The Great Outdoors November 2022

IT IS INCREASINGLY RARE to get an actual letter through my letterbox. But one recent morning I was surprised to see that on top of the usual pile under the door – a flyer from a local takeaway, a depressing bank statement, a leaflet from the Lib Dems – there was a handwritten letter from another human being. This TGO reader acknowledged the prompt they’d been sent to renew their subscription; but “having reached the grand age of 95 years” they had “been restricted to armchair walking for some time so can no longer justify the luxury.” But, they added, they had “been a reader since the very first copy [in 1978]” and still rated this publication the best: “the most interesting, the highest standard, with excellent photography.” They had experienced…

Bella Falk is a travel photographer, documentary director and writer from London. She writes the multi-award-winning travel blog Passport & Pixels and won Best Photography at the Travel Media Awards 2020. Her work has been published by National Geographic Traveler, BBC Travel and Lonely Planet. The most challenging volcano she’s climbed is Ol Doinyo Lengai in Tanzania, and her dream is to photograph Fagradalsfjall in Iceland. Sophie Carr is a London-based photographer, specialising in images of the Icelandic landscapes and seascapes. She has a particular interest in the geological features of the country, especially the volcanoes, basalt columns and sea stacks, as well as the icy areas of the south-east. Her arresting image of the lava flows of the Fagradalsfjall volcano features in our photography special; check out this 16-page extravaganza on p76. Stefan…

“This late evening sunburst over the Snowdon massif took me completely by surprise on my return from a visit to the summit of Crimpiau in the southern Carneddau. “Wandering back through Nant y Geuallt along the Snowdonia Slate Trail footpath, I was marvelling at the sky and pondering the ideal location to photograph the peak of autumn colours and impending sunset. “Suddenly, as I emerged from a patch of woodland below Clogwyn Mawr, I was greeted by this scene. There was no time for the usual niceties of setting up my tripod and additional preparations that usually accompany the making of an image. I grabbed my camera from its bag, snapped on a filter to control the huge contrast in the scene, and just managed to grab three frames before the light…

Meet Sam and Matt Humphrey: a couple creating artisan ale in a wild Scottish landscape THE KNOYDART BREWERY is “probably the most remote brewery on mainland Scotland”. That makes co-founders Sam and Matt Humphrey probably the most remote brewers of craft beer and ale in the UK. There is no road access through this landscape, known as The Rough Bounds, and the village of Inverie is accessible only by a two-day hike or small ferry boat over seven miles of sea loch. And these beers aren't available to buy online; so you have to experience the wild place that inspires them as you take your first sip. And it’s better for it, Matt tells The Great Outdoors. Nestled between Loch Nevis and Loch Horne, Sam and Matt craft beers to serve the…

According to conservationist Matt Staniek, sewage is being discharged into England’s largest lake, producing toxic algal blooms and killing aquatic life. After he explained what he saw as the devastating effects of this pollution in the September issue of The Great Outdoors, our readers responded to his plea for the government to act to save Windermere… Tony Bassi (@TonyBassi4, Twitter) “Oh, the government IS acting… acting idle and ignorant.” Harry Bennett (@harry.in.the.hills, Instagram) “It’s a disgrace. As part of our bill we pay a water waste charge. If they’re not cleaning the waste, surely, it’s a breach of contract? They should be forced to reimburse us and pay a hefty fine for pollution.” Dan Hawkes (@thisisdanhawkes, Instagram) “Horrific. Private company prioritising profits over investment and the environment. Real punitive fines to force investment or return to…

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. In memory of Mum Antoni Anderson [right] summited his second round of the Munros on the first anniversary of his mother’s passing. In an abridged version of this month’s reader letter, he shares how the mountains have become a place of remembrance and recovery… The first mountain I summited was Ben Nevis, with my dad just before I turned 13. I was wearing a pair of trainers and a jacket tied around my waist with my lunch in a plastic bag. I’m not sure I would approve now! It was the first time I’d seen a 360-degree panorama like that. Mum sat in the car…