Outdoors
Staying safe in early-winter mountain conditions
This can be a challenging time of year in the British mountains: no avalanche forecasts, changeable conditions, and short daylight hours. This feature was first published by The Great Outdoors, 30 November 2017. Autumn or winter? If you live far from the hills, especially further south in England, it’s
The Alder Trail
Alex Roddie answers the call of Ben Alder’s wildness in this ambitious long-distance trail between Fort William and Aviemore. This feature was first published in Trail magazine, November 2016. The Alder Trail is a highly challenging route, with considerable off-trail sections crossing Munros, suitable only for experienced backpackers in
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
Boredom is impossible when immersed in nature
I have long suspected that most boredom is caused by modern life. I’m sure our palaeolithic forebears experienced it sometimes too, but they lived more vital lives, closer to the nature around them and the nature of their own selves. Today, boredom and stress seem to be two sides