Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2022 i The Great Outdoors

RUTH BODEN Mountaineering musician THERE IS MUSIC to be heard in the mountains. The percussive crunch of boots, the trills of birdsong and the mighty wind section when a gale is blowing. But for Ruth Boden, the music is literally present. To the few who have encountered her on the trails, she is known as the ‘cello lady’. Ruth’s nickname is inspired by her habit of hiking with her cello slung onto her back so she can perform concerts in the mountains. To date, Ruth has hiked just shy of 500 miles on the Appalachian Trail including Mount Washington and Katahdin, as well as sections of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), the pre-Alps of Italy – “gorgeous playing for the sheep” – and some German trails. Her cello was a “lifesaver”…

FOR LAKES LOVERS, there’s an exhibition at Wordsworth House and Garden in Cockermouth – Scree: Reimaging the Lake District Fells. But it isn’t confined to the gallery. It offers a series of playful ‘route experiments’ that invite you onto the fells for inspiration and learning, from Catstye Cam to the Coledale Fells. Local poet, writer and photographer Lucy Burnett co-created the exhibition with the National Trust, encouraging viewers to respond personally to outdoor spaces and reflect on our impact upon them. Originally from Galloway, Burnett is a fell runner and mountain lover. Having completed the Wainwrights aged 16, she became a Mountain Leader and environmental campaigner. Now, she channels these concerns into creative pursuits. Scree is the manifestation of her passion for the mountains of Lakeland and her determination to…

“From this part of the ridge we were better able to see Bidean, to see it as a whole mountain – shaped by deep corries, thrusting its strong ridges outwards to eight sparkling peaks, down-curving to lesser tops, emerging from the lowly blackness of Glencoe to a crescendo of light at the summit. That was the Bidean nam Bian of our physical world, by its mere presence there calling our hearts to the world inhabited by beauty.” W.H. Murray, Undiscovered Scotland (1951) THE OPENING DESCRIPTION by Bill Murray of Bidean nam Bian seen across the trough of darkness that is Glen Coe from the Aonach Eagach ridge to the north implies an important truth about this magnificent highland hill. Unlike its dramatic neighbour, Buachaille Etive Mor, for all its size…

There is little to beat waking up refreshed after a good night’s sleep and opening the tent on a mountain view. Equally, there are few things worse than a restless, damp and cold night out camping. Being warm and dry at night is the key to camping comfort. From late spring to early autumn in the UK, a 3-season sleeping bag is recommended. In general terms, the 3-season rating should cover lower overnight temperatures of 0C to -5C. Some of the bags we’ve tested pledge comfort ratings as low as -12C. As well as considering the outside night-time temperature on a camping trip, it’s important to take into account your personal comfort levels. We’re all different and some of us are ‘cold sleepers’. Women are more likely than men to…

5 varied routes in Scotland, England and Wales With the hottest time of the year (at least in theory) upon us, our selection of Wild Walks for this issue has an aquatic theme. As well as the hills, of course, most of these routes also feature picture-postcard waterfalls, ‘secret’ plunge pools, or spectacular stretches of coastal walking. Enjoy! Our walks this month 1 Central Highlands Sron a’ Choire Ghairbh & Meall na Teanga 2 Cairngorms Glen Feshie & Carn Dearg Mor 3 Peak District Three Shires Head 4 Pembrokeshire St Davids 5 South Downs Beachy Head & the Seven Sisters…

Vivienne Crow An award-winning outdoor writer and photographer, regular The Great Outdoors contributor Vivienne has spent much of the spring working on enviable projects in Cornwall and the Yorkshire Dales. She has particularly enjoyed the vibrancy of the latter’s wildflower meadows. On p32 of this edition, she takes us on a bus-to-bus traverse of the Helvellyn range, stealing a slice of solitude amidst the summmer crowds. Harrison Ward Perhaps more widely known as the ‘Fell Foodie’, Harrison is a fellwalker and cook who combines both pastimes, preparing gourmet-quality food on the summits of Lakeland mountains using self-carried camping equipment. On p42, he joins our editor Carey Davies for a wild camp above Ullswater, cooks a mouthwatering mountain menu, then shares three delicious recipes inspired by the food of high-altitude regions.…

