Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i The Great Outdoors

“ACCESS TO THE OUTDOORS should be fair and shared for all,” Charlotte Ditchburn tells The Great Outdoors. The 26-year-old Hill and Moorland Leader and Access Field Officer has been campaigning for better access since 2018, but her mission took on new gravitas as we spoke in the aftermath of the ruling to ban wild camping on parts of Dartmoor. Charlotte grew up in the Lake District, where she explored every outdoor activity with gusto – unless it involved heights, she admits. In these formative years her “sense of belonging” in high places flourished. But she came to intimately realise the benefits of being outdoors first-hand when she was diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and depression whilst at Newcastle University. “I went from being an active, outgoing person to an introverted couch…

AN IRONY of campaigning is that the biggest breakthroughs are often the result of apparent defeats. So it was in January, as multi-millionaire hedge fund manager Alexander Darwall won a legal case that resulted in the abolishment of the rights of millions of people to sleep under the stars in Dartmoor National Park. In the case brought against the Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA), Darwall’s lawyers argued that the 1985 Dartmoor Commons Act act did not include camping overnight, as it did not explicitly mention it. The judge Julian Flaux ruled that this was correct, a decision that absurdly hinged on whether wild camping counted as one of the ‘recreational activities’ included in the act. The DNPA has since reached an ‘agreement’ with landowners, which will grant permission to the…

Jack Wolfskin releases packs with a 3D-printed carry system Jack Wolfskin’s Aerorise carry system has four independent 3D-printed panels on the shoulders and lumbar areas to provide a lightweight, multi-zone body fit. The panels’ open cell structures feature thousands of individual struts to enhance ventilation, maintain comfort and improve load control even with heavier loads. The 3D printing creates a lattice structure that provides different degrees of vertical and horizontal firmness – soft where comfort is key and firm where more structure is necessary. There is less waste in the production of the 3D-printed designs compared to conventional processes. Due to the customisable nature and control over structural attributes of the 3D cushioning, only as much material is used as is ultimately needed. Additional gluing steps or assemblies are not…

BEST BUY £200 850g (pair, UK8.5) comfort, flexibility, grip price, limited larger sizes, weight quibble Materials: Schoeller ceramic-coated fabric upper, Gore-Tex membrane, graphene-enhanced rubber soles Features: sole with ‘iconic’-shaped studs and water dispersion grooves, ‘meta plate pro’, external heel cage Men’s version: yes Sizes: UK3.5 to 8.5 (including half sizes) inov-8.com Comfort means so much in 3-season footwear, and inov-8 has designed a boot that fits like a slipper. The width suits a narrow to mid-width female foot and the lacing system, with robust metal eyelets, makes it easy to get the right tension along the foot and up to the ankle. The lightly padded tongue and ankle cuff add to the comfort. The boots are also fairly lightweight and have the right amount of underfoot cushioning – not so…

THE BEST DAYPACK for walking is one you hardly notice you are carrying. Comfort is key – and that includes the weight of the pack, how it sits on your shoulders, the back system, the hipbelt and the sternum strap. A minor irritation at the start of the day, such as part of the pack digging into your skin, a poorly weighted rucksack or a sweaty back, can turn into a major pain after a few hours of walking. Another consideration is the volume of the pack and the number of interior spaces and pockets. A summer daypack for walking is likely to be somewhere between 20-35 litres in total. It’s useful to have compression straps on larger packs, so that if it’s not filled it with kit you can…

RECOMMENDED £140 929g comfortable, lightweight, ventilated back no torso adjuster, small clips, one size Capacity: 34 litres Materials: bluesign-approved 70D*140D diamond rip-stop polyamide Closure: 2 clipped top lid Back system: airback suspension system Back length: 49cm Hipbelt: padded Pockets: 2 side mesh, 2 zipped hipbelt, zipped top, internal hydration sleeve Features: compression system, gear attachment, adjustable sternum strap, load lifters Sizes: one haglofs.com There is a lot to like about the Haglöfs L.I.M 35 pack, although there are a few drawbacks. Although a lightweight and pared-down pack, it has a well-designed mesh back for good ventilation and great comfort levels. The pack has a traditional top opening with lid and a sophisticated cinch system that works well even with gloves on. I like the simplicity of the pack, with a…

