Ochota says this Everest season shows we must meet mountains without ego; Jim Perrin recalls a visit to The Burren in the west of Ireland for his Mountain Portrait; Vivienne Crow looks at Sedbergh as a base for a weekend; ranger Ingrina Shieh gives a guide to multi-day hiking for beginners; and Emma Schroeder returns to her birthplace, the Isle of Wight, after her walk round the coast of Britain.

Wild Walks this issue has a scrambling theme. In the Scottish Highlands Ian Battersby climbs Suilven and scrambles to its lower peak Meall Meadhonach, Alex Roddie tackes the Horns of Alligin on a traverse of Beinn Alligin and scrambles up the NE ridge of Sgor an Lochain Uaine in the Cairngorms. In the Lake District Vivienne Crow climbs High Stile direct from Buttermere, Norman Hadley says Eagle Crag above Borrowdale makes a gentle introduction to scrambling and describes the much more serious Pinnacle Ridge on St Sunday Crag, Ian Battersby does the classic round of Helvellyn's Striding and Swirral Edges, and Rich Hartfield undertakes three scrambles on an ascent of Great Blake Rigg in the Duddon Valley. And finally in Eryri/Snowdonia Andrew Galloway goes up Bristly Ridge to Glyder Fach and Roger Butler climbs the rocky spur of Daear Dhu to Moel Siabod.

A Look At The November Issue Of The Great Outdoors

In the latest  issue of The Great Outdoors magazine I have reviews  of the Berghaus MTN Guide MW Hoody fleece jacket and the Osprey Stratus 26 rucksack plus a piece on choosing a three-season sleeping bag. 

On the subject of sleeping Alex Roddie has advice on how to get a good night's sleep when backpacking.

Also in the gear Pages Kirsty Pallas and David Lintern review 'active' insulated jackets for women and men and Lucy Wallace reviews headlamps.

In the long features Hanna Lindon looks at tackling six big walks from across the world, Grant Hyatt describes his life in the Welsh mountains and shares some of his favourite photographs (including a stunning one of a snowy Y Garn under a starry sky), and Jilly Sherlock has an off-season October walk along the Tour of Mont Blanc, also with some superb photos.

This is also the annual The Great Outdoors Challenge issue. As well as entry information there are entertaining tales from this year's Challengers.

In shorter pieces, Creator of the Month is  musician and ecologist Jenny Sturgeon (whose album The Living Mountain inspired by Nan Shepherd's book is superb), Mary-Ann Ochota says veteran wild campers should make space for responsible newcomers in the Opinion column, James Roddie is a guide for a weekend in Aviemore, Jim Perrin praises Beinn Alligin in Torridon in his Mountain Portrait, and round the coast walker Emma Schroeder wonders at what point camping is no longer camping. 

In Wild Walks Alex Roddie describes the Meall a'Bhuachaille circuit in the Cairngorms (which I've done over 100 times!), Vivienne Crow wanders up Broughton Heights and Trahenna Hill in the Southern Uplands and Birkside Fell in Northumberland, Stefan Durkacz explores Cairn Table and the River Ayr in Ayrshire, Ian Battersby links two streams via Hamsterley Forest and Pikeston Fell in Teesdale, and visits Redmire Force and Penhill in Wensleydale, Francesca Donovan climbs Fleetwith Pike from Buttermere in the Lake District, Roger Butler discovers hills and history in the White Peak on Roystone Rocks and Minninglow Hill, Andrew Galloway goes back in time at Castell Dinas Bran and Vale Crucis Abbey in Denbighshire, and Tim Gent walks the Upper Walkham Valley on Dartmoor.

A Look At The July Issue Of The Great Outdoors

 

In the July issue of The Great Outdoors, which is in the shops now, I have a trip report and gear review on a two-day walk in Glen Affric in the spring. 

Also in the gear section Lucy Wallace and James Roddie each review four three-season sleeping bags.

The main features begin with six experts describing their best and worst Wainwright routes in the Lake District (some controversy here!) followed by James Forrest looking at ten hills Wainwright didn't include in his guides.

Much further north David Lintern thinks about the true meaning of 'open access' on a round of the Strathfarrar Munros.

In Wales new TGO content editor Will Renwick describes his tough solo trip over all 189 mountains in his Welsh homeland.

Overseas editor Carey Davies learns some lessons in the spectacular Picos de Europa in Spain.

The issue opens with wonderfully moody image of Langdale in the Lake District, taken from Loughrigg Fell by Mark Pickersgill.

