NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN
A few months ago I had the very good fortune of being part of a group of people delivering tips and advice to beginner hillwalkers as part of a Hiking Essentials session run by the British Mountaineering Council. Over the course of a few hours that evening, various experts (I certainly don’t class myself as one of them) from across the outdoor industry gave a fascinating insight into the various ways all of us – no matter how old or wise we think we are – can brush up on our mountain skills before that next big trip.
I found the whole evening so enlightening that I spent the next few weeks twisting a few arms at the BMC, trying to convince them to team up with us to share a big pile of that same advice in this issue of Trail. And now they’ve only gone and done it! One of the panelists that evening was Debbie North (pictured above), a longtime friend of this magazine and a true pioneer for improving disabled access in Britain’s wild places. If there’s been a more powerful and inspiring piece of writing in the 31-year history of Trail than Debbie’s wonderful article on page 44, then I certainly don’t remember it. Huge thanks to everyone who made this issue possible and I hope you enjoy it.
Oli Reed, editor
(Instagram @the_outdoordad)