I remember standing on a windswept ridge in the Cairngorms back in 2012, watching a group of well-meaning volunteers try to “restore” a patch of …
Why There Are Cattle on the Nature Reserve
What to Buy First, Second and Never
I’ve spent twenty-two years watching people make the same mistake: they walk into an outdoor shop with a credit card and a sense of misplaced …
Preparing for Four Days on Your Feet
I was standing on a ridge in the Cairngorms three years ago, watching a group of hikers huddle under a single, overpriced ultralight tarp while …
Bivvying: Minimal Shelter, Maximum Commitment
I remember a night on the Scafell Pike ridge back in 2014—the kind of night where the wind doesn’t just blow, it punches you. I …
Tarp Camping: Freedom and Its Price
I remember standing on a ridge in the Cairngorms three years ago, watching a group of hikers struggle to pitch a heavy, two-person dome tent …
Training for the Hills Without a Gym
I’ve spent twenty-two years watching people crumble on steep ascents, and most of them weren’t lacking “spirit”—they were just following the wrong advice. You don’t …
The Gap Between a Scenic Encounter and a Crisis Is Thinner Than You Think: Practical Tips for Staying Safe Around Wild Animals.
I remember standing on a granite ridge in the Cairngorms back in 2012, watching a young hiker freeze, eyes wide, as a golden eagle drifted …
Beyond the Postcard Views: Why Understanding the Benefits of Hiking in Different Seasons Is the Difference Between a Great Trip and a Dangerous One.
I was standing on a ridge in the Lake District three years ago, watching a group of hikers freeze because they’d read a glossy magazine …
The Difference Between a Core Memory and a Total Meltdown Is Choosing the Best Campsite for Your Family.
I once watched a family of four try to pitch a high-end, lightweight tent on a slope that looked “scenic” in a brochure, only to …
The Ocean Is Forgiving Until It Isn’t: the Unglamorous, Vital Reality of Protecting Endangered Coral Reef Ecosystems.
I spent twenty-two years watching how ecosystems fail, usually because people focus on the massive, cinematic disasters while ignoring the slow, quiet rot right under …