Tuesday, September 3. 2019
The Bushcraft Bothier - Back At The Shack
On this episode I go on a bothy weekender with my new squeeze: 'The Walking Pole' (she walks and she's Polish, get it?).
Thursday, August 8. 2019
The Bushcraft Bothier - Fear And Loathing On The Cape Wrath Trail
Continuing on from where I left the trail last year, I cover ground from Morvich (near Shiel Bridge) to the beautiful village of Ullapool. This is the second stage of my CWT section hike over some of Scotland's most rugged terrain. Next year I plan on returning to complete the final section from Ullapool to Cape Wrath lighthouse.
Monday, June 24. 2019
The Bushcraft Bothier - Turning Your Tarp Into A Tent
Alright you twisted freaks! On this episode I go on a little woodland camp with fellow YouTubers 'Renegade Scot' and 'Walk With Wallace' to test out my DD 3x3 Tarp in a tent configuration, using one of my most hated outdoor accoutrements: the dreaded walking pole (most favoured by the worst breed of 'Outdoor Knobber': the tragically shameful 'Imperial Pole Walker'). Sadly, I found that there is an actual use for the likes of a walking pole (other than a zimmer frame replacement). Fortunately, it has nothing whatsoever to do with compensating for your arthritic legs and geriatric-like knees.
Tuesday, June 11. 2019
The Bushcraft Bothier - YouTubers' Bothy Bad Craziness
On this episode I go on a bothy overnighter with fellow YouTubers: 'Renegade Scot' & 'Walk With Wallace'. The amount of footage taken was a bit overwhelming, and most of it was completely unusable given our condition by the end of it, however, I've managed to subtly sift through enough of it to produce almost fifteen minutes worth of somewhat politically correct material that is almost Generation Snowflake friendly.
Sunday, June 9. 2019
The Bushcraft Bothier - Makin' Bacon (Curin' & Smokin')
This is a bit of a follow-up episode to my 'Making A Cold Smoker' video, where I take you through all the steps necessary to cure and smoke some top quality badass bitchin' bacon. The whole process shouldn't take you any longer than nine or ten days, but the end result is worth all the effort.
Monday, May 27. 2019
The Bushcraft Bothier - Camping In The Woods With Aliens & Badgers
On this episode I go on a little overnight hammock camp with my good friends Dawn and Ray to a nearby woodland setting. This is the politically incorrect edit of the trip, so if you've got kids watching either put earmuffs on them or go check out Ray's (more politically correct) version of the trip here.
This campsite is a fantastic place which the owners like to keep relatively quiet and low key, however, I got invited along because my friends had been there before.
The owners of this woodland promote a more rustic camping experience which is set in a beautiful piece of Scottish woodland. With a small selection of bothy/cabin-like buildings dotted around the area, the pitches are well spaced out, each with its own fire pit and spacious surroundings.
This is a truly fantastic place which is a well-kept local secret, and I'll hopefully be returning to it again in the not too distant future.
Friday, May 17. 2019
The Bushcraft Bothier - Making A Cold Smoker
On this episode I show you how to build a cold smoker from an old pedal bin before running it through a couple of beta tests. This video was inspired by YouTube channel 'English Country Life' and their excellent series on how to home cure bacon.
Sunday, March 17. 2019
The Bushcraft Bothier - What A Personal Disaster
Perhaps a slightly overdramatic title, but sometimes things just don't quite pan out the way you intended.
Tuesday, March 12. 2019
The Bushcraft Bothier - Kit Prep, Kettle Smoker & Woodland Recce
On this episode I run through my kit list for a forthcoming 4 to 5 day trip, go on a little woodland recce to try scope out a suitable location for building a bushcraft shelter, and showcase my wood roaster & kettle smoker.
Monday, February 25. 2019
The Bushcraft Bothier - Undisclosed Bushcraft Camp
On this episode of 'The Bushcraft Bothier' I go on a little recce to scope out an alleged bushcraft camp and shelter that is rumoured to exist in some local woodlands, in an effort to get a few ideas of what might be involved in a potential future project of my own.
Wednesday, February 6. 2019
The Bushcraft Bothier - The Cateran Trail
The Cateran Trail is a 103 kilometre (64 mile) circular walking route in central Scotland. The trail has no official beginning or end and can be joined at any stage. The route was established, way-marked and is now maintained by, the Perth & Kinross Countryside Trust. A variety of terrain is covered by the trail including farmland, mountains and forest. The path itself follows old drovers' roads, minor paved roads and farm tracks and can be walked in four or five days. It is now designated as one of Scotland's Great Trails by Scottish Natural Heritage. As of 2018 it was estimated that around 8,000 people were using the trail each year.
