The Outdoors Station

Today's podcast is with Eoin Hamilton, one of the key players behind the increasingly popular Hiiker App, which I'm sure you've seen popping up around various websites supporting various outdoor bloggers and influencers.

The Hiiker is an app contributed to by members of the outdoor community to help users discover, plan, and navigate their outdoor adventures. The app has numerous hikes, paths and trails collated from around the world, so wherever you go, you will probably have access to routes that even locals don't know about.

The app has everything from day hikes and nature walks to long-distance trails like the Coast to Coast, Hadrians Wall, The Pennine way through to the Camino de Santiago and the Tour du Mont Blanc. Data in the app is sourced from various databases, but what makes Hiiker special is that information on the trails is sourced by those who have hiked it, making the quality of the content more reliable.

This means that as a user, you can not only see the campsites, water sources, shelters, hotels, transportation hubs, and other data points provided within the app, but you can provide your own suggestions, edits, comments, or reviews of individual data points on any given trail (or the trail itself).

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Packrafting is growing in popularity and many people are now looking at those blue lines on the map much closer to see what potential adventures await.

However it needs to be tempered with the safety element, as like any new emerging sport, accidents can happen and sometimes without experience these can be fatal.

That said if the sport is approached in the right way, the danger element can be limited and the fun factor enhanced.

This is an interview with Mark Waring an enthusiast advocate in the packrafting scene and someone who admits to learning the ropes slowly and carefully to get the most out of any wet and dry trip.

The advantage to packrafting is the weight and bulk of the kit is fairly small and ‘relatively’ light. Meaning you can walk into mountainous areas carrying your ‘boat’ and explore inland waters virtually unexplored by anyone else.

This becomes more exciting when you know where to go which offers the most exciting landscape, such as Scotland and Scandinavia.

This podcast is an introduction to the sport and some background information and where to go, what it costs, the safety element and some of the adventures awaitng to be had.

Part two will be a discussion with Mark, David Lintern and Debra West regarding a recent trip they took to Swedish Lapland down the river Kaiten. A long hike into the mountains, a 140km paddle, concluding with a hike out in one of the most spectacular countries in the world lasting over a week meeting no other person on route.

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John D. Burns has spent over forty years among the mountains of the Scottish Highlands. He is an author and public speaker. His books tell of his adventures in this iconic landscape and have become classics for those who love wild places.

His latest book The Hot Ten Diaries will be a joy to anyone who loves wild places all year round and sleep in a warm cosy shelter in remote inspiring locations.

In this interview John takes us on a journey to the Scottish Highlands where he returns to an old way of living in a canvas tent heated by a woodburning stove.

This is more than a book about camping. It tells of his love of spending nights in remote places with only a layer of canvas between him and the stars. Told in the author’s unique style it is full of stories and humour.

As well as sharing the author’s adventures there is practical advice on setting up a hot tent and some suggestions for little-known camping spots in the heart of the Highlands.  The Hot Tent Diaries are a great introduction for anyone who wants to follow John into the wild – an invitation to adventure.This podcast covers all these key aspects, certainly not the lightest way to travel, but certainly one where comfort is priority and pleasure is to be had in making life easier for oneself.

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This continues the conversation with Anna Richards regarding her TCT thru hike during the summer of 2022.

We get into detail about the practicalities of hiking through the country, the language barrier, money, equipment failures and of course, how to get there and back.

Plus we have a quick look in her rucksack discussing the best and worst piece of kit and if there's anything she felt she missed during the hike.

It is a great interview and I do hope you'll leave feedback or comments here or in social media.

If you have the opportunity to leave a review on iTunes that would be fantastic. Many thanks!

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Outdoor enthusiast and freelance writer Anna Richards was sitting at her desk one day when a notification popped up on Twitter directing her to this advert.

"We’re seeking intrepid, experienced hikers to be the first thru-hikers on the new 1,500km Transcaucasian Trail. Will you be one of them?

For the past 6 years, we’ve been stitching together routes, building trails, and putting new destinations on the map (literally) across the Caucasus.

