The Edinburgh Spaniels

First things first, we need to disclose that this was a gifted item! So [Ad-Gifted] now... on to the review! When we started regularly wild camping and spending weekends off-grid, we quickly realised how much we still rely on power! We love documenting and sharing our trips, but it does drain our appliance battery life, and we often find ourselves digging through bags to find a power bank for overnight charging. Even if Stephen hasn’t ‘misplaced’ it 👀 we still need prioritise what needs charge first…  Enter Jackery!! We were lucky enough to be gifted a Jackery Explorer 500 Power Station, and the Jackery SolarSaga 100 Solar Panels, which means power is a problem is no more.  We have had our Jackery for a few weeks now, and it has made such a difference to our camping experience (when camping near the car - its not too heavy but we certainly wont be taking it on summit hikes!!) .  The power station itself has a compact design with a handy carry handle and is super durable....

6 hours of solid rain... 'soaked' is an understatement.  We had actually attempted to do these three munros ( Càrn Laith , Braigh Cr Chruinn-bhalgain and Càrn nan Gabhar ) the previous weekend but had postponed by a week due to weather warnings, so when we saw the forecast had drizzle we thought we'd give it a go and power through.  We set off from Edinburgh at about 6am so watched the sun rise as we drove over the forth road bridge. The closer we got to our destination the worse the weather got and by the time we arrived it was raining. We sat in the car for a bit trying to psyche ourselves up and convince ourselves that maybe that ominous dark grey cloud surrounding the mountains wasnt actually that bad?! Finally we bit the bullet and set off.  The car park isnt very big and even on a miserable day like we had, was full when we arrived so make sure you set off early! From the car park you walk about 100m before you go through a gate to start the main walk. PLEASE comp...

Everything we take for a good night's sleep in the tent... Sleeping Bags I bought my  Mountain Warehouse Basecamp 200 Summer Sleeping Bag  last year and its been fab. As we only started camping on a regular basis this year, I didn't use it last autumn to know how it handled the cooler temperatures. I think about now (October) is the tipping point. I wore trackies and 2 pairs of socks to sleep in it on our last trip and was ok, but I don't think I'll be warm enough in a few weeks time! Stephen still uses what he had back in school for Duke of Edinburgh and to be honest i'm surprised its still holding together! As we approach winter, it is definitely on both our lists for a better insulated sleeping bag. Pillows You could go super minimal and just roll up some jumpers, however, it is worth checking out inflatable pillows – we use the OEX Traverse Self-Inflating Pillow . It says self-inflating but you may as well give it a few puffs - we both partially inflate these, a...

"This is one of the best camp spots we've ever had" - me on the Saturday night. Oh how wrong I was...  After completing the Glas Maol 4 munros, we set off to find a camp spot for the night ahead of doing The Cairwell munros the next day.  We found a little track turning off the main road that took us down to a lower level on the side of the valley. The track forms an extended D along the main road and has a few spots suitable for campers, plus some areas that work for cars + tents. We found a beautiful flat ground clearing with views of the 4th munro we had climbed earlier in the day, Creag Leacach .  The wind was fairly strong but no match for our Vango tent * so we pitched up quickly and cracked open a can of Tartan Juice . To be honest the wind was needed to dry the tent - it had been quite rainy the night before and no one likes to sleep in a soggy bed! Once again we had a pitch with no midges which was fab, but it was a wee bit chilly so we got the fire going and ...

We all love a BBQ and most have been in, or overheard the gas vs charcoal argument. For us (mainly Stephen) this helps settle it, especially for multi-use days over a weekend. The Cadac Citi Chef 40 Table Top Gas BBQ * has been used on every weekend trip we have had, and has not disappointed. We are a couple that enjoys a good brekky, so by adding a Tefal pan, we can even cook fried eggs with our sausages. On those wet, windy, gloomy mornings you often see us out in, the lid keeps things dry and helps keep the heat in. As for other meals, we have cooked amazing steaks, corn on the cob, full BBQs and homemade kebabs. What’s great is the removable fat pan, so you can give it a quick wipe after each use or like us, leave it be for the weekend and give it a proper clean when you get home. If you are by yourself, you could probably go for something a bit smaller to safe space (see the last paragraph for what we recommend!). But for the two of us, it’s perfect and gives us plenty room for mu...