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.

A walk in the parks

IN THIS ISSUE • Meet some of the folk that made this magazine…

The Great Outdoors

ALMANAC • MAY in the mountains

Tryfan & Llyn Ogwen, Eryri

ON THE LOOKOUT : OYSTERCATCHERS • Right to Roam organiser and naturalist Nadia Shaikh is enchanted by her noisy neighbours

LETTERS Readers’ page • Postal address The Editor, The Great Outdoors, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent ME18 6AL. Please include a phone number and postal address.

JEN LOWTHROP nature facilitator and writer • Jen grew up in the Peak District, chairs the Peak District National Park Foundation, and recently spent 10 weeks hiking across England’s 10 national parks. This experience has given her a unique insight into the sustainability crisis currently brewing in our protected landscapes

BANNAU SIR GAER • Jim Perrin returns to the high ground of his beloved south Wales for a folkloric exploration of Bannau Brycheiniog

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OUR NATURAL HEALTH SERVICE • Now in their 75th year, Britain’s national parks were established as ‘a people’s charter for the open air’ after World War Two. Carey Davies, author of a new book celebrating the 15 parks, looks back at his own journey through these special landscapes to consider their draw, and why they should endure

STREETS AHEAD • What have the Romans ever done for us? Hanna Lindon retraces ancient steps in the Lake District on a public-transportaccessed, two-day wild camping trip over the highest Roman road in Britain

THE LAST WAINWRIGHTS • More than 40 years after ticking off the Wainwrights, Paul Gamble set out to complete his late father’s unfinished round. While bagging those final 24 summits, he discovered new layers of meaning and connection in the Lakeland landscape

WILDNESS AT WALKING PACE • David Lintern visited the Écrins National Park in the south of France on a challenging 12-day circuit of the GR54, returning with a fresh perspective on looking after mountain nature

“The Écrins feels like wildness at walking pace – slower and with care”

BACKPACKING WITH DOGS • Taking your dog on a long-distance walk requires some extra pre-trip planning. Hanna Lindon asked dog-owning readers to share their tips

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

NEW REVIEWS • Steph Wetherell and Chris Townsend focus on two new products

HIKING BOOTS • Mountain Leader Lucy Wallace and long-distance backpacker Alex Roddie put their best feet forward and test the best boots built for the great outdoors

HIKING SOCKS • Look after our feet on the trail, and our feet will look after us. Peter Macfarlane and Gemma Palmer take a look at six of the best hiking socks

PROOFING PRODUCTS • With waterproof membranes moving to more environmentally friendly materials, cleaning and reproofing your outdoor gear is more important than ever. Wildlife Trust ranger Peter Macfarlane puts three of the best reproofing products to the test

WILD WALKS

Cùl Mòr North-West Highlands SCOTLAND

Beinn Fhada (Ben Attow) North-West Highlands...