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If you're looking for a book about hiking or backpacking as a present for someone or even yourself I've written a few that might be of interest including stories of long walks and guidebooks.For those who've already enjoyed any of my books please tell others and post comments and reviews on social media and online bookshops. For writers this makes a huge difference. Word of mouth and personal

Well bundled up at a bitterly cold camp on the Moine Mhor in the Cairngorms. February 2016.Last week I had my first camp on snow this winter and it left me longing for more. I love winter camping! Especially when it's really winter, when there's snow and frost. Too much Scottish winter weather isn't that wintry, just grey and wet and windy and cold. I do go camping then but it's not the same as

The theme of the January issue of The Great Outdoors is making the most of winter nights. The opening double-page spread is a lovely winter dawn photo of a snowy and misty Hope Valley in the Peak district by Verity Milligan. The dramatic cover image by David Lintern shows a hiker at a camp on the Tour des Ecrins in the Alps shining a headlamp up towards a starry sky. In the main features

Dawn lightFreezing conditions having returned to the Cairngorms after the big thaw brought by Storm Bert I headed up for what I hoped would be the first camp in the snow this winter. The mountains were blanketed in cloud so I didn’t know just how much snow remained up high or how much if any had fallen since the cold returned. Most of the winter I check the Scottish Avalanche Information Service

 A little video from a recent camp in the Cairngorms. I was impressed at how well the MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe stove and Fire Maple heat exchanger pot worked for melting snow. A great winter combination.I wrote about heat exchanger pots in this piece and how good I found them but hadn't yet tried this setup for snow melting. It worked as well as the much heavier MSR Reactor and

On the summit of Ben Macdui in the CairngormsThe livestream discussion on ski touring with Ash Routen and Tony Hobbs on Tony's YouTube channel was fun and is now available.Ski tracks in the Scottish Highlands

The latest issue of The Great Outdoors has an eight-page feature by me about what has changed in the world of long-distance hiking since I walked the length of the Canadian Rockies in 1988. It's illustrated with photos from the new edition of High Summer, my book on the walk, which has just been published by Enchanted Rock Press. This is the first time these photos have appeared in a

The Cromdale Hills, November 22. Whilst Storm Bert has brought chaos and destruction to many areas of Britain, causing big problems for many people. Locally the only noticeable effect so far is the astonishingly rapid stripping of the snow. Today I walked on snow free ground where I was skiing just two days ago. Rapid thaws are not uncommon but this is one of the fastest I've seen.The

The Cairngorms at duskSnow deep enough to ski from the front door is rare in November. After more overnight snow there was enough today though. I thought I’d better go out and enjoy it before the big storm named Bert by the Met. Office arrives tomorrow bringing high winds, snow turning to rain, and rising temperatures. By tomorrow evening most of the snow will probably be gone. Sunshine on an

Outdoor clothing has changed dramatically since I started going to the hills back in the 1960s. There was little specialist clothing back then and the basic materials were wool and cotton. Technical fabrics meant Ventile cotton (still around!) and similar. There was no big outdoor industry either. How we got from there to here is told in this excellent new book by Henry Iddon and Max Leonard

The Lairig Ghru from Creag an Leth-choinThe first long cold spell of the winter has arrived, bringing snow and ending the mild weather of the first half of November. For those of us who love snowy mountains this is exciting. I’ve been out twice since the weather changed, once on a short local stroll, once up into the mountains. Both were wonderful. The snow fallsAs I write this snow is falling,

View down to Ryvoan Pass & An Lochan UaineSometimes the days pass by and something you think you did recently turns out to be six months ago. I was thinking it was a little while since I’d been on a favourite Cairngorms walk, through Ryvoan Pass and over Meall a’ Bhuachaille, but on checking my journal I was surprised that the last time was actually back in May. It’s not often there’s such a

 

My camp in Strath NethyThere is a danger in thinking you know a place, especially when what you think you know is negative so you have no interest in returning there. I’ve just discovered this after an inadvertent visit to Strath Nethy in the Cairngorms. It’s not that I’d never been there. As a regular walker in the Cairngorms I had crossed the valley regularly, both at its foot on the standard

Two years ago I posted a blog with links to pieces on winter skills and gear. As we're entering the winter season and there will soon be snow (I hope) here it is again.

The December issue of The Great Outdoors is out now and unsurprisingly it has a snowy theme including a big feature on winter skills by instructors from Glen More Lodge and an article by Anna Wells about her record-breaking winter round of the Munros. Photographer James Roddie recalls encounters with ptarmigan with some lovely photographs of this bird of the snows. Far from Britain

 I'm delighted and thrilled that my book on my walk the length of the Canadian Rockies is available again in a brand new edition packed with photos that have never been published before. I'm amazed too. I never thought this long out-of-print book about a walk thirty-six years ago would ever reappear. For that I have to thank publisher Andrew Terrill. Here are a few of the photos. 

