I remember life before mobile phones (and I’m not that old!) and I also remember that the dream for me as a sci-fi loving teenager was the idea of a fully functional, responsive and light computer. Now I have it: the smartphone. It is funny (though not surprising) to think how easily we got hooked […]
Navigation in the 21st Century Part 3 – Using a GPS watch outdoors, Garmin Fenix 2 case study
I always considered a GPS watch is one of those luxury items, which is why it took me so many years of navigation outdoors, trail running and general training to get one; what a mistake! I should have bought a GPS watch ages ago – it is now my favourite tool of navigation along with […]
Navigation in the 21st Century Part 2 – Home Printing Maps Using OS Maps Online and Other Tools
In the last 10 (or so) years, as internet and information have become more accessible, services like Google Maps, Open Street Maps and the like have started offering open source mapping that threatens traditional mapping services. The increasing quality of the open source maps led to an explosion of web-based mapping and annotation services to […]
Navigation in the 21st century Part 1 – are you up to date?
Navigation is a very personal thing, each person has their own tools and methods, different approaches and ways to implement finding their way around the outdoors. There are a few things pretty much all of us can agree on: have a physical map and know how to use it, have a compass and know how […]
Leave No Trace – UK adjustment
If you go outdoors in the USA you seem to be truly alone as there are no signs that other people have ever been there; not always, but in most places that has been my experience. If you go hiking in the UK, on the other hand, it feels like all the people you have […]
The me effect – all about solo backpacking
Everyone who is into backpacking (or hiking, hill walking, trekking, thru-hiking or what ever you want to call it) has been asked about going solo, and if you know of people who do solo backpacking, you must have wondered how they do it. Let me start by saying that I spend most of my time […]
Outdoors training when you have no time to be outdoors
You know that feeling when you just can’t catch a break? One thing chases another and you have no idea when you will squeeze in a weekend outdoors, a long day on the hills or a long trail run? I’m just in the middle of that kind of a time and have had no opportunity […]
Trail vs Route – which one is for you?
Listening back to one of the earlier shows of the Trail Show – I think it was number 16 – there is an interesting conversation about trail vs route, what each is and the differences between them. I loved that conversation and it got me interested in the idea of actually having two different definitions […]
Ultralight backpacking – it’s in your head, not your gear
Over the last few months, after returning from Cape Wrath and writing about my favourite coffee setup, I have been teased a little by fellow hikers and backpackers about the fact that with all my luxury items I’m a little far from ultralight backpacking. It is funny how those terms come to play – I […]
The Tortoise and the Hare – what is fast hiking
The tortoise and the hare is one of those stories that everyone has heard in some point: from a school teacher, a coach, a parent or just the book in some point. But in case you somehow missed the whole thing, here is a quick brief: The story concerns a hare who ridicules a slow-moving […]