Trip report - Sweden 2011 part 2

Day 7 16th June

Reaching the Park!

Today our aim was to get into the National Park. It was so hard to judge distance and terrain and estimate how far we'd get each day. We were only going about 12 kms or so but distance wasn't that important really. I guess we wanted to go as far as possible over the 2 weeks but as it was a walk in walk out by the same route and we weren't sure how much snow they'd be as we got higher, we knew we might not get too far.

Just before the huts at Sammarlappastugan the trail follows a really narrow route at the base of a cliff. We had to walk really close to the river at this point and its power was really obvious and a bit frightening. On the map it looks big but not enormous but it was early summer and snowmelt had started.The huts are right by the river (we'd become more familiar with one on the way back!).

Lots of stream crossings

We saw loads of lemmings today. Also our first white tailed eagles (lifer for me!), more willow grouse, woodcock, redwings and bramblings, bluethroat, tree pipits and kestrels. Finally in the early afternoon we reached the park! The views were constantly awe-inspiring.

By now sightings of white tailed eagle were pretty frequent but the highlight of the day was a weasel on the trail catching a vole and dragging it towards us for a bit until he realised we were there!

Camping on a bluff above the trail with
lots of patches of snow about

We found a good camping spot on a bluff above the trail - it looked like we weren't the first to have used the site. I build a little shelter for our stove! Chicken curry was on the menu tonight! After tea we went for a wander east up hill off the trail. The habitat and views were just amazing and we saw wheatear, long tailed skua, a tuftie or maybe a scaup distantly, redshank, ptarmigan, golden plover, lots of redpoll (feeding on seeds in the snowmelt). It felt like we'd reached the sort of place we'd been dreaming of and it felt good. Plus we'd got here under our own stream and that was very satisfying!

Golden plover

View looking south ish with Staika prominent

We could see that there was still a fair amount of snow and the distant lakes were iced up. I scanned the valley constantly for bears or wolves or wolverine! I didn't see any but by now it was a nightly ritual!! Although it I had seen a bear it would have been a poor nights sleep! We headed back down slope, feeling the burn on our legs but glad to not be carrying packs!

Day 8 17th June

Long-tailed skua

We manged to break camp by 9 am - a record for us! We were definitely in long-tailed skua territory now and we got amazing views of a pair, but thank fully no dive bombing (not as aggressive as arctics or bonxies). There was plenty of other things about too: willow grouse, bluethroats, lapland bunting, common scoter, white-tailed eagle, wood sandpiper, greenshank, grey-headed wagtail, common gull, redpoll. Looking across to the far beach of Darteluoppal we saw a family of foxes with very small kits. I was trail blazing by this stage, eager for lunch, and made an unwise river crossing on my own - my wet feet taught me in future to wait for Tom... luckily the sun was shining and I soon dried out.

Willow grouse

I think we'd already decided by this point that this area was as far as we'd get. I was keen to set up a base camp and do some day treks now, plus it looked pretty snowy further north. Bjorn had told us a party had made it through this season already but they were probably braver crossing snowfields! So we set up at Tarraluoppalstugorna on the west side of the river from the huts on a little bluff above the river. It was a lovely campsite and we still hadn't seen anybody since leaving Bjorn. To get water we had to scramble down to the river, which was fun. I made another stove shelter - becoming an expert by now.

After lunch we trundled up the hill towards Tuottarstugorna, interested to see how far we'd get. On the way up, about 1 km from our tents we saw a person! It looked like the guy who shared our bus ride to Kvikkjokk! He headed over to our tent and I had a horrible moment when I wondered if he was going to trash it or pinch something (we had our optics but we didn't have our food, and 5 days into a hike, that was probably more valuable!). He took a pretty close look at our stuff. In retrospect he may have been drawn over by the 'flag' flapping on the guy ropes - my recently washed pants!!! He headed off and we carried on, bizarrely we didn't see him again!

I liked it here!

Plenty of good birds up here - more long-tailed skuas, ring ouzel, wheatear, scaup, ringed plover, white-tailed eagle and the best new bird - Temminck's stint!!! The snow was quite extensive. I think we'd have been able to get through but its un-nerved walking and not knowing what's beneath so I was pleased to have stopped when we did. The season seemed so far behind up here with very little flowering vegetation. It seemed like the birds were probably starting to sit on eggs though.

