Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2024 i The Great Outdoors

PHOEBE SLEATH didn’t “grow up outdoorsy” and can recall many days resolutely remaining inside rented family holiday cottages on Arran and in Lakeland. Now, it’s hard to imagine the 27-year-old climber and hillwalker was ever more at home on the sofa than the crags and corries of our high places. The tide turned in her teenage years on a sunny Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold day on Pen y Fan, Phoebe tells The Great Outdoors, where her love of nature and landscape was born. With adulthood looming, Phoebe’s passion drove her educational choices, too. Upon arriving at university to study Geography, she signed up to every outdoor club. Phoebe has always preferred adventure with friends over going solo, and “sharing skills is integral to the club mechanism.” This would naturally pave…

SHORT-EARED OWL THE SHORT-EARED OWL (Asio flammeus) nests year-round in the heathery uplands of northern England and Scotland. But winter offers better opportunities to spot them as they are joined by migrants from Scandinavia, Russia and Iceland to hunt on the moorlands and saltmarshes of England and Wales’ coastal and lowland areas. ‘Shorties’ – so called for their earlike tufts of feathers – are, unusually, daytime hunters that prey on field voles and small birds. That said, it’s rare to spot these ‘ear’ tuft s. Instead, look out for black markings around yellow eyes, with feathers mottled yellowy-brown above and paler underneath. About the same size as barn owls, short-eared owls have a larger wingspan of one metre. You may hear one before you see it, its barks and shrieks…

1 Respect other users: leave the bothy clean and tidy, be considerate to other visitors and make everyone welcome 2 Respect the bothy: never graffiti or vandalise, do carry out all rubbish (don’t bury it), don’t leave perishable food behind, do guard against fire risks, and close all doors and windows when you leave 3 Respect the surroundings: bury human waste out of sight and well away from the bothy and water supplies, and never cut live wood or damage estate property 4 Respect the agreement with the estate: observe any restrictions on bothy use (eg during stag stalking or lambing seasons), and restrict your visit to ‘short stays’ only 5 Respect the restriction on numbers: bothies are not available for commercial groups; large groups (six or more) should not use a…

Hello 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 most experienced team – and we always ensure clothing and equipment is put through its paces in the right places. Our essential skills advice is reinforced by top outdoor instructors and guides. Our roster of contributors ranges from world-renowned outdoor experts and authors to…

RECOMMENDED Keen WK400 Walking Shoe £135 800g (size 44.5) comfort, lightweight only one width Uppers: mesh with TPU overlays Inner: mesh Midsole EVA Sole: high-traction rubber Sizes: men 39.5-48, women 35-43 keenfootwear.de/en Rocker soles with a slight upward curve in the forefoot have been around for many years. The design is intended to aid forward propulsion and a natural walking gait. With the WK400 Keen has taken this design to the extreme. As well as more of a curve at the front than most rocker soles the shoes also curve up at the back. This continuous curve is meant to make walking “feel like rolling”. Wearing the WK400s feels odd when standing still. Only the centre of the sole is in contact with the ground with both your toes and…

TESTING CONDITIONS Kirsty is 154cm tall and size 8, and usually sleeps fairly warm. She’s usually a side or front sleeper, so she looks for bags with room for her knees and elbows. These sleeping bags were tested in the Scottish Highlands through last winter and this autumn season, in both cold and wet conditions. They were weighed on Kirsty’s home scales. BEST BUY Sea to Summit Women's Altitude II £400 1303g (Regular), 80g compression sack ventilation options, vertical torso baffles slightly faffy overlapping zips at footbox Fill: Ultra-Dry RDS Down 750+ loft Shell: 20D nylon Zip: 2-way full-length, 2-way half-length, 2-way footbox Length: 170cm (Regular) Rating: Comfort -10°C Sizes: Regular, Long Men’s version: Ascent Sleeping Bag seatosummit.co.uk This down bag from Sea to Summit is well thought out and…

