The Great Outdoors Spring 2023

“WHAT HAVE YOU got planned for the next few days, then?” asked the owner of the café as I was paying. I’d had a bit of car trouble on the way to Arran, and the day was getting on. For that night I planned to discreetly camp somewhere on the coastal shores near the village. But, wary of triggering local sensitivities, I answered the question a bit coyly. “Ah, you know. I’ll just take my tent and see where I end up,” I said, or something similarly imprecise. Her answer left me slightly stunned. “There’s a lovely headland just outside the village,” she replied. “Less than a mile’s walk from here – lots of good spots to camp. You get gannets diving offshore and you can sometimes see pods of porpoises…

Sarah Jane Douglas is the author of award-winning memoir Just Another Mountain, a freelance writer and artist based in the Scottish Highlands. Having ‘compleated’ the Munros she is summit camping her way round all 221 Corbetts. Despite challenges that linger after cancer, she continues to put one foot in front of the other – sometimes squelching, on occasion crawling, often cursing. Here she recalls a summit camp in the heart of Fisherfield. Stefan Durckaz is a freelance researcher and writer based in Edinburgh. He recently co-authored a new guidebook for Cicerone, Scottish Wild Country Backpacking, now available in all good bookshops! This year, Stefan is planning some backpacking adventures for summer focusing on long-distance walks in north-east Scotland. In the meantime he’s been exploring relatively close to home in the Ochils,…

“There’s something very special about being in the mountains at dawn. In most cases I’ve just spent the last 90 minutes racing uphill in the dark, and I’m tired and gasping for breath. But what follows is always a reward – watching the landscape before you come to life. Being able to photograph those moments is a joy that I never tire of. “This particular summer morning was one I’ll not forget. We were very lucky to witness a thick cloud inversion roll through the valley between Crinkle Crags, which we were on, and the towering Bowfell in the distance. Synchronised with the rising sun, it was a delightful scene – and a case of being in the right place at the right time. Mornings like these are the perfect example…

WE OFTEN WAX LYRICAL about mountains, claiming there’s music in the hills as we gaze into the distance hearing only the sounds of nature. But when it comes to the outdoor exploits of Grant MacLeod, these romantic ruminations resound rather more literally. Grant is otherwise known as the Munro Bagpiper. He set out to play his pipes atop every Munro the day before his nana – his greatest musical champion – passed away. So far, he’s summited 136. His nana, who bought an 18-year-old Grant the kilt he wears to this day on his summits (“Yes, it still fits!”) and her father – also a piper – would have been cheering him on. Grant grew up in Glenelg and Arnisdale, at the foot of Beinn Sgritheall, and Scotland’s finest landscapes were his…

Share your views, your experiences and your favourite photos tgo.ed@kelsey.co.uk 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. Inspiring women After reading powerful pieces by Mary-Ann Ochota and Sue Fletcher about their experiences as women who adventure in the March issue, one inspired reader wrote in to explain what these words meant to her… Hello TGO team, I’m reading the March edition and felt compelled to write. Magazine articles rarely speak to me, but this time it’s different. The article by Mary-Ann Ochota went straight to the point, highlighting a problem that many people (including me) will relate to, whether they are plus-size or just women. But her article leaves me hopeful that change…

THE BRAINCHILD of Russ Moorhouse, International Bivvybag Day has become a global movement. This year, people from over 30 countries – including Canada, Slovakia, South Africa and Australia – slept under the stars on 25 February to raise funds for UK homelessness charity Crisis. A record-breaking 2124 folk bivvied to celebrate their love of the outdoors, raising over £1600 in the process. Speaking to The Great Outdoors, Russ said, “I started International Bivvybag Day last year with the aim of getting people to experience a night under the stars. There is no better way to see the world’s sensory truths and gain perspective on what is really important in life.” The TGO Award winner added, “This year, we hit a new record, 20 years to the day of the Scottish Land Reform…