The Right Kit

One thing which spending time in all weathers in the hills of Scotland has taught us is the importance of having the right kit. We've never been fussed about brand or looks: what we take out walking with us has to be functional. So I could have bought a far more fancy camera than the Panasonic DMC FZ-200 I've carried for several years, but the fact that it's light in weight is so important - and that it is easy to use and has a fast burst speed.

In the last couple of weeks I've gone mad and bought two new pieces of kit. Until now, I have rarely carried binoculars, other than small pocket ones, as using the zoom on the camera does a reasonable job, but watching so many birds in dense woodland and out over wide mudflats persuaded me that a pair would get good use. I could have bought something really expensive but I've gone for a Nikon Monarch 7 10x42, and I'm very please with it.

Probably the most important bit of kit in hill walking is the boots. For years we've both had leather boots which I've kept waterproof with old-fashioned dubbin but, as the upper picture shows, we've just bought something much lighter in weight. Mine are Saloman boots, and I bought them because, while we are still doing some heavy walking across marshy and broken land, most of it is now much easier. The old leather boots are still in working order, and will continue to get good use on the rougher, wetter walks.

Nothing, however, has revolutionised hill walking more than this machine. As well as apps which have maps and satellite views of the land we're crossing, I have an app which gives the weather, one which measures the distance we've travelled, one which has a compass, and one which gives a ten-figure grid reference correct to about 12 metres; and the machine's a 'phone. From a safety point of view, these last two are magic.