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.

West Side Stories

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

The Great Outdoors

Grisedale, Lake District

LISA ROBERTSON composer and violinist • Lisa connects people to the language, landscape and ecology of the west coast of Scotland through contemporary classical music

Readers’ page

ON THE LOOKOUT • Natural highlights in the hills this month

New long-distance walk links Peak District with Ben Nevis

The hills should be alive with the sound of human joy – including music! • After a group of ravers hosting a fundraiser atop Ben Nevis were criticised on social media, Mary-Ann Ochota wonders if mountains should only be places of quiet contemplation

MOW COP • Jim Perrin recalls youthful follies and climbing forays up the misshapen Old Man of Mow, overseer of the Cheshire Plain

PORTREE • Skye is one of Scotland’s most popular outdoors destinations, with a wealth of hillwalking, scrambling and climbing. Portree, the largest settlement on the island, is a brilliant town to base yourself in for a weekend of adventure, says James Roddie

ACROSS SCOTLAND • After crossing Scotland on foot following their own bespoke routes, graduates of the TGO Challenge Class of 2024 tell first-hand tales of teamwork, tenacity and bog-trotting through the landscape on this truly unique journey

NATURE’S WITNESS • Photographer and Mountain Leader Alex Nail finds the Fisherfield region on fine form in his new photobook The Great Wilderness – but it took four years and many false starts to achieve these spectacular images

A RICKLE OF STONES • Gemma Smith walks into the ‘wilds’ of Assynt to discover a deeply storied landscape that speaks to us from map and ground

LEARN MORE ABOUT GAELIC IN THE LANDSCAPE

ACROSS THE HIGH PLATEAU • Contemplating a quick getaway to somewhere high and wild? Want to avoid flying? Rudolf Abraham finds himself hooked on the solitude, beauty and wildlife of the Massif du Vercors

EXPLORE THE VERCORS

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

SKILLS: BEGINNERS’ GUIDE TO MUSHROOM IDENTIFICATION • Plant and fungi workshop leader Maymana Arefin (aka ‘Fungi Futures’) guides you in the art of mushroom identification – and how to forage with ecological balance and your own wellbeing in mind

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

NEW REVIEWS • Chris Townsend tests exciting new gear – in this issue: a pair of versatile Limited Edition walking trousers

COLD WEATHER GLOVES • With colder weather on the way, keeping our hands warm whilst maintaining high levels of dexterity is important. For Mountaineering Instructor Kirsty Pallas and wildlife photographer James Roddie, it’s an essential balance

Features

WOMEN’S WINTER GLOVES

MEN’S WINTER GLOVES

HEAD TORCHES • In the dark about lumens? Equipment Editor Chris Townsend sheds light on the latest in head-mounted illumination for hillwalking and camping

Features

Our walks this month

10 varied routes in Scotland, England and Wales

Culbin Forest & Hill 99...