The Great Outdoors latest issue: return to the Lake District, winter camping tips, gaiters, Rab Strata Hoodie & Petzl Tikka R+ headlamp reviews

Camp on Mullach Clach a'Bhlair in the Cairngorms

The latest issue of The Great Outdoors (January 2014) is out now. My contributions are a skills piece on snow camping; a colum on returning to the Lake District;  and reviews of 11 pairs of gaiters plus the Rab Strata Hoodie insulated jacket and the Petzl Tikka R+ headlamp.

The theme of this issue is winter, unsurprisingly (though winter has vanished in the Cairngorms at present with a big thaw having stripped the snow from the hills). Ronald Turnbull looks at four pub-to-pub winter trips in the Lake District and Scotland; David Lintern praises winter wild camps, a piece illustrated with his magnificent photographs; Andrew Terrill has a midwinter climb by moonlight in the Colorado Rockies and editor Emily Rodway has a wintry walk in the snowy Fannichs. In the Hill Skills section Alan Halewood of Glenmore Lodge concludes his series on avalanches; Heather Morning of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland looks at specialist avalanche kit, Pete Catterall of Plas y Brenin explains the importance of staying hydrated in the cold and Art Editor Geoff Barton gives some tips for photographing the winter night sky. And in the Gear pages Daniel Neilson reviews 11 3-4 season boots.

Away from winter Ed Byrne goes to Jersey and tries blo-karting (which I'd never heard of before); Roger Smith looks at Living Landscape projects designed to restore the natural landscape and wildlife and Jim Perrin praises David Craig's On the Crofter's Trail. The Great Outdoors Awards 2013 are covered in detail too, with winners ranging from the Wasdale National Trust Campsite to the Hi-Tec Zuuk shoes.