Saturday was looking to be a pretty special day weatherwise with sunshine, cold temperatures, little wind and complete snow cover. Fantastic winter hillwalking conditions like that don't fall on a weekend all that often in Scotland so I was keen to get out and enjoy the hills. Me, Hua and Ainslie decided upon Glencoe and …
Kangoo Vanlife
So I got a van. I wasn't gonna. It wasn't for me. Who'd want to stay in a van when you could be in a hammock or tent close to nature? Well.. with winter approaching, my second winter season guiding full time, I reflected on the prospect of 'the choice'. The choice arises from having …
Recipe Ideas for Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Expeditions
Looking for inspiration for your expedition grub, bored of dehydrated meals, unsatisfied with pot noodles? This blog presents three simple recipes for tasty campsite meals, cooked on a stove. There's: Toasted tortilla with cheese, ham and red pepper: 'Speedy Pasta', a simple but delicious pasta based meal with tomato sauce and grated cheese; and, French …
Continue reading Recipe Ideas for Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Expeditions
Packing a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Expedition Rucksack
https://youtu.be/2vXoStsZx4E This video explains how to pack a Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition rucksack. There are items of kit that you'll share with your tent group. These items, things like the tent and stove, are called the group kit. Lay out all the items of group kit and decide with the people you're sharing a …
Continue reading Packing a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Expedition Rucksack
Winter Hillwalking on the Grey Corries
November and December are a quieter time of year for me, time for catching up with friends and some personal hillwalking adventures. I'd arranged to meet my friend Jon Foden (Nettle) on December the 4th for a day on the hill. He's a man of many talents: a paramedic, marine, ski-mountaineer, climber, mountain biker, fell …
Bushcraft Week with Thornlie Primary
Definitely one of the highlights of 2018 for me will be Thornlie Primary's bushcraft week. Me, Kenny Noble and Jean Ewen spent three days last week running a range of bushcraft activities for the entire school, working with three classes a day. We had so much fun creating, building, cooking, learning, playing and sharing.... with …
Becoming a Mountain Leader
Becoming a mountain leader has been one of the best and most rewarding learning experiences of my life. I passed my Mountain Leader Award in 2004 and then went on to gain the Winter and International Mountain Leader Awards. Together with the Lowland Leader Award and Hill and Moorland Award, these are part of a …