Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2023 i The Great Outdoors

Colin uses tiny bird pin-feathers to create precise and beautiful artworks depicting the natural world COLIN WOOLF has a strong visual memory. It is not hard for him to recall the sight of an adder coiled next to his tricycle wheel, when aged three, on an exploration of the English countryside. This ability, Colin tells TGO, is particularly useful when he recreates on canvas moments of natural wonder from his time in the mountains. Since walking out of his full-time job over four decades ago he has made a living painting the landscape and inhabitants of the Scottish Highlands that he calls home, in handmade oils and watercolour. Watching butterflies hatch and examining stag beetles as a boy, nature has always inspired Colin, now 66. With such wild subjects, he…

THIS MONTH: PTARMIGAN THE ROCK PTARMIGAN is known as the thunder bird (Raichō) in Japan. But in its UK habitat in the Highlands of Scotland, this character has had to contend with more than thunder. Historically, ptarmigan habitat included the Southern Uplands and the Lake District. But extinction in these areas in the 18th and 19th Centuries confined it to the rocky high places of Scotland. As plucky as it is plump, the Lagopus muta lives atop Munros all year round, rarely venturing below 3000ft. And that means this ground-dweller must overcome some of the harshest winters. Ptarmigans ride out the winter by foraging for shoots, leaves, leaf buds, berries and insects throughout the cold season. Thankfully, they with stand their extreme environment well with no expensive insulated jacket needed.…

THE OTHER DAY I was standing in the Post Office queue, surrounded by displays of Christmas cards. There were cute fox cubs, cartoon penguins throwing snowballs and loads of nostalgic winter scenes. Ladies in Victorian bonnets, carollers gathered in ye olde market squares – all surrounded, of course, by generous amounts of snow. The notional ‘White Christmas’ was true for some of those bonneted Victorians. Charles Dickens, for example, was born during the so-called ‘Little Ice Age’, a period of uncharacteristically cold weather that hit northern Europe from around 1550-1850. There were some upsides – skating matches on the River Thames, ‘Frost Fairs’ and hog roasts. There were also cataclysmic downsides – floods, failed harvests, mass mortality and social unrest (funny that, how history can teach us what might happen…

HOW TO GET THERE There are direct flights to Marrakech from many UK airports including London, Manchester and Edinburgh. From there, it is a 90-minute drive to Imlil. Transport can be booked by your guide or the place you are staying in Marrakech. If you are adventurous, you can go to the taxi rank past the petrol station behind Jema El Fna and wait for a shared taxi, which should cost around 60 dirham (1 dirham is about 8p as we go to press). CURRENCY The Moroccan dirham (Dhs or MAD) is a closed currency, and pre-purchase options are very limited. The usual ATMs and exchanges are to be found at the airport and in the city upon arrival. The best exchange rates are usually in Marrakech’s main city square,…

Danner Panorama Boots £150  1150g (size 9, EE) ☑ comfort, lightweight, two widths in men’s sizes ☒ only one width in women’s sizes Uppers: suede Inner: Danner Dry waterproof/breathable membrane Midsole: Danner Plyolite EVA Sole: Danner Panorama rubber Sizes: men 7-15, two widths; women 3-9, one width danner.com The Panorama is the latest boot from long-established US company Danner. It’s low-cut with a suede upper, a wide PU-coated leather rand and a waterproof membrane. There’s a hard toe bumper for protection plus a hard heel counter for a secure fit. Lacing is via eyelets, D rings and hooks. The boots can be opened wide to make getting them on easy. This does mean the tongue isn’t sewn in all the way to the top so the boots are only waterproof…

ANYONE getting into hillwalking will soon learn that being able to stay dry in the rain is crucial for comfort and safety – so a good waterproof is essential. But there are masses available, and some prices are eyewatering. Yet there’s no need to spend a small fortune to get a jacket that will keep you dry and comfortable. So here I’ve listed six of what I consider to be the best budget waterproof jackets from reputable companies that cost under £200. This is a new series focused on more affordable outdoor gear, so I should explain a few things before we get started. Firstly, towards £200 may still seem a lot to many people. But even when buying on a budget, paying slightly more than the absolute bottom dollar…

Stefan Durkacz finds familiar hills transformed IF YOU NEED a quick hill fix in easy reach of Scotland’s Central Belt, especially in winter when daylight hours are short, the Moffat Hills are an obvious destination. This is excellent tramping country at any time of year. Although mostly lacking the raw grandeur of the Highlands, there’s a great sense of space and it’s possible to cover long distances on those easy, rolling crests. It’s in winter, however, when snow and freezing winds strafe the tops, that these hills start to feel like mountains. This short route incorporates bracing high-level walking over the Corbett of White Coomb and its neighbouring tops with a visit to Loch Skeen, set in a fine, craggy amphitheatre that wouldn’t look out of place in the Cairngorms.…

