Eat Sleep Wild
Routes Recipes and Wild Experiences from the West Coast of Scotland
With a tiny camper van like the Ford Transit Connect, it’s all about creative storage solutions that maximise the available space in the van. One of the appeals for me to having barn doors (versus a hatchback) is the storage potential. I have long thought that the recesses of the rear barn doors would make …
Things to carry when hiking/hillwalking in Scotland and other UK upland areas. You can also download this as a PDF or Word Doc; make a copy and customise it with your own special hiking extras or specific pieces of hiking kit! I’ve included a few of my favourite items below. This assumes spring/summer/autumn conditions. For …
A food dehydrator is one of the best investments I’ve ever made, significantly enhancing my wild camping and backpacking adventures with tent-side deliciousness. Homemade dehydrated backpacking meals offer numerous benefits: Making homemade dehydrated backpacking meals is pretty easy. If you follow a few basic principals, you’ll find that many foods you enjoy are adaptable to …
Here’s a summary of what I pack when walking in winter conditions in Scotland. What do I mean by winter conditions? Well that can mean anything. Snow, rain, sleet, bog, ice, wind, you name it. So my winter packing list is inevitably bulkier and heavier than what I might carry in summer (top tip: I …
I have a fond appreciation for hot beverages and outdoor spaces, but my “on the move” mentality means I don’t often stop to make a ritual of the experience . I have long known this to be true, blaming lack of a good hot water flask – though these things are easily acquired. Slowness and …
Highlights from a magical mushroom adventure in the New Forest led by mushroom hunter and foraging role model John Wright, accompanied by my great friend and solstice sister Emily Watkins (aka @deathandcaches) and a friendly group of fellow fungi enthusiasts. John is possibly best known for his recurring appearances on River Cottage. He’s also an …
Of all the van conversion projects I’ve completed so far, the one that’s had the most positive reception is my DIY camper cushions for my pull out camper bed! It seems that making camper cushions is a bit of a dark art – from sizing and cutting the foam to making cushion covers – so …
This is less of a review and more of an homage to one of my favourite books and travel writers. Wilderness Weekends by Phoebe Smith was the first book I bought to inspire my early wild camping adventures. As the title suggests, this book is a guide to 26 overnighters across the UK in wild …
Adding a bed to the Ford Transit Connect was a big exciting step forward in the camper project! A place to sleep AND to store a few things. The result is by no means perfect, but for someone who has never built a single piece of furniture in her life*, I was pretty pleased! I …
This wild camping food guide offers some guidelines and ideas for what to eat on a backpacking trip. Specifically, what to eat if you want to eat well. This guide avoids processed prepackaged foods and focuses on real food high in both flavour and nutrition. I wrote this for people like me who want to …
Eat Sleep Wild endorses the “Leave No Trace” philosophy. “Leave No Trace” describes the 7 best practices for respecting the outdoors and protecting our natural spaces. It should go without saying that you should always leave a place the way you found it, but unfortunately this isn’t always the case. Even in the most remote …
This Minimalist Car Camping checklist was originally written in 2008 following a ten day tour of England with a tiny car. This is how to travel when you want to take a camping trip but still keep things pretty light weight. “Minimalist car camping” is particularly great if you’re changing locations every day or every …
What should you pack for a wild camping adventure? The answer will of course depend on your specific interests and level of minimalism / maximalism, but there are quite a few basics that everyone should take. This is the wild camping checklist I use. You can download it as a PDF or WORD file (the latter …
I’ve just returned from an incredible (and way too short) cycle tour of Wales. In four days I covered just over 100 miles from Chepstow to the Elan Valley following various branches of the wonderful National Cycle Route the whole way. The distance is a testament to the challenge – there are hills a plenty …
If you’re like us, then going on an adventure usually involves a fair bit of walking, be it on a long day out up a mountain or on a multi-day trek across country (also sometimes involving mountains!). There are two things we’ve found that can make or break a trip: proper foot care, and solid …
I’ve just returned from a 3.5 week cycling holiday through France and Spain, a journey of just over 1000 miles from Cherbourg to Santander (with a few stops and diversions along the way). I was a little nervous going into it. Would my legs poop out? What if my bike breaks? Are the hills going …
I’ve recently completed a 1000mile bike tour through France and Spain and wanted to share a little bit about the food I ate along the way. I tried to eat well, choosing foods that would energise my journey rather than drag me down. This is pretty easy to do in France and Spain, where there are …
If you’ve ever camped in France and Spain then you know that Camping Gaz is ubiquitous in most supermarkets, gas stations and general stores. However, if you’re coming from the US or Great Britain, then it’s very possible that you have a camping stove that takes a screw-on gas canister (often sold under the Primus …
I recently returned from a 4-week bike tour through France and Spain, carrying all of my own kit and camping along the way. Some people have commented that they can’t believe I travel so light, while others have said “how the heck do you fit all that on a bike?” You can fit a surprising …