TESTING CONDITIONS Peter wore these gloves regularly last winter and on colder days throughout the year. They’ve been used with ices axes, crampon straps and walking poles as well as on tricky tasks such as deer fence repair with wire and tools. Gloves were weighed on his home scales. BEST BUY Keela Extreme Gloves £60 146g pair (L) warm, dexterous, packable nothing Materials: nylon shell, PU palm, polyester fleece lining Features: PrimaLoft insulation, SDP waterproof lining, touchscreen index fingers Sizes: S-XL Women’s version: no, unisex keelaoutdoors.com The Extreme Gloves are an insulated gauntlet, but they’re still light and very packable, easily fitting into a small rucksack lid pocket. The palms are a textured PU material, with a two-way stretch across the width of the palm. I’ve found its rubbery surface…

Richard Hartfield wanders deep into the Isle of Mull’s geological past THIS OUT-AND-BACK route on Mull’s Ardmeanach Peninsula takes you along some of Scotland’s most striking and dramatic coastline. You’ll pass ruined fortifications and crumbling stone walls that bear significance to the island’s history. Some date back to the Iron Age, whilst others serve as defiant reminders to the Highland Clearances of the 1840s, when the island was stripped of its farming communities. Even these distant traces of human history fade away as the rocky shoreline of Loch Scridain becomes more precipitous. Next, you’ll wander deeper into Mull’s geological past. Weave your way along the narrowing trail above and below vast sea cliffs sliced by waterfalls. You’ll look down to see toppled stacks of basalt columns emerging from the churning…

Ian Battersby finds his cup runneth over in this U-shaped valley IT’S NOT OFTEN that the Pennines convey drama along the whole length of a walk, but here in the north of the range, on a ridge that reaches their pinnacle at Cross Fell, they deliver drama in droves. The route doesn’t even attain the 700m contour (although anyone taller than a metre will make it). Conical Duft on Pike lures in curious trekkers, and once around the flank you’re hooked. Great Rundale Beck rushes down from a gill that surely deserves a name, with flanks towering over historical mining remains. High Cup Gill is better known as High Cup Nick, because that’s the point from which the gill is best appreciated. Wainwright describes it as “a great moment on…

Ian Battersby finds early winter snows highlighting relics of a bygone age REETH IS SITED where wee Arkle Beck unites with a sprawling River Swale and so is an ideal beginning for an elevated gander into both dales. Fremington Edge sweeps up like a cresting wave, with attention focused on little Reeth and Arkengarthdale, and the haughty but lowly Calver Hill across the valley. A hive of industry in olden times, the land here still bears the receding scars of lead mining that lend valued historical insights. The edge drops naturally to Arkle Town and a return to Reeth by Arkle Beck, though an obvious proposition may bring an untimely end for those who have been courted all morning by the alluring outline of Calver Hill. At less than 500m…

Fiona Barltrop steps back in time on the South Downs SITUATED in a gap in the South Downs by the River Ouse, Lewes – the county town of East Sussex – is a place of much historic interest and character. There’s the Norman castle, the 15th-Century timber-framed Anne-of-Cleves House and the Fifteenth Century Bookshop, as well as the 11th-Century remains of Lewes Priory. But it’s an area of grassy open access chalk downland and woodland to the north-west of the town where the most significant historic event took place: the 1264 Battle of Lewes, which led to the first parliament. If interested, there’s an ‘exciting audio-visual walking trail, accessed via QR code and NFC tags’ located around the site. For those who prefer just to stride out and enjoy the…

Ian Battersby says his fervour for nature originated from his enthusiastic dad and David Attenborough documentaries, as well as the earliest issues of TGO. The draw of the wild motivated obsessive behaviours around photography leading to unsociable, solitary time in landscapes. But he is driven to communicate his journeys through writing and now loves sharing outdoor time with his own family. In this issue, he recalls a traverse of Madeira with his two sons (p50). Jessie Leong can often be spotted scrubbing mud off her hiking boots! Otherwise, she’s likely to be found climbing up steep crags, picking up a camera as an award-winning filmmaker, writing, modelling and being a part-time van lifer. Jessie’s latest claim to fame is being an extra in the recent blockbuster film Barbie. In this…

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. An enduring love A lifelong explorer and long-term TGO reader wrote to us about his childhood adventures with the Scouts – and his sources of inspiration into adulthood. My love for the great outdoors traces back to my childhood in the Scout movement enjoying my spare time camping, exploring woodlands and beaches, and hiking the local hills, fostering a real connection with the natural world. It was during these years that I began acquiring fundamental outdoor skills, from the art of making a crackling campfire to crafting makeshift shelters, instilling in me…

