Jacquetta Megarry – Founding Rucksack Readers, Walking Adventures, and Building Confidence in the Outdoors
- Tough Girl
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Jacquetta Megarry didn’t grow up in the outdoors, and she certainly didn’t see herself as an adventurer—or a publisher. But turning 50 sparked a journey that would transform her life. From walking the West Highland Way with friends to summiting Mt Kilimanjaro, Jacquetta discovered the power of pacing yourself, listening to your body, and building unshakeable self-belief.
Her adventures inspired her to found Rucksack Readers, a guidebook company that helps hikers navigate trails around the world. Over 25 years later, Jacquetta shares stories from her experiences—from hiking in the UK during Storm Amy, to trekking the Inca Trail, to exploring Antarctica—along with lessons on making mistakes, learning from them, and embracing challenges at any age.
In this episode, Jacquetta shares how stepping outside your everyday life can open doors to new passions, transform confidence, and even create a career doing what you love. She offers practical tips for hikers, insights into publishing, and encouragement for women ready to explore the world on their own terms.
🎧 This episode is for you if you:
Want inspiration to start a new adventure at any age
Dream of hiking, trekking, or exploring the outdoors
Are curious about publishing guidebooks and sharing your knowledge
Believe it’s never too late to embrace challenges and grow
Ready to be inspired? Hit play and let Jacquetta take you on a journey of mountains, maps, and life-changing adventures.
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Listen to Jacquetta Now!
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Show notes
Who is Jacquetta
Growing up in London and going to school there
Living all her adult life in Scotland
Living in Edinburgh
Founding Rucksack Readers a guidebook company
Not being sporty or into the great outdoors at a young age
Turning 50 and deciding to go and walk the West Highland Way with 4 female friends to celebrate 200 years of womanhood
Feeling dissatisfied with the official guidebook
This frustration lay dormant for 18 months
Heading off to climb Mt Kilimanjaro for the first time and why the altitude was a great leveller
How climbing Kilimanjaro gave her the self belief in order to make a career change
Going from working in IT to starting a guidebook company
The importance of pacing yourself and listening to your body
Building self belief on the mountain
How only 9 out of the 16 made it to the summit
Feeling health, taking photos and enjoying the experience
Doing something so far outside your normal everyday life and how it can make you think differently about life
Becoming a publisher and having the confidence to think you can write a guidebook after one experience
Deciding to do the Inca Trail in 2001 and the challenges involved in gathering the info for a guidebook
Why would you not want the paper to be rainproof?
Hiking the Dales Way during Storm Amy
Creating little map booklets for hikers (waterproof)
Apps verses Guidebooks
Planning a walk with ChatGPT
The structure of the guidebook
Mapping and keeping route information updated
Being a volunteer - on the Xtreme Everest Project
Dealing with altitude sickness - keeping well hydrated and monitoring her heart
Maintaining a base level of fitness…
Celebrating 25 years of Rucksack Readers
Writing about the mistakes made in publishing
Talking about failure and mistakes and the lessons made
Visiting Antarctica and wanting to go sea kayaking and see the emperor penguins
Dealing with the cold and the conditions on the ship
How her hiking has changed now entering her 70s
The joy of being a publisher and being able to follow her passions
Future challenge and revisiting the Dales Way
Succession planning for Rucksack Readers
Having a year of consolidation and looking after the future
How to connect with Jacquetta and Rucksack Readers
Discount code for the listeners of the Tough Girl Podcast—use toughgirl for a 20% discount of all books
Final words of advice for other women who want to go on more adventures and challenges around the world
Mistakes and being afraid of getting it wrong.
Get out there, make the mistakes, and be sure to learn from them.
Social Media
Website: rucsacs.com
use toughgirl for a 20% discount off books - valid until 20th January 2027
Instagram: www.instagram.com/rucksack_readers
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rucsacs
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