A Look At The March Issue Of The Great Outdoors

This is the first issue edited by Francesca Donovan and I think it's excellent. It's also the first with David Lintern as Deputy Editor.

Of course as a regular contributor (and the grand title of Gear Editor) I am biased! However I don't see the issue or any of the contents until it's published and I read it just like anyone else.

My main contribution to this issue is a trip report and gear review of an overnight snow camp high in the Cairngorms. I also review the 66 North Hengill Insulated Jacket. 

Also in the gear section Lucy Wallace and Alex Roddie review three down jackets apiece and David Lintern reviews the interesting Durston X-Mid 1 tent.

The main features cover City Breaks -outdoor areas easily and quickly accessible from major UH cities; David Lintern backpacking in the SE Cairngorms - illustrated with his usual superb photos; Tom McNally explaining how the Abraham brothers set the scene for modern outdoor photography, with some great photos of modern climbers in Victorian garb on Napes Needle and Needles Ridge by Nadir Khan; and Alice Morrison walking in the deserts and canyons of north-west Saudi Arabia.

The issue opens with a wonderful photo of trees covered in hoar frost in Glenfinnan in the Scottish Highlands with Ben Nevis in the background by Fiona Campbell. 

Inside there's a list of the contenders for the The Great Outdoors Awards 2024 which you can vote for online here.  

Also in this issue Creator of the Month is 'The Urban Wanderer' Sarah Irving. The Opinion piece is by Right to Roam Campaign organiser Jon Moses who says the idea of a new national park is a diversion from the need for better access to the countryside in England. Tim Gent looks at walks you can do on a weekend in Postbridge in the middle of Dartmoor. Francesca Donovan reviews Merryn Glover's The Hidden Fires - A Cairngorm Journey With Nan Shepherd, a book I've just started reading. Jim Perrin's Mountain Portrait is The Stiperstones in Shropshire. In her notes from her coastal walk around Britain Emma Schroeder says she's become a big fan of birds, especially pigeons! The Hills Skill section has Alex Roddie looking at how to avoid fatigue when hillwalking.

Wild Walks ranges from the Northwest Highlands to the Brecon Beacons. Alex Roddie goes up Quinag in Assynt and Glas Maol in the Mounth. Also in Scotland Ian Battersby climbs Beinn Sgulaird in the West Highlands. There are five walks in the Lake District with Vivienne Crow undertaking the Deepdale Horseshoe and the Gatesgarthdale Round, James Forrest walking the Fusedale Round and the Dodds Round, and Ian Battersby going up Whinash from Bretherdale. In the Peak District Francesca Donovan traverses the Edale Skyline while in the Brecon Beacons Fiona Barltrop strides out along the ridges of the Black Mountains.