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=TOM42277653
Get in contact:
https://www.instagram.com/tombryanyeah/
https://www.facebook.com/greatbritishadventurespodcast
https://www.threads.net/@tombryanyeah
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
02:22 London life vs. Rural Scotland Life
05:34 50th Birthday inspiration
07:19 Rucksack Readers
12:39 The adventures of a multi-day hike
16:39 Following your interests to make a career out of it
18:44 Managing altitude sickness
23:59 Creating a career around lifestyle
26:36 Taking a leap aged 50
30:03 Persistance and resilience within a creative pursuit
34:47 Setting manageable itineraries
38:58 Golden Eagle Encounter
41:02 Solo tours vs. company
45:06 Access rights
48:45 Age is just a number
50:46 Making time for these journeys
51:49 Bad weather
54:58 Different takes on adventure
58:35 Research vs. Curiosity
01:00:43 How preconceptions of places can be wrong
01:05:55 Tom's summer story
01:12:21 Midges in Scotland
01:16:11 Jacquetta's favourite trails
01:20:42 It's not always about the destination
01:23:58 Hunter gatherers
01:25:02 Technology on the trails
01:28:19 Making retirement a career