RECOMMENDED £160 1060g recycled materials, easy access expensive, quite heavy Capacity: 22 litres Materials: bluesign-approved recycled 100D x 210D high-tenacity nylon with PFC/PFAS-free DWR Closure: zip-round panel Back system: recycled framesheet, 50% recycled mesh-covered cut-out EVA foam Back length: adjustable, 49-56cm Hipbelt: padded Back length: adjustable, 49-56cm Hipbelt: padded Features: side compression straps, bike helmet attachment, tuckaway ice axe loop, external hydration sleeve Sizes: one ospreyeurope.com Osprey says this pack is its most sustainable to date, and its environmental credentials are certainly praiseworthy. The fabrics feel tough too and it should prove durable. It’s comfortable to carry with well-padded shoulder straps, back and hipbelt. The mesh-covered back allows more air flow than some designs for keeping your back dry. The back is adjustable. I’m not sure this is needed on…

BEST BUY $230 (c.£170) 482g very roomy, stable, ultralight nothing Design: pyramidal tarp Material: silnylon Groundsheet: n/a Dimensions: 6+ sq. metres, high point 115-130cm, depending on pole height mountainlaureldesigns.com Now ten years old, my Trailstar has been used on hundreds of nights and is still in good condition. It’s lightweight and the inner space is vast for one, which makes it great on trips like this where nights are long, and wet and windy weather means time in camp is spent under cover. Pitched with trekking poles as a pyramid it can be raised or lowered depending on wind speed, and is very reliable in storms. On this trip I had a high pitch the first night with the edges well above the ground for good ventilation, as the site…

BEST BUY £60 245g (men's L) fast-wicking, soft fabric, environmentally friendly materials none Fabric: 87% recycled polyester (89%), 9% Lyocell, 4% elastane Sizes: S-XXL intl.saxx.com Men’s underwear maker Saxx has branched out into base layers, and I took the Roast Master midweight top and bottoms on this trip. I didn’t wear the latter (same fabric and price) as it wasn’t cold enough. I wore the top every day, and I found it fast-wicking and comfortable. The soft fabric has a textured knit and feels pleasant feel against the skin. It’s mostly made of recycled polyester with a little elastane to give stretch plus 9% Lyocell, a semi-synthetic sustainable material made from wood. Lyocell is very soft, very absorbent, breathable and antibacterial. The latter works well in this garment as after…

Our walks this month 1 Yesnaby Cliffs to Stromness Orkney 2 The Brack & Cnoc Choinnich Arrochar Alps 3 High Doat to Dale Head Lake District 4 Red Screes SSW ridge Lake District 5 Nine Standards Rigg North Pennines 6 Arant Haw & Winder Yorkshire Dales 7 Carnedd y Filiast from Llyn Celyn Snowdonia 8 Y Garth & Allt y Ddinas Powys 9 North Wessex Downs AONB North Hampshire Downs 10 The Annalong Round Mountains of Mourne 10 varied routes in Scotland, England, Wales and N. Ireland Spring is a busy time in the hills. With fair-weather walkers coming out of the woodwork, it can feel hard to find peace and quiet. So we asked our contributors to share some of their most prized but lesser-known walks in the UK’s…

Ronald Turnbull picks a different approach to Dale Head “SHE DWELT among the untrodden ways,” wrote Wordsworth. A difficult trick, you’ll be thinking, in the busy Lakeland of today. Well, you could be wrong about that. All over the place there are little ‘right of way’ marks on the map, many of them not walked even by Wainwright. One of them makes a great way up Dale Head. Okay, so High Doat might be more accurately named as Low Doat, given it’s a miserable 283 metres small. But if you’re going up something pretty big like Dale Head, including something modest on the approach is a great way to break up the ascent. And little High Doat is great anyway, with slabby knolls and a view up and down Borrowdale.…

