A Look At The May Issue Of The Great Outdoors

 
The May issue of The Great Outdoors has boot reviews by Lucy Wallace and Alex Roddie (3 pairs each) and sock reviews by Peter Macfarlane and Gemma Palmer (again 3 pairs each) plus reviews of the Rab Kangri Gore-Tex jacket by Steph Wetherall and the Sierra Designs Nexus Lite 35-50L pack by me. 

Reading the others' reviews I was interested to see that both Lucy and Alex choose traditional heavy leather boots as their favourites. 

The theme of this issue is National Parks as this year is the 75th since the first were established in the UK. 

Former TGO editor and author of National Parks of the United Kingdom Carey Davies looks at their story and his own journey through these special landscapes. In the Lake District National Park Hanna Lindon follows in the steps of the Romans on a two-day wild camping trip along High Street. Also in the Lake District Paul Gamble completes his later father's unfinished round of the Wainwrights forty years after ticking them off himself. 

Nature facilitator and writer and chair of the Peak District National Park Foundation Jen Lowthrop recently spent 10 weeks hiking across England's 10 national parks and writes about the sustainability crisis currently brewing in our protected landscapes.

Over in France David Lintern walks the GR54 in the Ecrins National Park and returns with a fresh perspective on looking after nature plus some superb photos.

The magazine's opening spread is a wonderful dramatic picture of Tryfan and Llyn Ogwen in Eryri National Park.

In shorter pieces naturalist Nadia Shaikh is entranced by oystercatchers, Jim Perrin's Mountain Portrait is Bannau Sir Gaer in South Wales, Hanna Lindon gives advice on backpacking with dogs, and Juls Stodel gives advice to an 'oldster' (mid-fities? pah!) in an amusing piece. 

The Wild Walks run from the NW Highlands, where Ian Battersby climbs Cul Mor and has a scramble on Beinn Fhada, to Cornwall, where Roger Butler has a coastal walk to St Agnes Head and St Agnes Beacon. In the Lake District James Forrest visits Muncaster Fell and Vivienne Crow goes up Black Combe. In Eryri/Snowdonia Andrew Galloway walks over Gyrn Ddu and Gyrn Goch. Down in Devon Fiona Barltrop walks lofty cliffs from Lynmouth to Combe Martin.