The Great Outdoors

TGO Magazine is your essential guide to hillwalking and backpacking in the UK and overseas. Get out more! We provide all the inspiration you need to plan your next trip, plus expert reviews and tips. The Great Outdoors is for anyone who loves walking in the hills, mountains and wild places. With information on the latest gear, in-depth features and stunning photography, The Great Outdoors will help you access the high peaks and long trails of Britain and beyond. Our enhanced digital addition includes even more great photos and interactive content.

High spirits

CONTRIBUTORS & CONTACTS

The Great Outdoors

Castell y Gwynt, the Glyderau, Snowdonia

Light in the Dark

SKY WALKING: Britain and Ireland’s best ridge walks • From Munro-packed scrambles to vista-filled rambles, here’s our pick of Britain and Ireland’s greatest hikes along dramatic ridgelines

The Ring of Steall • Soaring high above Glen Nevis, the Ring of Steall is one of the best – and most exciting – horseshoe ridges in the Scottish Highlands

THE CLIMATE CRISIS: “We will be judged on our actions” • In the run-up to COP26, Hanna Lindon tracked down climbers, hillwalkers and mountaineers with unique perspectives on climate change

WEARAND CARE SURVEY

Grants awarded to outdoors projects

Readers’ page

Why I took a long walk in response to violence against women • On hearing of Sarah Everard’s murder earlier this year, Lucy Thraves was prompted to explore her lifelong love of walking with a 24-hour hike across the south of England – and ask why walking alone as a woman still feels like an act of defiance

Forever Mamores • A full round of the Mamores is a truly epic undertaking, but you don’t have to tick off every peak to appreciate the glory of this Munro-packed Lochaber ridgeline. In this photo essay, Dougie Cunningham reconnects with the hills post-lockdown on a (not quite) complete traverse

HOT AS HELVELLYN • With a heatwave gripping Britain, Carey Davies heads to the Lake District to wild camp on England’s third highest summit – with a couple of famous scrambles thrown in for good measure…

AT THE HEART OF THINGS • Every now and then, an adventure surprises you by going to plan. David Lintern experiences sunshine, sociability and serendipity on a backpack across the mountain at the heart of the Highlands: Ben Alder

the trail LESS TRAVELLED • Emily Woodhouse heads for the sun-scorched peaks and razorback ridges of Spain’s Sierra Nevada with a personal goal: to turn a hiking holiday into a world record-breaking adventure

STORIES FROM THE CROSSING • Whether battling bogs or basking under blue skies, the majority of the 125 walkers who took part in the TGO Challenge this year agreed it was a particularly special event. Here, eight ‘Challengers’ tell us the story of their crossing…

A glorious profusion • ANNE SATOW FROM DEVON WAS STRUCK BY THE NATURAL ABUNDANCE SHE EXPERIENCED ON HER CROSSING

A picture paints a thousand words • First-timer Charles Harmer from Surrey hatched a novel plan to stave off loneliness – but found he didn’t really need it

Passing through • Dean Jagger from Somerset found his crossing caused him to reflect on fragility and interconnectedness

The agony and the ecstasy • Hattie Taylor from Hertfordshire, walking with Patrick Davis, discovered the highs were worth the lows

Whither the weather • Ian Calder from Surrey found that Scottish weather can always be relied on to be unreliable

A shared purpose • First-timer Innes McKendrick from Inverness-shire was struck by the sense of support and community at the heart of the event

There’s always Plan B • Paul D’Ambrogio from Wirral scrambled to rework his plans along with the TGO team after a certain virus...