Which Radio should I buy?

I’m looking for a lightweight radio to help pass those long winter evenings whilst wild camping, does anyone have any suggestions?

Should I choose analogue or digital?

Decisions, decisions!

I’d like to grab a quick trip to Scotland, but question is what should I do? Do I just bag a few more Munro’s, or do I go somewhere new and remote, wild camping?

If take the Munro’s option then the itinerary is easy, because I’ll take the opportunity to climb some of the peaks that my brother has already done.

If I go for the wild camping option, then I’m really am spoilt for choice.

My first thought is always the Cairngorms, because their wild beauty keeps calling me back.

Time may be running out for the Monadhlaith, so should I revisit this wonderful place, before those money grubbing b******s and politicians ruin it forever.

Then there is Skye. Loch Coruisk has been on my wild camp wish list ever since I read a Chris Townsend article in TGO magazine a few years back. But would I survive the Skye midges in August?

Last but not least, there’s Torridon or somewhere in the far North West, I haven’t been there for 30years, but can I really justify the fuel costs for such a long solo trip?

Hmmm, decisions, decisions!

Wild Camping in the Eastern Cairngorms Part 2.

It was quite early when the sun woke me, as its rays warmed the tent. I wasn't in a hurry today so I fired up the stove for a brew, before settling back down for another hours snooze.
My rough plan for Friday, was to climb the Munro of Leabaidh an Daimh, and then find a high camp on the Ben Avon plateau or at the Sneck. I was packed and on my way by 7:45am, the day was perfect, with blue skies and bright sunshine, as I wondered up the track listening to the birds and enjoying the solitude. At Slugain Lodge I stopped for a snack, before continuing up the path which soon leaves the confines of Gleann an t-Sluggan for open moor land with a superb view of Beinn a’ Bhuird

The path from here is excellent, it follows the sometimes distant Glas Allt Mor, before crossing the river, and climbing through a steep sided valley were it breaks out onto the open hillside, some distance below the rocky boulders of the Sneck.

I had considered leaving my rucksack at the Sneck, and returning for an overnight camp after visiting  the main summit of Ben Avon and some of its subsidiary tops, but there was a very strong wind blowing which put paid to that idea. Maybe if the wind was confined to the col, I'd be able to find a sheltered spot by one of the summit tors where I could spend the night.

When I reached the Leabaidh an Daimh, I dumped my rucksack and scrambled to what I hope was its highest point. The wind was still blowing fairly briskly so a wild camp on the Ben Avon Plateau would have to wait for another time, I took one last look at the summit and returned to the Sneck, to fill my water bottle at the infant Glass Alt Mor and have lunch.

The climb from the Sneck to Beinn a’ Bhuird starts off up steep stony path which played havoc with my tired legs, but once the initial climb is over it’s a straight forward if lengthy walk over a subsidiary rocky top to the North Top, which at 1197m is the highest point of Beinn a’ Bhuird. The summit itself is a disappointment just a pile of stones set on a rolling grassy expanse, but the fabulous view made up for this. Ben Avon looked miles away and I could hardly believe that less than three hours ago I’d stood on its granite tors. To the west Ben Macdui and the Central Cairngorms looked close enough to touch, it was just magic!

However, closer to home, finding a place to camp was uppermost in my mind, the wind was still strong and I had the feeling that weather might change fairly quickly, and frankly I felt pretty tired, certainly too tired to contemplate a stormy night in such a bleak location. So I laboured over the A’Chioch and descended the grassy slops between a late snowfield that stretched down from the South Top and the boulder strewn edge of Coire na Cliché. When I reached the col before Care Fiaclach, I could clearly see the path that descends its western slopes, before turning east, crossing the Glass Allt Mor and rejoining the path to Slugain Lodge.

I followed the path down, then as I crossed the heather slopes to the river crossing  looked in vain for a decent pitch for the night but nothing appeared, eventually I resolved to camp in the grassy banks in the beautiful little gorge below the ruin of Slugain Lodge.

Wild Camping in the Eastern Cairngorms Part 1.

My plan was to arrive at the Keiloc off road car park just outside Braemar at around 6.00pm, and head off into the Eastern Cairngorms for a few days wild camping, taking in the summits of  Ben Avon and Beinn a' Bhuird on the way. I'd packed sufficient food for three days, so there was no need to rush, just enjoy the hills and take in the views. Unfortunately I was delayed for over an hour by a vehicle fire on the M6, so it was nearly 7.30pm when I shouldered my rucksack and set off up the track past Invercaud House, and its ancient woodlands, towards Gleann Slugain.



I'd covered about 4.5 km when I emerged from the trees into Gleann an t Slugain. The sun was beginning to drop below the skyline, as I continued along the track looking for somewhere to camp. A few minutes later I spotted a flattish area of grass alongside the river at NO14794. On closer inspection it proved to be reasonably level and dry, so I gratefully pitched the Laser Comp and began to settled in for the night.

What next?

Reading Smarter Backpacking by Jorgen Johansson, has made me realise I need to make drastic changes to my gear if I’m going to a get below the weight plateau, I seem to have reached. Tinkering with the odd few grams here and there isn’t going to make a big difference, what I need to do is re-examine the three big ones and see where the excess weight is hiding.

343 Gulp!

Last week I ordered Smarter Backpacking by Jorgen Johansson from Amazon. Chris Townsend recommends it on his website, so I thought it must be worth a read. Well I've just finished the book and I’ve had a quick browse on the website, although I remain to be converted to his dual publication idea, (I miss the pictures) the 343 concept is an excellent. It’s designed to make you stop and think, and it certainly does that!

My 343 weight, (that is the combined weight of your shelter, pack and sleeping system)  is 4.237 Kg’s, so that leaves me 1.3 Kg short of Jorgen's 3 Kg target.  It  feels like a lot of weight to shed, but I’ve already come a long way since my  first solo wild camp three years ago, when my 343 weight was 6.5 Kg.