The Great Outdoors April 2022

Backpacking the Lochaber Traverse (p30) “THE DAY I take up jogging is the day I see someone smiling when they do it.” I can’t remember who said that, but this insight often pops into my mind, usually as I’m doing something ridiculous like stepping outside, dressed in minimal clothing, with the aim of running around for several miles in the swirling, frigid darkness of a winter storm. Why am I doing this, I wonder, when instead I could be slumping on the sofa making the most of my Netflix subscription in the centrally heated house that I work hard and pay good money to live in? Why choose suffering over comfort? Running, whilst it has its moments, isn’t something that I unambiguously ‘enjoy’ in the same way I enjoy, say, eating a…

James Forrest The Great Outdoors contributing editor James has climbed all 282 of Scotland’s Munros and all 446 of the Marilyns of England and Wales, writing about the latter in his book Mountain Man: 446 Mountains. Six Months. One Record-Breaking Adventure. In 2021 James he ditched his peak-bagging exploits to take on six long-distance trails, walking more than 1,600 miles in total between them. In this issue he recounts his wintry adventure on the Dales High Way (p50), the final long-distance walk of James’ intrepid 2021. Vivienne Crow As the magazine went to press, outdoor writer and regular The Great Outdoors contributor Vivienne was preparing for a week’s walking in the limestone mountains and barrancos (ravines) just north of Alicante – her first overseas trip since before the pandemic. As excited as a…

“The summit of 1296m-high Braeriach in the Cairngorms is a wild, special place, where winter lingers long after spring has arrived elsewhere. “The long approach in warm sunshine, stripped back to my t-shirt, felt like a distant memory when I got above the snowline. Here, ice still coated every rock, and immense cornices lingered on the cliff edges. “As a distant group of mountaineers approached the summit, it was hard not to be captivated by how tiny they appeared – dwarfed by the vastness of the sub-arctic Cairngorm plateau.” jamesroddie.com…

AVIEMORE-BASED Becca Rankine describes herself as a digital designer rather than an artist, with a minimalist, black-and-white approach influenced by her love of the Scandinavian style. “So much of my life revolves around the mountains and inspires my designs – they bring enjoyment, challenge, respite and calm to an otherwise busy world,” she says, billing the mountains as crucial to her daily physical and mental health. Becca sells her prints, which feature mountains and trails in the UK and abroad, online. Sales have grown during the pandemic, as people sought to bring the outdoors inside. “This Cuillin Ridge design is one of my favourites. I’ve grown up looking at Sgurr nan Gillean from the island of Raasay, during holidays as a child. My husband even proposed at sunrise atop this Munro with…

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Postal address The Editor, The Great Outdoors, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent ME18 6AL. Please include a phone number and postal address. An article that sparked a life-changing transformation Back in January 2019, The Great Outdoors published an online article (Interview: Harrison Ward, the ‘Fell Foodie’, on how the mountains transformed his life) about my struggle to overcome alcoholism. To cut a long story short, I used to be vastly overweight, a smoker and an alcoholic, suffering from poor mental health and suicidal thoughts; but walking up (and cooking in) the mountains of the Lake District helped me conquer my demons. The article by TGO was the very first time I’d been featured in the mainstream media and, as I look back now, it was another watershed…