British outdoor magazines are generally very good at telling you
about gear and routes, but over recent years, well-written features
haven't always been high on the agenda, so it's interesting to see
bi-monthly Outdoor Pursuits magazine revamp for the summer
with a fair few multi-page articles taking pride of place.
The
magazine promises 'great new design, superb photography and excellent
writing'. That's maybe a bit of an overstatement, but on the basis of
the new July/August issue, we can tell you that it looks okay and
includes some nice pictures too.
Where it differs from magazines like Trail and TGO is in having a
more general outlook, so there are features about horse-riding in New
Zealand, hiking Bavaria, survival tips, kayaking and the Cuillin
Ridge. In other words, it's not just walking.
Excellent writing? In patches, it's pretty good, notably the ones
that long-standing outdoor writer Ed Douglas is responsible for: an
interesting piece on the Cuillin Ridge and how to cover it fast, an
interview with John Harlin III and a sharp snapshot of Patagonia
founder Yvon Chouinard focussing on the growing complexity of outdoor
gear.
Other sections of the magazine are a little more pedestrian and
there are some weird touches, like the otherwise decent Tom
Hutton-authored, Dark Peak mountain bike ride lacking the map and detail, that would make it
feasible to actually follow the route on the ground.
Overall, it's not quite the British version of the excellent US
magazine Outside, and given the demise of previous attempts at a
multi-activity publication, it'll be interesting to see how it fairs.
Definitely worth dipping into if you come across it in your local
newsagents though and can see past the fuddy duddy title.
More details at www.outandaboutlive.co.uk