Sinister foxy fox

That evening T went for a wander on his own to the marsh near the lake and saw red-necked phalaropes, common scoter, tufties, grey-headed wagtails, greenshank and bluethroats. I stayed at the tent, perfected my stone stove shelter and saw dippers and long tailed duck. I could see T most of the time but I could also see him being stalked by the fox family. Slightly sinister! Luckily he made it back unscathed for a few card games before bed.

Trip report - Sweden 2011 part 1

In the absence of a new trip report to share, I thought I'd write about the trips we took to Sweden a couple of years ago. This was T and I and our rucksacks carrying all our supplies for 2 weeks approx. 100 miles above the Arctic Circle. One of the most incredible experiences of my life for sure. This was p.B (pre B) but I hope we can take her one day and repeat the trips (probably slower!), discovering new and different things together.

T had been badgering me about Sweden for years after he took a trip to Sarek in 2001. I'd resisted although I'm not sure why. Now I wish we'd gone together years ago!

10th - 26th June 2011 Padjelanta and Sarek National Park from Kvikkjokk
Our original plan had been to go to Ritsem and walk into Sarek National Park from the north. However, a couple of weeks before we were due to go we realised that buses weren't running to Ritsem that early in the season! Cue a few days of pouring over maps and trying to decide what to do. At the time I was disappointed we had to change our plans but like many things in life, leaving things up to fate turned out to be very exciting.

We chose to walk from Kvikkjokk in a south westerly direction along the Padjelanta long distance trail for as long as we could. This section of the 160 km trail follows the Tarra river. In my mind I was aiming for the hut at Tuottarstugorna. The Padjelanta is maintained by the Swedish Tourist Board, who also maintain several huts en route. The huts don't open for the season until the end of June, which is the start of the peak tourist season. So we wouldn't be relying on these. Most have one hut which is open all year round for emergencies and some have emergency phones. The trail is well marked but rough in parts. Duck boards are used over wet sections and most, but not all big rivers are bridged. Fording streams a few metres wide is common place. Because we knew some of the ground would be wet and there'd be streams to cross, we opted to walk in wellies - decent ones though from Aigle which we knew we could walk in for long periods. Turned out to be a good choice!

Day 1 10th June
Flight from Heathrow to Stockholm and then to Kiruna in Northern Sweden, we got a few funny looks because we were in wellies! We arrived in Kiruna at about 10 pm, it was 22 degrees C. The airport is a way out of town so we pondered the best way to make it to the hostel. Once everyone else has disappeared from the airport and we were left with a confused French man, we realised that it was either going to be a long walk or someone was going to need to test their Swedish and call a taxi. Just then a taxi pulled up and me, T and our new friend David headed into Kiruna. We were staying at a hostel that night which turned out to be a mistake, we should have just wild camped near the airport!

 Day 2 11th June
After a fairly sleepless night we gathered our stuff and headed into the town centre to find gas and the train station. We'd decided to head to Abisko for a couple of days while we waited for the right transport connections to Kvikkjokk.  As we hadn't been able to bring gas for our stove in the plane, the first priority was to locate an outdoor store. Unfortunately it was Saturday so shops were late opening (but at least they were open!). We headed for the train station and booked our tickets. T trundled back into town to get the gas and returned with David! It was a relief to drop our bags for a while and chill out. That is until I mentioned matches..."Matches!", T screamed and legged it back up to the town. There was no need to rush - the train was delayed (which is apparently common in Sweden because every so often they stop to get cleaned. Nice to have clean trains but on time trains are also nice!).

As the train headed on its way, the scenery got better and the drunk guy in the seats next to us got drunker. We chatted to David about his plans. They seemed ambitious and he still seemed confused and a little under prepared (he didn't have a map and after a quick case conference we decided to give him ours or the death of a small French man would forever be on our conscience! He refused). He was planning to walk the 105 miles from Abisko to Nikkluokta in 2 days. Apparently he had recently walked 50 miles in a day in France so felt prepared. We were worried and tried to talk to him about it in broken English and GCSE French. The drunk guy was worried and told him in very clear English, he was stupid and was going to die. The latter seemed to sink in and when we left D at the station he was considering a short day hike.

The weather was incredible - usually this would be welcome but carrying half your body weight on your back is sweaty work. I had about 15 kg and T 25 kg. For some reason we also had a few bit hanging off our otherwise perfectly packed rucksacks. In short, it was hard work. In fact for the first couple of miles every step was an effort, we wanted to cry and we wondered if we'd ever be able to make it anywhere. But Abisko was pretty amazing and that kept us going.