The Howgills offer broad ridges with superb views, says Vivienne Crow ROUNDED DOMES of waving grasses; broad, sweeping ridges that are crying out to be walked; and curvaceous slopes worn silky-smooth by ancient ice… It has to be the Howgills. Throw in some far-reaching views and an invigorating sense of airy spaciousness, and it becomes hard to understand why this compact group of fells on the north-western edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park remains relatively quiet. It’s perfect for those seeking a straightforward outing on high. This short route is particularly good for a winter’s day or a summer’s evening when long shadows lend an additional depth to the landscape. Climbing from the Cumbrian town of Sedbergh, it visits Arant Haw (605m/1984ft) and Winder (473m/1551ft). Simply stride out and…

Fiona Barltrop hikes the Hampshire ‘highlands’ THE NORTH HAMPSHIRE DOWNS form the south-eastern part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), which also encompasses the Berkshire Downs and Wiltshire’s Marlborough Downs. It is the third largest of the 46 AONBs, covering some 670 square miles. Hampshire’s highest point is here in the northwest of the county, amidst chalk downland sometimes referred to as the Hampshire ‘highlands’. That point is Pilot Hill, at 286m (938ft). It is wonderful walking country in a relatively remote and peaceful area, with superb views from the main ridge. This walk starts from Hampshire’s highest village, Ashmansworth, following the Wayfarer’s Walk to Pilot Hill, with an out-and-back extension from there to Combe Gibbet atop Inkpen Hill, across the border in Berkshire. The…

DESIRE PATHS are the nonconformists of the landscaping world: little ways that deviate from the pavement, cutting across grass slopes, shaving a minute off your journey to the supermarket. Otherwise called social trails, sheep tracks, fishermen trails, elephant paths and bootleg trails, desire paths say “Psst, here’s a shortcut” or “Come this way, there’s an amazing view”. Thanks to the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, if you hadn’t noticed them before you’ll now start seeing them everywhere as people and animals make their mark on the landscape, either from a desire to make their journey more efficient, find the best viewpoint, or avoid a fallen tree or that muddy puddle. Visit any park after snowfall and you’ll see desire paths being formed before your eyes as people realise thoroughfares haven’t been gritted yet…

Ben Cannon is a photographer, fellwalker/runner and climber, who spends his free time exploring his local area of the Lake District. Discovering the outdoors shortly after leaving high school, he soon realised that he could capture his adventures in a different light and take his camera out to explore the beauty of his surroundings. Ben’s current goal is to complete all 214 Wainwrights and perfect his craft of photography. Katy Ellis is a Conservation Biology & Ecology student finishing her degree this spring. Despite not spending a night in a tent until the age of 16, she was bitten hard by the hiking bug and has since visited Canada and the Balkans. In this issue, she visits somewhere much closer to home, on a walk around East Anglia’s coast with…

Phoebe Smith author of Extreme Sleeps: Adventures of a Wild Camper For my entire lifetime, Dartmoor has been a place I’ve associated with freedom. Its weather-scoured tors, ancient stone rows and endless, pathless opportunities have not only been accessible by train, but have also allowed me to wild camp without the worry that anyone has the right to move me on. It has been the place that I’ve taken or sent countless newbies – from families eager to give their children a first taste of the wild and teach them responsible ‘leave no trace’ camping, to older hillwalkers only just getting into the activity and eager to ensure no laws are broken, to women already concerned about taking a leap into solo wild camping who don’t want the added stress…

THIS MONTH: GOSHAWK THE NEXT TIME you venture out to a high place at this time of year, look out for the goshawk’s ‘skydance’ display. An annual occurrence in late winter and early spring, the goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) can be seen demonstrating its agility above breeding territories in a series of switchbacks and exaggerated flapping on clear days over the treetops. In an unusual quirk of evolution, the female is significantly larger than the male, weighing in at up to 2kg and with an impressive wingspan of 165cm on the upper end of the scale. Broad wings allow this bird of prey to hunt at high speeds – up to 40km – darting through avenues in tall trees and reaching down with long, yellow talons to grab mammals and other…

