When the hillwalking gets hot, there’s no finer tonic than the sound of water running through the landscape or the chance to remove your shoes and cool off your tired feet. Luckily, Mother Nature provides in our high places. From flowing falls to tuc

TURN TO PAGE 68 FOR THE LATEST SUBSCRIPTION OFFER ■

THE GREAT OUTDOORS is the UK’s original mountain magazine. We have been inspiring people to explore high places and equipping them with the knowledge they need for almost 45 years. Through compelling writing and beautifully illustrated stories, we co

Some sports fans might claim ‘Cymru am byth’ – the motto of the Welsh Guards, formed in 1915 – for their own, come match day. But nowhere is this phrase – meaning ‘Wales forever’ or occasionally ‘long live Wales’ – more powerful or apt than within th

DECADES ago, most mountain enthusiasts had a single waterproof jacket for everything from walking to ice climbing to lightweight adventures. But equipment is far more specialised now, which means we have unprecedented choice if we want to pick up mul

“GUYS… STAY RIGHT THERE!” I shouted at the top of my voice, my words echoing around the remote and majestic peaks of the Greater Caucasus range. This was a photo opportunity not to be missed. My guides, Mursal and Aboo, stood in the ideal position on

TRAIL SHOES are an increasingly specialist piece of kit, and the designs and range of features available have evolved swiftly, leading to a bewildering range of choice. Knowing what you want to do in your trail runners will help your search for the c

I’M AT PEN-Y-GWRYD, a pass in the southern foothills of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), and I can’t see a thing. The winter cloud hangs so close that I feel I’m ducking under it as I plod the wet tarmac towards the hotel – a refuge for climbers since 1810, when

Published by Eye Books, £12.99, paperback IF YOU’VE EVER wondered whether you’ve put down roots in the right place for adventure, this book is for you. Alastair Humphreys doesn’t really like where he lives, he admits in Local. But, with trademark ent

AS YOU WORM your way down the tight-fitting road that leads deeper into the mountain-walled corridor of Great Langdale, there’s a point where you turn a corner and are suddenly confronted with the sight of the Langdale Pikes. I feel a jolt of excitem

“I was out practising some navigation skills in the gloomy valleys of Eryri/Snowdonia when it suddenly dawned on me that if I hiked up high enough, I might be able to get above the cloud line. I didn’t have to wait very long until I had entered a mag

PERHAPS UNSURPRISINGLY for someone who didn’t grow up ‘outdoorsy’, my first proper mountain summit was the well-publicised Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon. One early summer’s day over a decade ago, I huffed and puffed my way up the Llanberis Path – an unfit and un

Published by Wild Things Publishing, £14.99, paperback THIS GUIDEBOOK, a beautiful and practical manual to swimming spots in Eryri/Snowdonia, will lead you to many an hour of joyful dipping in North Wales – and just in time for summer. Emma Marshall,

HOW DO YOU KNOW somebody’s vegan? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you. Of course they will. So much of our lives revolves around food that it would be weirder to say, “No, I won’t eat your mystery crisps/cake/home-cooked meal – and I won’t tell you why.” T

TO THE SOUTH of the Black Mountains and with the River Usk flowing beneath its famous 17th-Century stone bridge, Crickhowell is an absolute gem. Independent shops, pubs and cafés line its High Street; you can picnic next to the remains of its 13th-Ce