The Great Outdoors January 2021

AS THE OLD CHINESE CURSE supposedly goes, “May you live in interesting times”. And these times are certainly interesting, aren’t they? I write this in the middle of England’s Lockdown 2: Winter Edition (the sequels are always worse). There are, of course, many ways life has been upended by the pandemic over the last year; but one of the most striking is the impact it has had on the outdoor world. Our enjoyment of the hills and mountains has been restricted and interrupted; but at the same time, the wider countryside has been busier than ever, with a cooped-up populace fleeing to it as other pleasures – holidays, pubs, spending time in each other’s abodes – have been denied. This was the year ‘the outdoors’ went mainstream, doubtless introducing many new…

Mikaela Toczek Mikaela is an outdoor instructor, expedition leader and media-maker based in South Wales. She works with young people and adults to facilitate opportunities for adventure and engagement with our incredible natural environment. Mikaela spends much of her work and play in the Brecon Beacons, which never cease to amaze and challenge. Check out her feature on trying to make the most of the region’s fleeting winter conditions on p36. Rebecca Coles Rebecca is a Winter Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor, and an International Mountain Leader. Travel restrictions have stopped her making any overseas expeditions this year, but post-lockdown she enjoyed a solo trip through her local national park by walking the Snowdonia Slate Trail. This winter she will be heading to the West Coast of Scotland to instruct winter skills and climbing;…

“The final moments of Earth’s shadow are captured above the twin limestone ‘miniature mountains’ of Parkhouse Hill and Chrome Hill in the Upper Dove Valley, as the first subtle rays of morning light illuminate Chrome’s summit. “The shadow of the earth is also known as the ‘Belt of Venus’, and is an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs shortly before twilight at sunrise, usually resulting in a beautiful pink band in the sky as the transition from night into day takes place. I was in position an hour before sunrise in freezing temperatures to witness this event: in my opinion, one of nature’s most beautiful displays.” alannovelli.co.uk…

Size: 54x36cm Medium: watercolour FOR MANY, the hills in mid-winter can feel a bit monochrome. Occasionally we’ll have the contrast of a blazing blue sky and a covering of brilliant white snow, yet often things feel a bit dreich at this time of year. However, Sheena Phillips instead captures the fleeting moments of winter sunshine that, although weak, can illuminate the hills and reveal the secret gentleness of the season. “I want to capture the moment of exhilaration, the moment when I see the light altering the appearance of the landscape,” Sheena told TGO. “The moment can be over so quickly, and I want to hold it – it’s nature at its best.” Sheena was sketching to the west towards the Pentland Hills when this scene caught her eye. “There had been a…

A CAMPAIGN BY THE RAMBLERS has revealed almost 50,000 miles of rights of way missing from official maps in England and Wales. The walking charity’s Don’t Lose Your Way campaign is now racing to save these 49,138 miles of historic paths – enough to stretch around the world nearly twice – by 2026. If the paths are not claimed for inclusion on the definitive map – the legal record of rights of way – by January 2026, the cut-off date set by the government, there is a risk they will be lost forever. Thousands of volunteers helped the Ramblers to identify these paths in what the charity has dubbed “a mass citizen geography project”. Volunteers searched 154,000 one-kilometre squares using the Ramblers’ bespoke online mapping site and found nearly five times as many…

A SCIENTIFIC PAPER has concluded that there is no evidence of anyone becoming infected with Covid-19 during outdoor mountain sports. This suggests “infection risk is low while pursuing these activities,” according to the research conducted by three members of Mountaineering Scotland. Henning Wackerhage, Roger Everett and Simon Richardson worked together with an international team of researchers and mountaineers from Europe and North America to review the impact of the virus on outdoor mountain sports. Their paper is currently awaiting peer review and publication, but it has been made available in draft form because of the immediacy of the current situation, both to help mountaineers and politicians. Stuart Younie, CEO of Mountaineering Scotland, said: “This draft paper is the first comprehensive study into Covid-19 as it impacts on mountain sports and is a significant step…