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.

Written under the stars

MEET THE TEAM • Your new TGO editors…

The Great Outdoors

JANUARY in the mountains

Hope Valley, Peak District

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Your adventures this month

Doubling Back: Paths Trodden in Memory

Scottish Hill Tracks

Wildlife and Nature BOOMING BITTERNS • Editor Andy Wasley introduces an expanded ‘On the Lookout’ nature feature with a search for the elusive bittern

Our fight for wild camping rights isn’t just about Dartmoor • In October 2024, the Supreme Court heard a case that could protect or extinguish the right to wild camp on Dartmoor. Right to Roam campaigner Lewis Winks explains why this is an issue that should concern everyone who loves the great outdoors

YSGYRYD FAWR • Centre of early Christianity, the Black Mountains echo with ancient spirituality. Jim Perrin makes a pilgrimage to ‘Holy Mountain’

LEWES • With hills in all directions and a pub over almost every brow, the downland town of Lewes is the ultimate base for cosy country walking. Hanna Lindon introduces her home town

STAR STRUCK • Whilst some shy away from dark corners, Scottish astrophotographer Stuart McIntyre wades right into them, tripod at the ready. In this photo essay he describes how a longing to escape and explore led to some miraculous moments under the stars, often alone but sometimes shared

UNLOCKING THE WINTER MOUNTAINS • To experience the mountains at their very best, go in Winter – and stay out overnight. Alex Roddie shows how to step up to winter backpacking

YOU SAY CAMINO, I SAY KUMANO • Japan’s Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route was first twinned with Spain’s Camino de Santiago in 1998. Years after walking the famous European route, Phoebe Smith heads east to become a ‘Dual Pilgrim’

The song remains the same • The new, updated version of the backpacking classic High Summer tells the story of Chris Townsend’s bold and original 2600km traverse of the Canadian Rockies. We asked Chris to consider what has changed in the world of long-distance hiking in the years since his groundbreaking walk

THE GEAR CHRIS WOULD USE NOW • If Chris were to repeat his Rockies walk today, these are the key items he’d choose, all tried and tested on recent long-distance walks

THE CHRISTMAS GIFT THAT LASTS ALL YEAR! • GIVE A SUBSCRIPTION TO THE GREAT OUTDOORS

SKILLS: HOW TO TAKE ON A TICK LIST • Ready for a New Year challenge? Hanna Lindon asks some of Britain’s best baggers for their tips on how to plan and pull off your own tick list attempt

GEAR • News from the world of outdoor kit, and product reviews from Britain’s most experienced gear-testing team

NEW REVIEWS • David Lintern and Francesca Donovan test exciting new gear

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CRAMPONS • Adding ‘spikes’ to your boots aids grip in snow and ice, helping you to feel safer and more secure in the winter mountains. Mountain Leader Lucy Wallace tests three sets of crampons

WINTER SLEEPING BAGS • Woodland Ranger Peter Macfarlane and Munroist Fiona Russell help get us ready for frosty overnighters and snowy sleepovers

WILD WALKS

1 Ladhar Bheinn via The Old Forge Knoydart...