The gang wake to a chilly start but get going quickly. No cooked breakfast today! There’s a reason for the alacrity, though, word of the possibility of sampling some of the local produce. By this, Kevin assumes, hopes, prays Justine means whisky.
The Spey saga continues. We take a side trip to walk to some ancient standing stones. Kevin underestimates the haggis but his obsession with filming sheep means we end up paddling the last part of our route virtually in the dark. And then we still have to set up camp…
The adventure continues on the River Spey. In this section the river starts moving, Kevin needs to negotiate some rapids and Ray talks safety and signals so everyone is on the same page…
The off-the-wall journey down the Spey with Kevin Callan, Ray Goodwin and Justine Curgenven continues with the morning after the night before. Pancakes, bacon and maple syrup are on the menu but the priority is coffee. First, though, I need to get the fire going…
Ray Goodwin and I take Kevin Callan and Justine Curgenven down the River Spey on a magical mystery tour of water, whisky and wild haggis…
In this episode I answer questions on integrating traditional crafts into modern outdoor trips, how to stop people leaving rubbish at campsites, washing, cooking and camping in bear country, outdoor clothing sizes and where to buy, how young is too young for bushcraft, variations in basic bushcraft kit for the Rockies, cheaper full-tang knives, list of places to camp in the woods…
Sitting down around a table in a wooden chalet in Scotland, Kevin Callan, Ray Goodwin, Justine Curgenven and I talk about the canoe trip down the river Spey we’d just finished the very same day. This is an enjoyable yet insightful reflection by four outdoors people on a fun week on the river…
Weird encounters at night, drying clothes, drugs tests and foraging, bow drill notch details, predators and rewilding, carcinogenic campfires, learning more about wild edibles…
A River Spey canoe journey is something I do at least a couple of times each year, usually in the early autumn. For some people this repetition gives rise to the question, “doesn’t it get boring doing the same river over and over again?” No it doesn’t. This photoblog article seeks to illustrate some of the many reasons why…
In this episode I cover carbon monoxide and winter shelters, candles for quinzhees, snow shelter construction, toilets in cold weather, sweaty clothes, food for exhausting day hikes, wilderness ski touring and anoraks for cold weather…