Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2020 i The Great Outdoors

1. Walking One Step at a Time by Erling Kagge “Cannot recommend Walking by Erling Kagge enough. Poetic prose that every person who walks will relate to instantly” @andyBHA 2. Wild Women by Mariella Frostrup I love Wild Women, edited by @mariellaf1, because you basically get 50 books in one!” @watchmesee 3. Outpost by Dan Richards “Wouldn’t mind being locked down in some of the wild places he talks about – although maybe not the haunted ones in Iceland…” @s_hewitt15 4. Brading Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer “Reading it feels like some sort of gift we did nothing to deserve, it’s so filled with joy, optimism and well-explained snippets of plan biology.” @innesmck…

WRITING THIS at the heart of the coronavirus epidemic, it is hard to see beyond the next few days; but recently the lockdown situation has had one unfortunate outcome: walkers innocently taking exercise (or trying to) have been targeted in a very unfortunate way. We have seen the police using drones to film and ‘shame’ people walking on gritstone edges close to Sheffield, and criticising them for doing so. This smacks of Big Brother. We are all practising ‘social distancing’ and this can be easier to achieve out in wild country than in a city park. Indeed, some parks have had to be closed because of overcrowding. The police reaction in other parts of the country – putting up roadblocks in the Brecon Beacons, for example – has also attracted…

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1 Start/Finish On the A830 at Arieniskill GR: NM787832 Leave A830 to rail underpass on N side of road, continue on path E then N by Allt na Criche, then at junction stay on right branch following rusty fence line over level but boggy ground. 2 Drop steeply N through trees and outcrops then swing W to cross bridge by boathouse. 3 Take track then path E for short distance before rising NE over series of rough knolls and false summits to small lochan then climb to main top. 4 Continue E to next summit and just beyond this drop N by stream and turn W to follow Allt Slaite Coire down to buildings at Meoble. 5 Take track S to bridge, cross and pick up path, which rises before…

1 Start/Finish Car park with honesty box opposite St Mary’s Church, Longsleddale GR: NY501028 Walk SE along lane for 1.6km. Turn R along Docker Nook lane. Walk between buildings and follow bridleway through enclosures. 2 Leaving in-bye, follow track for 500m. Cross hidden bridge over Dockernook Gill. Follow line of wall SW and then join track descending to Brunt Knott Farm. 3 Bear L along farm lane. Turn R along lane to Ghyll Bank and then L towards Upper High House. Cross ladder stile; descend through fields to Park House. 4 Turn R along track. Head NE soon after gate and bear R at next fork. 5 About 500m beyond Skeggleswater Dike, walk N beside wall for 300m. Head NW to cross bridge over Skeggleswater Dike. Walk NE to Skeggles…

Nic Hardy Nic worked in IT for a decade before diving into life as an adventurer and outdoor writer in 2019. She began by climbing all 282 Munros in Scotland, wild camping and sleeping in bothies 76 times. She recounts one of her favourite solo wild camping adventures on the rugged northwestern coastline of Scotland on p37. The COVID-19 restrictions have given Nic the opportunity to upload her hiking routes into the Komoot app for others to download and enjoy when the mountains are accessible to all once more. Ellen Tout In 2016, journalist Ellen trekked the Great Wall of China for a week and raised £5,700 for the Alzheimer’s Society, while more recently she completed the charity’s marathon trek along Hadrian’s Wall. She’s since never said no to an…

MOUNTAIN GUIDES SET FOR MULTI-MILLION-POUND LOSSES A report published in early April suggested the guiding industry could suffer staggering financial losses this quarter. BRITISH MOUNTAIN GUIDE Callum Muskett surveyed members of the Mountain Training Association, Association of Mountaineering Instructors, British Association of International Mountain Leaders and British Association of Mountain Guides. He estimated that members were expected to lose £58.8 million for the period between 14th March and 14th August 2020 due to COVID-19. The report also expressed concern that guides could fail to qualify for government support. “Whilst employees and many sole traders will be eligible for government grants, a large proportion of the membership will find that they do not qualify for any income support other than Universal Credit,” it said. “The current crisis is likely to be…

