A Look At The Spring Issue Of The Great Outdoors

The Spring issue of The Great Outdoors is out now (it comes between the April and May issues). In the gear pages I review three-season waterproof jackets with Fiona Russell (four jackets each), and test the Klattermusen Vale jacket, the Keela Pinnacle jacket, and Superfeet Adapt Hike Max insoles. I also look at budget packs from day packs to backpacking sacks and look at how to keep your pack clean. Elsewhere in the gear pages Alex Roddie reviews five outdoor watches, Peter Macfarlane tests six sleeping mats, Francesca Donovan looks at resoling and repairing boots, and Alex Roddie discusses gear and techniques for cooking in camp. 

With hiking in Scotland as the main theme this issue writers James Roddie, Rachel Keenan, Stefan Durkacz,Alex Nail, and David Lintern describe five very different walks ranging from the Treshornish Isles to the Cairngorms. I appear in the last one as I was with David Lintern on the trip.

Continuing the Scottish theme Sarah Jane Douglas camps on Beinn Dearg Mor in the NW Highlands and Jim Perrin describes Lochnagar for his monthly Mountain Portrait.

Away from Scotland Ben Lerwill follows the course of the River Wye between Ross-on-Wye and Chepstow while much further away still Kat Young hikes the GR10 through the Pyrenees from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

In shorter pieces Creator of the Month is Grant Macleod who is playing his bagpipes on every Munro, the story of this year's record-breaking International Bivvybag Day is told, Trail of the Month is Wainwright's Coast to Coast, Mary-Ann Ochota says we can do better than 'leave no trace' with the problem of litter, David Linten reviews Sydney Scroggie's classic The Cairngorms Scene & Unseen, Megan Carmichael reviews Anthony Seldon's The Path of Peace: Walking the Western Front Way, and Emma Schroeder prepares to continue her walk round the coast of Britain.

The Wild Walks this issue stick with the Scottish theme with Norman Hadley climbing Sgorr Ruadh and Fuar Tholl in Torridon; Craig Weldon climbing Beinn Dearg, also in Torridon; Alex Roddie hiking up the Pap of Glencoe; James Forrest climbing Ben Vorlich in the Arrochar Alps; Emily Woodhouse walking the Ballachulish Horseshoe; and Ronald Turnbull making a circuit of Loch Trool in Dumfries & Galloway. Away from Scotland Vivienne Crow explores some less-frequented Lakeland fells above Whinlatter; Ian Battersby walks over High Street and Thornthwaite Crag, also in the Lake District;  Francesca Donovan walks over the Carneddau in Snowdonia; and Roger Butler climbs the little hills of the Lleyn Peninsula.