We soon realised the trip was going to be an exciting one because it was a lemming year!!! After being verbally abused by several I knew they couldn't be trusted. They were everywhere and so, we were hoping were the rough legged buzzards, hawk owls and long tailed skuas...

This day we saw brambling, bluethroat, fieldfare, willow tit, redstart, grey headed wagtail and loads of cool plants - the trip was off to a good start!

After a couple of games of Yhatzee were were out for the count.

Day 3 12th June

Our plan this day was for a short hike in the morning towards Taltlagret and then head back to the train station. We walked to the edge of the National Park and saw our first and only rough legged buzzard. Lemmings were everywhere too! T is the family botanist and he was in his element. The season had started but it was still early for a lot of flowering plants. The birds also hadn't really got started breeding just yet. 

Back at the train station it was a relief
again to dump the bags and board the replacement bus back to Kiruna. From here we boarded the train to Murjek, arriving at 2020. Not certain where to camp in the village (although later in the trip we'd be back and braver!) we headed for a bog on the outskirts of town. A little walk that evening was productive with waxwing, redwing, woodcock and cranes bugling away on a nearby but invisible bog. Perfect.

Day 4 13th June

0855 bus to Jokkmokk. Buses apparently double as post vans in Sweden so there was a lot of stopping to drop off and pick up parcels! A Jokkmokk we binge ate chocolate, doughnuts and crisps - well, it was our last chance! The bus to Kvikkjokk was practically empty bar one other person - a guy who looked like he'd be living off the land for a few weeks. He didn't have very much stuff with him though! We were met by Bjorn - a slightly crazy man who said he was a direct descendant of Linnaeus. Bjorn is the guy who gets you across the river at Kvikkjokk and on to the start of the Padjelanta Trail. I think perhaps we were the first hikers of the season because Bjorn seemed very happy to see us and show us around.

We went across the river via the big rapids (until I asked if we could go back!) to his cabin where he showed us his veggie patch, rock collection and plant book! We asked Bjorn about picking us up at the end of the trip. He seemed blase about it. He'd be there, probably, or his mate would. Worst case just make smoke signals and they'd come and get us. I felt in safe hands! We then headed up river. Bjorn said he'd get us as far as possible to cut out a bit of walking. En route he showed us some beaver burrows! Eventually, after I started wondering if this was some surreal dream or if we were being led to our death by a Swedish serial killer, he dropped us at a side channel. By this time it was 1950. Bjorn waved us vaguely in the direction we should head and jetted off back down the channel.

Bye bye Bjorn - please remember to pick us up in 2 weeks!

We were alone.

It felt dark, chilly and really quite scary. I knew we were miles from anywhere and on our own now. It felt like no-one had been here in a long, long time. I picked up my bag (with difficulties) and put on my bravest face - this was the start of the real adventure.

I'm a bit of a scardy cat but I try and face my fears and I don't think there has been anything I've wanted to do which I haven't. But this trip felt like a big deal. We were totally dependent on each other and the kit we carried on our backs. We didn't have a mobile phone and we knew it was really early in the season so other people would be scarce. That was one of the reasons we were here - we're not very sociable. There were a couple of huts en route for shelter if we needed it and an emergency phone at one, but basically it was us and whatever was to happen for the next two weeks.

After about 15 mins we passed some bear poo. Those that know me well know I have an unhealthy obsession with bears. I have planned many holidays around the sole intention of seeing bears in the USA and Canada. I must have every bear book under the sun. I Google' bears' regularly. I watch other people's videoas of bears on YouTube. I have a fascination with bear attacks. Basically I'm a bit of a bear freak. But I'm also scared witless by them. So 15 mins into this hike when I was already feeling a bit scared and trying my hardest to face my fears, the last thing I wanted to see was BEAR POO. It looked fresh too. Anyway, what could we do? We marched on. I tried not to cry.

We walked for about an hour to the next scary thing - a raging torrent with no bridge.It looked liked there had been some pretty serious rain or meltwater through recently and the bridge had been swept downstream (we found it trapped on a fallen tree). It was time to set up camp and face things in the morning!

