There have been many tributes to Joss Naylor this past few weeks. The Lakeland farmer who put fell-running on the map died recently at the age of 88, and it’s hard to think of many figures in the world of hills and mountains whose passing has received such a heartfelt outpouring of emotion.
And I think that’s because everything about Joss was so real, and so relatable. He lived most of his life in the remote Lakeland hamlet of Wasdale Head, at the foot of Scafell Pike, overlooking England’s deepest lake. He had dodgy knees and wasn’t the quickest but was blessed with incredible resilience and tolerance for discomfort, was confident moving at speed on rough terrain, and possessed an uncanny ability to “read” rocks thanks to his experience of dry-stone walling.
His success as a fell-runner is the stuff of legend, but his contentedness with the simple things in life is what strikes the biggest chord with me. He loved his sheepdogs, tended a flock of Herdwicks long after finishing work as a farmer, used his fame to raise money for charity, fuelled his runs with rock cakes and Guinness, and was still active on the fells in his 80s.
Joss was also a source of inspiration for generations of young fell runners, and an example to us all about how to live your life making time for the things you love.
Scroll down to see some of my personal highlights from the September 2024 of Trail magazine, and CLICK HERE to subscribe and get 50% off a whole year of digital OS Maps.
Oli Reed, Trail editor
Mission accomplished for our wild camping centurion
For almost two years Russ Moorhouse has been on a mission to wild camp on top of every peak on our Trail 100 bucket list of the UK's very best hills and mountains – and he's finally nailed the challenge. 100 weeks, 100 mountains, 100 truly unique nights out, and a lifetime of memories to go with it. Russ's final monthly column is inside our September 2024 issue, finishing with the camp below on Torridon's mighty Beinn Eighe.
Some like it hot
My word, it's been hot out there this week. Too hot to ramble, you might say? Not according to our fearless photographer Tom Bailey, who braved sweltering heat on an overnight backpacking trip into Lakeland's Wild West, and emerged with a good story to tell, plus some very practical and well-timed tips on hiking in hot weather.
A marathon, not a sprint
Mountain marathons are reserved for Kilian Jornet and adrenaline junkies, right? That's what we thought anyway, until Mary-Ann Ochota recently travelled to North Wales to take on The OMM (Original Mountain Marathon) and completed it through a mixture of pootling and bumslides, fuelled by a good supply of jelly babies. And it turns out it's a lot more fun than we realised!
Masterpiece of Assynt
Make no mistake, unless you happen to live in the far north-west of Scotland, it takes a heck of a long time to get there. So the big question has to be: is it really worth the journey? Anyone who's ever set foot or laid eyes upon the inselberg mountains of Assynt will no doubt answer "yes" to that question, which is why we dispatched our gear editor Ben Weeks up there to climb one of the region's most underrated mountains. Introducing... the mighty Quinag.
How to...stay dry all day
Whether rain is falling from the sky or sweat is pouring off your body, it feels like we're always in a constant battle to stay dry in the mountains. Especially at this time of year. So we tasked our roving reporter Sarah Ryan with the job of cooking up 10 tips to help you repel rain and reduce sweat on hillwalks – from regular weather checks to packing a microfibre towel.
Why subscribe to Trail magazine?
Trail is a monthly magazine for everybody who loves hiking, backpacking, climbing mountains, and exploring the great outdoors. If your idea of a good weekend is chucking your mountain kit in a rucksack and heading for the hills, then we've got you covered.
Every issue of Trail is packed with award-winning writing and photography, mapped mountain routes, expert reviews of all the latest outdoor gear, interviews with the biggest names in outdoor adventure, and expert advice from mountain pros on how to improve your hill skills.