Well friends, it's been an amazing year! I can't believe we've made it through the first season of the Base Weight podcast! In this episode we will talk about the guests we had on the show this year, as well as our 2023 adventures over at Shan Outdoors and we will be announcing future adventure plans as well so sit back, grab a coffee and enjoy this season's last episode of Base Weight.

Base Weight Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Support the Podcast & see Podcast Video on Patreon 

Instagram @baseweightpod 

Host Shan @shanoutdoors

YouTube: Shan Outdoors

YouTube Channel Memberships: youtube.com/shanoutdoors/join

Buy me a coffee, a night's accommodation or a meal while on trail: Buy Me A Coffee

Tip Jar: PayPal @shanad87

In this episode I chat again with Barb Millar, who you might remember from Ep. 8 where we talked about overcoming challenges on the West Highland Way.

Barb & I are both confirmed solo hikers, but were both intrigued at the idea of hiking with a buddy and decided to go for it in June of 2023.

Did it go how we thought? Would we do it again? Listen and find out!

Base Weight Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Support the Podcast & see Podcast Video ⁠patreon.com/shanoutdoors⁠

Instagram @baseweightpod 

Host Shan @shanoutdoors

Shan's YouTube channel youtube.com/shanoutdoors

Barb is the host of the ⁠Reclaim Fit Life Podcast⁠, inspiring people to be their best, strongest and most fierce self in the gym and in life. 

Instagram @barb_millar

Facebook ⁠Reclaim Fit Life Hub⁠

In this episode of Base Weight we talk with hiker, cyclist, outdoorsman and astrophotographer John Middleton. John's YouTube channel The Camping Astronomer is a relaxed and informative journey into camping under and photographing the stars.

John has adventured all over the world and shares what it means to him to get outdoors and disconnect. Combining his love of astronomy and wild camping, his YouTube is both a peaceful journey into savoring the beauty of where you are and a wealth of information on photographing the heavens.

He aims to show people that you don't have to have expensive gear and live way out in the country to enjoy the gifts that nature has to offer.

John's Instagram: @johnmidd86

John's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.middleton.16718

The Camping Astronomer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thecampingastronomer8554/featured

Base Weight Podcast is available on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Support the podcast and see Podcast video on Patreon.

Instagram: @baseweightpod

Host: Shan @shanoutdoors on Instagram, YouTube, Patreon, TikTok, Threads & X

Disclaimer: The episode was originally due to be released as Episode 5 so if I refer to it as such in the audio, please disregard.

In this episode of Base Weight we talk with Barb Millar, an Educator, Personal Trainer and avid hiker. After her first attempt of the West Highland Way ended early, Barb returned home and immediately set herself on a course to be better prepared for her second walk, which resulted in her completing the Way. We discuss the mental and physical aspects of what she experienced that first time vs the second time. We also chat about our plans to walk the West Highland Way together as well as her inspiring goals to complete new and challenging adventures going forward.

Barb is also the host of the Reclaim Fit Life Podcast, inspiring people to be their best, strongest and most fierce self in life.

Instagram @barb_millar

Facebook Reclaim Fit Life Hub

Base Weight Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Support the Podcast & see Podcast Video patreon.com/shanoutdoors

Instagram @baseweightpod

Host Shan @shanoutdoors

In this episode I answer your questions about hiking the West Highland Way and Great Glen Way in Scotland.  I walked the routes back to back in 2022 and it was my first long distance trail experience.  After polling my social media followers, these are the questions you guys wanted answered.  So if you're planning a hike of either or both of these trails, sit down, grab a coffee and let's chat about hiking in the Highlands!

