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.

The allure of the ice

IN THIS ISSUE • Meet some of the folk who made this mag…

The Great Outdoors

A CHANCE TO REFLECT • Monthly inspiration for your adventures, straight through your door. Subscribe to The Great Outdoors today.

Beinn Alligin, Torridon

HEATHER MACKINS Blogger and long-distance solo hiker • ‘Hiker Heather’ is capturing the magic of trekking to inspire others, one long-distance trail at a time…

Readers’ page • Share your views, your experiences and your favourite photos tgo.ed@kelsey.co.uk

Social media • In the February issue, amid protests over a wealthy landowner’s attempts to ban wild camping in Dartmoor citing litter as an issue, Jon Moses argued that the obsession with public littering in the countryside lets the real environmental culprits off the hook–and demonises ordinary people. Here’s what you had to say about the debate.

Your adventures this month • It’s not long until the world will celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8. Here, we share just a small selection of magical mountain moments female adventurers and outdoor enthusiasts have shared with The Great Outdoors this month.

The Cape Wrath Trail • Wiggling through the glens and over the passes of Scotland’s mighty north-west, taking in Knoydart, Torridon and Assynt, ‘Britain’s toughest trail’ is a long-distance walk of a lifetime. In the first of this new series, Andrew Wasley gives us the lowdown…

SARAH CURRAN • At the end of 2022, Sarah Curran completed her first round of the Wainwrights, having climbed them all using a crutch due to chronic pain. Sarah, an RAF veteran, told TGO, “I injured my left ankle back in 2015. I’ve had two surgeries, intensive physiotherapy and numerous injections since. Being in the fells is my natural pain relief.” Here, Sarah shares what it takes to climb all 214 Wainwrights with chronic pain, in numbers…

ON THE LOOKOUT • Natural highlights in the outdoors

MAKE TIME FOR YOU BE YOUR PERSONAL BEST IN 2023

Our roundup of what’s been happening in the outdoor world

Cairngorms gain a bothy • A new bothy has opened in the Cairngorms, thanks to the efforts of Mountain Bothies Association volunteers

Dual threat to birds of prey in Britain’s uplands • A new report reveals that bird of prey persecution across the UK is still high, whilst research in Scotland has revealed a growing threat to raptor populations

EVENTS CALENDAR March 2023

Hillwalking is for everyone–but only if you’re the right fit • People with plus-size bodies have to limit their outdoor ambition because of a lack of suitable clothing. That needs to change, says Mary-Ann Ochota

RHOS FAWR • One of our least-visited landscapes, this Radnor Forest high point brings rich rewards for connoiseurs of quiet places, says Jim Perrin

FIVE MILLION STAR HOTEL • For years, author Sue Fletcher yearned to sleep under the stars without a tent-but her fears as a solo woman got in the way. She shares how she finally embraced the joy of bivvying…

GOING THE DISTANCE • How long can outdoor gear last? Chris Townsend heads for a sub-zero winter camp on the Creag Meagaidh massif, armed with some of his most enduring clothing and equipment–including...