I remember a Tuesday in late October, somewhere on the edge of the Cairngorms, when the wind wasn’t just blowing—it was screaming through the heather, …
Descent Hurts More People Than Ascent
May 2026
A First Aid Kit Matched to Your Actual Skills
I once spent forty minutes in a freezing downpour on a ridge in the Cairngorms, trying to stem a bleed from a client’s leg using …
Toileting Outdoors Properly, Since Nobody Explains It
I remember a Tuesday in the Cairngorms, mid-November, when the sleet was coming in sideways and my bladder felt like it was about to give …
Migration: Timing, Weather and Fallout Days
I remember sitting on a granite outcrop in the Cairngorms back in 2012, watching a pair of peregrines circling a ledge through a veil of …
The Complete Guide to Multi-day Trips
I’ve spent twenty-two years watching people pack for the mountains, and most of them are following the wrong kind of advice. You’ll see influencers pushing …
Water Treatment Compared by Weight and Speed
I remember a Tuesday in the Cairngorms, about six years ago, sitting in a sodden tent while the wind tried to peel the flysheet off. …
Going Uphill Slowly Enough to Keep Going
I remember a group I led back in 2014, halfway up a scree slope in the Cairngorms, when the leader decided he could “power through” …
Filtering, Boiling or Chemicals: Choosing a Method
I remember standing on a sodden ridge in the Cairngorms, watching a client stare at a perfectly clear stream with a look of pure, misguided …
The Local Patch Beats Travelling Every Time
I spent most of my nine years as a ranger standing perfectly still in freezing rain, not because I was waiting for a miracle, but …
Bottle or Bladder: Convenience Versus Reliability
I once spent four hours in a freezing downpour on the Cuillin ridge, trying to squeeze a frozen, half-empty hydration bladder through a tiny straw …