Tales from a down-shifted family
- Making the most of modest means
Part of the fun of a little adventure or an activity such as backpacking along the West Highland Way is the planning. mapping out your route, deciding where to stay and how you’ll get there, searching for things to take in along the way and making arrangements and schedules. Sometimes it’s also nice to just...
The backpacking packing list for hiking the West Highland Way focuses on balance between weight and comfort. It includes an Osprey Talon 44 pack, a Nordisk Telemark tent, a Thermarest sleep system, and clothing for various conditions, totaling a base weight of 8.35kg without food and water. The list further details kitchen essentials, hygiene products, a comprehensive first aid and repair kit, electronics for communication and navigation, and additional accessories for convenience and safety on the trail. The aim is meticulous organization and preparedness while maintaining a manageable pack weight.
I haven’t been able to get out windsurfing for a while. Conditions and commitments just haven’t permitted any time on the water. I was therefore a little rusty whilst out for the first time in ages last weekend. The conditions were perfect with a decent Easterly howling down through the valley and a midday high...
Having been away for work last week we had a fairly quiet weekend. I did some work in the garden and we headed out to Cross Foxes on Sunday for a Mother’s Day lunch – well, Morgan isn’t here to treat Anna, so I did instead. I of course went along for the meal too....
Having not been out on a surf ski, or paddle boat of any description for a while I was quite excited to get out there on Saturday. There was some decent surf rolling in at around 2-3 foot and little wind but the waves were still a bit messy. Not ideal for board surfing but...
Saturday started with a busy day in Aberystwyth for us. We did some shopping, collected my glasses and then test drove a very nice Hyundai Ioniq 6. We hadn’t looked at the Ioniq 6 before but they saif they had some good deals on it and the figures they quoted did sound good so we...
With a new rucksack to try out, and what looked like a break in the weather I decided to head off on a wild-camping adventure on Monday. I don’t officially work on Mondays or Tuesdays, but often end up doing so, especially if I’m at home. A couple of days in the hills would mean...
The simple answer is no, there can’t be one backpack that is perfect in all situations. A quick jaunt in the hills in the summer calls for something very different to a multi-day hike in the mountains in winter. Volume and carrying capacity alone will dictate that. Similarly the perfect backpack for you might not...
This may be showing my age, but the University tagline used to be ‘Where the Mountains Meet the Sea’. It’s always nice therefore to have a day where I manage to get in the sea and then head off into the hills. Things have been a little quiet here since we returned from holiday. Anna...
As mentioned previously, I’m hoping to backpack along the West Highland Way later in the year. Honing my gear choices is one thing, but I can’t ignore the physical preparation as well. The best, and most fun. training for such an endeavour is of course hiking in the hills with a full backpack! With a...
Fitness / Technology / Triathlon
Fixing the Altimeter on my Garmin Forerunner 910XT
Monday, March 17th, 2014
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Hiking / The Welsh Nuttalls / Wales
Backbreaking but Beautiful: Nuttall Bagging in North Wales
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025
