Every year Ray Goodwin and I lead canoe-camping trips on the River Spey in the Scottish Highlands. It’s a lovely river to paddle in an open boat and the surrounding scenery is beautiful. Travelling in such a fantastic natural environment, there are many highlights. Amongst the highlights of a watery nature are several rapids…
There was a backlog of flights. In the previous couple of days poor weather had disrupted float plane services. Now the pilots were playing catch-up, ferrying fishermen, canoeists and gold prospectors out to the bush. As soon as a plane came in, it was being turned around again, made ready with another load. Our…
Other than knocking out the occasional small spoon for eating with, I’ve not had much time for carving recently. It’s not that I don’t like carving. Quite the contrary, I really enjoy carving. But, of late I’ve been occupied with leading general bushcraft courses, making wilderness journeys, writing articles, photography and, of course, running…
In this episode, I chat with my good friend and colleague British canoeing maestro, Ray Goodwin. We discuss wilderness expeditioning in canoe. Specifically we talk about the mindset and attitude you need in order to make the right decisions, particularly while you are in wild and remote settings. But we also talk about…
The English Canoe Symposium happens once every three years as part of a tri-annual rotation with the Scottish and Welsh canoe symposia. It is held at the YMCA Lakeside, on the shores of Lake Windermere in the English Lake District. In the past I’ve run camp craft sessions at the Welsh Canoe Symposium and…
Wilderness cabins, huts, hytte, cottages, bothies – whatever your name for these footholds in the wilds – are intriguing places. They tell you something of their owners and users. They can also inform you about the environment in which they are placed. In the north woods, a well outfitted cabin indicates how cold it gets in winter and what skills are important for survival there. We came across one such cabin on the Bloodvein River. It was called the Stagger Inn and was one of only two cabins we passed on 225km (140 mi) of river journey.
People are always interested in other people’s gear. It’s certainly an area I’m asked a lot of questions about. As I get older, I’m less and less interested in outdoor clothing and equipment for any reason other than function and reliability. That said, I understand it can be instructive to compare and contrast…. so here goes…
Join me on an unforgettable journey down the remote Bloodvein River. Six of us, in three canoes, ventured into one of Canada’s most pristine wilderness areas. In this article, I share the highs and lows of navigating this wild river, from tackling roaring rapids to serene moments surrounded by untouched nature. The Bloodvein tested our skills, strengthened our bonds, and reminded us of the beauty and power of the natural world. We faced some challenges on this trip, but we also experienced incredible experiences that made it memorable. Dive into the full story…
Cliff Jacobson is one of the wise men of the outdoors. He is one of North America’s best respected and most published outdoors writers. He is the author of over a dozen top-selling books on canoeing, expeditioning, camping and outdoors skills. His excellent book Expedition Canoeing is a vital addition to any wilderness paddler’s…
Ray Goodwin is something of a living legend of British canoeing. He has been a pioneer of the open canoe in the UK and many consider him the UK’s foremost canoe coach. Even after more than 30 years of introducing people to, and developing people’s skills in, the great outdoors, Ray continues to be an active and enthusiastic outdoorsman. I recently caught up with Ray to ask him some questions about his paddling career and his new book…