Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2025 i The Great Outdoors

Welcome to a new regular feature, making space for a wide range of outdoor perspectives. Whether it be bold views or interviews, outdoor arts and culture or the latest in access or environmental stories, we hope it’ll act as a newsroom, forum and soapbox (though perhaps not all at the same time!) for the outdoor community. Whatever our differing points of view, we’re all united by our love for the great outdoors. This time, it’s over to… IN JANUARY, soft white snow blanketed the Peak District National Park. Icicles dropped from cliff edges, and the hills and cottages took on the picturesque beauty of paintings and Christmas romcoms. Naturally, everyone wanted a photo. Over three days, police struggled to deal with problematic parking as hundreds of people flooded to see…

Gear News Berghaus unveils lightweight waterproof jacket The Berghaus Summit Seeker is made out of 30D 3-layer Gore-Tex ePE fabric which has a 100% recycled polyamide face and backer. The jacket has gusseted underarms and articulated sleeves to allow freedom of movement, plus a dropped tail for added protection. Other features include a water-resistant full-length two-way front zip, a single-pointadjustable fixed hood with stiffened peak, pit zips for ventilation, two raised zipped hand pockets that can be accessed while wearing a pack, an internal zipped security pocket, hook and loop adjustable cuffs, and dual hem adjustment. The women’s Summit Seeker jacket weighs 472g (size 12) and the men’s 542g (size Large). ■ RRP: £320 berghaus.com Gregory helps get your gear organised Gregory has launched a new range designed to organise…

Ian Battersby finds size doesn’t matter when you take a step back BY SCOTTISH STANDARDS Cùl Mòr is but a bairn. Compared with its neighbours, however, 849m makes it a big lad (Mòr meaning ‘big’ in Gaelic). But the statistics are meaningless. They hide the frank reality. The mountain sits in the Assynt-Coigach National Scenic Area (another understatement), home of the inselbergs: isolated island mountains. The land is predominantly low, its softer rocks generally lost to the last ice cap. Where there are hollows, there is water for bogs and lochs of all dimensions. Lewisian Gneiss rises to make a plinth of more resilient material, able to deflect a glacier and leave a mountain stacked on top. These diminutive, sturdy summits should be, and are, deeply revered. Of all these…

Vivienne Crow feels salt-laden wind in her hair on fell and cliffs WITH MORECAMBE BAY and the Irish Sea on three sides, the fell group that includes Black Combe has an air of ‘separation’ about it, a distinctiveness that many writers have picked up on. Branwell Brontë said the rounded mass – Cumbria’s first line of defence against prevailing south-westerlies – was formed “to fight 1000 years of struggles with a storm”. From its summit, said Wordsworth, “the amplest range of unobstructed prospect may be seen that British ground commands”. More recently, local poet Norman Nicholson observed: “When you can see Black Combe, we say in Millom, it’s going to rain; when you can’t see it, it’s raining already.” Using the Cumbrian Coast railway, this walk climbs Black Combe from…

Nadia Shaikh is an ornithologist, land justice campaigner – and author of our new wildlife column on page 11. She is the co-director of the Right to Roam Campaign, where she advocates for the right for people to access land as a key step needed for caring for nature. She lives on the Isle of Bute in Scotland. Here, she has the right to wander where curiosity takes her and sleep under the stars. Carey Davies is a journalist, campaigner and editor (formerly of The Great Outdoors!). Recent highlights include trekking Nepal’s Manaslu Circuit, getting scared in the Brenta Dolomites, and scrambling in Andalucia. This year he had his first book published: a celebration of the UK’s national parks, featured on page 24. He is currently senior communications officer for National…

