Issue April 2019 - Trail (2024)

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If you love to sling on a backpack, head for the hills and do some wild camping, Trail Magazine is for you. Each issue is packed with: - Routes with full OS mapping - Reviews of the latest outdoor kit - The UK’s best outdoor writing - Exclusive picture and video content As the UK’s biggest and best-selling hillwalking magazine, we specialize in the most beautiful, most spectacular and most challenging regions of Britain and Europe – and inform you about all the tools you need to explore them. If you want adventure you’ll love Trail, and Trail will love you.

in this issue

IN THIS ISSUEBRING ON THE SPRING!I love this time of year. When winter hasn’t quite cleared off but spring is starting to stampede over the horizon. There might still be frost in the valleys and snow on the summits, but the days are starting to stretch, temperatures are starting to simmer, and the mountains are starting to sling off their winter coats. It’s a time to start dreaming big, which for most of us means planning our first proper mountain trip of the year. I took the photo above on a March morning alongside Cautley Spout – England’s highest waterfall – on my first visit to Cumbria’s glorious Howgill Fells. I arrived with my crazy old dog braced for a late blast of winter, but instead was treated to full-on shorts and T-shirt weather. This…1 min

BASE CAMPBEINN ALLIGIN TORRIDONThere’s something dreamlike about the Torridon mountains. For those who’ve never visited this far-flung corner of the north-west Highlands, Torridon’s hulking, standalone peaks look unclimbable, unreachable, and feel like they belong to a distant continent. From their unpronounceable Norse and Gaelic names to their ancient sandstone rocks and tentacled ridges, everything feels out of bounds to all but the most gnarled mountaineers. But here’s the thing: they aren’t. In fact, Torridon is pretty much the Holy Grail of British hillwalking. Perhaps with the exception of Liathach – very much the realm of confident scramblers – every peak can be bagged with a good pair of boots and a good pair of lungs. Beinn Alligin, pictured here by photographer Alex Nail catching the day’s last light from the summit of Baosbheinn,…1 min

BASE CAMPBOXING HARES PEAK DISTRICTMountain hares are an impressive sight in Britain’s uplands at any time of year, but March is when they really pack a punch (pardon the pun). It’s all to do with the colour of their coats – an unspectacular grey-brown mix in summer that turns white in winter to provide camouflage against the snow. That’s all good and well in their most common stronghold of the Scottish Highlands, where winter’s icy grip doesn’t loosen until deep into the year, but travel a few hundred miles south to the Peak District National Park and it’s a different story. Having died out in England during the last Ice Age, mountain hares were reintroduced to Derbyshire in the 1800s. With snow thin on the ground, their white fur is easy to spot against…1 min

GEARWe are all fighting over...VAUDE TRAIL SPACER 18 £140Some outdoor kit you carry. Other gear you wear. The Vaude Trail Spacer 18 is somewhere between the two. First things first: this isn’t a bag for all seasons. With an 18-litre volume and a load range of 3-8kg, the Trail Spacer is very much a pack for summer when you’re not carrying so much and what you are carrying is light and compact; the bag itself weighs just 530g. However, if you are travelling light, this could be one of the most comfortable ways to shoulder your load. From the back, the Trail Spacer 18 looks much like any other pack, with a zip opening, expanding pockets and bungee-cord attachment points. From the front, though, it looks a bit like a waistcoat. This is because…3 min

BASE CAMPStory of the Year‘The Day A Mountain Changed My Life’Judge Dr Robert MacfarlaneJudge of ‘The Day A Mountain Changed My Life’ Dr Robert Macfarlane is a well-known, multi-award-winning author. His best-selling books about landscape, nature, memory and travel include Mountains of the Mind, The Wild Places and Landmarks. His work has been published in more than 20 countries, and has been widely adapted for TV, film and radio, and he is currently a Fellow of Literature at the University of Cambridge.Of the year’s winning entries, Macfarlane said: “I’m really impressed by the standard of the writing, and by their cumulative force as a set of stories and turning points.“I was very drawn by Charmaine Biggin’s entry for the sheer simple power of what it tells. Mountains shape our lives in countless large and…6 min

BASE CAMPKeswick Mountain Festival 2019Keswick Mountain Festival has for many become THE event of the year for anyone who loves spending time in the hills. The stunning location on the banks of Derwent Water was blessed last year with freakishly hot weather and team Trail is excited to be returning to the festival village this May.From a variety of sporting events of all levels, including an 18-mile 3 Peaks Challenge walk, to talks from leading mountain athletes and a retail village bursting with outdoor brands – there’s something for everyone.This year ’80s rock icons Big Country are heading up Saturday night’s entertainment, with old favourites Peatbog Faeries taking you on a musical journey of traditional Scottish and dance floor fusion on Friday night.Trail will be holding its usual fun competitions and legendary Gear Sale…1 min

Issue April 2019 - Trail (2024)

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