Great British Adventures

A Second Life on Foot: Jacquetta Megarry and New Adventures After Midlife

13 Oct 2025

Audio

Description

At the age of 50, while most people are thinking about slowing down, Jacquetta Megarry decided to speed up - on foot. A career in ICT was swapped for muddy boots and mountain paths after one frustrating but hugely adventurous hike along the West Highland Way sparked a bold idea: to create waterproof, lightweight, beautifully crafted guidebooks that could actually survive the Scottish weather.That spark became Rucksack Readers, now a 25-year success story with over 40 titles covering the UK’s best long-distance trails - and a few far-flung adventures from Kilimanjaro to Antarctica. In this episode, we about the joy of multi-day hiking, the art of turning passion into purpose, and the power of taking a giant leap midlife. Jacquetta shares the lessons she’s learned from a second career built on adventure, her advice for tackling altitude sickness, and we discuss how to make the most of every summer before it slips away.It’s a conversation not just about walking - but also about courage, creativity, and how to keep exploring, no matter your age.Find out more about Rucksack Readers here: https://www.rucsacs.com/Support the podcast: Get a whopping 65% off your first Gousto box at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.gousto.co.uk/raf/?promo_code=TOM42277653⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get in contact:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/tombryanyeah/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/greatbritishadventurespodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@tombryanyeahTimestamps:00:00 Intro02:22 London life vs. Rural Scotland Life05:34 50th Birthday inspiration07:19 Rucksack Readers12:39 The adventures of a multi-day hike16:39 Following your interests to make a career out of it18:44 Managing altitude sickness23:59 Creating a career around lifestyle26:36 Taking a leap aged 5030:03 Persistance and resilience within a creative pursuit34:47 Setting manageable itineraries38:58 Golden Eagle Encounter41:02 Solo tours vs. company45:06 Access rights48:45 Age is just a number50:46 Making time for these journeys51:49 Bad weather54:58 Different takes on adventure58:35 Research vs. Curiosity01:00:43 How preconceptions of places can be wrong01:05:55 Tom's summer story01:12:21 Midges in Scotland01:16:11 Jacquetta's favourite trails01:20:42 It's not always about the destination01:23:58 Hunter gatherers01:25:02 Technology on the trails01:28:19 Making retirement a career

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3ª PARTE | 17 DIC 2025 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

12:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

13:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

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Great British Adventures

A Second Life on Foot: Jacquetta Megarry and New Adventures After Midlife

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Other recent transcribed episodes

3ª PARTE | 17 DIC 2025 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

12:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

13:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

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