A few weekends ago, I watched the young Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz win the French Open title in such electrifying fashion that it felt like I’d spent 5 hours absorbing a human highlight reel. Even as someone almost twice Alcaraz’s age, I was spellbound.
What a performance. What a way to inspire a future generation, who will have no doubt sat at home, staring wide-eyed at the TV, watching an almost superhuman feat of endurance, resilience and skill, then begged their parents to book a court and show them how to swing a racket.
We all need heroes to look up to, pioneers to follow, people to light the spark that eventually fuels our own future adventures. Reading the article about Mabel Barker in this issue gave me the same feeling.
A climber, educator and trailblazer for female climbers in a male-dominated world, Mabel paved the way for so many women just like her to go out and live their dreams the way she did, against so many odds, in the early 1900s.
We hope there’s plenty in this issue that inspires you to head for the mountains too, including the tales below from our own team of heroes, singing the praises of Britain’s trio of underrated ‘second summits’.
Oli Reed, Trail editor
When second is best
Tom Bailey (above) tackles Ben Macdui, Britain's second highest mountain, from its epic southern approach via the Lin of Dee. This is a long, energy-draining route that requires a wild camp to complete over two view-drenched days. And guess what? Tom absolutely loved it.
The King of the Carneddau
Ben Weeks advises you to skip Wales’ highest peak and head for the runner-up, Carnedd Llewlyn. It’s a mountain with history, with attitude, with views, and with more than a few stories to tell.
Meet Scafell Pike's 'Evil Twin'
Secret passages, sheer walls and the maddest descent of a mountain in literary history: Sca Fell might be England’s Number 2 in height – but in kudos, Nick Hallisey reckons it might just beat all of them. So next time you're up in the Lakes, ignore its noisy neighbour and instead go in search of this often-overlooked Lakeland classic.
10 pro tips for pitching tents in the wind
When you picture bad weather on a camping trip, it's often rain that clouds your vision. But most campers know that wind is the real enemy, especially when setting up or packing away your tent. Sarah Ryanis your guide in this issue, with 10 expert tips to help you pitch safely and securely when the wind is howling.
How to tackle Britain's longest waymarked trail
The small matter of 870 miles and around 2-3 months on foot are the big stats you need to know when it comes to walking the Wales Coast Path, which does exactly what you'd expect by hugging the sea edge of Wales all the way from Chester to Chepstow. We've teamed up with the experts from Cicerone to bring you our complete guide to this very special trail.
The top two-person tents money can buy
Matt Jones has been busy over the past couple of months, wild camping in his native North Wales (often with his dog for company) to run the rule over the latest and greatest two-person tents. Matt looks for the perfect sweet spot between lightweight design, stability, packability and livability – and this month reveals his six top picks for summer 2025.
Finest way up Scotland's most northerly Munro
We all love a mountain ridge, but probably not all of us love driving to the northern frontier of Scotland to climb one. Ben Weeks, however, did want to do exactly that and was rewarded with many views like the one above on Ben Hope. Find out how you can do the same.
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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.