We take on the section of the River Dee from Llangollen to Overton Bridge, a section which contains some nice white water, a great surf waves and some weirs that command respect. This section is crossed by the famous Pontcysyllte aquaduct, a World Heritage site. Joined by some of the Frontier Bushcraft team as well as Ray Goodwin and Lina, this 16m (10 mile) day trip made the perfect December microadventure by canoe…
In this episode of #AskPaulKirtley I answer questions about food for longer trips and expeditions, choosing expedition companions, foraging for calories, valuable lessons and learning from mistakes, tarp and bivvy for colder months, drinking while tramping in dry areas, tree and plant ID guides.
It’s the last day on the epic Spey trip. It’s normally an interesting enough run down to the sea, particularly after Fochabers as the river becomes unconstrained and braided. But with the river rising significantly overnight and a brutal headwind, this final section to the sea becomes a real battle…
Where was I again? Thumbing the map is a navigational technique which allows you to quickly and easily keep track of where you are on the trail. As well as being super useful for trail hiking, I’ve seen it used in some surprising places…
The morning after the night before, Kevin is at first a little bleary eyed and reluctant to emerge from his tent. Besides it’s cold out and has been raining all night. Justine warms herself by the fire as I make proper porridge over it. It’s the last day of the trip and time for some poignant reflection…
Our final wild camping spot on the Spey. We get well set-up with a communal tarp area and plenty of firewood. This serves us well over an increasingly draughty evening, which even included a hail storm. Despite this, it’s a warm and fun evening around the campfire, with some friends joining to surprise Kevin with some special Scottish produce…
Kevin tries his hand at dropped coffee but learns the technique is not as easy as it looks. He gets there in the end, though. Then Kevin runs through his personal clothing and equipment before we head on down the river to see what we can see…