I remember a Tuesday in the Cairngorms, three years ago, when a group I was leading found themselves huddled under a single, inadequate tarp because …
Head and Neck: Small Items, Large Effect
April 2026
Walking All Day in Rain Without Getting Cold
I was standing on a ridge in the Cairngorms three years ago, watching a group of walkers freeze up because they’d waited until they were …
The Complete Guide to Cooking Outdoors
I once watched a group of hikers try to prepare a three-course gourmet meal on a ridge in the Cairngorms, right as a front was …
Stove Types and Which Suits Your Trips
I remember sitting in a sodden tent in the Cairngorms, shivering in a four-season sleeping bag that was doing nothing to stop the chill, staring …
Wildflower Identification by Habitat First
I once spent three hours in a sodden peat bog near the Cairngorms, squinting through a magnifying loupe at what I thought was a rare …
Hot Weather Walking: Start Early, Finish Early
I remember a group I led back in 2014, halfway up a ridge in the Lake District, when the temperature spiked unexpectedly and the breeze …
Gloves: Always Carry a Second Pair
I once watched a group of otherwise capable walkers sit huddled on a scree slope in the Cairngorms, staring at their hands with a look …
The Complete Guide to Sleeping Warm Outdoors
I once spent a night huddled in a bivvy bag in the Cairngorms, shivering so violently I couldn’t even zip up my jacket, all because …
Camp Cooking That Does Not Need a Kitchen
I once watched a group of well-meaning hikers spend forty minutes trying to assemble a titanium gourmet kitchen set while a low cloud bank was …
Identifying Trees in Winter Without Leaves
I remember standing on a sodden ridge in the Cairngorms back in 2012, trying to explain to a group of increasingly shivering hikers that we …