Creator of the Month is Kate Appleby whose social enterprise Adaptive Adventurers to create space for more to enjoy the outdoors. Trail of the Month is the Cambrian Way, described by Will Renwick. In the Comment column Rachel Hewitt looks at the lost history of suffragette-mountaineers and how it is relevant now. Jim Perrin's Mountain Portrait is Cairn Toul, one of my favourite local Cairngorm hills. In her report from her walk round the coast of Britain Emma Schroeder welcomes spring and encounters dogs. In the Skills pages mountain leader Mike Raine looks at how to hike in the heat.

In keeping with the Lake District theme the Wild Walks section has six outings in the area. James Forrest does a high level loop above Crummock Water, Alex Roddie climbs Bleaberry Fell and High Seat, Norman Hadley climbs Dow Crag and The Old Man of Coniston, Vivienne Crow ascends Sergeant Man via Steel Fell, Ian Battersby goes up Branstree and Selside Pike, and Emily Woodhouse takes a long way up Scafell Pike.

Away from the Lakes, Stefan Durkcaz tackles Ben Chonzie and Auchnafree Hill in the Southern Highlands, Roger Butler wanders over Llangullo and Pitch Hill in the Welsh Borders, Tim Gent visits a remote ruin on Dartmoor, and Fiona Barltrop has a coastal walk from Hartland to Bude in Devon.

 

A Look At The March Issue Of The Great Outdoors

In the March issue of The Great Outdoors, out now, I have a big feature on a winter camp in Coire Ardair, Creag Meagaidh, last December, on which I used a mix of old and very old gear. The trip was with James Roddie who took the photos.

Also on gear matters Fiona Russell and David Lintern review ten pairs of trail shoes and Anna Richards tests environmentally friendly base layers made from seaweed, castor bean oil, and eucalyptus. 

In the other big features Sue Fletcher enjoys bivvying in the Lake District, Hanna Lindon picks nine of the best treks in the Alps, Peter Elia explores the Accursed Mountains in Albania, and Charlie Jarvis traverses Italy's Val Grande National Park.

This issue also contains The Great Outdoors Reader Awards 2022 with a host of well-deserved winners and a surprising award for me as Outdoor Personality of the Year. Thank you readers! I am honoured.

The magazine opens with a splendid double-page photo of a snowy Beinn Alligin in Torridon taken by James Roddie.

In shorter pieces Andrew Wasley describes the Cape Wrath Trail, Mary-Ann Ochota bemoans the lack of suitable clothing for plus-size bodies, Jim Perrin praises Rhos Fawr in the Radnor Forest, coastal walker Emma Schroeder has some excitement with waterfalls, and David Lintern shares some hard-won advice on winter wild camping.

In Wild Walks Alex Roddie walks from Blairmore to Cape Wrath and on to the Kyle of Durness ferry crossing in the far northwest of Scotland, Craig Weldon traverses the Pentland Hills in central Scotland, Ian Battersby visits Hadrian's Wall, James Forrest walks from Coniston to Langdale on the Cumbria Way, Vivienne Crow walks from Grasmere to Patterdale on the Coast to Coast Path, Ian Battersby makes a circuit of the Howgill Fells, Andrew Galloway visits Rishworth Moor and Stott Hall Farm in West Yorkshire, Roger Butler links Offa's Dyke and Llan-fawr in Powys, Fiona Barltrop walks the west side of the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, and Ronald Turnbull walks a chalk ridgeline on the Isle of Wight.

A Look At The September Issue Of The Great Outdoors

 

The September issue of The Great Outdoors is out now. In it I have a trip and gear report on a three day venture in the Cairngorms during some superb summer weather. I also review the Garmin InReach Mini 2 satellite communicator.

Also in the gear pages there are 3-season boot reviews by Kirsty Pallas and Peter Macfarlane.

In the main features Francesca Donovan camps on top of Cadair Idris then walks to the sea, in a photo essay Nick Livesay traces his journey from a council estate to Mountain Leader and landscape photographer in Snowdonia, Alex and James Roddie undertake the classic Suilven circuit in Assynt, and Andrew Terrill seeks solitude in the popular Mount Evans Wilderness in Colorado.

Shorter pieces include adventure filmmaker and climber Rachel Sarah as Creator of the Month, Hanna Lindon on how climate change is making mountaineering more dangerous, Emma Schroeder on lessons from her ongoing walk round Britain's coast, conervationist Matt Stanick on how sewage is killing Windermere, Lewis Jevons on completing the Wainwrights without a car, Jim Perrin on Mynydd Enlli on the island of Bardsey, and guide Suzanna Cruickshank on safe wild swimming. 

