The Sandstone guide to Christmas gifts: The great outdoors

For the trad climber with all the gear

The golden age of Himalayan mountaineering, from the mid 1970s to the ‘80s, brought forth a generation of radical young climbers. With tiny budgets and high ambitions they pioneered light and fast Alpine style expeditions on mountains such as Jannu, Nuptse, Everest, and K2.

In High Risk, Brian Hall recalls the outrageous adventures of eleven of his climbing friends who risked, and too often lost, their lives to stand on some of the world’s highest peaks at a turning point in mountaineering history.

Buy High Risk now

For the wildlife enthusiast with 245x245mm of empty space on their coffee table

In this breathtaking new book, internationally renowned photographer Kevin Morgans celebrates the iconic Atlantic puffin and its place in the ecology of the British Isles.

Buy Puffins now

For the hillwalker who has spent a lifetime in Scotland's outdoors

For over four decades, Cameron McNeish has chronicled Scotland’s majestic landscapes and the outdoor communities who inhabit them.

While much has changed, especially in terms of conservation and access, the hills themselves remain little altered, as do the reasons people visit them. In this collection of essays and diary entries, Cameron shines the light of experience on memory, and renews his vision, keen to share his insights with the many people who love Scotland’s outdoors.

Buy An Eye to the Hills now

For the runner who's ready to push their boundaries

Mark Atkinson is living proof that you don’t have to be ‘good’ at running to make it through a marathon or even further. Packed with insights and tips, pitfalls and joy, Ducking Long Way invites you to join him for a beer at mile thirty as he pushes himself as far as he can while still running for the sheer joy of it.

Buy Ducking Long Way now

For the new mums who love hill running (and the people who love them)

In Bump, Bike & Baby, Moire O’Sullivan charts her journey from happy, carefree mountain runner to reluctant, stay-at-home mother of two. With her sights set on winning Ireland’s National Adventure Racing Series, she manages to maintain her post-natal sanity, and slowly learns to become a loving and occasionally functioning mum.

Buy Bump, Bike & Baby now

For the pony people, as well as the folks who dream of Scottish Islands

From the southern tip of Barra to the ancient stone circle of Callanish, Leonie and her friend Shuna ride off the beaten tracks on their beloved Highland ponies, Ross and Chief. In deeply poetic prose, she describes not only the beauties of the Hebridean landscape, its spare, penetrating light and its people, but also confronts the ghost of her mother and their fractured relationship.

Buy Marram now

For the people who find joy in cycling and travelling

Keen to see some of Europe, partners Abi (she/her) and Lili (they/them) get on their bikes and start pedalling.
Along flat fens and up Swiss Alps, they will meet new friends and exorcise old demons as they push their bodies – and their relationship – to the limit.

Buy Gears for Queers now