My first passion is walking. In 2026, I plan to walk the new Coast to Coast National Trail, and upon completion, lay claim to walking all 21 National Trails, unless you are really pendantic and say I haven’t walked optional routes and a few estuaries. I am cleaning those omissions at a leisurely pace.
Notably, I have walked the Wales Coast Path, and strung together a number of Scottish coastal paths to walk the east coast of Scotland, from Berwick-upon-Tweed to John o’ Groats. There are plenty of other shorter walks, that will have blogs to describe them. A good example is the Scilly Isles coastal walks around each island – superb coastal walking in the UK, and easily missed. I have plans (dreams) to walk the Channel Island coastline, Antrim Coast, and the Isle of Man Raad ny-Foillan. The Scottish National Trail (which is not a National Trail), is included in my bucket list and I have started to think about that too.
Over the years, my kit list has changed from flourescent frame packs and surplus army gear (1970s) to a lighweight setup, with combinations in between. Now I have a good tent, backpack, and sleeping bag – a holy trinity of lightweight, durable, expensive important items that have easily paid their way. I have posted a few blogs on my latest configration, now that I have completed 6,000 plus miles across demanding terrain.
Each trail, or path, or way gives an overview, and recommendations for the approach to planning – length, terrain, accommodation, transport, and my personal experience, followed by a list of curated resources. I have included my personal photographs, some taken with a good mirroless camera, others snapped with an Instamatic (or even Polaroid) and copied. With the new design website I have included an OS Map overviews, but you should not rely on this website in the field, other than to use the ArcGIS map mentioned in the MAPS section.
Scotland:
Outdoor advice
Walking gear
My blog post(s) about walking gear.