The trail is named after the Caterans: groups of highlanders who from the 1300s until the 1600s supplemented their subsistence income by rustling cattle from the relatively prosperous glens before driving them back to the upland areas. It goes without saying that those living in the glens did not appreciate the activities of the Caterans and raids were often followed by running battles with many killed as cattle owners tried to recover their livestock.
Friday, January 4. 2019
The Bushcraft Bothier - Hogmanay Hot Tent Hack
There are many ways to spend the transition from one year to the next. Some people go to the pub, others spend it with close family and friends. For me, I opted for a two night winter camp at Loch Tummel where I pitched my teepee tent and centrally heated it with an Aladdin Blue Flame Paraffin Heater.
Monday, December 31. 2018
The Bushcraft Bothier - Xmas Avoidance Strategy 2018
It's that time of year again when I feel the urge to get out of Dodge and escape the excessive consumerism that has sadly become Christmas. On this episode I catch a cold, eat lots of steak, slow cook a leg of lamb on top of the bothy stove, talk about my wood processing tools, and listen to an audiobook about 'The Skinwalker'. This video is concluded with a nice little time-lapse of my walk out on Boxing Day using my new GoPro Hero 7 Black. So join me, ladies and gentlemen, for my 2018 Xmas Avoidance Strategy (or 'Brexmas' as I have come to refer to it) and maybe next year you too will make the decision to escape what has ultimately become nothing other than a huge commercial anti-climax.
Thursday, November 8. 2018
The Bushcraft Bothier - Remote Overnighter Testing The GoPro Hero 7 Black
After saving a pile of cash from undergoing the Sober October ordeal, I recently decided to invest in a new action camera: the GoPro Hero 7 Black. So, in order to test it out I decided to take it on a solo overnighter to a remote Scottish bothy. All the footage was shot at 2.7k as I wasn't sure how long the memory card would last, however, in retrospect I probably should've shot everything in 4k to get a better idea of the quality. You may however notice that I made a bit of a schoolboy error near the end of the video by forgetting that I'd been playing around with the zoom function, however, all in all, I'm pretty happy with the footage captured, especially the quality of the audio which has been a bone of contention for me in all my previous videos.
Sunday, October 28. 2018
The Bushcraft Bothier - Channel Preview
A little intro/preview video I put together to help promote my YouTube channel. Note: Music is written and performed by Lung (a band I played bass for during the late 1990s).
Monday, October 8. 2018
The Bushcraft Bothier - Baking Sourdough 101
On this episode of 'The Bushcraft Bothier' I deviate somewhat from my usual format of wild camping and visiting remote mountain bothies, to bring you a 101 on baking sourdough bread.
Tuesday, October 2. 2018
The Bushcraft Bothier - Spoon Carving, Cheeseburgers & Social Anxiety
A two-nighter at one of my favourite mountain bothies - where spoons were carved, cheeseburgers were munched and social anxiety was discussed.
Monday, August 20. 2018
The Bushcraft Bothier - Wild Woodland Hammock Camp
A two-nighter involving a wild woodland hammock camp followed by a bothy and a spot of unsuccessful fishing.
Friday, July 20. 2018
James Inman: The Cold War & The Trump Treason Rabbit Hole
The U.S. and the Russians had over 25,000 nuclear tipped missiles pointed at each other during the Cold War (still have over 8000) and we almost destroyed all life on the planet accidentally several times. Not just once. Several times we nearly set off the goddam apocalypse by a misplaced cunt hair.
Here's the deal. I know Trump sucks. But he's a product of the Cold War like we all are. I think whether you're a Republican or Democrat, dove or hawk, deep inside, we all knew eventually one day we would make friends with the Russians because the Cold War was fucking insane. After Trump's Helsinki steaming turd trip does anyone find it just a tad hilarious to watch all these geriatric blind distempered hawk Cold Warriors lose their shit? Come on. It's comedy gold. Obviously, he's not doing what they want him to do. Something's up and they're not getting their way like they ALWAYS get their way. This time he didn't say what they wanted him to say. So the fuck what? The CIA has been treating our own presidents like their own puppets to put their OWN words up our leader's ass. Maybe this time a President said, "You know what? I'm cool. I can speak for myself thank you. You do know you work for me right? Not the other way around. I'm the elected leader. No one really elects you. You guys have been slinging the same shit for 70 fucking years and not much has changed. Whether you like me or not that's how our system works. I think, if I'm not mistaken, Eisenhower warned us about you fuckers."