3 ISSUES FOR £5 Discover secret beaches and hidden coves, the best restaurants with a sea view, fresh ideas for fantastic staycations and learn more about the fascinating culture and history that surrounds us. From stunning seascapes to foodie trails and wildlife encounters – coast provides an immersive travel experience. Thinking of moving to the seaside? Not only do we feature the top coastal properties for sale every month, but you can learn about up-and-coming locations and the top tips for making the most of a coastal life. Every issue is bursting with inspiration. GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE Save 66% on your first 3 issues | Never miss an issue | Continue to save 30% after your trial Free delivery to your door | Complete control – manage your account…

WILD CAMPING in the news, and not in a good way, has become an annual summer story. Tales of litter, fires and trashed campsites are good for engendering outrage – and that’s good for the landowners who’d like to stop or limit wild camping. One of these has popped up on Dartmoor recently, a place well known in the outdoors world as the only part of England where wild camping is legal, at least in certain areas. The landowner has made a claim in the high court that the Dartmoor National Park’s bylaws allowing for responsible wild camping aren’t legal, and that there’s no legal right to camp on Dartmoor. Happily, the National Park Authority has said it will resist this claim and defend the right to wild camp. Backpack…

Therm-a-Rest updates its most popular sleeping mats Two of Therm-a-Rest’s most popular sleeping pads have been updated for 2023. The XLite NXT (below left) is warmer than the previous model with an extra 1.2cm of thickness and an R-value of 4.5 but weighs the same at 345g (Regular size). There’s also an 83% noise reduction, ending the ‘crackle’ of the original. The XTherm NXT (below right) is also warmer with an R-value of 7.3 and the weight has been reduced a little to 439g. Both mats are available in mummy and rectangular shapes plus several lengths and widths. The XLite NXT Regular will cost £200, and the XTherm NXT Regular £250. The mats will be available from January 1 next year. thermarest.com/ie Gregory unveils new lightweight packs Gregory is adding…

WHILST MANY OF US MIGHT CONSIDER sunglasses as a summertime-only essential, more of a fashion statement than a necessity, experts advise we give more thought to eye health. Farah Topia, an optometrist and clinical adviser for the Association of Optometrists, explains: “Just as ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun causes damage and premature ageing in the skin, so UV can also negatively affect the eyes. As well as sunny summer days, people should think about wearing sunglasses on bright days in other seasons and for outdoor sports like hiking at higher altitudes, where there is UV reflection from snow and water.” It’s UVA and UVB rays that have the potential to cause serious eye problems. Short-term exposure can cause sunburn to the eyes and lead to photokeratitis, where vision is…

FOR MANY OF US, smartphones are here to stay in the hills – not only for capturing and sharing our experiences but also for helping us find our way. Modern smartphones are reliable, most are waterproof, and with a few simple tricks (such as activating Airplane Mode and carrying a backup power pack) battery life is more than good enough. But the hardware is only as good as the software you run on it, and this remains an area of fierce debate. Digital mapping and navigation apps occupy various positions along a spectrum of use. Many people prefer to navigate with map and compass, and only want an app as a last-resort backup. Some like the convenience of route planning on an app but still prefer a paper map for…

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1 Start/Finish Car park on B8005 at Eas Chia-aig waterfall GR: NN177888 Take path through trees to join track and follow N up Gleann Cia-aig to dam. 2 Continue on track, 2 cross stile and take path to bridge, cross then head NE towards ruin (Fedden). 3 Recross river above junction 3 with Allt Cam Bhealaich, heading E to pick another path and follow to bealach (cairn). 4 Climb zig-zags N to summit of Sron a’ Choire Ghairbh. 5 Return to bealach for 5 path heading S to Meall na Teanga. 6 Descend SW to Meall Coire 6 Lochain and continue round to Meall Odhar before dropping directly W to reach Gleann Cia-aig path and retrace steps to start. 1 Alan Rowan takes cover on a hot day THE twin Munros…

1 Start/Finish Nabb car park, Wildboarclough GR: SJ973670 From car park, turn L onto Nabbs Road and pass The Crag Inn on your L. After 20m, take footpath on your R over footbridge and shadow drystone wall upwards SE. 2 Cross footbridge in centre 2 of field and quickly bear NE, taking hairpin L onto path towards Firs Farm. Follow farm track until Crag Hall, turning R onto road and climbing for 20m. 3 Leave road, bearing L onto 3 footpath (E) and follow trail across open access land, taking stiles over Buxton Road. Continue on track bearing SE. 4 Pass Cut-Thorn and bear L 4 onto dirt track skirting Cut-Thorne Hill, following it down to Three Shires Head. 5 Continue N with River Dane 5 on your R towards…

