Jacquetta Megarry

After a long career in education, information technology and academic publishing, Jacquetta became interested in long-distance walking and trekking. After completing the West Highland Way, her first long walk, in 1998 she progressed to Mount Kilimanjaro, which she has since summited four times by different routes (between 1999 and 2008). In 2000 she devised the waterproof, open-flat Rucksack Reader format with dropdown maps for walking guidebooks. The first two titles, The Speyside Way (jointly with Jim Strachan) and The West Highland Way were soon followed by a further 14 Rucksack Readers which she has either written or co-authored, as well as creating revised editions of all the early books. In early 2008 she re-walked the Wicklow Way collecting updates and photos for its 2nd edition. In May 2008 she released the Arran Coastal Way and organised the book's launch – a joint walk around Arran by the Rotary Clubs of Stirling and Arran. In June she returned to Kili to summit by the Lemosho route. In April 2007 she was among the 200+ volunteers who trekked to Everest Base Camp (5300 m/17,225 ft), undergoing medical tests daily en route, see the feature in the Scotsman (17.2.07, Magazine p.38) or listen to the Radio Scotland item on Out of Doors. Since March 2007 she has been posting erratically on her blog.