Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2025 i The Great Outdoors

Hello The Great Outdoors is Britain’s original outdoors magazine, inspiring exploration from sea to summit, valley to mountain top for more than four decades. We’re here to help you make the most of your time outside. Be it with skills advice, ideas for new walks or activities, fresh points of view on nature or with breathtaking adventure stories near and far, our focus is on you – the outdoors community. It is a family affair. Our small team works with emerging writers and photographers alongside those with many decades of experience, allowing all to speak in their own voice and share the ups and downs of real, life-enhancing tales from the trail. Making room for everyone remains the heart and soul of The Great Outdoors. We are also proud to…

7 varied routes in England, Scotland and Wales The seasons are a-changing and for many, the longer days usher in opportunities to while away evenings outdoors as the sun sinks in the sky to welcome dusk and a peaceful darkness. Head west to explore some of our expert hillwalkers’ favourite spots from which to watch the sun set. From beloved fells in Lakeland to the mighty mountains of Wester Ross by way of sweeping sections of the South West Coast Path, there’s something for all who wish to witness the remains of the day. Our walks this month 1 Beinn Airigh Charr North-West Highlands 2 Skiddaw Lake District 3 Robinson Lake District 4 Sheffield Pike & Glenridding Dodd Lake District 6 Fann Nedd Bannau Brycheiniog/Brecon Beacons 5 Titterstone Clee Hill Shropshire…

10km/6.2 miles/3.5 hours Ascent 619m/2030ft Vivienne Crow watches the Lakes change colour from this fine fell IT MIGHT NOT LOOK like much from afar, but greater intimacy encourages Robinson to reveal its finer features, some of which are encountered on this short walk. Starting from the car park at Newlands Hause – to eliminate the need for a long descent in twilight at the end of the day – the first thing walkers notice is the crag-backed corrie gouged from the fell’s north face and the waterfall, Moss Force, to the west of it. (The latter is worth closer inspection after heavy rain.) A road walk ensues and some field paths. After that, it’s time to tackle Robinson’s north-east ridge, high above the secluded valley of Littledale – also worthy…

IN THIS ISSUE Kat Hill is a writer based on the Isle of Skye who works on themes of community, belonging and environment, and human and nonhuman encounters. Her most recent book, Bothy: In Search of Simple Shelter, was published by William Collins in 2024 and shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing. Kat also undertakes assignments internationally for the Financial Times, The Guardian and The New York Times. Read about her visit to the remote Maol-bhuidhe bothy on page 42. Will Lake is a freelance copywriter. He has travelled extensively but now pursues his passion for the outdoors and photography from his South Pennine base. Will shows his photography locally and donates 10% of every sale to charity – currently St Augustine’s in Halifax (staugustinescentrehalifax.org.uk). If you enjoy his photo…

ON THE LOOKOUT : YOUR ALARM GOES OFF, and at first you’re a bit confused. It’s very dark outside: there’s not even a suggestion of the sun meeting the horizon, just inky black. There’s condensation on the windows. Within seconds that feel like minutes, you realise that this isn’t a workday. You’ve decided to interrupt your slumber because you’re going on an adventure. But it’s early March and despite breaking through the worst of Winter, and the temperature difference between the underside of your duvet and the rest of the room is unpleasant. You fight the urge to stay put, but you get up because today you’re going to walk your walk or get up that crag. Not fully awake, you stand at the kettle waiting for it to boil, or…

Welcome to a new regular feature, making space for a wide range of outdoor perspectives. Whether it be bold views or interviews, outdoor arts and culture or the latest in access or environmental stories, we hope it’ll act as a newsroom, forum and soapbox (though perhaps not all at the same time!) for the outdoor community. Whatever our differing points of view, we’re all united by our love for the great outdoors. This time, it’s over to… FIN CAMPBELL has made the same journey several times each year since he was a few months old: through the pine woods surrounding Glenmore Lodge, around the shores of emerald-tinted An Lochan Uaine, and up to a small, stone building tucked into the lower western slopes of Meall a’ Bhuachaille. This is Ryvoan…

