The Outdoors Station

Well not strictly true. We didn't meet THE Lone Ranger, we met A Ranger, who was on his own, so technically he was 'alone' Ranger :) Anyway, pun aside, Richard Eales is a Ranger for Exmoor National Park and we decided to spend some time with him and a few others for a morning on Exmoor tracking and learning more about the wild Deer on the Park during August 2016. Although a simple thing to do, it...

This podcast is an update with some exciting news about developments on Internet Radio, Podcast distribution and the breakdown of the survey which took place last year. All of which leads to a new website, further news and exciting plans. The start of a new chapter and great things to come! Please join our newsletter and follow us on our socials > https://linktr.ee/the_outdoors_station

In June 2016 Rose set off on the Pennine Way. A 270 mile route up the spine in the northern part of the UK through two National Parks which finishes the other side of Hadrians Wall. On this trip she decided to take Pip her 3 year old Springer Spaniel who is up for a walk anytime of day and anywhere. The more muddy the better. However this time the dog was carrying a pack along with Rose and they s...

I didn’t intend to do a podcast on the TGOC 2016, however so many people asked for more information on this years event, that the recorder made it out form the bottom of my rucksack and I started this piece, while sitting at the end of Loch Callater below Jocks Road, recognising this was the last wild camp of the trip. A good weather crossing this year, very few issues with cold, snow and rain. Ho...

So he finally achieved his goal. Over 1000 miles barefoot from Lands End to John O’Groats. The first recorded attempt of its kind in the UK. 38 Days, the whole menu of weather the UK could throw at him and a mixture of experiences and people he will never forget. The third and final podcast in the Barefoot LEJOG 2015 series with Aleks Kashefi. Please join our newsletter and follow us on our social...

On Sunday the 16th August 2015 I finally met up with Aleks Kashefi just north of Manchester on the border to the North Yorkshire moors in the small village of Cowling. As you'll hear on the Podcast I was unsure of what state of mind I would find Aleks in, as he is now just over half way of his 1000 mile target. When I've completed the TGO Challenge at 200 miles, depending on the type of crossing I...

This is an interview with Alex Kashefi, who is about to attempt the very unique challenge of running from Lands End to John O’Groats during his summer break from teaching at secondary school. Alex is a biology teacher and although running the LEJOG isn’t new, doing it ‘barefoot’ is! Yes, 1206 miles without the use of shoes, support or protection, carrying his own equipment all the way and relying...

I’m back in the Wild Camp saddle and this trip sees me at Lands End for something completely different to the wild weather of Scotland. This time I’m just taking a bivvy bag, a small rucksack and a handful of sandwiches. I was 8 the last time I visited the end of the UK and on this return visit I sadly see the rampant commercialism which has taken over what could have been a reflective beautiful p...

This is the concluding part in the TGOC series for 2015. As we finally hit the East Coast and accept that it is all over, we manage to chat with several overseas Challengers about their thoughts and impressions of the largest backpacking event in the world. Greg Lindstrom from the States, Justin Lafrance from Canada, the oldest participants Lou and Phylis Laborwit also from the States and the youn...

And so the end of the road is near, as we pack up from the relative peace of Tarfside and head along an ambling route towards reality, first into the bustling little village of Edzel, before hitting the busy main road towards Northwater Bridge Campsite. The meandering path takes us all through a very gentle transition from wild lands to the edge of reality. Finally we make it to the Northwater Bri...

We set off for our final climb of the crossing from Glen Tanner up Mt Keen. It was a fair day when we started with a cool breeze and odd bursts of sunshine. However as we arrived at the peak, a snow storm came in within minutes of us arriving, and hammered us with high winds which blew us off our feet and horizontal sleet with hail for 15 minutes. Then as quickly as it came, and as we tried to ret...

Although the night had been gusty, it didn't trouble us and by the time we got up and got our kit together all the others who had camped close to the main house, had all gone. The only disturbance during the night was a little rodent visitor in Lee's Scarp. Who apparently was waiting for him in the entrance after he got out to water the roses and stare at the stars!
 The walking into Ballater took...

Once again we celebrate our wedding anniversary on the TGOC in the most romantic of ways. On the trail leaving Aviemore and heading towards Bynack Stables. Call me an old romantic at heart but I just can’t help myself showing a girl a good time :) It was an easy day, the weather we fine, the company was good as we joined Lee and Tony out to Glenmore Lodge where we stopped at the cafe, before headi...

