The Great Outdoors

TGO Magazine is your essential guide to hillwalking and backpacking in the UK and overseas. Get out more! We provide all the inspiration you need to plan your next trip, plus expert reviews and tips. The Great Outdoors is for anyone who loves walking in the hills, mountains and wild places. With information on the latest gear, in-depth features and stunning photography, The Great Outdoors will help you access the high peaks and long trails of Britain and beyond. Our enhanced digital addition includes even more great photos and interactive content.

Cooldown, commence

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The Great Outdoors

AUGUST in the mountains

River Stour, Dorset Heaths

Readers’ page • Share your views, your experiences and your favourite photos tgo.ed@kelsey.co.uk

ON THE LOOKOUT: SWALLOWS • Nadia Shaikh looks up for gathering signs that the seasons are a-changin’ after summer exhaustion sets in

NEW Film REVIEW • Our Land

NEW Book REVIEW • Swimming Wild in South West England

On top of the world – for a record 20th time! • Fresh from his 20th successful Everest ascent, English climber and mountain guide Kenton Cool looks back on two decades of change on the world’s highest mountain

Timeline of a summit push • Behind every successful Everest attempt are weeks of planning, preparation and acclimatisation. Here’s how Kenton’s 20th summit push panned out.

WATER PORTRAIT RIVER WYE • Jim Perrin floats through yesteryear on a human history of kindness that courses alongside a mighty waterway

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Heat MAPS • Sauna bagging is the new peak bagging, but why should you have to choose? These scenic routes to recovery will take you from superb summits to sizzling saunas nestled among Scotland’s most beautiful Munro-adjacent landscapes

Going with THE FLOW • Dartmoor’s character is shaped by its network of streams and rivers. On a water-inspired walk, Tim Gent plays tribute to the tributaries of the high moor

BALANCE IN THE VALLEY OF MAGIC • After completing his International Mountain Leader qualification, Richard Hartfield witnessed an accident that challenged his perspective on mortality and risk. Would solo backpacking the remote Via Alta Vallemaggia now be a step too far?

SKILLS: HEALTH HORRORS: TALES FROM THE TRAIL • Tick bites, rashes, dehydration, dislocations – health challenges are an inevitable part of long-distance walking. Here, wilderness first aider Cory Jones offers his take on your salutary trail tales

GEAR • Kit reviews from Britain’s most experienced geartesting team. Here, Francesca Donovan and David Lintern focus on a trio of new outdoor products

Pinch the pennies, not your toes! • As promised in our April budget gear special, king of retro Peter Macfarlane returns to the fray with some bargain bucket footwear tips and tricks

ONE-PERSON TENTS • Chris Townsend has spent thousands of nights out under the stars. Here’s his pick of this year’s best tents for solo use

HIKING SHOES • Lara Dunn and Chris Townsend put their best foot forward in our annual roundup of the leading options for low-cut walking footwear

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WILD WALKS

1 Sgùrr nan Eag via Loch Coir’ a’ Ghrunnda Isle of Skye SCOTLAND

2 Esk Hause via Blackmoss Pot Lake District ENGLAND

3 The Kentmere Frog Lake District ENGLAND

4 High Street via Blea Water Lake District ENGLAND

5 Kinder Scout via the Mermaid’s Pool Peak District ENGLAND

6 Rhinog Fawr via Gloywlyn Eryri/Snowdonia WALES

7 Pen y Fan via Nant Sere & Cwm Llwch Bannau Brycheiniog WALES

UPHILL STRUGGLES • Peak problem? Trail trouble? Ask...