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. Letters may be edited for clarity or to fit the space available. Full of possibilities I really enjoyed the feature ‘Healing Hills’ in the Spring edition of The Great Outdoors. Munrobagging has never quite appealed to me (it’s always felt too prescriptive) but I really enjoyed Sarah’s story of how the mountains can bring a sense of escapism and peace during difficult times. The physical challenge of climbing mountains can work wonders for self-belief and confidence, and to challenge self-doubt. We learn that a lot of what we believe we ‘can’t do’ isn’t always as bad as it seems and this can…

Decathlon: converting snorkel masks for use with ventilators Some companies in Britain and across the world are modifying their production to churn out vitally needed equipment to fight coronavirus – sometimes in resourceful, unexpected ways that reflect the urgency of the crisis. After full-face ‘Easybreath’ snorkel masks made by French brand and retailer Decathlon were adopted by medical workers as protective wear after supplies ran low, the firm teamed up with Italian designers and Telford-based Protolabs to adapt them for emergency use with ventilators. Decathlon UK are also donating effective protective wear, like goggles, to hospitals and healthcare facilities. Berghaus: offering half price to key workers Sunderland-based Berghaus are 50% off all their products to all key workers: nurses, paramedics, refuse collectors, delivery drivers or any other role providing a…

LADIES, WE’RE LOOKING AT LEGS. I’m betting yours are longer and leaner than mine, but the emails I receive asking for advice on which brands make shortlength trousers, indicate that I’m not alone in being vertically challenged. So, this test only includes pants available in multiple lengths because, let’s face it, not many of us are ‘standard’ (and I mean that in the nicest possible way!). The ‘three season’ label demands versatility: these trousers should be wearable in warm and cool weather, possibly over thermal leggings to stretch into winter. All in this test are too warm if it’s properly hot, but if that happens we’re in capris or shorts anyway. Length can be easily determined (unless they’re size graded), but fit is tougher. Brands give pointers with ‘slim’, ‘alpine’,…

! SAFETY NOTE: The route to the second arch is described very exposed, following a narrow, exposed path about a lethal drop. Please do not try this route unless you are a confident and experienced hillwalker. 1 Start/Finish Small car parking space at the road end at Carsaig Bay GR: NM545213 From the road end, take the walled path leading NW through woodland. Pass through gate and follow path down to Carsaig Bay. Walk on or around the beach towards the foot of the tall cliffs below Sròn nam Boc. 2 Pass through gate and pick up a narrow path above the shoreline. An intermittent path follows the coastline below cliffs all the way to Malcolm’s Point and the Carsaig Arches. 3 About 2km after the start of the cliffs look…

1 Start Carrog Station car park GR: SJ117435 Turn R from Carrog Station car park, follow lane over the bridge. Turn R along lane. 2 Go over stile on L, follow grass track raking up hillside. At a waymarker, climb left to a stile into woods (SJ122439). Beyond steps a path climbs R to top woods before passing small quarry pit. 3 Dee Valley Way signs point NE across fields to hill tracks that lead to the Llantysilio ridge and Bwlch y Groes. 4 Turn L on lane then R on track climbing slopes to Moel Morfydd. 5 Follow ridge past Moel y Gaer and Moel y Gamelin. 6 Retrace steps to col W of Gamelin’s summit and descend L (SE). Take upper L track, which descends to lane end.…

1 Start/Finish Shipley Bridge car park GR: SX681629 Head north along the private road from the car park, turning left at the junction. 2 Just before the Avon Filtration Station, leave the road to the right to head up onto the broad ridge of Brent Moor. In good weather, you’ll soon see Eastern White Barrow to the NW. 3 From the barrow, head just north of west along the ridge to Western White Barrow, which again will be visible in good weather. 4 Head straight on from the barrow to find a clear path (the old tramway) that leads NW to the Two Moors Way. Turn right onto this clear path to drop down to a clapper bridge that crosses the River Avon, before following the north side of the…