Andrew Galloway tackles a sea-to-summit route SITUATED JUST a mile south of the village of Abergwyngregyn, and easily accessible from the A55 North Wales Expressway, the Coedydd Aber Nature Reserve is one of my favourite locations in Snowdonia. This beautiful glacial valley looks out from the foothills of the Carneddau Mountains over the waxing and waning waters of the Menai Strait, offering a truly sea-to-summit experience of Snowdonia. At the head of the valley stands the craggy peak of Bera Mawr, a challenge for even experienced walkers. Wild ponies roam free on these slopes, from where the ebullient waters of Afon Goch rise before tumbling 120 feet into the valley floor. Rhaeadr Fawr, known as Aber Falls in English, is certainly the star attraction; but there are other treasures here.…

Alice Morrison Alice is a Scottish adventurer based in Morocco. Her latest book, Walking with Nomads, has just been published. It’s the vivid story of her 4000km (2500-mile) exploration on foot of Morocco and the Sahara with her six camels. She’s also cycled from Cairo to Cape Town, run round Everest and walked across Jordan. Read about her adventures in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco on page 66 of this issue. Andrew Terrill Andrew is a British-raised backpacker who swapped his home in suburban London for one in Colorado almost two decades ago. Passionate about long walks (read about one of them on page 58), he has plans for several future trips – once his teenage offspring have fled the nest. Until then, a daily ‘nature habit’ and weekly nights…

ARCHIVE “The joys of living intimately with nature and history had outweighed the struggle to carry the equipment and the daily rhythms of my long trek south had become a fulfilling way of life.”LINDA WILKINSON The Great Outdoors, November 1996…

by Raynor Winn Published by Michael Joseph, £20, hardback IN LANDLINES Raynor Winn – author of the 2019 bestseller The Salt Path – and her husband Moth set out on the longest journey of their lives: a thousand-mile trek south from Sheigra beach in Sutherland to their home in Cornwall. Moth is suffering from corticobasal degeneration (CBD), a form of Parkinsonism. His condition improved when the couple lost their home and were forced into hiking the South West Coast Path – the backdrop for The Salt Path – and the Laugavegur trek in Iceland, as recounted in The Wild Silence (2021). Faced with a deterioration in his health through the Covid pandemic, the couple grasp for a new adventure against which to pit their hopes and test their limits. There’s…

THE SVARTISEN REGION began with rain – with the kind of straight-through-your-waterproofs downpour I’d expected from Norway all along. The deluge wasn’t remotely pleasant, but it didn’t dampen my spirits. If anything, it raised them. What could be better for epic northern mountains than epic northern weather? And Svartisen is epic. Located on the western side of the Saltfjellet – Svartisen National Park, Svartisen is the collective name for the two massive ice caps that hold 142 square miles of Norway firmly locked within the ice age. Svartisen means ‘Black Ice’, an odd name for a glacier perhaps, but it suited the entire range. The mountains rise straight from the sea and storms are frequent. When they barrel inland the valleys become dark tunnels beneath dark fjells, and at those…

SUMMIT TOUBKAL Most will visit by the main mountain route as described in the early part of Alice’s story, before returning by the same route. Time taken: 2 days Total distance: 37km/23 miles Total ascent: 2390m/7841ft Alice recommends the guide Lahcen Idd Mansour, who you can contact through Imlil Bureau Des Guides, or instagram.com/lahcen_ mountains_guide/ IMLIL TO TIZI OUSSEM VIA AZEEB TAMSOULT Time taken: 2 days Total distance: 20km/12.4 miles Total ascent: 800m+/2624ft Alice did this walk with eight women and the operator Intrepid Travel. It combines some glorious country with an opportunity to meet and work alongside Amazigh women in the village. From Imlil, climb to the pass of Tizi Mizik at just over 3200m. From there, you walk down through an ancient juniper forest, past the best orange…

LOOKING AFTER a waterproof jacket can be trickier than maintaining a normal item of clothing: it requires a certain amount of upkeep if it is to continue to keep you dry and perform well for a long time. Dirty jackets don’t let body moisture through very well, so you get damp from condensation building up inside the jacket as you sweat quicker. The durable water repellency (DWR) treatment on the outside of most waterproofs – which causes rain to ‘bead’ and run off rather than soak in – can also wear off and need replacing over time. This too leads to condensation as the fabric is then less breathable. So how do you look after your waterproof jacket? There are two main elements to waterproof jacket care: washing, and restoring…

