In this episode we talk to Richard Newsome — Mountain Bothies Association volunteer, responsible for Rohoish Bothy and involved in wider MBA work across the West Highland Way.

What we cover:

• Why bothies create such a strong emotional pull for walkers

• What actually happens on a maintenance visit

• The strangest things Richard has found behind a bothy door

• Vandalism, rubbish, winter conditions — and why none of it has put him off

• Memorable nights: Burns Night in a bothy and strangers who become friends

• The story of how the West Highland Way led Richard to move to Scotland and meet his wife

• The one thing every first-time bothy visitor should know

Mentioned:

• Rohoish Bothy

• Strathcailleach (Cape Wrath)

• Greg’s Hut (Cross Fell, Pennine Way)

• Mountain Bothies Association (MBA)

A father and son take on the Alpine Crossing of the E5 — the section that starts in Germany, crosses Austria, and finishes in Italy. It’s six days of demanding terrain, high passes, long descents and huge scenery. In this conversation, Andy and Scott talk through:

• What the E5 actually is (and why most people only walk the Alpine bit)

• Their tough but brilliant first two days: steep climbs, vast snowfields, and the famous Zams Gorge

• Staying in the Bella Vista refuge and crossing into Italy on foot

• Their favourite moment on the whole route – a narrow ridge on day two with a 360° view of the Alps

Trail:
The E5 Alpine Crossing — a 120–200 km (depending how many cable cars/buses you dodge) high-level route from Oberstdorf in Germany to Vernagt/Vernago in Italy, crossing deep valleys, snowfields, exposed gorges and Tyrolean villages.

Rob chats with adventurer and writer Elise Downing and her dad Dave about their five-day trip around the Tour des Fiz, a quiet alpine loop near Chamonix. They talk about choosing this as Dave’s first big outing after hip surgery, the joy of slower days, navigating tiny French huts, run-ins with sheepdogs, gear they always carry, and why this lesser-known trail is such a good entry point for hut-to-hut hiking.

• What and where the Tour des Fiz actually is
• Why they chose this as a comeback adventure
• Slow, short days and why they loved the change of pace
• The difference between this trail and the Tour du Mont Blanc
• Hut life: tiny dorms, friendly hosts, and endless cheese
• Wildlife highlights (marmots, ibex, the world’s angriest sheepdog)
• Walking as a father and daughter — silence, pace, and faff etiquette
• What they carried and the kit they swear by
• Elise’s wider philosophy on accessible adventure
• Why this route is ideal for beginners to hut-to-hut hiking
• Their standout moments — and the one they never want to relive

What We Cover

In this episode Rob talks to Juls Stodel, a trustee for the Mountain Bothies Association.

It's a rich conversation. Here's what we cover.

• How finishing the Wales Coast Path led to giving up her flat and starting a 15-month journey through Britain’s bothies

• Why she avoided a “pure foot” approach and mixed walking with hitchhiking and buses to prioritise experience over mileage

• The postcard system she invented — and the unexpected friendship it sparked with a stranger from Skye

• A chaotic three-day slog to Greg’s Hut involving a £9 children’s sled, deep snow, fog and type-two fun at its finest

• What a typical bothy night actually feels like, from quiet evenings to 2am arrivals

• The emotional comfort of seeing a gable end after a brutal day in the weather

• How bothies preserve the history of ordinary people — crofters, workers, families — and why that matters

• The role of the Mountain Bothies Association and the unseen work involved in keeping the doors open for everyone

• The Bothy Code, and why litter is currently the biggest threat to the system

• Small kindnesses and unforgettable encounters: stew-carrying ex-army lads, shared candles, and strangers becoming lifelong friends

• The thin line between adventure and exhaustion — and how to tell whether you're being brave or being stupid

• Living out of a backpack for years, and how it changes your sense of what “stuff” really matters

• Schizophrenia, survival, and the deeper emotional journey behind choosing a life of simplicity and meaning outdoors

• Advice for your first bothy: where to go, what to bring, and how to ease into it with confidence

• Juls’ favourite bothy of all — the magical Guìrdil on the Isle of Rùm

  
  

  Find out more at https://www.mountainbothies.org.uk

In this episode of the podcast, Rob talks to Andy Dickson about his Glimpse of Everest trek in Nepal – a condensed Everest Base Camp route that stops at Tengboche Monastery, giving you that first clear view of Everest without pushing further into the highest, most committing part of the trail.

Andy talks about juggling a demanding career in financial services with a deep pull towards the mountains, and what it meant to finally scratch the Everest itch with his wife and youngest son.

We cover everything from the sensory overload of Kathmandu to the slow, careful climb through tea houses, an altitude scare, and a freezing night at almost 4,500 metres. And then there’s the moment it all comes together: standing in fresh snow at dawn, prayer flags crossing the foreground, watching the very first light touch the summit of Everest.

It’s an honest look at high-altitude trekking, family adventure, and why you probably shouldn’t wait until you’re retired to do the big trips.

• What the Glimpse of Everest trek actually is, and why Andy chose it over the full Everest Base Camp route
• First impressions of Kathmandu – chaos, queues, culture shock and kindness
• Life in the tea houses – tin roofs, plywood walls, hot water bottles, and very thin insulation
• An altitude scare: Janice’s symptoms, the reality of high-altitude medicine, and seeing someone evacuated by helicopter
• Temperature swings: trekking in a t-shirt by day, wearing seven layers and a Tibetan “tea-cosy” hat by night
• The sunrise moment at Tengboche – standing in fresh snow, watching the first light hit Everest
• The small details that stick: suspension bridges packed with loaded animals, Tibetan flags, bells, and the taste of dal bhat and Tibetan bread
• How different places around the world approach adventure – and the particular feel of Nepal
• Andy’s honest advice to anyone dreaming of the Himalaya but hesitating to go

In this Episode we talk to Sara — travel designer, long-distance walker, and creator of the Instagram account The Last Invaders - about her West Highland Way adventure.

• What drew her from Italy to the West Highland Way

• Planning mistakes, last-minute fixes, and the realities of walking 20km a day

• How the weather turned out nothing like she hoped

• The proposal on the edge of Loch Lomond

• What it’s like to walk a big trail with your partner

• Baggage transfer vs carrying everything yourself

• Food, midges, favourite sections, and unexpected quietness on the trail

• Scottish hospitality and the joy of tiny bed-and-breakfast conversations

• What she’d do differently — and why she’d walk it again tomorrow

In this episode Al and Richard talk about their adventure on the GR221 in Mallorca. They definitely wanted this trail to feel like holiday so they gave themselves time each day to finish in time for an unhurried cold drink in the evening.

Hear about what they packed, what they saw and how they changed their approach to walking after seeing how the locals took on the trails.

Today’s guest is Craig Dickson, a keen hiker who’s completed long-distance routes all over Europe — from the West Highland Way and Alta Via 1 to the Tour du Mont Blanc. But in this episode, he takes us to Switzerland and Italy for something a little different: the Tour of the Matterhorn, often mistaken for the Haute Route.

In this episode:

• Craig explains how the Tour of the Matterhorn compares to the better-known Haute Route.

• Why the first day felt like walking through a movie — wildflower meadows, glaciers, and perfect weather.

• The terrifying second day when a thunderstorm forced them to take refuge under a boulder.

• What life’s really like in Alpine huts — from shared dorms to cheese sandwiches.

• The moment they turned a corner and saw the Matterhorn reappear at the end of their loop.

• Why Craig calls this route “Europe’s hidden gem” and who it’s best suited for.