SOME GROUPS OF HILLS just linger in your mind, however infrequent your visits there may have been. I remember as clearly as if it had been yesterday my first forays onto Bannau Sir Gaer – the westernmost extension of the great sequence of mountain ranges that strides across south Wales from east to west, from the Black Mountains, Bannau Brycheiniog (aka the Brecon Beacons, one of Britain’s 15 national parks) and squelchy Fforest Fawr to Mynydd Preseli, which peers distantly across Cardigan Bay to the loftier northern heights of Eryri. In the autumn of 1966, I’d been working as a voluntary instructor for a few months when a former workmate and an old buddy of mine, Bill Bowker, told me to get myself down to Glasbury with the opportunity of…

Rab Kangri £330 545g (size 20) very waterproof, breathable, extended sizing no chest pocket, long sleeves Materials: 3-layer Gore-Tex Hood: wire peaked, volume-adjustable Front closure: 2-way zip Underarm zips: underarm, 2-way Pockets: 2 zipped waist, 1 zipped internal Hem: elasticated hem Cuffs: Velcro fastening Sizes: 6-24 Men’s version: yes (XS-3XL) rab.equipment, with the extended size range via cotswoldoutdoor.com Testing conditions: Steph wore this jacket in the Brecon Beacons and south-west of England throughout the Autumn and Winter. She is a size 20, stands 5ft10in tall and is pear-shaped. Steph Wetherell is impressed by the features and durability of this waterproof jacket, now in extended sizing The Rab Kangri is a well-designed and versatile hardshell jacket, ideal for days in the mountains. If you’re looking for an all-round jacket that is light and…

Ian Battersby tackles a tucked-away scramble beyond a sea loch THE MOUNTAINS of the west coast of Scotland saw glacial action that scoured paths to the sea, and now the long-melted ice returns, with tides pushing the coastal waters far inland. Waves travel up the Sound of Sleat into Loch Alsh, driving even further up Loch Duich where high ground holds the line. Among these mountains Beinn Fhada (Ben Attow) lies tucked away, hiding from fame behind the Five Sisters ridge. The head of Loch Duich offers glimpses of its western wall and the narrow, sawtooth ridge around Sgùrr a’ Choire Ghairbh. Once seen, it can’t be ignored. The approach around the back is simple, and the very top is a gentle, grassy rise running with mountain hares, topping out…

Andrew Galloway walks a Welsh beast with two horns: one red, one black MANY OF THE HILLS and mountains of Eryri/Snowdonia owe their existence to an episode of volcanic activity in a period of geological time known as the Ordovician, some 450 million years ago. Back then Wales was part of a shallow tropical sea on the margins of what geologists refer to as a subduction zone, where part of the Earth’s crust was forced beneath an opposing part. The ensuing friction resulted in a chain of volcanoes aligned roughly southwest to north-east. Some of these volcanoes erupted under the surface of the sea, while others rose up to become the classic volcano cone shape, spewing ash and lava into the Ordovician sky. The rocks that form the twin horns…

Roger Butler follows giant footsteps on the north Cornish coast THE NORTH COAST of Cornwall has more than its fair share of cliffs and coves, but the sea-swept heathland around St Agnes also rises to the highest point between the bustling resorts of Newquay and St Ives. Linnets and stonechats flit among the gorse above Porthtowan and amid the gaunt remains of an iconic tin mine at Wheal Coates. This engine house, built in 1872, thumped and pumped water out of the dangerous subterranean workings till its closure in 1914. The view, with pristine sands beyond, is pure Daphne du Maurier. Seabirds swoop over St Agnes Head and gather on a pair of islets with the memorable name of ‘Man and His Man’. The coast path then turns east towards…

Talgarth Walking Festival 2-5 May Black Mountains Walkers from Talgarth – the Gateway to the Black Mountains of South Wales – welcome you to explore local history, geology, literature and nature with the local guides. Set off for scenic vistas from the festival hub with knowledgeable leaders who love all the landscape has to offer, from wooded dingles to high ridges and plateaus. Cost: £7-10 talgarthwalkingfestival.org Arran Mountain Festival 16-19 May Isle of Arran Scotland’s premier hillwalking and mountaineering festival offers an opportunity to meet like-minded people, discover a fascinating island and have unforgettable days in the safe hands of experienced local leaders. With names to inspire, like Ceum na Caillich and Caisteal Abhail, Arran’s mountains are among Scotland’s most amazing landscapes. Cost: from £5 arranmountainfestival.co.uk Keswick Mountain Festival 16-18…