Day 5 14th June

Moose (Elk)

Next day the stream didn't look so bad but the water was still fast and deep at the far side. There was a tree across a bit downstream but that would have taken good balancing skills. We headed upstream to the main river and thought we'd be able to pick our way through between gravel bars. We packed up the gear and headed off. In no time we were across and to the bridge over Vallegarssa which we'd been aiming for last night but which seemed so out of reach.

We noticed some pretty impressive footprints - a moose (or elk as they call them round these parts) and a bear - the same one that pooed on the path perhaps? probably. I didn't imagine it then...

Bear!

Trundling up the Padjelanta towards Njunjes, it was crazy hot - probaby mid 20s and walking in wellies in the heat was hard! We were still in the spruce forest but this was broken up by lovely open bogs and meadows. Bird life was thin on the ground but we saw greenshank, brambling, siskin, crossbill, redwing, willow tit, tree pipit.

At the private huts at Backen the meadows were a great place for lunch. Our bags were heavy and it was tempting to eat more food to reduce the weight but we daren't! After Backen the bridge over Njunjesgarssa was down but easily fordable in wellies. We found a common sandpiper nest on the far side. One of the more bizarre sights on the trip was a very elderly couple on a quad bike heading towards us - who knows where they are heading! The huts at Njunjes were closed but we stayed a while and filled our water bottles. The area was pretty open terrain and a change from the dense forest. There is a bridge across the mighty river Tarra here, one of the few on the trail. We saw our first golden eagle here, being mobbed by 6 falcons, probably kestrels.

After Njunjes we had our first significant climb up a rocky slope. Hard going with full packs and in the heat but not very significant really. The view from the top though was a taste of things to come and it looked good. By now we were in birch scrub so could see for much further around us. Even though I worked as a woodland bird biologist at that stage, our natural habitat is the uplands and we were feeling pretty much at home here already.

View looking NW towards Stajgga (left) and Guratjahkka (centre)

Camp for the night

Day 6 15th June
We woke to another amazing day and a bluethroat singing away in the nearby birch. We headed off and must have only gone about 500 m when I spotted a hawk owl! Perched up about 50 m away looking very angry. T was a way behind and I gesticulated to him to get a move on - he had no idea what I'd seen! After a while we realised there was actually two and it was probably a male and female at a nest site. Luckily we weren't dive bombed!

Hawk owl!

The six kestrels from yesterday were with us again as we walked along the narrow path towards Tarrakaisrstugan. It was a trudge today. We were aiming for the huts for lunch but made it to within 100 m instead! While lunch was rehydrating T headed down towards the wetlands for a scan. I was happy to rest and 'look after lunch'! We were ready to leave the woodlands now and get into open terrain permanently. Quite a few other birds were seen today - bluethroats, ring ouzel, greenshank, goldeneye, redshank, red breasted merganser, arctic tern, teal, cuckoo, willow grouse, possible rough legged buzzard.

Tarrakaisrstugan is a nice set of huts, very wooded and next to the Tarra River. We filled our water bottles (although by now we were just drinking from streams as we passed through them). It was gradulayy opening up as we crossed some old riverbeds and one big river without a bridge, the Badurgarssa (which would cause some excitement on the way back!). The path was often very bouldery and tough going. With a large pack and trying to balance this meant a lot of time was spent watching the ground rather than the views!

The rocky floodplain of the Badurgarssa

The rocky trail

Another amazing campsite

We walked another few kms and pitched up at another outstanding campsite.












To be continued...

Dehydrating

To the amusement of our friends, T and I are the very proud owners of a food dehydrator! We bought it in 2011 after trying to work out how to live healthily and cheaply when hiking. I was concerned that some shop bought dehydrated foods were high in salt, not very filling and really expensive so we thought lets make our own! Since then all our camping food has been home made and its delicious - even if I do say so myself!

We bought the machine from Juiceland, finally deciding on the excitingly named Excaliber! When it arrived I must admit I was slightly disappointed. It is basically a black box with a few shelves and a very low power heater with a timer. But that's all we need because dehydrating is really just drying food slowly, you could do it in the oven if the temperature was low enough (around 50-60 degrees C).

Our dehydrated food!

So, how do we do it? Its simply a case of making up a batch of something yummy like chili, making sure to minimise the amount of liquid added (strain off any excess when its ready), split into portion sizes and then spread thinly on a dehydrating tray. For foods which are a bit sloppy we use the Paraflexx sheets on top of the trays. Then set the thermostat at 50 degrees ish and leave for around 12 hours, checking every so often and rotating the trays. When the food is totally dry we store it in double layer plastic food bags. They can then last for a couple of months or about 6 months in the fridge or about a year in the freezer.