1. Climb mountains (kind of) Who needs to trek in the Himalayas when you have a perfectly good staircase? Sharing ideas and inspiration on Instagram, a group of outdoor folk, led by fitness and outdoor fanatic Rory Southworth, have been setting themselves challenges to ‘climb’ various treks and mountains around the world – within the confines of their own home. At the time of writing, they have just completed a virtual expedition to climb the equivalent height of Everest Base Camp, braving nonplussed partners, house plants and wall hangings en route. It took Becky Angell (‘Becky the Traveller’ on Instagram) 1053 reps of her stairs over the course of five days, and she was delighted to discover there was a beer at the top. But any feeling of triumph looks…

Book OF THE MONTH Learning to Breathe Arrow, £10.99 This memoir charts Andy Cave’s journey from young coalminer to professional climber, culminating in a life-changing ascent of Changabang Did you enjoy the book? FERN: I did really enjoy it. I thought it was really interesting to read about Andy’s background and the contrast between being underground and being in the mountains. Although I’m a reluctant climber, I could really relate to how he felt about climbing – it’s how I feel getting out in the hills. It wasn’t too technical either; he kept technical descriptions to a minimum. CHARLIE: I actually quite enjoyed some of the technical explanations because it helps you get inside why they do what they do. The technical aspect didn’t dominate, it was just dropped in…

ECCENTRICALLY POSITIONED a couple of glens away from the southern end of the main ridge of the Black Cuillin of Skye, Bla Bheinn (928 metres/3041 feet) is one to add to your collection of Munros once this ghastly Covid-19 epidemic is over – and until then please stay well away for the Skye residents’ sake! It’s one of the notable outliers of our island hills, with incomparable views into the masterpiece of British mountain landscapes that lies just to its west. Its name means ‘the blue hill’, or possibly ‘the hill of bloom’ (there is such intimate flowering beauty everywhere among the Cuillin, relieving the harshness of that austere rock!). There will be those who’ll want to bivouac on its summit as a prelude to the greater traverse of the…

LAST YEAR I spent 29 days walking around 400 miles (644km) through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado on the Continental Divide and Colorado Trails. Most of the time I was above 10,000 feet (3048 metres). I camped on 25 nights, of which 18 were above 11,000 feet (3353 metres), the highest 12,460 feet (37,987 metres). I was usually at or above timberline so many camps were exposed. For the first two weeks the weather was dry and mostly warm and sunny though there was sometimes a cool wind. Nights were chilly, though, with overnight lows mostly between 0 and 5°C. The second half of the walk was stormier and cooler with thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail. Nights were a little colder too, with subzero temperatures on three. As on any…

1 Start/Finish National Trust payand-display car park in Rosthwaite, Borrowdale GR: NY257148 From car park, turn L and L again at Borrowdale road. Take next lane on R, cross bridge and turn R. 2 Having followed Stonethwaite Beck upstream for 2.6km, bear R through small gate to cross bridge. Bear L at fence corner and quickly L again (over stile). After gate in wall, take trail SE. 3 Beyond gap in next wall, head uphill beside wall. Trail swings L on nearing Bleak How. Crosswallstileingap between Bleak How and Eagle Crag. Trail leads into small gully with solitary tree overhanging it. Scramble up rocks and turn R at top. Switchback path uses airy ledges to gain summit. 4 Walk S, dropping awkwardly at a wall corner. Walk with wall on…

1 Start Pennal (bus stop on main road, GR: SH698004). Car park at Tywyn railway station (bus stop nearby) or parking along the sea front. Bus from Tywyn to Pennal. Head W along road a short distance to entrance drive to Plas Talgarth (holiday resort)/route of well-waymarked Wales Coast Path (WCP) on L. Walk along drive and follow WCP waymarks past bungalows, continuing along atrack, in due course descending a field to Penmaendyfi and carrying on down access road to lane. Turn L and almost immediately R through kissing gate, cross footbridge beyond and follow path along valley, bearing R to A493. 2 Cross and follow no-through road uphill, forking L after 1.3km along track. After a stretch by woodland, track reaches open grassy terrain. Continue along WCP to Bwlch…