Our goal: to create the most culturally interesting and geographically diverse long-distance hiking trail possible across Georgia and Armenia as part of the Transcaucasian Trail.

The result: a challenging and stunning 1,500km route connecting the Greater and Lesser Caucasus Mountains. The route weaves between high alpine passes, red desert canyons, bucolic meadows, volcanic plateaus, and more– all while traveling through one of the most culturally and biologically diverse regions on the planet.

Now, we’re inviting the first cohort of intrepid hikers to hike the Transcaucasian Trail through Armenia and Georgia in summer 2022.

In its current stage of development, this route is ideal for experienced hikers who are seeking an off-the-beaten-track adventure that combines rugged terrain, diverse cultures, rich history, and awe-inspiring landscapes– and who don’t mind a few thorns along the way."

How would you respond if long distance trails were your passion, plus you realised you knew nothing about Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan and it just so happened you had a few weeks to spare in 2022?

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It’s me! I'm back and I’m taking my first steps back into the Podasphere to see if my content is still needed and enjoyed by listeners around the world.

In this episode you’ll hear various short news items which I can guarantee will be useful to you one day, if you, like me, want to get the most from your outdoor gear.

There’s also a free competition too at the end to win over 7500 Euros worth of kit. Just sayin’ :)

So enjoy and please give me feedback in the comments section if I am hitting thew right spot.

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Recently a listener in Australia enquired about the 2006 TGO Challenge series which I mentioned in the recent tribute to Andy Howell. (Podcast 539)

Although it is in the listing, it wasn’t live, so I’ve decided to re-release it once again as it still contains relevant information about the event and many interesting interviews with people, some of whom aren’t with us any more.

This was the crossing where one of our party had a serious fall breaking a few ribs. The TGO Challenge is no walk in the park, but it is a glorious celebration and privilege to walk across and landscape and learn more about yourself and your fellow (often solitary) backpackers.

This is part final part of the series.

Please join our newsletter and follow us on our socials > https://linktr.ee/the_outdoors_station

Recently a listener in Australia enquired about the 2006 TGO Challenge series which I mentioned in the recent tribute to Andy Howell. (Podcast 539)

Although it is in the listing, it wasn’t live, so I’ve decided to re-release it once again as it still contains relevant information about the event and many interesting interviews with people, some of whom aren’t with us any more.

This was the crossing where one of our party had a serious fall breaking a few ribs. The TGO Challenge is no walk in the park, but it is a glorious celebration and privilege to walk across and landscape and learn more about yourself and your fellow (often solitary) backpackers.

This is part nine of ten.

Please join our newsletter and follow us on our socials > https://linktr.ee/the_outdoors_station

Recently a listener in Australia enquired about the 2006 TGO Challenge series which I mentioned in the recent tribute to Andy Howell. (Podcast 539)

Although it is in the listing, it wasn’t live, so I’ve decided to re-release it once again as it still contains relevant information about the event and many interesting interviews with people, some of whom aren’t with us any more.

This was the crossing where one of our party had a serious fall breaking a few ribs. The TGO Challenge is no walk in the park, but it is a glorious celebration and privilege to walk across and landscape and learn more about yourself and your fellow (often solitary) backpackers.

This is part eight of ten.

Please join our newsletter and follow us on our socials > https://linktr.ee/the_outdoors_station

Recently a listener in Australia enquired about the 2006 TGO Challenge series which I mentioned in the recent tribute to Andy Howell. (Podcast 539)

Although it is in the listing, it wasn’t live, so I’ve decided to re-release it once again as it still contains relevant information about the event and many interesting interviews with people, some of whom aren’t with us any more.

This was the crossing where one of our party had a serious fall breaking a few ribs. The TGO Challenge is no walk in the park, but it is a glorious celebration and privilege to walk across and landscape and learn more about yourself and your fellow (often solitary) backpackers.

This is part seven of ten.

Please join our newsletter and follow us on our socials > https://linktr.ee/the_outdoors_station