Longform
Ian Roddie, 1938-2018
In memory of my dad, who introduced me to the good things in life On the 5th of August 2003, my brother James and I went for a hillwalk with our dad and our crazy golden retriever Amber. The objective of the walk was simple: we wanted to explore the
Things I wish I’d known as a new writer
A few things you won’t learn on that creative writing course Of all the emails I receive each week, a small but growing number are from new writers – often young, and sometimes a bit bewildered, seeking advice on writing. They don’t know where to find ideas, or they
In Pursuit of Perfection – the Lochaber Traverse
Seeking perfection on an ambitious three-day journey to reach Ben Nevis This feature was first published in The Great Outdoors magazine, January 2017 Between 2008 to 2011, I lived in Lochaber. I don’t live there any more. Now I make visits north, losing the weather lottery more often than
Walking 1,500 miles in 2017
In the end, it wasn’t about the miles At the start of 2017, I decided to take on ViewRanger’s Walk2017 challenge. The idea is simple: you pick a mileage target—500, 1,000 or 1,500—then aim to hike it over the course of the year. Because
My nine top wild camps of 2017
Nine of the best, from Ardgour to Norway For the last few years it’s been my custom to do a roundup of my year in the outdoors, but this year I have been posting monthly photo updates and I feel that ground has already been covered. 2017 has, however,
Pilgrim’s Progress: a century of development in climbing equipment and technique
Alex Roddie charts a century of development in the tools we take for granted This feature was first published in Mountain Pro Magazine, January 2016. Take a look in your rucksack. If you’re a winter climber, you’ll find a pair of crampons in there, and two ice axes
Backpacking the Skye Trail
Few backpacking routes offer such varied rewards as this week-long walk through the Winged Isle Words by Alex Roddie / Images by James Roddie Photography This feature was first published in The Great Outdoors, October 2016. You have a week off work. You want to go backpacking, and you want to
The ultralight experiment of 2017
This year, for the first time, I have completed a long-distance hike with an ultralight pack. Here’s how I did it, and why for me it’s only one tool in the toolbox, not the only way to enjoy the wild. I started cutting pack weight in 2014. Before