Tangled forest in Clais an DunainAn interesting exhibition on the First People Of The Spey at the excellent Grantown-on-Spey Museum (well worth a visit if you're in the area) had a sketch map of nine Iron Age hill forts in the area, two of which are within a few kilometres of my home. One stands out prominently on the hillside on the other side of our little glen. The other is hidden in trees

Nature and adventure photographer John Beatty has recently published his Wild Nature Diary and Calendar for 2025 in partnership with the John Muir Trust and they are as superb as ever, packed with brilliant wildlife and nature photographs. I always look forward to seeing them.The Wild Nature Diary has a Foreword by BBC TV presenter Iolo Williams and is edited by John Beatty. Inside there are 60

Tony in the rain on the Cape Wrath TrailTony Hobbs accompanied me on my recent almost completion of the Cape Wrath Trail (see this post) and shot many videos during the walk. I could often hear him recording his commentary and see him holding out his action camera. His ability to slosh through tussocks and bogs whilst filming and talking is impressive!Tony has now posted six videos on his YouTube

Glen Feshie in the Cairngorms is one of my favourite places, as regular readers of this blog will know. I go there several times every year. At least one of those visits is always in the autumn when there is a brilliant show of colour from the deciduous trees, especially the birches. This year I set off down the glen in a rain storm and a strong wind. But, as forecast, the rain soon cleared and

Heading for RhiconichWhen I returned in early October to continue my Cape Wrath Trail walk (see this post) I made some changes to the gear I used for various reasons which I’ll describe below. Much of the gear was the same though – the Atom Packs The Prospector EP60 pack, Atom Packs The Roo bum bag, Pacerpoles, Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XLite mat, Multimat Camper 8 closed cell foam mat, Altra Lone

With the first named storm of the autumn forecast to bring very strong winds over the next two days (there is a Met Office weather warning) I thought I'd go for a local to see the autumn colours before more leaves are stripped from the trees.The day was pleasant and warm with sunshine, an occasional breeze, and fluffy white clouds. No sign of the big storm that's on the way. The autumn colours

I'm very pleased to announce that High Summer, the story of my walk the length of the Canadian Rockies in 1988, will be published in a new updated edition through Andrew Terrill's independent publishing imprint, the Enchanted Rock Press, on November 1st.  Rereading the book for the first time in many, many years for this edition reminded me how different it was to undertake such a walk

Light Hiking – Tarp Shelters A good tarp is both lighter and cheaper than the even the lightest of tents and has a number of advantages that make it much more attractive to light backpackers. [...] This Article Light Hiking – Tarp Shelters is an original article from OFFGRID Survival If it is appearing on any other site but OFFGRID Survival, that site does not have our permission to use our copyrighted content!

Light Hiking – Tarp Shelters A good tarp is both lighter and cheaper than the even the lightest of tents and has a number of advantages that make it much more attractive to light backpackers. [...] This Article Light Hiking – Tarp Shelters is an original article from OFFGRID Survival If it is appearing on any other site but OFFGRID Survival, that site does not have our permission to use our copyrighted content!

Buying a Survival Backpack: Military & Tactical vs Hiking & Hunting Backpacks A breakdown of the best survival backpacks. What to look for, what features to choose, and what style suits your situation. [...] This Article Buying a Survival Backpack: Military & Tactical vs Hiking & Hunting Backpacks is an original article from OFFGRID Survival If it is appearing on any other site but OFFGRID Survival, that site does not have our permission to use our copyrighted content!

Buying a Survival Backpack: Military & Tactical vs Hiking & Hunting Backpacks A breakdown of the best survival backpacks. What to look for, what features to choose, and what style suits your situation. [...] This Article Buying a Survival Backpack: Military & Tactical vs Hiking & Hunting Backpacks is an original article from OFFGRID Survival If it is appearing on any other site but OFFGRID Survival, that site does not have our permission to use our copyrighted content!

Kelvin 36 Urban Ultra-Tool Review The Kelvin 36 is a compact tool, unlike any other on the market, and features tools that you won't find in most traditional multitools. [...] This Article Kelvin 36 Urban Ultra-Tool Review is an original article from OFFGRID Survival If it is appearing on any other site but OFFGRID Survival, that site does not have our permission to use our copyrighted content!

Kelvin 36 Urban Ultra-Tool Review The Kelvin 36 is a compact tool, unlike any other on the market, and features tools that you won't find in most traditional multitools. [...] This Article Kelvin 36 Urban Ultra-Tool Review is an original article from OFFGRID Survival If it is appearing on any other site but OFFGRID Survival, that site does not have our permission to use our copyrighted content!

Survival Tarp Shelters: Why A Tarp is one of the Best Things you Can Carry With little more than a bit of paracord and a tarp, you can quickly set up an improvised shelter that will keep you warm and dry. [...] This Article Survival Tarp Shelters: Why A Tarp is one of the Best Things you Can Carry is an original article from OFFGRID Survival If it is appearing on any other site but OFFGRID Survival, that site does not have our permission to use our copyrighted content!

Survival Tarp Shelters: Why A Tarp is one of the Best Things you Can Carry With little more than a bit of paracord and a tarp, you can quickly set up an improvised shelter that will keep you warm and dry. [...] This Article Survival Tarp Shelters: Why A Tarp is one of the Best Things you Can Carry is an original article from OFFGRID Survival If it is appearing on any other site but OFFGRID Survival, that site does not have our permission to use our copyrighted content!