Sometimes the Twelve Pins seem to sleep all day, a pride of tawny beasts slumped together, breathing just perceptibly, their fur ruffled by cloud-shadows. Then in the evening they rigidify, revert to the inorganic. Once when I was lying on the terrace of our house overlooking the {Roundstone] bay, listening to music from the room behind me and watching a summer night subvert the scale of all things, I felt I could raise my hands and spread my fingers over the mountain range, solidly dark against the still wine-flushed sky, as if over the keyboard of a piano, and produce one tremendous, definitive Connemara chord. Tim Robinson, Connemara: Listening to the Wind (Penguin Ireland, 2006) ON AN EARLY SPRING afternoon 30 years ago I rolled into Roundstone in Connemara, booked…

Capacity Daypacks for hillwalking run from 20 to 35 litres in volume. Regardless of the claimed capacity will a pack hold all the gear you want to carry? Litres are not a fixed amount when it comes to packs! It’s always worth thinking how your gear will fit inside. If you think you might want to carry extra gear at times, look for straps and shockcord for attaching it. Back length Back length isn’t as important with small packs as it is for big ones designed for heavy loads. As long as the top of the pack isn’t far below your shoulders when the hipbelt is round your hips, the pack should carry okay. Back system For heavier loads an internal frame or stiff framesheet that transfers the weight to…

£190 1155g (XS/S) two sizes, adjustability poor zip design, complicated zipping, pricy Capacity: 30 litres Materials: 100% recycled nylon 210D Robic nylon, external DWR, internal PU coating, both PFC-free Closure: three-zip lid and front access Back system: padded Back length: XS/S: 33-46cm; M/L: 41-46cm Hipbelt: padded Pockets: 2 back fabric, 2 side mesh, 2 zipped hipbelt, zipped top, internal hydration sleeve Features: YKK zips with DWR finish, interior attach loops, torso length adjustment, double-layer base, side compression, tool attach points Sizes: XS/S, M/L mysteryranchuk.com With two sizes, plus torso length adjustment, this pack aims to fit a wide range of females. The moveable sternum strap can also be adjusted to suit different chest sizes. The back adjuster system uses extremely strong Velcro, which isn’t easy to pull apart and adjust.…

£90 815g weight, cost, access small pockets Capacity: 20 litres Materials: 210D grid nylon Closure: 2 zip-round panels Back system: framesheet, padded panels Back length: 47cm Hipbelt: padded, adjustable for walk, run or bike Pockets: zipped front, 2 stretch mesh side, 2 stretch mesh shoulder strap, zipped inner, inner organiser, padded laptop/tablet/phone sleeves Features: side compression straps Sizes: one montane.com This is an unusual pack, designed for walking, running and biking, and for both outdoor and urban activities. For the different activities it has a hipbelt whose angle can be adjusted with stud fasteners. It arrived in the ‘run’ position. I used it like this for walking and then changed it to the ‘walk’ position. I didn’t notice any difference. In both cases the pack felt comfortable and the hipbelt…

RECOMMENDED £420 455g (men's L) lightweight, pockets, environmentally friendly fabrics expensive Materials: PFC-free recycled polyamide/polypropylene membrane Hood: front drawcord, rear volume adjuster, stiff peak, helmet-compatible Front closure: water-resistant zip, inner flap Pockets: two zipped handwarmer, 1 zipped chest Hem: drawcord Cuffs: Velcro Features: side ventilation zips, Recco transponder, emergency whistle in chest pocket Sizes: men S-XXL, women XS-XXL hellyhansen.com As it’s designed for serious mountaineering, this was a good jacket to bring with stormy weather forecast. I wanted a shell I felt would cope if the weather turned nasty up on the Cairngorm plateau. This didn’t happen, but conditions were wet and windy enough that I was glad I had a tough waterproof with me. The jacket has an excellent protective hood and big pockets. It worked well in rain,…

