The Outdoors Station

After another wet night we had a short window of opportunity to wipe the tent down as best we could before packing it away at Cladach a Ghlinne.

The path then continued just a few kilometers to Camasunary, however once again there were a few places which troubled us with just a few inches of soil between the path and fresh air to the cliffs below.

It took maximum concentration to ensure each step was of solid ground before placing weight on it. Maybe it is our age, maybe it was the weather. I’m sure on a warm sunny calm day the impression of the danger is vastly reduced.

It wasn’t long though before the Camasunary Bay opened up before us indicating three huts. The far left I think was the original bothy, the middle a lodge which is well maintained and the right building, the nearest was the new bothy and an excellent building it is too.

As modern facilities as you could wish for, fantastic big bay windows to watch the wild life and the sea view and two very large sleeping bplatforms suitable for 15 people to sleep in comfort.

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The beginning of May 2018 saw Rose and I start the tough but rewarding Skye Trail starting in the south at Broadford and heading to the most northerly point at Rubha Hunish. The reason we chose the start there was mainly due to transport limitations, as the bus from Glasgow gets into Broadford at 9pm after a long days travel (6hr bus journey) and to get the to northernly start, would have taken another 24 hours. So in an effort to get started without further delay we chose Broadford.

The trail is described as being a walk of two halves. The first half for us should be easy going trail walking and the second half from Portree north, a much tougher mountain walk along sections which have limited escape. So this also helped our decision, as we felt the first few days would get us back to being hill fit before tackling the nortious Trotternish Ridge.

This podcast covers the first 2 days as we made our way towards the romantically named Camasunary Bothy. As you’ll hear the weather made life difficult. After a lovely start it felt very wrong. However while the rest of the UK was basking in a heatwave, the isle of Scotland were stuck under a heavy cloud which just didn’t budge for the next 2 weeks.

Do leave a comment if you enjoy the podcast.

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Interview with Caroline Allen author of the new book The Ireland Way launched in 2017, which links together several trails the create the first long distance coast to coast walk on the island. The Ireland Way is a walking and cycling trail over 900km / 560 miles. It covers 14 counties from Cork to the Giant's Causeway. It takes roughly 40 days to walk. Along the twenty stages you will explore seven mountain ranges, woodland, farmland, bogland, coasts, rivers, lakes, Irish culture and warm hospitality. Please visit the website for further details and links to facebook, instagram, twitter, trip advisor and pinterest.

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In this the last from the 4 part series recorded at The Photography Show 2018 I speak with the last two brands Canon and Olympus for their good, better, best suggestion for the ideal camera for outdoor enthusiasts. Andy continues his round and has a close up look at Jobi and the Gorilla Pods plus another specialist holiday company who will whisk you away to exotic destinations and help you capture never to be repeated images.

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A great podcast for you packed full on interesting information all related to outdoors and photography. We meet Nikon and FujiFilm who make their suggestions as to the good, better, best cameras for outdoor enthusiasts. From simple point and shoot tough cameras through to the top of the Nikon range. Interesting to hear the unique approach FujiFilm take towards each product in their XT range. They all actually use the same sensor throughout but it is just the extra features you pay for. Andy is very impressed with an adventure travel photography company who give you the complete immersive experience while you learn and travel at the same time, plus he spotted a unique product which has come to market via Kickstarter, which provides you with accurate exposure and colour temperature readings using your iPhone.

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In this podcast we continue our search at the Photography Show at the NEC for the best camera of 2018 for outdoor enthusiasts and this time it is the turn of Panasonic to give us their suggestion for good, better, best.

Their choices are the TZ-200 Compact, the FZ-330 Bridge and the top of the range G9 with some conversation on the tough little FT30, the latest version of the FT3 which I’ve had for years and carried on many an expedition in all weathers.

Andy revisits his youth and talks to Ilford to discuss a new solution which turns any art paper into an a masterpiece using your inkjet printer. This will appeal to those who really love to take time to craft their image from inception through to hanging it on the wall.

Finally there’s something to learn from Atomos if you have desires to use your camera to create broadcast quality video. What many people don’t understand is that the compression format your data goes through is actually slowing down the editing process and reducing the quality of the video potential. This is for people with aspirations to create the absolute best moving image along with their stills.

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In this podcast Andy and I visit the 2018 Photography Show at the NEC with two objectives in mind.

I had arranged to meet all the major brands to try and narrow from each of them 3 cameras (good, better, best) which would be ideal for the outdoors enthusiast. I’m not talking action cams, or heavy DSLR’s, but those in between which offer remote charging via USB, good weather resistance, and features that appeal.

I hoped they would provide the details and reasons for the best tool for the job.

Andy’s task was to find everything else which would appeal, anything small, lightweight and which added a function to our outdoor lives we just couldn’t live without.

This is part 1 of 4 podcasts from the show.

Enjoy

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We continue our discussion with Keith and his book High and Low and during the discussion touch on many deeper aspect of the content and how he dealt with the realisation that depression was the cause of his emotional rollar coaster.

We start of discussing his views on food preparation for walks such as the PCT or AT. We discuss if hikers over prepare?

What about finances? Many listeners want to know how people like Keith prepare financially for through hiking. He gives a very honest reply and it will make you wonder about your own pressures.

What about the sacrifice you make for a through-hike. Is the reward worth it?

He opens up about the moment that he had to face the Doctor and admitted that the diiagnosis was in fact true. The worst day of his life.

After this moment he had to face many painful home truths. The influence of alcohol and diet and how much this effected his life was one of many things he had to address.

The conclusion of our conversation may surprise you. There could be changes afoot for Keith and possibly a whole new door opening.

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With many outdoor long distance hiking books under his belt, this unique offering High and Low adds to the growing library of Keith Foskett.

An interesting mix of people, places, mishaps and depression. In this first part of the 2 part interview we discuss aspects from the book and also Keith's approach to hiking life.

Depression is like chest pain. You know its serious when the doctor wants to see you the same day.

Battling ferocious weather, the ubiquitous Scottish midge, strange-sounding local delicacies and sub-standard TV sets, this is one man’s battle to conquer the wilds of Scotland, and his own psychological demons.

When dealing with emotional baggage, it’s best to pack light.

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Libby and Lisa completed their self-propelled, continuous round of all 282 Munros in the summer of 2017 in 77 days, setting a new fastest-known female time!

Beauties and the bog are a team of fell running women based in Sheffield, UK, close to the Peak District National Park. Originally formed as a team for the High Peak Marathon, their adventures began when training for this 42-mile, overnight fell race.

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