The Outdoors Station

It was a very, very pleasant New Years Eve for Rose and I as Andy and Kate finally made it over to our new place and following a nice wet afternoons walk on the local Malvern Hills to give Pip the dog a good stretch, we settled in for a magnificent Venison Stew and a night of laughter with our old friends. After a good sleep we all woke to a new day and a New Year and naturally after the usual pleasantries were exchanged we got down to the more important breakfast topics of how much weight Andy and I need to lose and why Trail Shoes were more suitable for most outdoor activties than Boots! There was much discussion also over the topics I would like to look at this year for both the audio and video content, which seemed to be coming up with regularity on the various forums and Facebook pages. usually the simplest questions which result in the longest or most prolific of answers. We discuss this in more detail in the podcast and how things have changed for all of us in the last few years.

So here we are at the end of the 2017 and I just want to say thanks to everyone who contributed to this podcats and great to hear the variety of relationships they have had with The Outdoors Station during our 12 years and 10,000,00+ downloads. In order we hear from Alan Callow, Brian Vargo, Dave Hanney Alpkit, Sarah Jackson, David Lintern, Katy Mccullagh, Roman Ackle, Chris Townsend, Alex Roddie, Paul Stokes, Lee Wells, Colin Woolford, Rich Sheward and Steve Bunting. Thank you one and all for your comment and feedback. I know it isn’t a comfortable thing to do to use an answer machine, but it really helps inspire me to keep going knowing that everyone is getting a wealth of pleasure and knowledge from whatever I do and share. Whishing you a happy, healthy and safe 2018 in the company of those you love. Bob and Rose

Thanks to you, my audience we have just passed the 10 Million download mark. This is an incredible achievement for a small independent, unsponsored producer. This goes to show there is a need for the content and service we provide and I want to celebrate this by asking you, the audience, to call in and leave a message so I can create the next podcast from you and your relationship with this podcast. I couldn't have done it without you, so please join in the celebration and Skype me to leave a message - theoutdoorsstation - or phone a local rates into the Skype service on (+44) (0)1905 570313.

Hannah Simpson has just completed a 734 Mile extreme cycle touring, wild camping, solo unsupported adventure along the length of Britain. Not very exciting I hear you say. Try doing it on a Unicycle!! Hannah did and here's her story.

This podcast is a simple review using the Homecamper.com service, who I interviewed at the Adventure Travel Show earlier this year. This was at our own expense and not paid for by Homecamper. It was also the first time we had taken a dog to France and experiencing the customs treatment for the 4 legged travellers. We visit three sites and basically camp in the back garden of those who have linked themselves to this service.

It’s been a busy month or two at The Outdoors Station and backpackinglight.co.uk towers. Our plans for some more remote hikes were scuppered by the urgent installation of a water treatment system as the other failed on Christmas day. However as most folks will know I took off and did the Two Moors Way and Rose tackled the Cotswold Way over a period of 3 weekends, so although it wasn’t the Isle of Skye as we hoped, as least we have stretched our legs. The next mini adventure is a trip to the south of France, by car, but using the rather unique Homecamper.com service, which invites campers, backpackers, cyclists and campervans into their garden for a modest sum. Here's the latest update and welcoming everyone who has joined our newsletter.

The Cotswold Way National Trail runs between Chipping Campden and Bath, the 102 mile route explores the Cotswolds AONB. Rose undertook this walk in July 2017 with her Springer Spaniel ‘Pip’ over a period of three weekends in a variety of weathers. Weekend 1 - Chipping Campden to Birdlip, weekend 2 - Birdlip to Wootton Under Edge and weekend 3 - Wootton to Bath. Gear was chosen to make this as light a walk as practically possible, however the sacrifice was not to take any cooking gear in exchange for the dog accessories. The weather on the first two weekends was very warm and sunny and the last the opposite, cold and wet. Her bible was the Cicerone Press guide and Harvey Maps which between them provided reliable information she required throughout.

This weeks podcast is dedicated to Friedrichshafen the big European Outdoor Trade fair which lets those in the trade or press, fondle and drool over forthcoming products for 2018, that might set the heart racing. Our European Correspondent Roman Ackle took up the baton in a very hot and sticky few days to wander the halls on our behalf searching for products, developments, new brands and emerging trends which would be of interest to the self powered traveler. Listen to the podcast for the full taster of things to come next year.

This podcast covers all the equipment I took and a review of my thoughts relating some of the items and alternatives I could have considered. The full video of the walk and this section should be available soon. The audio has been taken from the video soundtrack, so make sure you drop by soon to check out the full experience.

Part 7 combines the last two days of the walk down to Lynmouth. Only 18 miles to go and I had to find a wild camping spot so I didn’t arrive too early. At Withypool I finally meet some fellow backpackers and we discuss our shared thoughts on the journey and the places we’ve been through. Ultimately we both ended up at Simonsbath by the local car park to camp. The final day it was a gentle walk across the last of Exmoor before the painfully long twisting descent to Lynmouth.