Ian Battersby keeps wild wind at his back on a chaotic coastline MAINLAND ORKNEY is the most dominant Orkney island, though not the loftiest with its principal top barely peeping over the 900 foot contour; and yet here lie some of Britain’s most inspiring landscapes. The key to this grandeur is quickly discovered along a chaotic coast line, and a bird’s eye view shows the island hemmed in by equally intricate islands on all flanks – except, that is, for the western shore. Here the Atlantic Ocean brings waves from faraway Iceland, Greenland and Canada. When the winds whip up, as they often do, the land has no defence against colossal waves that finally break here, carrying their spoils into the depths, and leaving spectacular cliffs of serrated inlets and…

This ridge makes a fine, quiet Lakeland route, suggests Norman Hadley THE TWIN ARMS of the Fairfield Horseshoe are well known to walkers but, just to the east, the Fairfield group extends a third limb towards Ambleside’s soft pastures. This ridge is relatively untrodden but offers superlative views over the Rothay/Brathay river basin, down the length of Windermere and, to the north, the deep scoop of Patterdale. The ridge is heavily scarped, with the eastern flank tumbling precipitously towards The Struggle and Kirkstone Pass. There are a few ways to tackle Red Screes. You can first surmount Scandale Pass from either Ambleside or Brothers Water. Both are pleasant approaches, but the final slopes up from the pass are a bit of an anticlimax. Conversely, you can take the uncompromisingly steep,…

Andrew Galloway walks a route to remember a lost rural community BUILT FROM STONES taken from the lost village of Capel Celyn, a memorial chapel stands on the north shore of the Llyn Celyn reservoir. From here a rough track climbs above the Afon Gelyn to where boundary stones mark the division between the counties of Gwynedd and Conwy. I follow the line of this ancient boundary to the summit of Carnedd y Filiast. Further east, a mile or more across the open moor, I find a curious feature. An old stone wall runs parallel to an earth ditch and mound. I follow as it drops steeply into a ravine, the source of Afon Nant Fach. On the southern slope I find an old, rutted track. It leads me past…

Peter Wilson explores the quiet(er) side of the Mournes AT JUST 30 MILES from Belfast the Mournes are always busy. But the Annalong Valley and its surrounding summits (Slieve Donard excepted) see fewer walkers than the northern approaches to the hills. In part, this route follows the Mourne Wall (22 miles in length and built between 1904 and 1922 to define the catchment of the Silent Valley reservoir) but that does not detract from what is a magnificent and demanding walk over several of the highest summits in Northern Ireland. Over one hundred years ago these granite hills rang to the sounds of hammers and chisels as quarry workers made setts (cobbles) and kerbstones for the streets of Belfast and many Lancashire towns. Later, the quarries provided stone for the…

At the start of 2023, two mountain rescue incidents in the Lake District gave rise to concerns over the crowdsourced maps used by popular hiking apps. You can read our coverage of this on p20, which we published online last month. Here's what our followers had to say about their own experiences of using apps for navigation in response… Leigh van der Byl (@go.hike.uk/Instagram) “I’ve encountered so many problematic paths in OS Maps but I could tell from the contour lines that I shouldn’t go down them. People should use more common sense instead of blindly following apps. If you’re heading into unfamiliar territory then you should learn some basic map reading skills, even if you use an app to plot your route.” Russell Jackson (@russj1975/Instagram) “There are many examples…

Slieve Binnian Start / Finish: Carrick Little car park Distance: 10.9km / 6.8 miles Ascent: 747m / 2450ft Duration: 4 hours A challenging but highly enjoyable circular route that takes in some of the best views the Mournes have to offer. Slieve Bearnagh Start/Finish: Meelmore Lodge Distance: 8.2km / 5.1 miles Ascent: 603m / 1978ft Duration: 3.5 hours A popular hike that takes you along Trassey Track towards Hare’s Gap before culminating in some light scrambling to the top. Ben Crom Start / Finish: Ott car park Distance: 10.5km / 6.5 miles Ascent: 472m / 1548ft Duration: 4 hours A moderately challenging route via a well-defined path to start, which then turns to marshland as you begin the second part of your walk towards Ben Crom summit.…