We don't make up any fancy recipes, just normal stuff we'd eat everyday - chili, curry, bolognaise. Mince is a pretty good basis for a dehydrated meal and chicken works well. We add lots of beans and lentils for extra calories - but choose smaller beans, they re-hydrate better. And to make the dehydrating quicker, chop everything super-fine. This book, Backpack Gourmet,  is pretty good  - we've adapted a couple of soup recipes from it and it gave us the idea for amazing fruit leather - see below - but mostly we just cook up a normal dish and dehydrate it! Even though pasta and rice doesn't take long to cook, it takes long enough and our aim was for the quickest possible meals using the least amount of fuel. So we cook and dehydrate pasta and rice too. For some meals we have noodle or couscous accompaniments, neither of these need dehydrating. For soups we sometimes at a bit of Smash to the packets to bulk them up a bit.

In the field all we do is add water (enough to cover the food), leave for a while and heat to boiling. In theory, meals could be eaten with cold water in an emergency - we did this once when I forgot the gas in the Lairig Ghru... I wouldn't say it was the best meal I've ever had but it worked!

Probably the coolest dehydrated produce are our fruit leathers - strawberry and apple. For strawberry leather I mush down a load of strawberries, add a little sugar and some cornflour and then spread thinly to dehydrate. For apple leather I stew the apples with some sugar and then dehydrate. It produces an amazingly concentrated flavour. Our fruit leather breaks are one of the most anticipated part of the day!

And while we're on about food - for breakfasts we use 'Oat so Simple' - just need to add hot water and comes in some great flavors.

 We loved the dehydrating lifestyle so much we told the in laws and they bought one - we're a two dehydrator family!!! I'm slightly embarrassed to say that out loud...

Two weeks worth of food - breakfasts, lunches,
dinners and snacks

Buggy friendly walking

One of the biggest weekly decisions in our house is where to go walking at the weekend. Yes, we have the wonderful Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle but there are still obstacles - stiles, narrow paths, fence lines, thick vegetation. But we've discovered some great places nearby. The below are mostly upland sites as that's our preferred habitat - I'll add others as we find them. Of course with the child carrier now in use, the sky is the limit but I expect there will still be times we choose to take the buggy.


1. Fourlaws Forestry Commission, near Ridsdale, Northumberland - up to 4 mile round trip on ok forestry track, bumpy in parts. NY926835


2. Derwent Reservoir, County Durham  - 7 mile round trip along one half of the reservoir edge. All flat walking on cycle path.


3. The Waskerley Way, County Durham - 9.7 miles one way on a good cycle path. Potential for shorter hops.


4. Slaley Forest, Northumberland - potential for several miles depending on exact route taken on ok to good forestry tracks.
5. Prudhoe Country Riverside to Newburn - a lowland walk along the Tyne, 8 miles round trip.

Outdoor gear for babies

What to dress B in when going walking is always a bit of a dilema. We have good kit for ourselves which we've built up over the years and I feel prepared for all weathers and seasons on the hill so we need to make sure it's the same for our daughter. She is worse at regulating her heat than an adult so I feel she needs as good a set of outdoor kit as us but as she's so little and growing so quickly this could get expensive!  We're on a tight budget now I'm not working but by choosing items carefully that we'll get a lot of wear out of (perhaps even with subsequent babies!) I see it really as an investment rather than a big expense. And after all if B isn't warm, she's not happy and it'll make our trips out a bit tedious!

Luckily there are some great online stores catering for little ones now. I really like Viking Kids, Muddy Puddles and Little Trekkers. And Polarn O. Pyret do great stuff which is also now available in John Lewis.

So what have we chosen so far?

Thermal layer - merino vest and trousers or regular vest. We have this merino all in one from Mountain Warehouse.
Under layer - regular all in one or thin fleecy all in one - just standard baby clothes
Outer layer - thick fleece all in one or double layered fleece waterproof. I really like this fleece and this waterproof from Muddy Puddles.
Hats - merino balaclava and fleece hat with ear flaps
Gloves - too much hassle at the moment! We've chosen outer fleeces with turn over hand bits!

As our winter is very mild this year were doing without the merino thermal layer for normal days. Up until now she has usually been in the buggy so we could throw a few blankets on her too but in the carrier her legs and arms are more exposed.

