Interests
Max is an active adventure traveller and award-winning travel-writer.
With friends, he has climbed all 282 of Scotland's Munros (mountains over 3,000 feet in height);
wild-camped 1,000 km across mountains in 2013 (including Switzerland's Alpine Pass Route, Corsica's GR20, and Scotland's Cape Wrath Trail);
trekked in six continents; skied Sweden's Arctic Kungsleden; canoed the length of the Thames; etc.
He loves to share his experiences to inspire other people. His co-authored "Trek to Everest" won The Outdoor Writers and Photographers
Guild 2016 prize for Best Guidebook.
He also loves his birthplace of Scotland, and his "The Call of the Mountains" describes the inspirational power of Scotland's mountainscapes.
Wanderlust Magazine included it in its Best Travel Books of 2019.
Max's "Ridgeway" is a guide to walking Europe's most ancient footpath, from Avebury to Ivinghoe Beacon;
and one of his TGO articles describes a route across Switzerland's high passes.
His photographs have appeared in the various publications indicated below.
Max also works with the many parallels between adventure travel and business leadership including team selection and motivation,
goal setting and re-setting, progress tracking, emergency action, and more.
Recent publications
2020: Guidebook - "The Jurassic Coast Path" (pub: tbc)
2019: Illustrated feature - The Hong Kong and Lantau Trails for TGO magazine
2019: Guidebook - "The Land's End Circuit" (pub: Rucksack Readers)
2017: Selected photographs - Great Hiking Trails of the World (pub:Rizzzoli)
2017: Illustrated feature - Mount Kailash, Tibet in a 7-page feature for TGO magazine
2016: Guidebook - "Trek to Everest" winner of OWPG Prize for Best Guidebook (pub: Rucksack Readers)
2015: Guidebook - "The Ridgeway" (pub: Rucksack Readers)
2015: Selected articles - The Munros for TGO magazine
2014: Illustrated feature - The Alpine Pass Route in a 6-page feature for TGO magazine
2014: Book - "The Call of the Mountains" cited as a Best Travel Book by Wanderlust (pub: Luath Press)
Recent Hiking
Plans 2020/1
South West Coast Path (further segments)
Hebridean Way (bike)
2020
Jurassic Coast Path, England
South Dorset Ridgeway, England
2019
Lofoten mountains, Norway
GR5 Lake Geneva to Modane, Switzerland and France (parts of)
Famous and Sacred Mountains (part 1), China
2018
Baltoro Glacier and Gondogoro La, Pakistan
2017
Hong Kong Trail, Lantau Trail, China
Tour du Mont Blanc, Fr-It-Sw
Annapurna Circuit, Nepal
2016
Mount Kailash kora, Tibet
Kyrgyzstan
Inca Trail, Peru
2015
Tour of the Matterhorn, Switzerland
2014
Skye Trail, Scotland
Ridgeway, England
Thames Path (canoe and wild camp), England
Mount Toubkal (winter ascent), Morocco
Kungsleden (skis), Sweden
2013
Alpine Pass Route, Switzerland
Cape Wrath Trail, Scotland
GR20, Corsica
Torres del Paine "W" and Las Glaciaras, Patagonia
Furth Munros, UK and Ireland
2012 (and 2010)
(22 National Parks driving and hiking across USA)
2011
Lukla to Everest Base Camp, Nepal.
2007-2013
The Munros (all 282), Scotland
Other
Some of Max's other interests are indicated below.