Follow me on:

Instagram:  @baseweightpod @shanoutdoors

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/shanoutdoors1

Twitter:  twitter.com/shanoutdoors

Youtube:  @shanoutdoors

West Highland Way info:  https://www.westhighlandway.org

West Highland Way Trailblazer Guidebook:  https://amzn.to/40D4QGn

Baggage Transfer WHW:  https://travel-lite-uk.com

Great Glen Way info:  https://www.highland.gov.uk/greatglenway/

Great Glen Way Guidebook:  https://amzn.to/42rOtOA

Baggage Transfer Great Glen Way:  https://www.lochnesstravel.com/routes/the-great-glen-way/

Abriachan Eco Cafe:  https://www.facebook.com/abriachanecocafecampsiteonthegreatglenwayscotland

Abbie Barnes is a well known figure in the outdoor space and is the driving force behind Spend More Time In The Wild.  With a popular YouTube channel and growing Patreon community that showcases her passion for wild places and the connections we have with them, Abbie lives and breathes all things wild.   She is truly joyful in the outdoors and anyone who has watched any of her films knows she truly loves what she does.  She has been very candid about her struggles with chronic pain and her mental health, which is why I felt she would be the perfect guest to have on the podcast.

She started her own production company as a very young teen (Song Thrush Productions) and has received many awards for her efforts at educating others on climate change.  With more than a decade invested in bringing more awareness to the connections between the natural world and ourselves (as a film maker, public speaker, climate change activist, mountain leader and hillwalking guide to name a few), Abbie's portfolio (link below) is quite impressive.  Her list of accomplishments that I touch on in the beginning of this episode--all before the age of 20--are astounding.  

Her Abbie Bikes Britain series saw she, her partner Anna and team covering 2000 miles across Britain (Abbie on the bike, Anna driving the support van) via each of its 15 National Parks--AND stopping to climb their highest peaks--to raise awareness for the protection of green spaces and the importance of community in matters of mental health.  

Don't forget to check out Abbie's own podcast One Wild Life with Abbie Barnes.

So grab a brew or a cuppa and settle in for a wonderful conversation with one of my favorite YouTubers and all-around special human, Abbie Barnes.  

Abbie's Website:  https://www.spendmoretimeinthewild.co.uk

Abbie's Portfolio:  https://www.spendmoretimeinthewild.co.uk/aboutabbie

Abbie's Podcast:  https://www.spendmoretimeinthewild.co.uk/onewildlifepodcast

Instagram:  @abbiebarneswild

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/spendmoretimeinthewild/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6ekNjZZWhx7NG2zHmG7IEA

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/AbbieSongThrush

Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/spendmoretimeinthewild

Ian Cooper has lived in Scotland most of his life, but only recently began to take notice of the adventure potential that was literally right outside his back door.  An avid runner, Ian makes the most of city dwelling by mapping longer routes to work for himself but not long ago yearned for something different.  Making escaping the fast pace of city life a priority, he began to walk some local footpaths.  He recorded his walks and began a YouTube channel, where he shares what it's like to see familiar places with a fresh perspective, humor and a little sarcasm.  After that, he completed his first multi-day walk and then more walks around Scotland followed.  What he discovered--the adventure and the groundedness--left him wanting more.

He then set his sights on the mother of all adventures--Everest Base Camp.  When Covid delayed that trip he went to Iceland and when that didn't quite go to plan he left feeling that he'd left something undone.  But when he finally boarded the plane to Nepal, little did he know the ways in which that trip would change his life and the course of his work going forward.

Call of the Mountain is Ian's latest film depicting his journey to Nepal and his trek to Everest Base Camp with strangers he would later call friends.  Join us as we discuss life, making adventure films, Everest and sharing the journey.

Ian Cooper

Instagram:  @hikebegins

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheHikeBegins

Call of the Mountain:  https://youtu.be/4pqQ1HC2Qj4

I met Thomas Parsons on my next to last day of the Great Glen Way in Scotland.  We were both registered at the Abriachan Eco Cafe & Campsite (a delightful place that merits it's own episode) and were in fact its only guests that evening, likely due to an impending storm.  The following day we walked the final leg of the journey together and I learned that there is definitely something to the saying that thru-hiking is really about the people you meet.  

Thomas is an avid hiker, having hiked some of the most beautiful places in Europe and his Instagram @acasualhikersguide is a peek into the outdoor treks of a self-described "average guy seeking adventure."  His beautiful photographs make one want to put on some walking boots and get out there as well.  

So what made him want to tackle a thru-hike?  And why the Great Glen Way?  Join us as we discuss our shared experiences on the trail, the emotional connection he has to the trails of his youth and the reasons why the Great Glen Way was a great first multi-day walk.