• Scottish Higlands is excellent for wild camping, and can really test the gear! Picture shows a footpath traveling into the distance, with mountains in the background with a light cover of snow.
    Hiking & Camping

    Essential Gear List for Successful Wild Camping and Backpacking

    What to pack for a successful wild camping or backpacking trip? The chances are that you have already found out that people get very passionate about their camping gear. The materials, weight, size, brands – everything goes. There are people out there that have made camping into an art form! If you are not quite at that point yet – and just want to build a good basic gear list for wild camping – this post is for you! I will go through my wild camping gear list and the items I would not camp without. My kit is by no means the lightest or the most technical – but…

  • Training for ML assessment in the Scottish Higlands
    Personal Blogs

    From Mountain Leader Training to the Assessment – How to Consolidate

    In mid-August 2020 I finally completed my Summer Mountain Leader training. This was after many years of planning to do it and, for various reasons, never quite getting around to it. In fact, I had booked onto courses a couple of times previously – just for them to be cancelled for different reasons. The latest of them being Covid-19 this spring. Now it has been a couple of months since the training and I have had some time to think and decompress. And with that in mind, it is time to format a plan for the future. It was clear to me already prior to the training that, as I’d…

  • Everyday adventures in the Scottish Highlands
    Personal Blogs

    How to Fit Everyday Adventures into Your Life

    Life has taken a weird turn for a lot of us in the last year. I have found myself re-evaluating the important things in my life. And changing the direction where I am traveling in terms of my career and goals. There has been awfully lot of uncertainty and hesitance. And a few tears here and there. I can’t say I have sussed it all out yet. But I think I have accepted the uncertainty better. The fact that it’s okay to not be sure about things all the time. Instead, I have taken more time to do the things I love. And most of the time that means going…

  • Camping on the ML expedition.
    Personal Blogs

    What to Pack for Mountain Leader Training – Essential Gear

    I love planning for trips away and the Mountain Leader Training week was no exception. Making a list of things I needed to bring ensured that everything I had with me was essential and functional. It also made sure I wasn’t one of those people desperately trying to find an open outdoor gear shop before heading out for the second day. If you are interested to read more about my experiences of doing the training, check out this article on My Mountain Leader Training Week in Snowdonia. For more information about the Mountain Leader Scheme check out the Mountain Training website. Or read on for my essential ML kit list!

  • Wild camping by a loch in the Scottish Higlands
    Hiking & Camping

    Essential Guide: How to Wild Camp with Success

    Wild camping can be a magical experience. There is nothing better than waking up on a mountain and opening your tent door to the crisp morning air. And nothing makes me happier than rising up to make a steaming cup of coffee still wrapped up in the warmth of my sleeping bag. Cold crisp mornings when you can see your breath in the air are the best. Therefore, it is easy to understand the recent soaring popularity of camping and wild camping. However, frequently things are a little less idyllic and the morning starts with the dull sound of drizzle on your tent. And much too often people wake up…

  • Contemplating the map on my Mountain Leader Training Course
    Personal Blogs

    Becoming a Mountain Leader: What is the Training Like?

    After years of intending to become a qualified Mountain Leader. This summer I finally took the plunge and signed up for Mountain Leader training. This is what my week looked like, the skills we covered and what I learned. So to learn what the Mountain Leader Training course is like, read on!