“About a mile from there up the road to Llithfaen a footpath sign points you up the slope of Yr Eifl. This is the path to Tre’r Ceiri, in legend “the town of the giants”, in fact an Iron Age hill fort. But no ordinary one. For the path zigzags you up through heather to shattered walls that enclose dozens of Iron Age house foundations. Hut remains exist on many hills though you often need the eye of faith to see them. But at Tre’r Ceiri they are so elaborate that Iron Age life is more tangible there than anywhere else in Wales.”Bill Condry, Exploring Wales (Faber, 1970) WHEN IT RAINED in Eryri in the 1960s – by no means an unusual occurrence – a favourite weekend option was a…

1. LINGY HUT – BACK O’ SKIDDAW, LAKE DISTRICT Commonly used as an overnight shelter by backpackers walking the 73-mile Cumbria Way from Ulverston to Carlisle, Lingy Hut (or Great Lingy Hut, if you prefer) is a simple timber cabin with space to sleep three to four hikers. It is located at an elevation of 600m in the Back o’ Skiddaw fells. 2. MOSEDALE COTTAGE – HAWESWATER, LAKE DISTRICT Remote and quiet, Mosedale Cottage is wonderfully off-grid. Nestled in the uninhabited Mosedale valley, enclosed by the fells of Branstree, Selside Pike and Tarn Crag, this whitewashed shelter has a diverse history: it has been a slate quarry building, farmstead and shepherd’s cottage in the past. 3. DUBS HUT – BUTTERMERE, LAKE DISTRICT Located between Haystacks and Fleetwith Pike, and to…

DOWN JACKET? Check. Fleece? Check. Hat and gloves? Check. Food? “I’ll just grab a meal deal from the supermarket on the way.” Sound familiar? Food is often the first thing we sacrifice when planning time out in nature, convenience and weight seemingly more desirable than flavour and nutrition. When it comes to extreme adventures or long-distance endurance the need for lightweight, prepackaged food with a long shelf life is essential to survival and success. Yet the majority of us are amateur outdoor lovers seeking a mental reset, connection and time in the fresh air. Good, proper food can be that morale boost you need halfway through a long backpacking day, a conduit to de-stress when finding somewhere to take in a beautiful vista, or a way to warm up after…

SUMMER IS OVER, but that doesn’t mean camping has to be, especially with the right kit. Winter sleeping bags extend the camping season year-round, allowing you to enjoy a few crisp winter nights in relative comfort. A winter sleeping bag alone won’t be enough – it needs to be paired with a high R-rated sleeping mat and a decent tent – but it does go a long way! Choosing a winter sleeping bag is a game of compromise between weight, price and warmth – so you need to figure out which is more important to you. The fill type also impacts all of these. Down fill is warm and light but can be expensive, whilst synthetic is heavier and not as warm but usually cheaper. Across Britain, winter temperatures can…

TESTING CONDITIONS James is 180cm tall with average-width shoulders. He is a ‘cold sleeper’ and has taken this into consideration. The sleeping bags were tested in a variety of conditions throughout winter, spring and autumn in a variety of locations in the Scottish Highlands. Bags were weighed on James’ home scales. BEST BUY Sierra Designs Nitro 0° £343 1250g (Regular) lightweight, warm, innovative foot vent design. no internal pocket Fill: 736g 800 FP hydrophobic duck DriDown Shell: 15D ripstop nylon Zip: 2-way, half-length Length: 198cm (Regular) Rating: Comfort -9°C Sizes: Regular, Long Women’s version: yes sierradesigns.com This sleeping bag strikes a successful balance between warmth, weight, versatility and price. At 1.25kg, and packable down to a very small size, it’s a lightweight bag for winter backpacking. Weight is kept low…

Shell In a winter glove you’ll need protection from the harsh weather when your hands will be exposed to snow and rain. The shell should be strong enough to work with ice axes and fit crampons. Insulation Insulation can vary from a simple fleece lining to synthetic padding or even down in some models. Insulation will retain warmth but can add bulk and reduce dexterity. Fingers Keeping five individual digits warm in the winter hills has a practical limit as only so much material can be wrapped around each one before your fingers become immobile. Mitts are warmer, but at the cost of dexterity. Cuff Cuff designs vary and can have different advantages. Short cuffs are good when taking a glove off and will fit with your sleeves easily. Long…

