How to Choose the Best Head Torch for Walking and Hiking The clocks have gone back, autumn is in full swing and winter is rapidly approaching. For many people this is their favourite time to go walking in the hills and mountains. The cooler temperatures and the autumn colours make for a beautiful time to…
Six Top Tips for Preparing for Less Daylight Autumn is a fantastic time to be in the hills and mountains. Colours erupt and flame across the landscape, light softens and shadows lengthen giving contrast and counterpoint to valleys and hollows brimming with mist. The onset of winter makes the fleeting, shorter days seem all the…
Crack climber extraordinaire Pete Whittaker and the crack climbing company Wideboyz have very kindly given Beyond the Edge a set of their new Master Jam Crack Gloves. These will be available try out and use on our Rock Climbing Courses. Traditionally climbers would tape up their hands for protection when climbing long and difficult jamming…
Platypus Quickdraw Water Filter Long Term Review I’ve always struggled to drink enough water while I’m out working in the hills or on the crags. There is only so much you can practically carry and on hot days it never seems to last. This issue is particularly acute on Mountain Leader expeditions or on my…
The BMC Access & Conservation Trust sponsored Wildfire Walk fundraisers raised an incredible £11,146 to protect and restore the Peak District from wildfire. The 18km Wildfire Walk on Sat 30 May from Hathersage was a satellite event from the BMC Big Walking Weekend (29-31 May in Edale). Thirty walkers were dressed brightly in ‘fire’ colours…
Birdex Smartphone App Anyone who is revising for any of the Mountain Training leadership awards and especially for Lowland Leader, Hill and Moorland Leader or Mountain Leader knows that they have to learn a certain amount of fauna and flora. Consequently here at Beyond the Edge we try and recommend various helpful resources including books,…
Scottish Winter 2026 Photo Gallery Here is a selection of some of the photos taken on our 2026 Scottish Winter courses. It’s been a great winter season so far, with plenty of snow on the mountains. We still have some late season availability on our courses if you fancy a bit of Scottish winter ice…
A few years ago Becca and I did our first mountain marathon together. We learned things and enjoyed it enough to do it again, and then again… Three years in and we may well have found the appropriate balance between challenge and enjoyment, but we still spent the journey home discussing successes, mistakes and what…
The big news in the outdoor equipment world in 2025 was the purchase of the Sheffield based outdoor clothing company Buffalo Systems by Ben Fogle and James Sleater. You can read more about this here – https://www.beyondtheedge.co.uk/buffalo-systems-reborn-and-revived/. As well as pledgeing to continuine manufacturing in Sheffield the new owners will be introducing new products and…
Choosing Gloves and Clothing for Scottish Winter Walking and Mountaineering As we head out into the hills this winter either for trekking, walking, mountaineering or climbing we need to make important decisions that will impact both our enjoyment and safety. We will check the weather and the avalanche forecast. We will prepare our maps and…
The clocks have gone back and suddenly the outdoors feels a little bit more intimidating. It’s colder, the winds bite more fiercely and of course it gets dark earlier and earlier as we approach the winter solstice. But with careful planning and packing we can continue to safely enjoy the moors, hills and mountains right…
European Animal Tracks Handbook Review A long while ago I lived and worked on the North Yorkshire Moors and in a small Pickering bookshop I spotted an intriguing book. It was a copy of Collins Guide to Animal Tracks and Signs by Preben Bang and Preben Dahlstrom. I promptly bought it and consequently spent my…