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Ian Battersby takes a direct route up Buckden Pike BUCKDEN PIKE is a popular climb in the Yorkshire Dales. The focal path appears to head unswervingly for its crown; but Buckden Beck is even more direct, not celebrated, and not conspicuously mapped. Its feeble trail feels like a voyage of discovery, for there are unimagined charms to enthral the adventurous, including inspiring waterfalls, amusing scrambles and imposing crags, on the way up to a ramshackle mine. Escape from the spell of the ghyll for a stage over some of the national park’s most distinctive mountains. The bridleway back delivers a rapid return for when the day draws down a dismal shroud, but on good days the head of Wharfedale beckons from across Cray Gill. Here an enchanting path skirts above…

Fiona Barltrop escapes crowded coves on the Lulworth Ranges THE DORSET and East Devon coast – known as the Jurassic Coast – is England’s first natural World Heritage Site. It covers 95 miles of stunning coastline, with rocks recording 185 million years of Earth’s history, spanning the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. These are laid out from the oldest to the youngest moving west to east. The Heritage Centre at Lulworth Cove is worth a visit to learn more. There is probably no more popular stretch along the South West Coast Path than that between Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door to its west. This route, however, avoids the crowds and heads east over the Lulworth Army Ranges (open to the public most weekends throughout the year and during school holidays).…

‘…Much of this I learnt when I was young, in the course of many journeys that led into the liminal space. My dog and I on top of Foel Penoleu, heading for Barmouth along the Rhinogydd ridge in that hot summer of 1976. The rough country alien writers so revile stretched for miles ahead of us. Clip, Craig Ddrwg, Bwlch Gwilym, Twr Glas – we have named them, and come to know. At Llyn Morwynion I slept, swam in the morning sun that streamed across Migneint, across Rhobell and Arenig. Kettle boiling on the stove; mingled scents of heather and coffee; a curlew calling; the mirror-lake and the great peace.’ (‘Y Rhinogydd’, in Planet: The Welsh Internationalist magazine) OVER THE MANY YEARS I’ve known them they’ve become my favourite group…

Arc’teryx redesigns its leading insulated jacket The latest version of the Cerium Hoody has an 850 fill power Responsible Standard down fill with Coreloft synthetic insulation in moisture-prone areas plus a lightweight durable nylon shell. The design is streamlined and minimalist, and the jacket weighs just 300 grams. The construction is articulated so it moves with the body and the adjustable hood provides coverage without compromising vision range. There are two zipped hand pockets and an inner zipped security pocket. The jacket costs £350. arcteryx.com Superfeet launches new insoles Superfeet has unveiled two winter-specific insoles. The Winter Comfort and Winter Comfort Thin both have the same orthotic shape for medial and lateral support as other Superfeet insoles, plus foam with a thermal top cover for long-lasting warmth, cushioning and support.…

THERE’S NO ESCAPING IT: when it comes to hiking, facing up to wet weather is a skill you have to learn sooner or later. This is particularly true in Britain’s unpredictable maritime climate; but it’s also a feature of mountains generally, where weather is often intrinsically volatile. We all hope for good weather, but as an old song goes, you can’t always get what you want. Sometimes we plan walking trips in advance, taking our chances with the forecast, and sometimes we just want to get out there whatever the weather. Even the most committed fairweather walker can sometimes get caught out by an unexpected downpour. In any case, being braced for bad weather is always a good idea – the body loses heat much quicker when wet, so staying…

5 varied routes in Scotland, England and Wales As the nights draw in, hillwalking under bright skies becomes a short-lived pursuit – so we asked our contributors to share five great-value walks. Follow in their footsteps for big views, interesting terrain, spectacular features and nature’s goodness – all within the precious daylight hours of winter. Our walks this month 1 Southern Uplands White Coomb & Loch Skeen 2 Yorkshire Dales Buckden Pike 3 Cumbria Farleton Fell 4 Snowdonia Aber Falls 5 Dorset Lulworth Ranges…

Roger Butler explores Cumbria’s lesser heights LONG DAYS in the fells can be tricky in the depths of winter but there are plenty of lesser-known Cumbrian hills that can still offer a satisfying day out. And you don’t always need to climb high for fine views and exhilarating landscapes. Pudding-shaped Farleton Fell – together with its limestone sister Hutton Roof Crags – will certainly give you a walk to remember. This strange craggy plateau, just south-east of junction 36 on the M6, comprises a bewildering range of rocky pavements, jagged outcrops and naturally weathered sculptures. Gorse-splattered screes rise steeply from the Lancaster Canal and, once up, you can easily spend a few hours exploring the vast array of unexpected cliffs, gullies and terraces. A couple of wind-blown summits provide panoramic…