Longform
Summits & Skylarks
After a winter of painful loss, Alex Roddie returned to the hills early in 2018 for a poignant journey over Fairfield and Helvellyn. This feature was first published in the February 2019 issue of The Great Outdoors. In October 2019 it received the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild Award for

The big routes: Langdale Skyline
From thrilling ridges to long-distance endurance-fests, we all like to push the envelope sometimes. Every mountain hit list has its essential big ticks, and for this instalment in our series on the UK’s most famous gnarly routes Alex Roddie revisits old favourites to make a complete horseshoe of the

Sky Dance by John D. Burns – why this book was my top project for 2019
On 5 September 2019, I spoke at the launch of Sky Dance by Pinnacle Editorial client John D. Burns. Here’s why this author’s work means so much to me – particularly his latest book. This is an expanded version of the short talk I gave at the book launch.

Went to mow the meadow
Is this an essay about solastalgia, automation, landscape, history, or just a little tale about a walker and an owl? I don’t know, but I hope you enjoy reading it. Nine o’clock on a midsummer’s evening, and I hike through farmland that had once been the grounds

Paper vs. digital journaling on a long-distance trail
When I go backpacking, keeping a journal is an important part of the process for me – as important as taking photographs. But should you keep a digital journal or record your thoughts in a real, physical notebook? Here’s what I’ve learned about the pros and cons of each.

Aonach Beag and Ben Nevis, Alpine-style
A decade ago, my life was very different. I’d been living in Glen Coe for just over a year, working behind the bar at the Clachaig Inn, and I spent all my spare time writing, climbing and hillwalking. Looking back now, it hardly seems real. On the 10th of

Chased by Storms: 113 miles along the Haute Route Pyrenees and GR11 in 2016
Three long-distance routes traverse the Pyrenees: the GR10, GR11 and, most challenging of all, the Pyrenean Haute Route. In 2016, on the hunt for mountains and summer sun, Alex Roddie got a taste of each of them. This feature was first published in the August 2017 issue of The Great

Electronics for lightweight and ultralight backpacking
This article was last updated on 31 March 2019. “Nothing that uses a battery can be relied upon in the wild.” This is something we hear from time to time, but how true is it? What level of electronic gadgetry is necessary or appropriate in the outdoors? The purpose of

The Decaying Alps: climate change and glacial retreat in the Playground of Europe
As outdoor writers and photographers, it’s time for us to be honest about the realities of environmental destruction – and how these realities affect the mountain landscapes we love. This feature was first published in On Landscape, October 2017 Think of an image depicting the Swiss Alps. Chances are, you’
