I once watched a group of hikers sit shivering in a damp valley for three hours, clutching expensive binoculars and staring at a patch of …
Why Almost Everything Happens in the First Hour
March 2026
The Complete Guide to Camping
I once watched a group of hikers spend three hours debating which high-tech, lightweight titanium stove was worth the extra fifty quid, only to spend …
Choosing a Tent for the Conditions You Actually Camp in
I remember sitting in a sodden valley in the Cairngorms three years ago, listening to the rhythmic thwack of a poorly tensioned flysheet struggling against …
Setting a Turnaround Time and Honouring It
I can still smell the wet wool and the metallic tang of that first real sleet hit back in the Cairngorms—the kind that doesn’t just …
The Signs Animals Leave Besides Footprints
I remember standing on a ridge in the Cairngorms back in 2012, teeth chattering and visibility dropping to about ten meters, watching a group of …
R-value Is the Number That Decides Your Night
I remember a night in the Cairngorms back in 2014, huddled under a tarp in a relentless sleet storm, listening to the rhythmic, hollow thud-thud …
Wind Is the Reason Most Days Get Cut Short
I remember standing on a col in the Cairngorms three years ago, watching a group of otherwise capable walkers try to “power through” a sudden …
The Complete Guide to Rucksacks and Packing
I’ve sat on too many ridges in the Cairngorms watching people struggle with packs that were far too technical for what they were actually doing. …
Down or Synthetic: Choose by How Wet You Get
I remember a group I was leading in the Cairngorms three years ago—it was late October, the wind was gusting at forty knots, and the …
The Complete Guide to Layering
I remember standing on a ridge in the Cairngorms three years ago, watching a group of hikers freeze in place because they’d followed some glossy …