Hopefully the kit we've got will last her until next winter. Although she's only 5 months old, she is big for her age so I've chosen large sizes and figure she'll grow into them. Next step, more trials out and about.

Macpac child carriers

We LOVE Macpac in our family. We have three MacPac rucksacks which have accompanied us on long treks and a brilliant Macpac tent. My husband was so excited to find a Macpac store on holiday in Australia last year, I think it was the highlight of his trip! So when it came to choosing a child carrier it just HAD to be Macpac, no difficult choices there! We actually inherited it from my SIL. Its the piece of kit we'd been really, really excited to get our hands on. To us it represented more freedom to go places we would have gone before B came along. After our poor success with slings and front carriers because B seemed to hate everything we tried (and I tried A LOT!), I was apprehensive. Would she like it, wouldn't she. I had everything crossed!


We have the Vamoose, which is basically the bees knees of Macpac carriers, if not all carriers. Currently it sells for just over £200 which seems expensive but what you're buying is a quality piece of kit which lets you carry your child until they're 20 kg. Outdoor types probably wouldn't think twice about forking out for an expensive well fitted rucksack - this is exactly the same thing.


The carrier itself is 4.25 kg so when we carry B at the moment we're carrying a fairly whooping 13.25 kg and she is only 5 months! But the great back system (Macpac's Explorer harness) and supportive straps make it seem much lighter. The carrier comes with a removable 10 litre rucksac and storage area for another 25 litres so the person carrying the child can also carry a few other things. There are also side straps for sticks, tent poles etc. My favourite feature is the integral mirror to keep an eye on the little one as you walk - brilliant idea Macpac!

As well as the carrier we have the Sleepyhead,  sun cover and rain cover to cover every eventuality!

Every time we pop her in it she seems happy. I guess being nosey, being up high is exciting. She's even managed to sleep in it so so far so good! I can't wait for her to be 6 months so we can start the long hikes.

The Mountain Buggy - a review after 2 months

We've been testing out the Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle on some pretty rough tracks and so far we're really pleased with how it copes. At the moment we're using either the main buggy flat or car seat adaptors for B, although she'll soon be too heavy for the car seat adaptors!




The Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle in the flat position with full hood

The car seat adaptors are for up to 9 kg. I suspect they are strong enough to last longer but B is now almost 9 kg and it makes the buggy very top heavy and potentially unstable when going up and down kerbs or on rough tracks.

The Mountain Buggy using car seat adapters for
up to 9 kg

A couple of the tracks we've been on are shown here. These were sandy and gravelly tracks through forestry and across moorland and a very wet and muddy, leaves covered riverside track.

A sandy, rutted track across moorland

A sandy, rutted track across moorland

Muddy leaf covered track

Forestry track with rutting and puddles

Although it seems bouncy at times, the Mountain Buggy has great suspension and handled them with no problems. When its really muddy or leafy underfoot there is no problem with debris getting caught up in the wheel and grinding to a halt like some buggies. Anything that does gather just drops as clods every now and then. We've even been on tracks in woodland where we've needed to go over fallen trees and roots and it has handled it no problem. Sometimes we need to lift the buggy over obstacles and this is easy and practical to achieve.

The lie flat option works well for B and combined with the full hood and a sleeping bag borrowed from the Bugaboo (MB do some great down sleeping bags too) she is very well protected. The rain cover (need to pay extra for!) covers the whole buggy and used magnetic strips to stay on. This hasn't really been tested fully yet but I suspect we'll need to adapt this and add ties to be really secure.

Storage area with pockets and buggy brake

The storage area is ok but it could be deeper. There are loads of straps you could add extra storage onto with karabiners though - we use dry bags for this. You can also get saddle bags which we might consider for the summer. To me the brake is a little bit of a let down. It is incredibly strong, which is the important thing, no complaints there, but I wonder about durability and it can be difficult to release when wearing walking boots. I sometimes have to lift the buggy slightly to release it.

Folding handle, safety strap, bottle holder
 and window in the hood for viewing baby

A really nice feature is the viewing window in the hood to keep an eye on the little one. The handle is also great to push - very sturdy and can go into 13 different positions so no problem finding the right height. I have also used the safety strap on steep hills!

I've accessorised the buggy to suit us. As we're often out at dusk I've added reflective tape to the foot board and parts of the frame. I also use the drinks holder for a torch rather than a bottle!