1. Call 999 If you have mobile phone signal, ring 999 and ask for the police and then mountain rescue. Be prepared to provide your location (including grid reference), mobile number, number of people in your party, and the name, gender and age of the casualty and the nature of their injuries. 2. Text 999 If you are struggling to make a phone call, you may have just enough reception to send a text. By registering in advance (text the word ‘register’ to 999 or visit emergencysms.net) you can text 999. As above, be ready to provide your grid reference and full details of the emergency and injuries. 3. Move to find phone reception If you’re in a reception black spot, consider whether you can safely move to another location (e.g.…

Fit This is the first thing to consider, and something you have to research in a shop by trying different brands and models on. Vital areas to check are your heels for movement, the toes for contact with the toebox, and under the laces for pressure. Wearing at home for a little while is also a good test and makes returns and exchanges possible. Upper The feel and durability of the boot can largely depend on what materials are used in the main body. Leather and suede have different grades that will affect weight and flexibility, plus they can be treated and reproofed to add longevity to your boots. Fabric uppers are light and require little or no breaking in; but when the waterproof membrane fails, they’ll be next to…

BEST BUY £160 1220g (pair, UK9 reg) comfort, grip, wide range of use rounded heel Materials: nubuck leather upper, rubber toe and heel bumper, rubber outsole Features: Oboz B DRY waterproof lining, O-FIT insole Sizes: 8-13 including half sizes up to 11; regular and wide fit available Women’s version: yes obozfootwear.com The fit is a hybrid of standard measurements on the regular fit model I tested, with the forefoot being D width and the heel being a C: a snug heel with a regular forefoot and toe box. It meant an excellent fit with no heel movement yet room for my toes to spread. Once broken in, there is good flex at the forefoot, which allows for very natural walking, aided further by a noticeable heel-to-toe curve along the sole.…

BEST BUY £130 1261g comfortable, waterproof, mesh back small clips Capacity: 26 litres Materials: 210D 6.6 Mini Ripstop / HydroShield nylon with PFC-free DWR Closure: large zip top Back system: AirZone + back system with FormKnit technology foam Back length: 43-48cm Hipbelt: padded Pockets: 2 side mesh, 2 zipped hipbelt, zipped top, zipped internal, internal hydration sleeve Features: forward pull hip-belt, axe attachment, walking pole attachments, sternum strap with whistle, hydration bladder compatible, upper and lower side compression straps, detachable raincover Sizes: one rab.equipment The Airzone Trek is a comfortable pack with light padding in the hipbelt and shoulder straps, plus a suspended back system. The back design also offers great ventilation. Whilst the pack comes in only one size there is 5cm of torso adjustment, and it was easy…

BEST BUY £75 770g large pockets, easy access, lightweight, low cost nothing Capacity: 25 litres Materials: PFC-free nylon 200D ripstop Closure: zip-round panel Back system: framesheet with mesh-covered foam panels Back length: 49cm Hipbelt: padded Pockets: elasticated front stash, 2 side mesh, 2 mesh hipbelt, top zipped security Features: side compression straps, ice axe/trekking pole loops, external hydration sleeve Sizes: one berghaus.com The Remote Hike 25 is comfortable to carry and has a functional design. The thick mesh-covered dual-density shoulder straps, hipbelt and back padding distribute the weight well. The pack fits closely and is very stable. There is a non-padded channel down the centre of the back to allow airflow and reduce sweat build-up that works quite well as long as you’re not working really hard. The main compartment…

