WELCOME
WITH 2024 UPON US, this issue is all about finding sources of inspiration for the year ahead. In our lead feature (p22) we speak to a host of adventure-seekers who achieved landmark goals in years gone by, ranging from epic journeys to more personal accomplishments.
It’s the right time to look ahead, but for this editorial I hope you will permit me the indulgence of looking back. After five years, this is my last issue at the helm of The Great Outdoors.
Being editor of this 45-year-old publication, the UK’s longestrunning outdoor title, was on a list of ‘dream jobs’ I scribbled down when I was starting out in my career. My introduction to the outdoors came through my parents. My dad is a long-term reader of TGO and its distinctive ethos shaped the way I was introduced to hiking, hillwalking and the outdoor world.
Over the last few years TGO has defied the industry trend of decline. It shows that a long-running title with the right strategy and strong values can still be successful in today’s media landscape.
What are those values? I’ve always believed that TGO should reflect the best traits of the outdoor world: integrity, authenticity, community. My aim as editor has always been to articulate those shared values in a way that resonates as much as possible with a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts, fostering a sense of inclusion that I hope has come across in these pages.
That might sound a bit high-flown for a hiking magazine, but it’s true. Outdoor experience is about having fun, yet it can be so much more than that. It deepens our connections to nature, and each other. It is tied to deep questions around belonging, our right to roam, equality, and our relationship to the natural environment. The last few years have seen the outdoor world transformed by the impacts of the pandemic, under-represented groups making their mark, and