Rab revamps its pack range Rab’s latest pack range includes models for trail running, hiking, mountaineering and more. For backpacking the Exion comes in men’s and women’s sizes from 35 to 65 litres. The packs are made from 330D nylon and have an adjustable carry system with an aluminium frame, thermoformed harness and dual density foam; access via a side zip and fixed lid; front stash pocket; side mesh pockets; hipbelt pockets and rain cover. The Hyperon packs have the same carry system but are designed for heavier loads, coming in men’s and women’s 65 and 80 litre sizes. The Hyperon packs are made from Robic nylon with Spectra Ripstop for strength. They have top and side access, two compartments, zipped front and side pockets, mesh side pockets and hip…

1 26km/16 miles/8-10 hours (or 2 days) Ascent 1055m/3461ft James Roddie heads north, and finds hillwalking here is “as good as it gets” TUCKED BETWEEN the famed mountains of Torridon and Fisherfield are the wild, less frequented hills of Letterewe. Some of these summits are among the most remote in Britain, but the effort required to climb them is amply rewarded. Hillwalking here is as good as it gets. Beinn Airigh Charr is the easiest Corbett in this area to reach, though it is still a strenuous walk with a fairly lengthy approach. While it is perfectly possible to complete this route in a day, it is perhaps best to be savoured with a wild camp near the summit. This hill’s position makes it a superb place in which to…

16km/9.9 miles/6 hours Ascent 1043m/3421ft Ian Battersby finds opportunity knocks for a Helvellyn outlier THE HELVELLYN RIDGE is a distinguished 3000-footer that needs little introduction. Aligned north to south, the west flank drops, whale-like (and somewhat blandly), into Thirlmere. On the other hand, the eastern side embraces haughty brinks leaning over scoured combes and satellite ridges that stab out towards Ullswater. Renowned ridges such as Striding Edge and Catstye Cam are significant for their scrambly nature, but they end well short of Ullswater’s alluring curves. Even Stang, which drops from Raise, only makes it halfway. It is the unfamiliar Sheffield Pike and its own outlier, Glenridding Dodd, that make it all the way. Crags spilling right into the lake make this route, which boasts a contender for the most inspiring…

24.7km/15.3 miles/7.5 hours Ascent 841m/2759ft Ian Battersby sees eras come and go on a walk to an abandoned village GETTING OUTSIDE in as wild a place as possible is helpful as we are carried in the chaotic currents of nurturing families, attaining food and sustaining shelter. This route delivers, but also throws in a few clues en route. Both these mountains are far from the throngs of civilisation, and rising early in amenable conditions here will deliver peace and solitude helpful for insightful thinking. But if that isn’t enough. why not take a dip into the past? Start around the abandoned village of Penwyllt, whose quarries, mines, kilns and brickwork helped fuel the Industrial Revolution. Further on there are the pillow mounds of post-medieval rabbit farming. There is a wonderful…

Moray Walking & Outdoor Festival 7-15 June From the Cairngorms foothills to the coastline, enjoy midsummer days discovering Moray’s natural and cultural landscape during one of Scotland’s premier outdoor festivals. Walks range from gentle strolls to endurance events with explorations of forests, uplands, coasts and towns. When the feet get tired, try cycling, kayaking, surfing, birding, storytelling, hill skills or swimming. Cost: £5-25 ■ moraywalkoutdoorfest.co.uk Evesham Walking Festival 25-29 June This year the Evesham Walking Festival is bigger and better than ever, according to local organisers and walk leaders who have planned 25 delightful routes that wind through the region over five days. The walks on offer are graded easy, moderate or strenuous, so there’s something to suit all ramblers. The festival closes with a social evening featuring Evesham Rock…