Two good-sounding books are reviewed. Ian McMillan's My Sand Life, My Pebble Life by Francesca Donovan. Lee Schofield's Wild Fell by Roger Butler. 

In the Wild Walks section Vivienne Crow has a walk over Four Stones Hill on the eastern edge of the Lake District, Andrew Galloway makes a summer exploration of Winter Hill in the West Pennines, Fiona Barltrop traverses the New Forest, James Carron visits lonely Steele's Knowe in the Ochil Hills, and Roger Butler walks the Golden Road in the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire.

A Look At The April Issue Of The Great Outdoors

The April issue of The Great Outdoors has just been published. In it I have a review of Alex Roddie's The Farthest Shore, the story of a wild night in the Cairngorms, a comparison of three rugged smartphones, and reviews of the Rab Generator Alpine Jacket, Arc'teryx Beta LT jacket, and a couple of cold-weather Tilley Hats. Also in the gear pages Alex Roddie reviews seven smartphone navigation apps.

In the main features David Lintern walks the Cape Wrath Trail, James Forrest attempts the Dales High Way in winter, Hanna Lindon picks out ten UK long-distance hiking routes, and Mark Waring goes hammocking on the Finnish taiga. 

The issue opens with a tremendous double page spread of skiers on Braeriach in winter by James Roddie. In shorter pieces Alex Roddie describes a circuit of Kinder Scout, adventurer and expedition leader Chaz Powell shares stories of his trips in a Q&A, there's a look at oudoor clothing as fashion, mountaineering instructor Mike Raine gives his view on some controversial path repairs in Snowdonia, also in Snowdonia Jim Perrin praises Carnedd Elidir, and James Forrest gives some tips on blister prevention. 

In the Wild Walks section Keith Fergus climbs Stob Binnein in the Southern Highlands, Ian Battersby climbs Helm Crag and High Raise in the Lake District, Andrew Galloway has a coastal walk round Strumble Head in Pembrokeshire, James Deboo takes tracks to Malham Cove and Malham Tarn, and Vivienne Crow climbs Cold Fell in the North Pennines.

40 Years of The Great Outdoors

The Great Outdoors is 40! And to celebrate the Spring 2018 issue is a 40^th Birthday Collectors Edition and includes a supplement on Britain’s 40 Finest Mountains. The latter was compiled by fifteen writers and hikers including myself and it took a great deal of debate to come up with the final list – and we know that many people will disagree vehemently with it! There are descriptions and photos of all forty mountains. I’ve written about Ben Macdui, Creag Meagaidh, and Liathach.

Liathach

 

The first issue of The Great Outdoors was published just a month before I set off on my first long-distance walk, Land’s End to John O’Groats, and in this issue I’ve looked at that walk and how different the world  was then for long-distance walking – no internet, no smartphones, no access legislation, few long-distance paths, few guidebooks (none to LEJOG). I also discuss the gear I used back then and the gear I would use now.

I started writing for The Great Outdoors shortly after it was first published, contributing a few gear reviews and trip reports. Roger Smith, the first editor, encouraged me greatly and I’m very grateful to him for helping me get started as an outdoor writer. Having left to edit and write for other magazines I returned to The Great Outdoors in 1991 when Cameron McNeish became editor and asked me to write about gear. I’ve written for every issue ever since.

On The Great Outdoors Challenge in 2007

My other involvement with the magazine has been with The Great Outdoor Challenge, that brilliant event dreamed up by Hamish Brown, which I’ve now done sixteen times. I remember seeing the quarter page advertisement for the first one, then called the Ultimate Challenge after its first sponsor though still organised and run by The Great Outdoors. I thought it sounded really interesting so I applied and was accepted (I think we all were back then). I was doing my first round of the Munros at the time so I included as many as possible in the walk, which for the only time lasted three weeks (it’s been two ever since). After twenty-one days I walked into the Park Hotel in Montrose to find Roger Smith waiting patiently. All the others had finished many days earlier. The Park Hotel is still the finish and every time I walk in I remember all those other Challenges, all those other years, every one different, every one enjoyable.

The Park Hotel, Montrose, TGO Challenge 2008

 

I’m much too involved with The Great Outdoors to have an objective view but I do enjoy reading every issue. I’ve usually not seen anything other than my own stuff before each one appears, which means I can still feel the same interest and pleasure as I did back in 1978. 

For forty years The Great Outdoors has been part of my life. I can’t imagine it not being. I have learnt so much and enjoyed so much working with the editorial staff. It’s been great! So Roger Smith, Peter Evans, Cameron McNeish, Emily Rodway, John Manning, Daniel Neilson, Carey Davies, Will Renwick and Alex Roddie. Thanks to you all.