1 Start Eastbourne Pier GR: TV618989 From entrance to pier, descend steps and head SW along broad promenade at back of beach. Follow this for 2km and then fork R, up Holywell Drive. Turn L at road, later passing school. 2 Where B2103 bends right, 2 near small café, step onto clear path straight ahead and, before it starts heading steeply uphill, turn L along narrow trail. This heads onto cliffs and then swings R, steeply uphill, to the memorial on top of Beachy Head. 3 Continue on clifftop path, 3 passing to R of Belle Tout Lighthouse. 4 At Birling Gap, cross car 4 park to reach toilet block. Bear L around back of block to continue on South Downs Way. As lane swings R, bear L. Follow undulating…

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. Oliver is top boy! Clair Tinnion wrote to us about her son Oliver, who climbed the National Three Peaks in three weeks – aged just three. Oliver raised over £600, which he donated to a new school playground for all of the children to enjoy. We’re delighted to share here an abridged version of Clair’s letter… Oliver’s journey began during a holiday to North Wales. The intention at the time of climbing Snowdon was not to complete the Three Peaks. It just fell into place by a stroke of luck. With no expectations, we set off from Pen-y-Pass and took the Pyg…

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Black Diamond headlamps Chris checks out this range of three new rechargeable headlamps, and finds them compact, powerful and much easier to use than previous Black Diamond offerings Black Diamond’s new R series headlamps have built-in rechargeable batteries, hence the R designation. You can’t replace them with other batteries, which means you need to carry a battery pack on a long trip; but it also means there are no dead batteries to dispose of, saving waste. Black Diamond (BD) says the batteries can be charged to full power over 1000 times each, so the headlamps should last well. The batteries are lithium-ion ones that work well in the cold. Battery life is reasonable, especially as there’s really no need to use the headlamps at more than half power much of…

WITH THE SUMMER UPON US, welcome to this special guide to the skills and gear you need to find your way when hiking and hillwalking. Over these 14 pages, we round up a greatest hits compilation of the best articles we’ve carried in recent times on the subject of ‘getting around in the wild with getting lost’, along with a few new pieces of content to keep things fresh. This advice is aimed at people who are new to hiking and hillwalking, but the more experienced should also find this a useful refresher. On pp86-91, we cover the basic fundamentals of hiking navigation: map-reading, compass use, pacing and timing. But navigation is a constantly evolving field, and never more so than in the last decade, as the possibilities offered by…

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1 Start/Finish Car park 1km before the end of the public road at Achlean GR: NN851984 From the car park follow the public road S towards its end at Achlean. 2 Just before Achlean, follow a path signed on the L that leads around the farm buildings. Just beyond a small pond, ignore a path that branches off L and continue S on the main path into Glen Feshie. 3 At a crossroads, ignore tracks to the L and R and carry on southwards. 4 To reach Ruigh Aiteachain bothy, continue S slightly away from the river, ignoring the track that branches R and stays by the river. 5 Ruigh Aiteachean bothy is reached around 5.9km from the start of the walk. Continue S past the bothy, ignoring a path that…

1 Start/Finish Cross Square, St Davids GR: SM754252 Walk E out of St Davids, passing Oriel y Parc Visitor Centre, and then turn R along Ffordd Caerfai lane to reach Caerfai Bay. 2 Heading W from Caerfai 2 Beach, follow the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, keeping the sea on your L until you reach Whitesands Bay, passing St. Non’s Cliffs, Porthclais Harbour, Porthlysgi Beach, and St Justinian’s. 3 To regain St Davids, walk 3 along the B4583 and then turn R along Feidr Chwech-Erw lane, passing St Davids Cathedral as you return. 4 Sarah Stirling meets the ghosts of Wales’ prehistory I’M DRIVING ALONG a narrow ribbon of country lane, tucked between hedgerows, and I’m stuck behind a tractor. I don’t begrudge the remoteness. Because of it, I’m gazing around at something…