An Eilean uachdracha’ Chuilithinn ghruamaich,nan loch suaineachmo luaidh’s mo ghaol;’(‘An Cuilithionn’) ‘in the high islandof the grim Cuillin,of he winding lochs,my glory and my love.’ (from An Cuilithionn by Sorley MacLean) FEW HILL RANGES can claim to have poetic masterpieces written about them, but the Cuillin is one such. Sorley MacLean’s extended political poem An Cuilithionn takes inspiration from ‘fire dragon’ Sgurr nan Gillean and its surrounding peaks. To my mind, the subject adds distinction to the poem. There is no doubt that Sgurr nan Gillean, which shears up out of the marshy ground west of Glen Sligachan, is one of the finest and fiercest of British hills. I first climbed it with a young Irish woman from West Cork, who had just completed a Mountain Leader training course at…

RECOMMENDED Jetboil Flash 1.0L Cooking System £100 406g (complete) fast boil time, fuel efficiency, heat exchanger pot, ease of use, price unregulated burner, simmering difficult, not fully windproof Accessories: 0.6 litre pot with heat exchanger & insulated pot cosy, 0.3 litre bowl, piezo igniter, canister stand Fuel: butane/propane canister Packed dimensions: 18.5x10.7cm Burner diameter: 3.8cm Burner weight: 124g Power: 5300BTU Boil time: 2 min 36 sec Fuel used: 8g jetboil.co.uk Testing conditions: Chris tested the Flash in the Cairngorms during Winter 2024/2025 on both high and low camps. Chris Townsend considers updates and improvements to the first-of-its-kind heat exchanger stove system, the Jetboil Flash In 2004, Jetboil launched the first stove with a heat exchanger pot that fitted onto the burner. The Flash is the direct descendant of that stove, and…

15.1km/9.4 miles/5-5.5 hours Ascent 1078m/3535ft Vivienne Crow takes paths less travelled on a popular peak IF I TOLD YOU I knew routes on and off Skiddaw where you were unlikely to see a soul, would you believe me? Maybe you’d assume I was talking about some horrendous off-piste route up scree slopes, where only the most masochistic walkers would go. Well, no, I’m talking about trails, decent trails – up and down perfectly manageable terrain – that give a chance to discover Skiddaw’s northern side, including the secluded valleys of Southerndale and Barkbethdale. Then there are those sunsets from the summit… Standing on the Lake District’s north-western edge, with nothing blocking its outlook towards the lowering sun, England’s fourth highest mountain enjoys superb summer sunsets. The hills of Dumfries &…

13.2km/8.2 miles/6 hours Ascent 380m/1245ft Roger Butler sits atop a Giant’s Chair to watch the sun go down TITTERSTONE CLEE HILL, at just a fraction short of 1750 feet, is the first wedge of high ground to the west of Birmingham. This was one of only a few hills marked on the famous 13th-century Mappa Mundi, but a Bronze Age ceremonial cairn and the stone-built ramparts of a huge Iron Age hill fort prove it had been an important landmark for at least 4000 years. Much later, quarrying and limited coal mining developed here and there’s now a mix of steep wild commons with oodles of open access and, to the south, industrial remnants that could easily be mistaken as Inca ruins. There’s also a spherical radar station, often simply…

18.7km/11.6 miles/6 hours Ascent 515m/1690ft Fiona Barltrop recommends a sublime spot for a summer sunset AT 203 METRES – or 208 metres including the large tumulus (Bronze Age barrow) that crowns it – Swyre Head is the highest point of the Purbeck Hills. Despite its relatively modest height, it’s a superb viewpoint. Situated half a mile inland from the Jurassic Coast, it is missed by walkers on the South West Coast Path – although there is another Swyre Head, west of Durdle Door, which is actually on the coast path. That’s a great viewpoint, too, albeit half the height. The former Swyre Head makes an ideal spot from which to enjoy sunset, with the village of Kingston, the base for this walk, only 1.5 miles away. The 18th-century Kingston Arms…