New TGO - Head Torches & Backpacking Cooking

The January TGO has just appeared (yes, I know December has only just begun but that's how magazines work -it just seems even more bizarre than usual at this time of year). My backpacking column is about the Pleasures of Camp Cooking. However despite the cover description of me as "Backpacking's Naked Chef" you won't find any exciting recipes in it! Rather it's about the simple joys of basic hot food and drink in wild places. In the gear section I review 15 LED headlamps and Paramo's Velez Adventure Light Smock. Other reviews are lightweight fleece by John Manning, gaiter modification by Eddy Meecham and reviews of the Berghaus Liskamm down jacket by Cameron McNeish and the Rab Vapour-Rise Trail Jacket by Judy Armstrong. Elsewhere in this issue interesting features I haven't read yet look to be The Perfect Snowstorm by Andrew Terrill about a snowy trip in the Peak District, Three Peaks Friends and Foes by John Manning about plans for the maintenance of the Three Peaks Walk in the Yorkshire Dales, Way Out West by Dan Bailey on the wonderful mountain Ladhar Bheinn in Knoydart, the Unending Quest by Peter Gillman about the frustrations of Munro bagging from London and Picos and Pongos by Stephen Venables about the mountains of Northern Spain. There's also the Wild Walks section, pieces on cross country skiing and safe winter walking (both appropriate as the first snow falls in the hills) plus the usual columns from Jim Perrin and Roddy Womble.

Photo info: Cooking at a winter camp in the Glen Affric hills. Canon EOS 350D, Canon EF-S 18-55 @ 32mm, 1/500 @ f8, ISO 100, tripod, raw file converted to JPEG in Lightroom 2.5