RECOMMENDED £340 1.185kg lightweight, comfort, down/wool insulation, curved zip quite expensive Fill: 410 g 70% 650 fill power down and 30% wool Shell: polyamide with PFC-free DWR Construction: box wall Zip: ¾ Sizes: 3 Rating: comfort 2°C, comfort limit -4°C gz-bag.de/en This was my first use of this unusual sleeping bag from German company Gruezi that’s just become available in the UK. It’s filled with a mixture of down and wool, a new combination to me. Gruezi says the wool absorbs any moisture, allowing the down to loft fully, and is also temperature regulating. How well this works I can’t yet say but this was certainly a humid trip. I camped on sodden ground, and it rained on two nights, and the last night was also in a damp mist.…

BEST BUY £4.79 200ml/g lights easily, burns clean, non-spill none firedragonfuel.com A bottle of this bio-ethanol gel has been sitting on a shelf for the last couple of years. Having finally decided to try it, I wish I’d done so sooner as it’s excellent. I found it much easier to light than methylated spirits using a fire steel. It also doesn’t spill. It’s made from natural ingredients including UK-grown grain stocks. FireDragon says it burns hotter than meths and so boils water more quickly. I haven’t yet done a direct comparison, but I certainly found it efficient. It burns clean too and doesn’t leave residue on pots. It’ll be my first choice for my Ti-Tri and Trangia stoves from now on.…

Britain’s original outdoor magazine is packed full of stunning photography, top-class writing and brilliant walking and backpacking routes, along with authoritative gear reviews from the country’s most experienced team of testers, plus essential skills advice from highly qualified outdoor instructors. Subscribe today for only £15! THE GREAT OUTDOORS is the UK’s original mountain magazine. We have been inspiring people to explore high places and equipping them with the knowledge they need for almost 45 years. Through compelling writing and beautifully illustrated stories, we convey the joy of adventure, the thrill of mountainous and wild environments, and the wonder of the natural world. We’re here to help you make the most of your time in the outdoors. As well as stunning photography and top-class writing, our gear reviewers are the country’s…

Craig Weldon walks the spine of the peninsula of Ardgoil in solitude WHEN IT COMES to unfrequented parts of Scotland, few hillwalking areas are more overlooked than Cowal. There are remoter and quieter spots; but here, proximity to Glasgow counts for little. Its north-east corner of Ardgoil may be in the Argyll Forest Park – it’s even in the Loch Lomond National Park – yet who actually walks here? Not the crowds who tackle Ben Lomond and The Cobbler, that’s for sure. Perhaps its steeply conifered glens put walkers off, but these soon give way to characterful hills of ravine-fissured schistose. Walk the spine of the knobbly peninsula of Ardgoil, and you are pretty much guaranteed solitude despite superlative views down the Firth of Clyde, and back up Loch Long…

This unique summit is well worthy of exploration, says James Forrest LOCATED A FEW miles southeast of Kirkby Stephen, in Cumbria but close to the county’s eastern boundary with Yorkshire, Nine Standards Rigg is – at first glance – an unremarkable hill: a boring, grassy hump on the moorlands to the north of the Nateby to Keld road. At 662m (2172ft), it is lofty enough to be a ‘Nuttall’ – a mountain in England and Wales over 2000ft with 50ft of prominence – and is thus an objective for peak-baggers. But no-one other than the most dedicated of hill box-tickers should bother visiting, surely? So it would initially appear, but in fact Nine Standards Rigg has an ace up its sleeve. It is a unique place with an intriguing history.…

Roger Butler crosses little-known tops on a roller coaster route YOU CAN NEVER get tired of Mid Wales. Scalloped escarpments and secretive valleys are often the order of the day, and it’s nigh on impossible to keep count of the high hills and hidden humps that rise and fall like waves on a long, sandy beach. A wedge of complex countryside, just west of Builth Wells, is suddenly funnelled towards a couple of steep-sided cwms tumbling south from the wild moors below Gorllwyn. The contours resemble an untidy pile of jigsaw pieces and the surrounding pudding-shaped tops seem to be lined up ready to complete the puzzle. Steeply isolated Y Garth is the first hill and it’s then a matter of up, down, up, down over Wennallt, Allt y Ddinas,…