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Ben Macdui from Sron na LairigThe warm dry weather of early April has given to colder conditions with snow on the hills. A wander up into the snow had me thinking it now felt more like December than July. But then, the Scottish weather is notoriously changeable. Leaving the forestMy two-day walk took me through Rothiemurchus Forest into Gleann Einich and then up beside the roaring Beanaidh Bheag

 The May issue of The Great Outdoors has boot reviews by Lucy Wallace and Alex Roddie (3 pairs each) and sock reviews by Peter Macfarlane and Gemma Palmer (again 3 pairs each) plus reviews of the Rab Kangri Gore-Tex jacket by Steph Wetherall and the Sierra Designs Nexus Lite 35-50L pack by me. Reading the others' reviews I was interested to see that both Lucy and Alex choose traditional

Camp in the Lairig Ghru below Sron na LairigEarly April has been a time of warmth and sunshine. A few days ago I sat on the summit of Cairn Gorm, shirt sleeves rolled up, gazing at the golden-brown hills, the snow on which I’d camped less than three weeks before gone. It felt and looked more like July than April. Summit of Cairn Gorm, April 9As we approach the middle of the month the weather is

 

In the White Canyon WildernessJournal entry. 6.00 a.m. March 29, 2000. “A calm, starry night. Woke to a myriad bird calls. A thick crescent moon hangs over a red sandstone rock peak. To the north-west a slanting wall of coloured rock ends in a sharp cliff. The wall is split by just one steep gully. The rock is red-brown in various shades with cream bands. A similar wall lies to the east, this

 

Cairn LochanSitting at my desk writing to meet deadlines I tried not to look out of the window at the blue sky and distant shining white mountains. Being an outdoor writer means spending as much or more time on the second rather than the first. Lochan Buidhe & BraeriachWould this wonderful weather and the snow last until I could go out? It did. Just. The forecast suggested two more days of

 Two little videos I made on the trip described in this post. 

The Cairngorms from Geal CharnThe Dorback Estate only lies some 15 kilometres from my house yet I haven’t visited it very often. I returned after many years on a weekend when the forecast suggested fine weather, which meant the main Cairngorms and its Munros were likely to be busy. I felt like going somewhere quieter. Just how quiet it turned out to be was a surprise. I saw no-one on the hills or

 Thank you to everyone who donates to my blog.  It really helps. Thanks too to everyone who has recommended my posts. I am very grateful.I’d like to point out that no AI was used in writing this or any of my posts. I’m a writer not a plagiarist. My words are my words not other people’s fed through a machine, mixed together, and regurgitated. However hard Microsoft, Google, and

In the April issue of The Great Outdoors Kirsty Pallas and I review 5 waterproof jackets each. I also review the Sprayway Torridon Insulated Jacket. Steph Wetherell reviews the Paramo Alta III jacket and four power banks.This spring sees the 60th anniversary of the Pennine Way, a trail I am fond of as it was my first long-distance walk. Hanna Lindon tells the story of the trail and talks to some

Stormy to the westLate February and the Cairngorms don’t look very wintry from afar. Only patches of snow can be seen. But the lack of snow doesn’t mean a lack of winter high up as I found on a walk over Cairn Gorm. Artificial snow slopeLower down there really isn’t much snow. Just above the car park in Coire Cas a short strip of white stood out from the brown slopes, artificial snow made by the

Red Castle Lakes from the ascent of Wilson PeakSorting through old photos from film days for an upcoming project I found a folder of colour prints from a trip twenty-four years ago when I spent eleven glorious days hiking in the Uinta Mountains. I hadn’t thought about this walk for many years and I was delighted to these pictures again. The area looks really spectacular!  The Uinta

Cairn Lochan from the ascent of Meall a' BhuachailleSleety rain slid down the windscreen. High above dark clouds hid the mountains. The car rocked as gusts of wind blasted into it. Did I want to venture out into this and slog up into the wet greyness? A few moments thought told me I did not. The forecast hadn’t suggested this. I restarted the car and drove back down the winding road to park in

 A rather shaky video from a few days ago. I need to practice more! I've posted it anyway as it was my first day wearing the new Paramo Aspira 460 smock. 

A frosty campOften when I go to the woods and hills I don’t have a particular destination in mind, no summit to reach, no trail to hike. I go just to be there, to enjoy walking and camping in a wild place. That can mean my plans, such as they are, can change according to the weather, how I’m feeling, and anything that catches my eye. View over Glen Feshie to Creag Meagaidh on the ascent on the

The March issue of The Great Outdoors features stories by women hikers and adventurers in celebration  of International Women's Day on March 8th. Five inspirational mountain-loving women - Sarah Jane Douglas, Fiona Russell, Hazel Strachan, Mary-Ann Ochota, and Renee MacGregor - share their stories and give advice to upcoming female hillwalkers; Elise Wortley climbs Mt Blanc in

Sign at the international border The USA appears to have gone mad, or at least its rulers Trump and Musk have. Aside from everything else (and there’s a great deal of that) they seem to have decided that insulting, bullying, and threatening long-time allies is the way to advance the USA’s interests (or at least their own interest’s, I’m not sure either of them really cares about the US).

 A tiny video clip from my recent forest camp, as described in my last post. 

Tony Hobbs on the day walk Following Storm Eowyn’s high winds and snow the weather calmed down. Rather too much in fact as a thick, grey, wet cloud settled over the Cairngorms and refused to move for several days. I had my first camp of 2025 during this period, as Tony Hobbs had arranged a few weeks earlier to come up from down south for a few days out and couldn’t easily change his plans. A

The summit of Meall a' BhuachailleThe first named storm of 2025, Storm Eowyn (love the Tolkien reference!), is due to arrive late tomorrow with very strong winds, rain and snow. Of course we had a big storm early in January that brought masses of snow and bitter cold but apparently that wasn't stormy enough to have a name. Before Eowyn arrives I decided it was time for my first hill of the

Sgor Gaoith, Cairngorms, March. Sony a6700 + Sony E 18-135mm lens at 135mm, ISO 100,                                                                       1/500 sec at f8.Belatedly here are some of my favourites from

Fire Maple G2 on the left, Petrel G3 on the right.Recently Fire Maple launched a new pot with a heat exchanger (HX) on the base called the Petrel G2. It’s bigger and wider than the original Petrel, now called the Petrel G3, with a 750ml rather than 600ml capacity. I received one in the post yesterday and on first look I like it a great deal. The Petrels are, so far, unique amongst heat exchanger

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!