Tag

wild camping

Hiking on the Canary Islands: All You Need to Know

Thanks to Chantel from Cottages in Northumberland for this piece on the Canary Islands. Image source: Pixabay With millions of visitors each year, the Canary Islands are a popular holiday destination that have so much to offer holidaymakers – including amazing weather, beautiful beaches and mountainous terrain. However, it isn’t just sun worshipers who want to come and enjoy this stunning collection of islands – it’s a popular place for hikers too. From the epic volcanic peaks on Tenerife to Lanzarote’s eerie, lunar landscape, hiking enthusiasts will be rewarded with... Read More

LD Staff Head for Secret Test Location

Last weekend pretty much the whole staff team from LD headed into the depths of the beautiful Northumberland landscape for some gear testing and “team bonding”! Not a bad spot for the night Many thanks here, to all at Whitley Bay Explorer Scouts, who have maintained the fantastic location above for many years and who agreed to let us use it and also the folks at Prendwick Farm whose land it is on That’s most of the climb done! Loaded up and probably carrying too much Northumberland at its best!... Read More

Jon’s Squash and Mushroom Cous Cous Risotto

  If you read our previous blog post regarding the upcoming article in The Great Outdoors magazine about LD Mountain Centre you will remember that Jon treated David Lintern and myself to a great lunch at Haughtongreen Bothy during our walk along the Roman Wall and Wark Forest. So here’s Jon’s recipe. Ingredients 350g Shiitakes ( brown cap will do) 2 small red onions A bunch of thyme 400g of diced squash 200g giant cous cous 4 cloves of garlic 150g blue cheese 1.5 litre veg stock Salt & Pepper... Read More

Well Done Sophie!

Three countries, over 3000km, on foot and on her own!     Sophie Rooney, an LD Mountain Centre sponsored athlete, has just completed this marathon trek from Nordkapp at the very northern tip of Norway to the Danish / German border at Flensburg raising money fro the following charities; The Thomas Theyer Foundation – www.thomastheyerfoundation.org.uk Mountain Rescue England and Wales – www.mountainrescue.org.uk The Stroke Association – www.stroke.org.uk       The Sofie’s adventure started in Nordkapp in the very north of Norway. Within a few weeks though, Sophie became unwell and... Read More

A Sneaky Seven (The South Glen Shiel Ridge)

There aren’t many areas in Scotland where you can pick up seven Munros and a great lightweight camp on a high ridge in 24 hours but last week John and a couple of friends managed to find the weather and the motivation to give it a go. Parking at the free car park opposite the Cluanie Hotel, a good place for a post walk pint and food, the lads headed up onto the east end of the ridge and knocked off the first two Munros before camping on the bealach... Read More

Swedish West Coast Style

Didriksons is another new brand foe at the LD Mountain Centre for Winter 2015/16   Didrikson’s was formed by Julius and Hanna Didrikson’s on the western coast of Sweden back in 1913 when they started to produce work wear for fisherman in Grundsund with the goal of producing functional clothes, with a timeless design, to be worn every day, no matter what the weather.   Today Didrikson’s range has that functional scandi style and is perfect for customers who are looking for a function stylist urban parka at a reasonable... Read More

The summer holidays are fast approaching.

The school summer holidays are upon us, so here is some ideas of adventurous things to entertain kids of all ages  in the beautiful North East outdoors. Hadrian’s Wall Covering 83 miles the is plenty ground to cover and lots to do. There are some spectacular walks in the area near Housesteads, including the most photographed tree in the north at Sycamore gap made famous in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and numerous local weather pictures. Most of the forts have a number of events throughout the summer, culminating with English Heritage’s... Read More

Picking the right sunglasses.

The sun is finally here, so it is time to get the sunnies out. But picking the right pair for you can take a bit of thought. There are two main things to consider when picking sunglasses, the shape of the frame and the lens. What frame shape is best for you is influenced by the shape of your face; are you Round, Square, Oval, Rectangular, Diamond or Heart? There are many websites to help work this out. Round – If you have a round face, you want to avoid curved... Read More

Stay safe in the hot weather

With the mercury heading upwards and the sun coming out many of you will be heading out to enjoy the weather, but it is important to look after yourself. They say you should drink 2 litres of water a day, and this is very important when it is hot, so keep you water close to hand and easy accessible with a hydration bladder. Most rucksacks are compatible with bladders, but if yours isn’t, the level gauge on the Dukjug will help you keep track of how much you are drinking.... Read More

For the Outdoor Dad

Here are some ideas for father’s day for the Dad who would much rather be out on the hills, mountains or dales, than the fairways, greens or in the clubhouse. A traditional summer hat, the Abisko is made of Fjällräven’s G1000 Lite fabric, offering durability as well as weather protection. Applying Greenland Wax to the fabric will improve its water resistance, making this a fantastic hat for trekking or travelling. The wide brim can be folded in at the sides and held in place with press-studs and an adjustable chin... Read More