Summer had arrived in Fort William, and the town was baking beneath the scrutiny of an unblinking sun. Call me a sceptic, but given the weather that we typically see in this part of the world in July I was neither expecting nor coping with it. I finished the meticulous packing of my frame bag, looking for the perfect piece of kit to fill the … Continue reading A Journey Through the West Highlands
Back in April I gave packrafting a go, persuaded mostly by Annie and her shiny new boat from backcountrybiking. I wrote a few words about what we got up to here, but below is a video made using some clips we shot at the time. Disclaimer: there is some shonky home movie content, but as ever it’s great fun trying to tell the story of … Continue reading Video: North-West Waters
There are mountains, and then there are mountains. Ever since I first picked up a crayon, drew a triangle and gave it a wavy snowline halfway down (very funny, but no it wasn’t last week), I’ve been repeatedly amazed by the innumerable shapes, characters and idiosyncrasies of the many groups of mountains that are crammed into our little island. They change almost as quickly as … Continue reading Cairngorm Cloud Giants
Things are changing in the heady world of UK mountain bike leadership… With new qualifications, new remit limitations and acronyms breeding like rabbits; anyone could be forgiven for wondering what exactly it all means, and whether ‘TTPP’ is a cream used to treat embarrassing rashes. If that sounds familiar (the questions, not the rash), then read on for a brief explanation of the current choice … Continue reading British Cycling MTB Leader L3 assessment
Packrafting? That’s floating about on one of those rubber dinghies from Argos and then going camping isn’t it? As far as I was concerned that was pretty much the sum of it, until recently anyway. Andy and Rob at Backcountryboating are on a mission to educate the un-buoyant masses though, one landlubber at a time. Is it a souped-up lilo, or is it a 2kg, … Continue reading A Packrafting Apprenticeship
This time last year we thought it would be great to tick off a classic ridge walk and traverse among the rafters of Glencoe along the Aonach Eagach.Instead of a dream day out, I forgot my entire rucksack, Annie’s van broke down and when we arrived there was no snow anyway. Nil points. One year later we found the day that never happened, and the … Continue reading Aonach Eagach
There’s something exciting about Scotland’s islands. A place that stands alone, separated by the sea from the rest of Britain, and jutting even further out into the sea fog and wind on the north-western frontier of Europe, must by definition contain adventure; it just makes sense. The Outer Hebrides must be the most adventurous of the lot then, standing aloof from Scotland and usually shrouded … Continue reading Bikepacking at the edge of the ocean
There is an unwritten rule that a new tent must be christened, bedded in, or however else you might choose to describe it. At this point I have to confess a sin- having bought a new tent several weeks ago as part of the preparations for going to Iceland for a month in August, me and Annie have unforgivably neglected to pop it up on … Continue reading A night in the woods
I love camping trips – a few nights under canvas and you feel as though you barely recognise normality when you get back. A routine dictated by the hours of sunlight rather than by work or a television schedule makes you earn your sleep, and an early night is rarely unwelcome. With that in mind, and having finally gotten the chance to test a full … Continue reading To the sea!
I’ve waited all bloody winter for the conditions to be right for a crack at snowbiking, and at last this week there was a perfect forecast! Glenmore Lodge is the perfect place from which to watch the corries and to strike out for the hills, so I rode up the old ski road to the carpark, past the confused looking lifties and up the climber’s … Continue reading Schneebiking
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