It was a very windy night, however the combination once again of fresh air, exercise and exhaustion left us having a fairly good nights sleep. Waking only once or twice when a large gust roared up the valley like a low flying jet. Robin Evans, like the many other Scarp tents users had a 'normal' night. The Scarp shelter is perfectly suited for remote wilderness camping in all weathers. Everyone wh...

This is the day when the weather changed and we all decided to choose a shorter route which would allow us to dry out at the end of the day. Andy arrives at Kinlochleven and makes a short cut for the hotel for an extended stay as you'll hear. Rose, I, Lee and Tony walk away from the Great Glen Hostel in the same miserable weather along the old rail track to the Laggan swing bridge. Once there Tony...

In this episode we cover Day 2 and 3. It was such a pleasure to continue our walk in fine weather, which helped soften the blow as the landscape started to get more boggy underfoot before finally camping near Tomdoun. Andy has similar enjoyment walking south before completing his day at the top of Glen Gour. However on Day 3 the weather changes for all of us and things return to normal, with Scotl...

Andy and I undertake, once again with recorders in hand, the 2015 TGO Challenge. A 200 mile backpacking event walking from the west coast to the east coast of Scotland organised by The Great Outdoors magazine. Limited to 300 participants, this event is unique, as it isn’t a race or competition, but purely exhists to promote fellowship amongst backpackers who come to join us from all over the world...

In 2 days time we will be starting the TGO Challenge 2015 200 mile walk across Scotland and I wanted to update people as to the delay in the release of recent podcasts. We have now had illness, injury and the backpackinglight outdoor show in the last few weeks. We will be recording the walk this year, so stay tuned for some epic stories! Please join our newsletter and follow us on our socials >...

“I got to Notre Dame cathedral in Paris late yesterday evening. A totally arbitrary finish point. But not as corny, nor quite as far, as the Eiffel Tower. The last day was a 14 hour non-stop forty mile hike. There was frost, wind, sun, rain. My ankle, though complaining, held out. Some eejit tried to mug me on the quais in the last mile to Notre Dame and was most surprised by my spirited response....

"When I set off to walk from Munich to Paris in early November 2014 one of the aspects of a long winter trip where I would be sleeping out in a hammock under a tarpaulin for more than a month were the long hours of darkness. I was apprehensive that spending more than 14 hours a day in darkness would be oppressive, or boring, or genuinely take me off into corners - dark corners - of my mind th...

On 5th August 2014, Ash Dykes age 23, from Wales U.K, became the first known person to complete a solo & unsupported walk across Mongolia, the second largest landlocked country in the world. He pulled all of his provisions on a wheeled cart weighing 120kg, from West to East, covering 1,500 miles in just 78 days, knocking a staggering 22 days off his predicted time. The threat from Wolves, snak...

To make this experience different the two ladies in my life joined me as I headed into wet Wales (once again) to Llantony Abbey. Rose and Pip our Springer Spaniel 18 month old dog. It was the Pip's first time wild camping and we hoped she would enjoy it. Camping in the snow and sub zero temperatures was the only concern as we didn't want to put her off future adventures. We survived and here's the...

The Wild Camp series continues and in this episode I’m going back in time, yes even before Goretex and Dyneema. I’m going back on this particular walk some 4500 years! Taking inspiration from a listener who wrote early on in this series and suggested I should combine the walk with some history I visit the Neolithic area of Avebury a World Heritage Site some 14 times the size of Stonehenge, but con...

The first podcast of 2015 and we are now into our 10th year of producing quality content for the outdoors enthusiast. However we are in a dilemma of where to go next. What do our listeners want to hear or see and how do we get there? This podcast is part of our SWOT analysis and we are seeking your help to put us on the right track. It is easy for us to assume we know the answer, but without a sur...

And so our Christmas meal in a wet, windy Wales continues as Andy Howell and I continue to enjoy our 3 course Christmas meal, cooked from ‘fresh’. Your join us in part 2 on the Digestif course, with some of Rose’s Sloe Gin and white chocolate as we continue the banter relating to the outdoors and Social Media. The night was very, very windy and wet so the rain was driven hard against the side of t...