What is a Softshell Jacket?
What is a softshell jacket? The term has been around for a while now, and refers to those jackets that are not specifically ‘hardshell’, that is to say waterproof jackets that keep out the weather and may or may not have a degree of breathability. The word ‘softshell’ covers a wide range of jacket types…
Staying ‘hill-fit’ during Lockdown
Staying ‘hill-fit’ is a guest blog by Kathryn Fitzpatrick – Freelance Guide. Unless you are lucky enough to live within 5km of the hills, getting out hiking is not an option for the majority of us at the moment, however staying ‘hill-fit’ doesn’t always have to include the hills. Check out a few tips below…
Winter Hiking – The Essentials
With some snow already present in the Scottish Highlands it looks like winter is about to arrive to our mountains and bring with it the inherent problems of poor visibility, cold weather and challenging terrain. To ensure you don’t get caught out when venturing into the winter hills it’s time to prepare for the harsher…
An Introduction to the Upland Flora of Ireland
In this webinar we discuss the upland flora of Ireland. Starting in the valleys (Lowland Zone) and working our way up the slopes to the exposed and harsh mountain tops (High Montane Zone). Ireland has a number of ecological zones in its upland terrain, from temperate rainforest to blanket bog, heath and montane plateau. Here…
Using hiking poles – Yes or No?
I regularly get asked by clients if using hiking poles is a good idea and my answer may sometimes sound noncommittal, ‘well maybe yes, maybe no’. In reality it is down to the individual to determine whether hiking poles are for them. To help with making that decision I have laid out the major advantages…
Assessing Personal Risk when moving on Steep Ground
When considering how to ascend or descend a particular section of steep terrain, whether steep wet grass or a rocky outcrop, it is important to make a personal judgment on your ability to safely negotiate the ground ahead of you. When assessing the risk to your personal safety it can often be useful to think…
High energy flapjacks, rocket fuel for hikers
Over the years, I have come across a bewildering array of foods that hikers take in to the hills, from bagels with peanut butter to pasta and red pepper salad.However, when quick, easy to eat, and energy packed food is required I have found that these oat and fruit flapjacks really fit the bill. I…
How to survive hot weather in the mountains
Good article from UKHillwalking.com on how to survive hot days in the mountains, (that is if we have any more this year). http://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/page.php?id=5676
The Slieve Blooms and the Galtees – two brief encounters
Ridge of Capard, on the Slieve Bloom Way SLIEVE BLOOMS This area of upland bog and conifer forest, cut by river valleys, is known as the Slieve Bloom Mountains, but really they are best described as hills. The highest point, Arderin, is 527 metres, (1729 ft.), high, and the 399th highest ‘mountain’ in Ireland. They…
Hiking and Scrambling in Snowdonia, the land of the red dragon.
On the weekend of 14th-17th March, a Saint Patrick’s Day holiday weekend in Ireland, I ran a trip for the Hillwalkers Club from Dublin, to the ruggedly raw and beautiful mountains of Snowdonia, North Wales. This remarkable area of mountains lies close to the coast at the northwest corner of Wales, and is within easy…
Kilimanjaro 2014
At the beginning of February I headed for Tanzania and Kilimanjaro, where I helped out with a successful climb of this 5895 metre mountain, in aid of a prestigious cancer charity. Details of the trip will soon appear on our blog, at http://russellmills.blogspot.ie/ where you can check out other trip reports, and see great articles…
Pictorial review of a hiking year, 2013
Where did I go hiking in Ireland in 2013? I thought it might be worth doing a photo review of the year, month by month, to pick out some of my highlights. 2013 was a year of unusual weather, a late and exceptionally cold winter that ran into April, a warm and balmy summer, and…
Pyrenean foothills – a few nature notes
The forested hillsides of the Pyrenee-Orientales region of southern France, with the Pyrenees in the distance. I am back from a recent holiday to the Pyrenee-Orientales region of France, that’s the bit on the Mediterranean coast near the Spanish border, close to the eastern Pyrenees. Here the rock is predominantly limestone, often typified by…
Carrot Ridge and the Maumturks – Connemara revisited
With good weather forecast for the west of Ireland over the August Bank Holiday weekend, I decided, along with two friends, Piotr and Natasza, to head for the mountains of Connemara. These quartzite hills, (hills or mountains?, this became a discussion point over the weekend,) have intrigued me since I first visited them back in…