1 MacCulloch’s Fossil Tree, Isle of Mull 2 Sgurr a’ Mhaoraich, North-West Highlands 3 Kinpurney Hill, Angus 4 High Cup Nick, North Pennines 7 Calver Hill, North Yorkshire 5 Helvellyn (by boat) Lake District 6 Scandale Round, Lake District 8 Waun-oer & Dyfi Forest, Eryri/Snowdonia 9 Liberty Walk, Dartmoor 10 Blackcap & Mount Harry beacon, South Downs…

Roger Butler uses historic stalkers’ paths to reach deep snow THERE’S PLENTY of wild scenery by the narrow road that twists alongside Loch Cuaich on the way out to lonely Kinloch Hourn. High peaks rise in every direction, but enterprising Victorian estate owners created a network of paths to cater for their deer stalkers – and these often zig-zag up towards the tops. Some are almost like airport escalators, though you do need to keep putting one foot in front of another! These well-built ‘pony tracks’ make helpful routes in the depths of winter; and the fine summit of Sgurr a’ Mhaoraich, halfway along the north side of the loch, can be easily reached by taking the path that starts right next to the road, below Bac nan Canaichean. Once…

Ronald Turnbull finds a watery new way to a Lake District favourite ALL PATHS from Glenridding lead up to Helvellyn. But so does the boat from Glenridding pier! Take the short hop to Aira Force for a way up Helvellyn that offers so much more. First, it’s the waterfall itself. Aira Force tumbles 70 feet from below an old stone footbridge and sits in a designed landscape with over 200 specimen conifers – including a Sitka spruce now 118 feet high – created in 1846 by Charles Howard, the 11th Duke of Norfolk. Next, a splendid contour path above Glencoynedale. The sheltered upper valley of Sticks Pass leaves you well-placed to bag the easy peaks of Raise and White Side. But don’t relax too much! Because the ridgeline to Lower…

Andrew Galloway uncovers a tale of murder in the Dyfi Forest ON A BLEAK winter’s night with the rain beating down like nails, the last people you would want to run into were the Gwylliaid Cochion Mawddwy. Half band of outlaws, half paramilitary force, during the mid-16th Century the Red Bandits of Mawddwy terrorised the inhabitants of the Dyfi Forest. So concerned were the local authorities by the actions of these rebels that they annexed Dinas Mawddwy into the county of Gwynedd in 1536, within which it still resides, placing it under the jurisdiction of the garrison town of Dolgellau. The 18th-Century travel writer Thomas Pennant records how, in 1555, over 80 of the rebels were hanged by the Sheriff of Meirionnydd, Baron Lewis Owen. On 12 October of that…

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“We hiked up to Crinkle Crags to wild camp for the night. As we pitched our tents the wind picked up, the temperature dropped and a hailstorm arrived, making for an interesting experience. After setting up camp, the hail and rain had passed and the sun had emerged. Sunset wasn’t far off, so I made my way to the top of a crag to photograph this scene of the Scafells. This image was taken in winds of around 40mph and temperatures below freezing. Sometimes it is difficult to take photos; but moments and conditions like these don’t occur very often, so I have to make the most of them.” danieltoal.com…

IN JANUARY, as we learned the last measly pocket of wild camping rights in England was due to be extinguished, the Labour Party capitalised on the mass public outrage by announcing its commitment to a Right to Roam Act. But what exactly did that mean? Labour was cagey, but the signs were promising. Rights to access ‘woodlands, cliffs, rivers’ were mentioned. Policy would consider the ‘right to experience’, and the ‘right to explore’ as well as the mere ability to walk from A to B along a fixed route. We might see activities like swimming and camping – either prohibited or ignored by existing access policy – empowered with a new set of statutory guarantees. Campaigners like ourselves were heartened when, in a parliamentary debate on access to nature, then-Shadow…

CONTENT SPONSORED BY IT EMERGES out of the mist, like a mirage in the desert. But this is no optical illusion. It’s real – a tiny shelter with a sloping roof, protruding chimney and walled yard, hidden secretly amidst giant slag heaps of silvery slate. The dichotomy is stark. The skies are dark and ominous, as if pent up with rage, and the hillside is a scene of devastation: colossal mounds of discarded rock, deep gash-like gullies and brutally vertical craggy excrescences. But this hut represents something soft er. For me it is a sign of hope and a symbol of safety; a haven where the fire flickers golden and adventure tales are shared by candlelight. I’m high above Buttermere, nestled in a nook of rough-hewn ground between Haystacks and…

