From Newsletter No 37 (November 1998) of The Mountaineering Council of Scotland.

The book is a series of stories which span the development of Pete McDonald's interest in the outdoors and rock climbing, the way he drifted into a career as an outdoor education instructor and about his experiences in residential centres working with young people.

The title is clever as each chapter is a separate anecdote recording what could be described in the modern jargon as a 'learning outcome'. The book can be dipped into as each of the anecdotes are complete in themselves.

It describes the process of escape from the city to the hills and picks out very clearly the stages through which local authority outdoor centres have passed since the late 60s to the present day. As a former instructor myself, with a career spanning the same years, the book was a fascinating read. It is hard to believe that someone else down in Derbyshire could have experiences so similar to my own in Wales and Scotland. Particularly interesting is the evolution of thinking about outdoor instruction and the changes which have occurred. Pete McDonald has a very readable style with a very amusing turn of phrase and describes former students and colleagues with sympathy and humour. His love of the countryside and lonely places is well-expressed. However, there is nothing romantic about this book, it shows the people and centres described warts and all. It is in my opinion a true and accurate record. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of some of the well-known personalities of the profession, and his experiences when climbing as an amateur.

For anyone with any experience of outdoor pursuits instruction, or interest in some of the commanding figures of outdoor education, this book will prove to be a very worthwhile and enjoyable read. I would particularly commend it to anybody aspiring to a career in outdoor education or the leisure and recreation industry. It has the quality to become a 'cult' classic.

Thank you to The Mountaineering Council of Scotland for permission to reproduce Nick Halls's review. The Council's website is at:
www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk

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