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.

Out of this world

Contributors & contacts • Meet some of the folk who made this mag…

The Great Outdoors

BE READY • Every issue of The Great Outdoors is full of vital advice and inspiration - so when the time is right, you’re ready to seize the day.

Snowdon Horseshoe & Llyn Llydaw, Eryri/Snowdonia

VICKI MCCREADIE Cold water swim coach • Learn to love the bite of winter with this Lakeland outdoor instructor and lifelong chionophile

Readers’ page

Anne Butler becomes first woman to do ‘Full House’ twice

ON THE LOOKOUT • Natural highlights in the hills this month

We need a revolution to repair our broken relationship with nature • The felling of the Sycamore Gap tree hurts because it symbolises our lost relationship with the land; but hope can be found in the growing movement to reclaim it, says Amy-Jane Beer

THE TWMPA • Jim Perrin returns to a local favourite on the border between England and Wales, nestled amongst the ‘intimately glorious’ Black Mountains

NEAR WILD HEAVEN • Winter conditions in the Scottish Highlands can be challenging – but when everything comes together, it’s James Roddie’s idea of perfection. As he was reminded on a climb of Torridon giant Beinn Alligin, early starts, deep snow and avalanche risk are all worth it for the rewards…

DARKNESS on the edge of town • When darkness descends early during the winter months, do evenings have to belong to Netflix? Andrew Galloway rejects cabin fever and steps into the unknown to discover the joys of nocturnal wandering…

How to HIKE AT NIGHT • Want to give nocturnal wandering a go? Andrew offers some advice on how to make your way in the hills in darkness…

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS • Eager to experience the wild open spaces of western Canada but utterly petrified of bears, wildlife-worrier James Forrest faces his fears in British Columbia…

5 TOP WALKS in Squamish and Whistler

Get ready for winter! • Winter: a season of unparalleled beauty in the mountains – but not without unique challenges. We’ve teamed up with Scotland’s National Outdoor Training Centre, Glenmore Lodge, to bring you 12 pages of winter skills, from beginner to advanced, that will help you navigate your way through névé to whiteout

Lessons from my dad • Andy Townsend, senior instructor at Glenmore Lodge and IFMGA guide, reflects on the winter mountaineering lessons he learned from his father and explains the benefits of a winter skills course

7 STEPS to avoid avalanches in Britain • Don’t be fooled into thinking avalanches are not a risk in our mountains. Glenmore Lodge Senior Instructor Derek Bain debunks some misconceptions, shows us how to manage the dangers, and reveals the path to expertise

BE AVALANCHE AWARE • Learn and follow this process to make better decisions in the winter hills and minimise your risk of getting avalanched

HOW TO navigate in a whiteout • A ‘whiteout’ in the mountains is a chilling prospect – but with the right techniques you can make your way safely in even the worst conditions. Ross Creber, senior instructor at Glenmore Lodge, walks us through them

KIT AND CLOTHING: PERFECT YOUR PREPARATION • As winter navigators it is essential to be as...