What did Mueller do during the Anthrax Attack? Oh, right I forgot, he tried to pin it on a lone nut when it couldn't have possibly been Bruce Ivins. It would have taken him 6000 man hours to make those spores. Have we ever seen the 70 some videos of what hit the Pentagon? Nope. The FBI couldn't even get all the hijackers straight because more than a few showed up alive after they were dead. They never even said "Anyone can fake a passport!". They just wanted us to believe they were dangerous, clever, evil terrorists from the Middle East somewhere, so we could start Operation Oil Change. And we were told our intelligence agencies dropped the ball on 9-11. Mistakes were made. I think they were still high on that MKULTRA acid when they came up with the plan if you ask me. That shit was pure Sandoz.
I don't support Trump but I also don't support our intelligence agencies. They're not doing what you think they're doing. They want more war like a hard on. Trump probably doesn't want to go into Syria. They've been planning this war on terror since before 9-11. Remember the plan? They want to control 7 countries in the Middle East and Syria is the next one on the chopping block. Trump is probably getting cold feet because he knows it's going to mean war with Russia. He's stupid but not that stupid. In the Tao te Ching it says you'll always be safe with a selfish man because he wants to save his own golf course and own back yard. An ideological man will fuck shit up every time. The higher the ideals the lower the results. A real Capitalist like Trump wants to save his own ass. He's practical. Fuck ideals. What are they worth when we're all dead?
Continue reading "James Inman: The Cold War & The Trump Treason Rabbit Hole"
Wednesday, July 11. 2018
The Bushcraft Bothier - Wild Camp & 100th Bothy
A three day solo adventure involving me burning my fingers, wild camping and bagging my 100th bothy.
Monday, July 9. 2018
Jonestown @ The Bongo Club 2003
Many moons ago I played bass guitar in a band called Jonestown. Recently I acquired a rare recording of our first ever gig at The Bongo Club in Edinburgh (circa 2003), where we supported The Starry Wisdom Cult.
All music and lyrics written and performed by Jonestown.
Thursday, June 7. 2018
The Bushcraft Bothier - Bothy Bagging & Hammock Camping
A three day solo adventure into the Scottish wilderness to scope out a couple of bothies and spend an evening wild hammock camping.
Sunday, May 13. 2018
The Bushcraft Bothier - I'm Scared Of It All
'I'm Scared of It All' is a poem written by Robert William Service.
This poem is spoken through someone that feels trapped in "the haste and the waste of it all", meaning civilisation. The first stanza voices the speaker's distaste of the "terrible town" and all of the big flashy aspects of society. Then, in the second stanza, he talks of the solitude and rawness of different aspects of the wild and states, "I know that I'm safer up there". Throughout the third stanza, the reader gets a description of the unfriendly faces of society and how lonely the speaker feels despite the crowds surrounding him. This is followed by another stanza illustrating the highlights of nature and then two criticising society's materialism. In the final stanzas, the speaker concludes that, "nature is best after all" and decides to abandon civilisation for the wild.
Monday, April 30. 2018
The Bushcraft Bothier - Mountain Bothies Of The Cairngorms
A circular five day hiking trip through Scotland's Cairngorms exploring the mountain bothies in the region.
Cairngorms National Park is located in northeast Scotland. Officially established as a park in 2003, it is Britain’s largest National Park and located within the heart of the Scottish Highlands. The park has a large upland plateau, and is categorised as a “protected landscape” which allows for limited development within its borders.
Wednesday, April 18. 2018
The Bushcraft Bothier - Cape Wrath Trail
Video documenting my April 2018 attempt of the Cape Wrath Trail.
The trail chewed me up and spat me out of course, but my unfinished business with this hike may be tackled again sooner than expected.
The Cape Wrath Trail (CWT) is a hiking route that runs through the Scottish Highlands and along the west coast of Scotland.
Depending on the route taken it can be well over 200 miles in length and is considered to be one of the most challenging long distance walks in the UK. Despite not being an officially recognised National Trail it has grown to be one of the most highly regarded backpacking routes, attracting hikers from around the world.
Officially the trail is not endorsed by the Scottish Natural Heritage and it is not waymarked or signposted. Facilities along the trail are also minimal and it covers some of the remotest parts of mainland Britain.
The CWT is also part of the International Appalachian Trail (IAT) and with many remote mountain bothies en route, it is a bothy bagging extravaganza.