Chris Townsend

Grantown on Spey

Blogger and Photographer at Chris Townsend Outdoors

Writer at The Great Outdoors

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Articles

A Sunny Walk Through The Lairig Ghru to An Garbh Choire

1 week ago | christownsendoutdoors.com | Chris Townsend

Early April has been a time of warmth and sunshine. A fewdays ago I sat on the summit of Cairn Gorm, shirt sleeves rolled up, gazing atthe golden-brown hills, thesnow on which I’d camped less than three weeks before gone. It felt andlooked more like July than April. As we approach the middle of the month the weather ischanging though, the sunshine soon to be a memory. Snow is forecast for CairnGorm, rain for the glens. During the hot weather I had one overnight trip.
A video of a trip through the Lairig Ghru to An Garbh Choire in the Cairngorms

2 weeks ago | christownsendoutdoors.com | Chris Townsend

Backpacking stove gas canisters tend to be replaced when almost empty because the heat from them is no longer enough to be of use. At least ... Jetboil Stash pot & stove Heat exchangers are corrugated fins or vanes on the base of a pot that capture heat that would otherwise be lo... Paramo Katmai shirt. Pacific Northwest Trail, 2010 This summer I’ve been testing two t-shirts for The Great Outdoors (see reviews here and ...
Twenty-five years ago I was on the Arizona Trail

3 weeks ago | christownsendoutdoors.com | Chris Townsend

Journal entry. 6.00 a.m. March 29, 2000. “A calm, starry night. Woke to a myriad bird calls. A thickcrescent moon hangs over a red sandstone rock peak. To the north-west aslanting wall of coloured rock ends in a sharp cliff. The wall is split by justone steep gully. The rock is red-brown in various shades with cream bands. Asimilar wall lies to the east, this one double-tiered with a sloping band ofdesert plants between the two.
Video: the view from Ben Macdui

4 weeks ago | christownsendoutdoors.com | Chris Townsend

Backpacking stove gas canisters tend to be replaced when almost empty because the heat from them is no longer enough to be of use. At least ... Paramo Katmai shirt. Pacific Northwest Trail, 2010 This summer I’ve been testing two t-shirts for The Great Outdoors (see reviews here and ... Jetboil Stash pot & stove Heat exchangers are corrugated fins or vanes on the base of a pot that capture heat that would otherwise be lo...
Camping in the snow on the Cairngorm Plateau

4 weeks ago | christownsendoutdoors.com | Chris Townsend

Backpacking stove gas canisters tend to be replaced when almost empty because the heat from them is no longer enough to be of use. At least ... Paramo Katmai shirt. Pacific Northwest Trail, 2010 This summer I’ve been testing two t-shirts for The Great Outdoors (see reviews here and ... Jetboil Stash pot & stove Heat exchangers are corrugated fins or vanes on the base of a pot that capture heat that would otherwise be lo...
Camp in the snow on the Cairngorm Plateau with a little problem pitching the tent

1 month ago | christownsendoutdoors.com | Chris Townsend

Sitting at my desk writing to meet deadlines I tried not tolook out of the window at the blue sky and distant shining white mountains. Beingan outdoor writer means spending as much or more time on the second rather thanthe first. Would this wonderful weather and the snow last until I couldgo out? It did. Just. The forecast suggested two more days of sunshine beforethe winds increased, clouds swept in, and temperatures rose. Time for a nighton the Cairngorm Plateau.
A little video on a recent camp

1 month ago | christownsendoutdoors.com | Chris Townsend

Backpacking stove gas canisters tend to be replaced when almost empty because the heat from them is no longer enough to be of use. At least ... Paramo Katmai shirt. Pacific Northwest Trail, 2010 This summer I’ve been testing two t-shirts for The Great Outdoors (see reviews here and ... Jetboil Stash pot & stove Heat exchangers are corrugated fins or vanes on the base of a pot that capture heat that would otherwise be lo...
Geal Charn & the Water of Ailnack: A Walk In A Quiet Corner Of The Cairngorms

1 month ago | christownsendoutdoors.com | Chris Townsend

The Dorback Estate only lies some 15 kilometres from my houseyet I haven’t visited it very often. I returned after many years on a weekend whenthe forecast suggested fine weather, which meant the main Cairngorms and itsMunros were likely to be busy. I felt like going somewhere quieter. Just howquiet it turned out to be was a surprise. I saw no-one on the hills or in theglen even at a distance. It felt very remote and very lonely, not something Iexpected so close to home.
Tierra Vastra review

1 month ago | thegreatoutdoorsmag.com | Chris Townsend

The Tierra Vastra is made from the new ePe (expanded polyethylene) membrane from Gore-Tex which is fluorocarbon free – unlike the classic Gore-Tex membrane. This is a welcome development. It is an excellent jacket and suitable for year-round use, though perhaps a little heavy for summer. It’s also my Greener Choice.
Salewa Ortles 3L GTX review

1 month ago | thegreatoutdoorsmag.com | Chris Townsend

Unusually, the Ortles jacket is made from two different Gore-Tex fabrics, a durable 3-layer one on the front and upper arms and Paclite on the back, hood, and lower arms for reduced weight and increased packability. The fabrics are quite noisy and a little stiffer than on the other jackets reviewed in this test. The Ortles is the most expensive jacket tested. It is middling in weight and suitable for year-round use.