All in all I'm really, really happy with our choice. The buggy can go easily on rough tracks but doesn't look out of place in a shopping centre (not that we go to many of those!). Well done Mountain Buggy - its a joy to own and roll on many more walks 10/10.

The buggy

Well, we finally made a decision and the buggy arrived today. In the end we went for the Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle as it seemed to be the best compromise between all the features and mid way in size between the Swift and the Terrain which we were originally considering.

The MB Urban Jungle www.mountainbuggy.com/uk/products/buggies/urban-jungle is Mountain Buggy's original all terrain buggy for people wanting to "live life without limit"!! With 12 inch wheels and rear suspension it's supposed to offer a smooth ride and should be able to tackle rough terrain. It is 63 cms wide and had a large seat which can go totally flat for newborns. It then goes up to age 5-6. The handle has 13 positions so can be used comfortably by everyone. The hood is generous and has an extra pop down visor. Underneath there is a great storage area with several separate pockets. The fabric is strong and gives the impression it would last a long time, as does the frame which is made from lightweight high grade aluminium. At 11 kg the Urban Jungle isn't the lightest pushchair but it's sturdy and feels much lighter. It's folds down to 103x30x63 and fits (just) into the boot of our Golf. To make it smaller the wheels could be removed easily for transport.

I can't say how it performs outside yet as we haven't been out! Exciting!

We've also bought new all terrain front wheels for the Bugaboo. B stills fits in the pram carrycot so I thought it was worth it for around the village or if I need to use my smaller car. I'll let you know how we get on with these when they arrive.

The Connecta sling and the Baby Bjorn

I had the Connecta sling on loan for 2 weeks and used it 5 times. The fit was good and B seemed comfortable enough but I only managed to use it for about 40 mins at a go before my back ached. This is mostly because at over 16 lbs B is now quite heavy! I would recommend it though. Support for the baby is good and there's a hood for either extra head support or protection from the wind. The straps have some good padding too for back support for you.

We've had B out in the Baby Bjorn too. I think it's probably more comfy to carry but possibly less comfy for the baby. Again, 30 mins seemed my limit but perhaps I'm a wimp! I wonder if B will ever take to a front carrier... she's so nosey I think she gets frustrated if she isn't facing forward! Will persevere with the Bjorn as it would get us more places than the buggy!

Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle has arrived!

We made a decision... and it's here... full report to follow!

testing the Connecta

I've borrowed a Connecta baby carrier www.connectababycarrier.co.uk from a sling library. I'm looking for a carrying solution which can work for us on a day to day basis - the Baby Bjorn seems a bit OTT for everyday. The Connecta is a similar principle but made from softer material with a few buckles. I had B in it for about 20 mins today and she fell straight to sleep... so a good endorsement so far! We'll be trying it out all week with a full report to come...

a trip with the bjorn

We tried B in the Baby Bjorn www.babybjorn.co.uk today for just the second time. The first time wasn't v successful, we hadn't practised at home first and she mostly just looked shocked! Today she was put in it when she was asleep and it seemed to work better. At just over 9 weeks old she is an impressive 7 kg so carrying her any distance is difficult. There are so many baby carriers on the market, like buggies it's a bit overwhelming. The Baby Bjorn has been around a long time and seems tried and tested. Apparently suitable from birth but I'm not convinced it's the most comfy for very little ones. B seemed more comfy than the first time round, we seemed to have it adjusted better but there isn't real head support and the harness seems to hold them on top of the legs rather than the bottom. Maybe it's us not using it correctly... Also her head was quite exposed and although she was pretty snug, her cheeks were chilly. On the good side, the Bjorn is well made with v good back support for the wearer.

Anyway, we walked about 3 miles and she slept most of the time. A good result and we'll keep using it but I'm keen to try other baby carriers to compare. Tomorrow, the Connecta www.connectababycarrier.com ..

a mountain buggy?

The other day we went on a short ramble along a track. It wasn't particularly rough but we got stuck in all the fallen leaves. At the moment we are using my SIL's Bugaboo, for which I'm v grateful. It's been great for B when she's small and while I'm getting my fitness back. However, after a few dodgy jaunts on rough tracks it's clear we're going to need something tougher. I looked at a lot of buggies online when I was pregnant but back then I was a bit overwhelmed at the selection. What do we need in a buggy? What are the pros and cons of each feature? I gave up, knowing we had the bugaboo to use when she was born.