Shape and size Sleeping bags often come in Regular and Long sizes, so choose appropriately for your height. A mummy-shaped bag hugs your body, making the best use of the insulation. Spoon-shaped bags are best for side sleepers. Women’s bags are generally designed to be shorter and may have insulation in different places to men’s. Weight There is usually a compromise between weight, insulation and price. An ultralight bag will be easier to carry, but either less warm or more expensive, or both. Fill Down insulation is very warm, lightweight and compressible, but far less effective when wet. Look for hydrophobic down – this has been treated to improve its water resistance. The higher the down fill power (FP) rating, the higher-quality and warmer the down for its weight. Synthetic insulation…

TESTING CONDITIONS Fiona tested the gloves on a number of cold, wet mountains in Scotland, walking and running and managing winter hardware as well as a flask of hot tea! She has Raynaud’s, which means she relies on warm gloves and mitts year-round. All gloves were weighed on her digital home scales. BEST BUY Arc’teryx Fission SV Mitten £150 214g pair (L) comfort, warm, durable price, leather (for some) Materials: nylon-elastane mix outer fabric, polyester plus Primaloft insulation, goat leather overlays Features: Gore-Tex lining, DWR, leather palm, pull-off loop, wrist strap Sizes: XS-XL Men’s version: no, unisex arcteryx.com/gb/en SV indicates these are for use in ‘severe’ weather, and the features included do engender confidence. These Arc’teryx mitts are designed with high-quality components, including an outer of the brand’s own double-weave…

As we look to the dawn of a new year, it’s perhaps a good time to take stock of that which has come before. In the spirit of acknowledging our history – both in terms of the Earth around us and how we as humans collectively move within it – we asked our contributors to share some of their favourite walks through time. From bandits in Eryri to glaciated geology dating back to ice ages past and ancient fossilised trees, these wintery walks are for the history buffs.…

Alex Roddie finds a surprisingly adventurous day out on a local hill ALTHOUGH THEY RARELY attract walkers from further afield, Scotland’s ranges of lesser hills tend to be open secrets amongst locals. Whilst the Cairngorms or Blair Atholl feel busy on a sunny weekend, the Sidlaws – a modest range between Dundee and Perth – are unlikely to see any crowds. The highest point is Craigowl Hill at 455m, but many of the summits are lower than this and can be very quiet. Having moved back to Scotland in early 2023, I found the Sidlaws on my doorstep. One of the most prominent of these little peaks is Kinpurney Hill, which at 345m is prominent in views for many miles around thanks to the highly visible tower on its summit:…

Vivienne Crow follows ridge walls on a lesser known Lakes horseshoe LAKELAND’S drystone walls are a constant reminder that this landscape has been tamed for a very, very long time. Although they first appeared on the Eskdale lands owned by the monks of Furness Abbey in the 13th Century, most of the valley-bottom field boundaries existing today went up in the 15th and 16th Centuries. The long, snaking lines on the fells are later still, a product of the enclosure acts of the 18th and 19th centuries. Walking the ridges encircling Scandale in the Eastern Fells recently, I came across walls in many states of repair. Climbing to High Pike on the western arm of the horseshoe, I was accompanied by a high structure that has been reconstructed by expert…

Tim Gent ponders one of the more troubling events in our past AIRCRAFT 63926 transmitted its last message at 10.15 on a December night in 1943. A return to base was expected at 10.20. The plane never arrived. Setting out from RAF Dunkeswell in East Devon, the US Navy Liberator had been hunting enemy ships in the Bay of Biscay. They’d been fired on, but pilot William Parish reported only “slight problems”. Perhaps the altimeter was damaged. Whatever the reason, the aircraft hit Dartmoor’s Corn Ridge, before tumbling into the West Okement valley. All ten aircrew lost their lives. Considering the total destruction of the plane, and subsequent recovery of three of the four engines, enough still survives to mark this sorry event. Reaching the valley edge overlooking the steep…