Outdoor Focus Editor David Jordan caught up with founder Jacquetta Megarry to reflect on the success of the venture.
Rucksack Readers 25th Anniversary David Jordan
Rucksack Readers celebrates 25 years of guidebook publishing
Having never previously walked a longdistance path, Jacquetta Megarry and friends chose to walk the West Highland Way, to each celebrate their 50th year. Out there in classic Scottish weather, wrestling with a rain-pulped guidebook and clinging to a map behaving more like a mainsail, she could not have foreseen how much that first long walk would impact her life. Now, many long hikes later, Jacquetta celebrates the 25th anniversary of Rucksack Readers, the guidebook publishing company that she subsequently founded.
David So, Jacquetta, tell me about your background prior to Rucksack Readers and what made you completely switch career to become a publisher of guidebooks?
Jacquetta I merely stumbled into publishing. I had worked in academia, specialising in educational innovation, I’ d been the editor of a peer-reviewed journal, and for some time I worked freelance undertaking consultancy. I used the income from that to fund publishing my first book.
From 1993-2013 I’ d lived in Dunblane, with a view of 13 Munros from the house. That changed me, I had to climb them. I really loved that first walk on the West Highland Way in 1998 too, although it wasn’ t until 18 months later – after climbing Kilimanjaro – that I founded Rucksack Readers. Summiting Kilimanjaro was an experience that gave me the self-belief to take the plunge.
David Had you written any guidebooks prior to forming Rucksack Readers, and what was it that that motivated you to publish your own?
Outdoor Focus Editor David Jordan caught up with founder Jacquetta Megarry to reflect on the success of the venture.
Jacquetta No, I’ d never written a guidebook, but I’ ve been some kind of author all my life. My best training was in Piccolo
Factbooks for 11-14 year olds. Having to explain artificial intelligence in an intellectually honest form inside 400 words really taught me to be concise. I learned so much about writing on that project.
David So how did you get started?
Jacquetta In 2000, I started with guides to the Speyside Way and the West Highland Way. I created a format that seemed to overcome the disadvantages that I’ d found with other guidebooks. Some had acres and acres of undifferentiated text, you’ d get some Wordsworth, some philosophy, the geology, myth and folklore and some poetry, then it would say‘ don’ t miss the turning after the footbridge’, by which time you’ d already missed it! My experience is that people on a walking holiday are short of time, so I keep the route description very concise, as bullet points. Anything that’ s a side-trip is clearly identified in a side-panel, and background information such as wildlife and heritage is in a separate section that can be read ahead of time.
David It sounds like you had a very clear vision about how you wanted to present
6 OUTDOOR FOCUS Spring 2025