Author Archives: Scoop T Newshound

Dutch Oven Cooking

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Ever since I got back into this camping and hiking malarky I’ve had a hankering to sort a cooking system where rather than putting pots and pans directly on the fire, we could suspend them over it. We have had lots of success suspending legs of lamb etc but it’s not quite the same as […]

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Four Seasons In One Day

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It’s always hard to know what to expect from the weather in Northern Ireland as we have a famously changeable climate, however we also have a nicely precise Meteorological Office who can generally provide a fairly accurate 3 day forecast. We watched the outlook with a compulsion for the whole week leading up to our […]

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Making Your Own Solid Fuel For Stoves

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Hexamine solid fuel tablets are a simple means to cook in a way that requires minimum equipment or in an emergency. The British armed forces used to get solid fuel stoves that used Hexamine in their MRE ration packs meaning they had all the food they needed for a day along with a means of […]

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Bullseye Bivvy Round 2 – Slieve Donard Saddle

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It was February 2012 that Dowser came up with a new idea for selecting camping spots. We were finding that we relentlessly went to the same places repeatedly and knew we were missing out on the opportunity to explore and find new areas. The flash of inspiration was beautifully old school simple – a dart […]

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Ultralight Camping & Hiking Tips

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Anyone can get out for a nice night in the open air. There are no shortage of campsites where you can park the car by the tent, bring a gas cooker, comfy bed and if needs be, a portable satellite TV system. It’s unbelievably easy. You can visit Argos in the morning with absolutely no […]

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A Quick Look At Head Torches

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Head torches are an essential item for hiking. Either because of an overnight camp or just as a safety item, a decent head torch should be taken on most outings (I keep one in a first aid kit). However, not all torches are created equal and choosing one suitable for your needs is important. If it’s […]

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1 Year a WILDER 1 Year a WISER

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This following wee write up is a look at my first year on NI-WILD from our first hike back in the Mournes in about 20yrs to an amazing Christmas camp with about 25 other bods and a full Christmas dinner and a few wee libations. It all started at the end of last year on […]

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The NI-Wild 2013 Mountain Christmas Dinner

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At the start of December 2013 we had our usual mountain Christmas dinner. With the comings and goings it was hard to get an accurate headcount but probably 25-30 or more gathered around an open fire surrounded by fairy lights to have a full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and most camped out overnight. We sat […]

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New Gear and Finding Percy Bysshe Cave

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As the weather forecast was to be good over the weekend we decided to head out to Annalong wood to test out some new gear and hopefully find Percy Bysshe cave.. My new cheap and cheerful cooking system which will be used in all forests from now on providing I will be lighting a camp […]

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My First Mourne Mountain Marathon Race

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I’ve done a good few races over the years but this one was making me have butterflies.  probably due to the fact that It wasn’t just a start and finish away you go but involved map reading and getting to clues.  I entered with Rich who I met on the forum. His map reading was […]

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