So...what are we looking for in a buggy?

It needs to be able to handle 'normal' rough tracks. Like forestry tracks. Somethings will always limit access - stiles, fences, narrow trails. But if there is a decent-ish track there we want to be able to take it. We know a buggy won't get everywhere but if we can find one which gives us the best chance possible we'll be happy bunnies.

The Out n About Nipper was recommended to us http://www.outnabout.com/products/nipper-360-single.asp. Its a 10 inch 3 wheeler and looks pretty good. Good price too at around £250. And 9.8 kg is an ok weight.

Then there is Mountain Buggy http://mountainbuggy.com/uk/. The name is definitely appealing! The Swift and the Terrain seem like the two most suitable models. The Swift http://mountainbuggy.com/uk/Products/buggies/swift#.UoT9RKJFD4g  is v like the Out n About Nipper - a bit lighter at 9.5 kg and narrower, but again has 10 inch wheels.  At £400 its a bit more expensive.

The Terrain http://mountainbuggy.com/uk/Products/buggies/terrain#.UoT9V6JFD4g is marketed as Mountain Buggy's premier jogging buggy with 'precision engineering'. It has 16 inch wheels but is a hefty 13.5 kg.

The Mountain Buggy website features video clips of the buggies in action -the Terrain is taken through a forest and ends up in the sea with a lovely mountain backdrop! V clever advertising!

I'm pretty taken with the Terrain but it is pricey - £569. Is it worth £200-300 more than the Swift or Nipper? The massive wheels look great for off roading but will it look silly on the streets around the village? Although I've just noticed you can get 12 inch wheels to swop for those more mundane trips...

Ideally we'd love to take B wild camping in Scotland next summer and have an idea for a trip on a good forestry track into a lovely Glen. If the buggy can carry B plus some gear, that would be fab. Or perhaps we should just carry our stuff? So many decisions!!

Intro to us

My husband and I are outdoorsy types - birdwatchers, naturalists, conservationists both at work and in our spare time. Weekends are spent walking, birding, botanising when we can. Our life also seems to centre around holidays - always excitedly planning for the next one be it a couple of nights away or a 3 week trip. Often we're under canvas in one of our trusty tents (recommend Terranova Quasar! http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/tents-and-spares/all-tents/quasar-tent/). For the past few years our summer holiday has been a big adventure for us - 3 weeks camping in Alaska and two trips to Arctic Sweden hiking and carrying all our stuff for 2 weeks at a time. These are the times when we are able to dedicate our days to the natural world and we totally relax.

Trusty Terranova, Sweden

Stream crossing, Sweden

Cooking in the rain, Sweden



View from the tent, Glen Einich, Cairngorms

In September, we became parents for the first time to a beautiful little girl. This marked the start of a new life as a threesome.  Its a funny thing to happen and we're just starting to get our heads round the fact that we are parents and now responsible adults! But everyday I look at our daughter I wonder and dream of the adventures the three of us will have together. Different adventures to the type we are used to maybe but better and more exciting because we're a family and every experience will be new to her and even in a small way will shape and influence the person she'll grow into.

It is important to us that we try to keep up our outdoor lifestyle and take our daughter along with us. We want to give her as many exciting experiences as possible and expose her to the wonder of the natural world. But I don't mean that we are trying to force her interest in it. It doesn't matter what path she chooses in life. We ask only that she is happy, takes opportunities that are given to her and is kind and respectful to others. She may have no interest in the outdoors or the natural world as she grows up but we hope she has an adventurous spirit which will help her in later life.

But all children love animals - just look at how many toys and books have an animal theme. I love this quote by David Attenborough:

"When people ask me, ‘How did you get interested in animals?’ I reply, ‘How on Earth did you lose your interest in them?’ Every child is interested in animals.”
David Attenborough

Its also well known now that being outdoors has a positive impact on well being and health  http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/355439-just-one-in-five-uk-children-connected-to-nature-groundbreaking-study-finds and scarily, only 20% of children have a connection with nature http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/connecting-with-nature_tcm9-354603.pdf.

I don't what my child to be in that 80%.

So this blog attempts to document some of our adventures, some of the gear we use and where we go. When I was pregnant I looked on the internet for advice on what buggy to buy, how to take kids camping, what baby carrier is best etc etc. Info was hard to find. So I'll post anything I think might be interesting or useful here too.