Tag Archives: hiking

What’s in your Pack #4. Backpacking

After going out on a few longer 2 day hikes we felt confident enough to have a proper backpacking trip. Packing for that first trip on the West Highland Way was difficult and we carried way too much stuff which kind of hampered the enjoyment of the first couple of days. By the 5th day on trail we had whittled down some of the excess and ate a lot of the food we had been carrying so things became easier. We went from what we might need to what we had actually used.

What’s in your Pack #3. Wild Camping

Wildcamping just seemed too tricky to do with 3 children in tow. Our first experience was in Scotland where wildcamping is widely permitted and we used our little blue tent. Since then we’ve gotten braver and now use the tarp and have wildcamped where its not as widely accepted.

What’s in your Pack #2. Mountains

The first post in this series detailed what we carry when in hike in lowland areas and to be honest that list is a good basis for hiking in mountainous areas with 3 kids. However there are a few extra bits we like to carry with us in the mountains. Some are for additional safety, some to make the trail a bit easier

Fast Packing the West Wight

Fast Packing. Apparently its a thing. Rather than simply hiking with a big pack its a combination of hiking and trail running. Using gear that increases in price as it decreases in weight, packs are light, kit is minimal and miles get covered. I started training this year for an ultra marathon so I’ve beenContinue reading “Fast Packing the West Wight”

Why I Want to Run an Ultra Marathon

I think the biggest factor was that feeling of simply moving through a landscape at a pace dictated by me. Not the weight in my pack or how fast the kids were moving or what the trail was like or how much my legs ached. If I wanted to run, I ran.

Planning Our Way

Many of our National Parks have long distance trails associated with them. The Two Moors Way in Devon passes through both Dartmoor and Exmoor, Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons and the South Downs all have their eponymous ways while the New Forest has little more of a stretch of the Solent Way skirting around her borders. We hope to change that.