The Great Outdoors Spring 2021

WE HAD THE TOP of England’s second-highest mountain to ourselves. And in the time it had taken us to walk there – up Esk Gorge, with its booming waterfalls and diamond-clear plunge pools, and over the empty expanse of Great Moss – we had seen two or three people. This was on a sunny Saturday. In July. We lingered awhile, peering over Scafell’s plunging crags, admiring the view of Wast Water stretching towards the sun-hazed Irish Sea, and marvelling at the difference in numbers between this summit (us two) and the slightly higher one about half a kilometre away (40+). That other summit was, of course, the roof of England itself: Scafell Pike. There is plenty of room in the hills. But it might not always seem like it. Even before…

Faraz Shibli Faraz is a walker, writer and lawyer. Born and raised in Scotland, many of his adventures have been abroad: leading camels across the Mongolian Gobi Desert (see his feature on p56), climbing the Kyrgyz Tien Shan mountains and cycling around Laos and Thailand. During lockdown, however, he has been discovering local walks in Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, as well as planning a big trip walking and wild camping around the Scottish Highlands later this year. Craig Weldon Thanks to the council’s core paths network, author and regular TGO contributor Craig has found new ways to explore his Midlothian patch in lockdown. He’s been up early for snowy sunrises, gone on snowdrop hunts, enjoyed moonlit walks, and undertaken muddy runs in the woods tracking deer and badger trails. In any normal month the…

“Every so often, the usually rewarding experience of mountain photography can be diminished to being a repetitive flit between failures. These failures are usually determined by either too much cloud or too little. “Eventually, as on this golden evening atop Fleetwith Pike, the cycle breaks. Blue sky over the Helvellyn range behind me and waves of moodier cloud in front meant I had options, but I immediately knew which way I’d be shooting. “I simply had to wait until the hidden sun lowered itself into a gap, flooding the Buttermere valley with glorious light.” stewartsmithphotography.co.uk…

Size: 15x21cm Medium: oil on board THE SOFT, ALMOST SECRETIVE LIGHT captured in this scene on Loch na Droma Buidhe illustrates the wonder of discovering hidden spots along the wild and remote Ardnamurchan peninsula. “Since May 2013 I’ve been lucky enough to live here,” notes artist Lisa Houston. “Even after all this time I am still finding new places to explore. It has not lost its magic for me.” The combination of the remote area and the rapidly changing weather keeps Lisa on her toes when it comes to her artwork: “I live amidst Corbetts, glens and lochs and not too far from the open sea. The changing weather, the light and atmosphere is what inspires me to paint. This painting was done from sketches whilst on anchor in Loch na Droma Buidhe…

1 AVOID THE TRAIL ‘RUSH HOUR’ Most hillwalkers are active between 9am and 5pm. But walk outside these hours and you’ll find the hills are far less crowded places. In summer, hit the trail pre-dawn and you can be up and down a mountain before most people have even arrived in the car park. Or, if the thought of a 4am alarm is anathema, plan a mountain ascent at sunset or after dark instead. Rory Southworth, an Ordnance Survey GetOutside champion, says: “After the sun has set and everyone else is home, I grab my headtorch and get the hills all to myself – the perfect way to escape the crowds.” 2 PRIORITISE MIDWEEK AND OFF-SEASON For obvious reasons, the mountains are always busier at weekends, on bank holidays and during the school…

In February, news broke that the remotest pub in mainland Britain – the Old Forge in Inverie on the Knoydart peninsula – is going up for sale for £425,000. What’s more, local residents are hoping to bring it into community ownership. Knoydart’s reputation for isolation and challenging terrain is legendary, but under the current ownership the pub has received mixed reviews. If the local bid is successful, it would follow on from another successful community buyout 22 years ago by the Knoydart Foundation. We take a look at what it has achieved since… In 1999, the Knoydart Foundation purchased 17,500 acres of estate land on the peninsula for £750,000. It has since planted 500,000 trees in Knoydart The only way of reaching Inverie- and its pub-is by walking 18 miles or making a…