After a career in education, IT and academic publishing,Jacquetta became interested in long-distance walking and trekking. After completing her first long walk, the West Highland Way, in 1998, she progressed to Mount Kilimanjaro, which she summited four times by four different routes(1999, 2000, 2004 and 2008). She is a member of the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild and in 2016 won its Award for Excellence with Trek to Everest.

In 2000 she launched the rainproof Rucksack Reader formatwith built-in maps for guidebooks. Now published over 40 guidebooks. Of these, she has either written or co-authored 24, as well as editing them all and creating frequent revised editions of earlier books.

We chat about Jacquetta’s story of becoming a long distance walker, guidebook writer and publisher.

To see the full range of lightweight, rain proof guides andperhaps get some inspiration for your next walk visit https://www.rucsacs.com/

Eileen Jones is a writer and journalist based in the LakeDistrict. She is a contributor to Cumbria magazine and an enthusiastic parkrunner. She is the author of Loughrigg and two books on parkrunning and is currently working on a book about Rydal Mount, the home of William and Dorothy Wordsworth. Eileen has visited the summit cairn of Loughrigg more than 500 times.

We chat about Loughrigg, what it’s like and what it means toEileen, the environment and people of the hill, and how Eileen came to write a book about it.

“It’s one of the smallest fells in the Lake District, butLoughrigg is small in height only. This delightfully sprawling mini-mountain is crossed by miles of confusing paths, blessed with many small tarns, grazed by sheep, home to deer and red squirrels, a habitat for wildflowers and birds, and loved by all who climb to its prominent summit. It meets the folk who live on the hill, talks to the athletes who run over it, explores the terrain and the wildlife, and looks at the artists who have painted it and the writers inspired here. This is a love letter to Loughrigg.”

Loughrigg is available from Gritstone Publishing.

Jenny has been working with me on the scrambling workshops for a while now and she is taking those over from 2026. She is a fully qualified mountaineering instructor who works in Eryri and on Skye, she also spends a lot of time in the Alps. Jenny is also an active member of the OgwenValley Mountain Rescue Team, a Remote Rescue Medical Technician and a WEMSI Wilderness Medical Technician qualification. She is on the faculty for World Extreme Medicine - teaching on Wilderness and Expedition Medicine and Searchand Rescue Medicine courses.

Emily Coates is a North Wales based Mountain Leader both summer and winter. She also has a Geography degree from Oxford, a Master’s in Sustainability from ImperialCollege, and six years’ experience as a secondary geography teacher. Emily now works as a freelance leader in North Wales and beyond. She runs her own company, Visit Wild Wales, founded on strong ethical principles, and also works with Leading Edge and the Field Studies Council, while enjoys the odd shift at Joe Brown’s outdoor shop.

In 2025, Emily had a tense adventure in the Himalaya. What began as a trekking trip to a remote part of the range turned into a full-scale mountaineering expedition as Emily and her team were forced to extricate themselves from a serious situation.

The expedition was badly reported in the mainstream media, with Emily and her friends being targeted rather than celebrated. It’s a fascinating story.

Ron spent over ten years working for North Yorkshire footpath team. He was recruited for his skills as a historian. We have a great chat about Public Rights of Way, the definitive map and how it all works. Ron is also a former police officer, support member of Swaledale Mountain Rescue team and a volunteer for Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England.

Emma Shipley is an experienced outdoor leader and thefounder of Yorkie Talkies Outdoors. Holding Mountain Leader, Lowland Leader and Paddle Sport Leader qualifications, Emma is passionate about leading people in the outdoors and helping them build confidence, achieve personal goals, andexperience the life-changing benefits of adventure. Her business offers a wide range of accessible outdoor activities, including guided group walks, bespoke hikes, paddleboarding days, navigation courses, challenge events such as the Yorkshire Three Peaks, and corporate and charity events, catering to everyone from beginners to experienced walkers. Yorkie Talkies Outdoors also runs year-round events, including regular walking, trail running and paddleboardingsessions. Alongside this, Emma is the creator and host of The Yorkie Talkies Talk podcast, where she shares conversations about outdoor adventures, wellbeing, walking challenges and community stories.

We find out all about how she’ bubbles with enthusiasm and her passion for the work she does. I think you’ll find her quite inspiring.

Monty is a former geography teacher and mountaineeringinstructor. He taught at several well-known schools, including Gordonstoun. He was a student on Tim Jepson’s first Outdoor Education PGCE course at Bangor University, when the course was still run by Barbara Roscoe.

Monty has volunteered for the Association of MountaineeringInstructors and Mountaineering Scotland. After finishing his work as a teacher, he spent a few years on the freelance team at Glenmore Lodge. He is now settled near the Lake District and has taken on the role of trustee and secretary forthe BMC’s Mountain Heritage Trust.

I wanted to find out more about the MHT…

Mark Reeves is an old friend of mine - a climber, climbingcoach, and author whose passion and enthusiasm always shine through. In this episode, we talk about his time working in Antarctica for the British Antarctic Survey. Mark took the job during a personally difficult period, and while not everyone would choose Antarctica for a more social lifestyle, that’s xactly what he did - and it worked.

He’s perhaps best known as the author of the Rockfax guides to North Wales, covering walking, scrambling, and rock climbing. After chatting about his books, we dive into his current and future projects. I think his enthusiasm and honesty will really resonate with you.