The Great Outdoors March issue

The March issue of The Great Outdoors is out now. In it I review ten pairs of walking trousers and three insulated flasks. In a very interesting and informative piece Alex Roddie reviews the gear he used on his Cape Wrath Trail walk a year ago.

The issue opens with a splendid night shot of Glencoe under a vast starry sky by Dougie Cunningham.

Inside the magazine Hanna Lindon looks at the controversy on diversity engendered by Lake District National Park head Richard Leafe and talks to BAME outdoor leaders for their perspective, while Roger Smith worries about the possible change to trespass laws in England and Wales following the general election. TGO Challenge Coordinators Sue Oxley and Ali Ogden share some tips on enjoying your food on a long walk. In his Mountain Portrait Jim Perrin enjoys Skiddaw.

The main cover feature Move To The Mountains involves pieces by various people who've moved to the hills to live and work plus some advice on how to make this work (I did it nearly forty years ago and I'm still learning!). One of those who writes about moving to the mountains is David Lintern and he also has a thought-provoking feature about a winter walk in the increasingly damaged Monadhliath. Another winter walker is James Forrest, who undertakes the Cumbria Way.

Far from Britain Peter Elia visits Peru's spectacular Cordillera Huayhuash, an area threatened by climate change as its glaciers are disappearing.

The issue also has the results of the TGO Reader's Awards. There are eleven categories, running from Campaigner of the Year (Greta Thunberg) to Pub of the Year (The Clachaig, Glen Coe), Book of the Year (Mountain Man by James Forrest), and Clothing/Equipment Brand (Rab). I came third in Personality of the Year - thanks to everyone who voted for me. It was deservedly won by Sarah Jane Douglas, author of Just Another Mountain.