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

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

October 13, 2025 · 1h 33m · Episode 44

About this episode

Jacquetta Megarry discusses her transition to a life of adventure and creating guidebooks after midlife.

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…

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