Share your views, your experiences and your favourite photos tgo.ed@kelsey.co.uk Run for your life David Lintern remembers Charlie Ramsay, creator of Ramsay’s Round, 1943-2025 Charlie Ramsay, creator of the classic 24-hour Scottish mountain marathon that bears his name, died peacefully at home in February 2025 aged 81 after a short illness. Charlie was an all-rounder – a keen time trials cyclist and swimmer who escaped the chlorinated atmosphere of his work at Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool by running up Arthur’s Seat in his lunch hour. One thing led to another: the journalist Tom Weir pointed him to the Ben Nevis Race and the Tranter’s circuit of Glen Nevis. After successfully running the Bob Graham Round in the Lakes, Charlie went on to extend Tranter’s Round to create his own equivalent…

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IT STARTS WITH A PROMISE, often takes longer than you thought it would, and ends with a feeling of exhilaration. If, like me, you know what it feels like to complete a peak bagging tick list, you’ll recognise how these things unfold. The promise I made on the summit of lowly Barrow, a fell Wainwright describes as “overlooking a scene as fair as any in the kingdom”, was different. This time, I wouldn’t be doing it for myself. I’d already claimed the 214 Wainwrights many years ago. Some of them I’d visited on numerous occasions. The trouble was that my father hadn’t made it to all of them. He’d fallen, literally and metaphorically, 24 short. Dad’s carefully typed ‘to do’ list proved his desire to complete the set. Reaching his…

Our walks this month 1 Cùl Mòr, NW Highlands 2 Beinn Fhada, NW Highlands 3 Muncaster Fell, Lake District 4 Black Combe, Lake District 5 Gyrn Ddu & Gyrn Goch, Eryri/Snowdonia 6 Great Hangman & Valley of the Rocks, Exmoor 7 St Agnes Head & Wheal Coates, Cornwall 7 varied routes in England, Scotland and Wales On our tiny maritime islands, we’re never far from views out to where the sea meets the sky, our eyes drawn to the horizon. But on the western coastline, where geological formations fell just right many millions of years ago, there’s an appealing combination of landscapes for walkers. Our coastal cliffs, hills and mountains offer unique, high-vantage perspectives on vast swathes of ocean. Legs will burn while the sea breeze dries sweat from your brow. From Cùl Mòr to…

From sea to summit, James Forrest journeys to a fine ‘outlying fell’ WHAT IT LACKS in height, it makes up for in drama. Muncaster Fell (231m), one of the 116 peaks described in Alfred Wainwright’s lesser-known book The Outlying Fells of Lakeland, is a small hill with the ruggedness of a big one. AW described its summit as a “magnificent, commanding panorama of great charm both seawards and inland to the mountains of Lakeland,” while he waxed lyrical about its ridge traverse, stating confidently “here is enchantment”. This walk takes in those superlative views, completing a sea-to-summit route of considerable character. Starting at Ravenglass, next to the Irish Sea and River Esk estuary, you’ll walk a short section of the England Coast Path before heading inland through sheep fields and…

Fiona Barltrop gets high on the lofty North Devonian cliffs EXMOOR’S MOST spectacular scenery is to be found along the coast, and nowhere more so than the westernmost stretch between Lynmouth and Combe Martin. It’s a superb, albeit strenuous, day’s walk that takes in the dramatic Valley of the Rocks, steep-sided Heddon Valley (its slopes carpeted with bluebells in Spring), and the highest point on the South West Coast Path: Great Hangman. You’ll need lots of stamina as the ascent is considerable. During Spring and Summer the open-top Exmoor Coaster bus runs between the two ends, but at other times of the year there is no direct bus service. (See next page for alternative options.) The attractively situated village of Lynmouth lies at the mouth of the East Lyn and…