backpacking
Field notes: Hiking the Jotunheimstien, Norway
A long walk in the woods In July 2017, I stepped outside the train station in Oslo city centre and directly onto a long-distance trail. 205 miles later, I stepped off the trail again at Gjendesheim, an outpost on the edge of the Jotunheimen National Park surrounded by Norway’s
Photography on the Trail
You don’t need a ton of gear to create meaningful images on a long-distance trail. Sometimes an agile approach can be best. This feature was first published in On Landscape (Issue 132), February 2017. All images © Alex Roddie. By its very nature, landscape photography requires the photographer to be
Mercantour Traverse gear debrief
Ultralight gear choices in the high Alpine
Why you should hike the West Highland Way
A 94-mile backpacking adventure through the Scottish Highlands The West Highland Way is one of Britain’s best backpacking routes, and the first designated long-distance trail in Scotland. Every year, thousands of people walk the 94 miles / 151km from Milngavie near Glasgow to Fort William in the heart of the
Trip planning: Mercantour Traverse, July 2018
A long-distance trail in the Maritime Alps I had originally planned to take a year off from European backpacking routes while I focus on other areas of my life, but I find myself unable to resist the lure of big, wild, glaciated mountains. The Mercantour National Park is a corner
Lightweight backpacking in the Scottish Highlands: a mini-guide
If you’re used to lightweight or ultralight backpacking in the sunny mountains of the USA, the prospect of applying the same philosophy to the Scottish Highlands can be bewildering. Here’s how to do it safely.
One-year review: As Tucas Sestrals Quilt
A wonderfully simple and effective piece of ultralight gear ‘Sleep outdoors, comfortably,’ is the tagline for the Sestrals Quilt by As Tucas – a simple, ultralight, synthetic quilt optimised for three-season conditions. As Tucas gear is made by hand in the Pyrenees by an experienced long-distance walker who knows a lot
Footprints over Ingleborough
Even the most familiar hills always have something new to offer, as Alex Roddie discovers while walking and camping in the Dales This feature was first published in the April 2017 issue of The Great Outdoors magazine. Ingleborough is the place where I first learned the meaning of the word
A night in Ben Alder Cottage
From Britain’s highest mainline train station to a remote and atmospheric bothy, Alex Roddie packs his snow shoes for a journey over the summits This feature was first published in The Great Outdoors magazine, February 2017. Bothies in Scotland all have their own unique character. There’s Corrour, the
Three winter glens in the Cairngorms
Alex Roddie makes the most of a poor winter forecast, avoiding the summits to take on a challenging two-night solo journey through Glens Feshie, Geldie and Dee to finish up in the Lairig Ghru. This feature was first published on UKHillwalking, January 2017. Early winter can be a tough time