Everything I Have Learned About Hiking, Camping and Paleo In The UK and The Go Outdoors Camping Cookbook 2018

It’s that time of year again. Yes, another round of the Go Outdoors Camping Cookbook including recipes from yours truly! This is the third year I have had some of my recipes featured in the cookbook and I thought I would have fun with the whole United Kingdom theme this year. So if all you know about the UK is what you read in memes about Brexit in the last year, let me share a little about what I have been learning!

Jump to the cookbook…

Facts about the UK

Here is the low down on the United Kingdom to catch you up to speed:

The United Kingdom is made up of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Its official name is: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (I guess UKGBNI doesn’t roll off the tongue as nice as just UK).
The capitol is London.
Nowhere in England is more than 75 miles from the sea. Love this.
Chicken Tikki Masala is the national dish.
On average, the British drink over 165 million cups of tea a day.
More than 300 languages are spoken in London.
6 out of 10 of the wettest counties in the UK are in Scotland. Good to know for hike planning.
The highest point is Ben Navis of Scotland at 1,343meters (4,406ft) Of course the highest peak would, also, be the wettest.
England’s highest mountain is Scafell Pike (978 meters (3,209 ft) in the Lake District.
The highest peak in Northern Ireland is Slieve Donard in the Mourne Mountains at 852 meters (2,795 ft).
The highest mountains in Wales are in Snowdonia and include Snowdon at 1,085 meters (3,560 ft), as the highest peak in Wales.
The UK landscape has mostly knife edge ridges and high grounds with valleys in between due to thick glaciers during the ice age.

Hiking in the UK

I follow a few UK hiking blogs that have convinced me that there are actually mountains to climb in the British Isles. Here are some of my favorite posts, all saved for future reference!

The Girl Outdoors Sián is from Bristol and has an amazing wellknown outdoor blog. If you are looking for your next big adventure, she would be the person to ask. I enjoyed her Ten British Adventures To Plan This Year recently and you probably would, too.
The Jolly Hiker Barbara writes about her many travels in the UK and abroad, including some time here on the West Coast (Mt. Vernon, even!) I loved her pictures of her Hike Hadrians Wall, those lovely rolling green hills that come to my mind when I think about hiking in that area of the world. I think it comes from my love of Watership Down…
A Woman Afoot Ionna is a woman after my own heart. Her blog speaks to those of us who don’t fit the Instagram mold and don’t feel the need to live on the edge to fill our life with adventure. She shares a lot of great information about hiking solo, including her post on Hiking The West Highland Way.
Will Walks Wales Will, well, walks Wales and a bit beyond, such as the Dolomites and Pyrenees. He has walked the perimeter of Wales and its length 3 times. Did you know Wales has more than one national trail? You will enjoy his post on the Welsh 3000s, a series of the 15 highest mountains and the challenge is to do them in 24 hours.
Becky The Traveler Becky shares with us the Best Hiking Trails in Northern Ireland, in addition to other trails in Europe and Asia. She shares that since Brexit, a lot more Brits are taking their vacations right at home and maybe that means their hiking vacations, too!
Coastal Walker Ruth enjoys meandering around England. Literally. She’s been walking the perimeter of the country (over 2,500 miles) since 2010 and shares her stories on her blog of being in love with long distance hiking. Walking The English Coast: A Guide is her guide and if you want to learn about the different counties in England, this is a fun way to do it!
Where’s Mel Now Mel is a Brit technically living in Iceland but it would appear by her travels she is never there! She, also, recently shared she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and it is encouraging to see it isn’t slowing her down.
Wild About Scotland Ewan is obviously wild about Scotland and his blog reflects that. He has climbed all of the 3000ers in the UK and drives a VW camper van. How much more cool do you need to be? I enjoyed reading about becoming a Mountain Leader which sounds similar to our Mountaineers program here. But to UK standards, of course.

These are just a few bonus websites I have saved for researching future hikes…

Rough Guides I’m always a little wary when something says “ever” but I’m sure at least a few of these must be winners: The Top Ten Best Ever British Hikes
All Trails They have a United Kingdom section with a page for backpacking.

And since I have now visited the UK, you can find some of my favorite day hikes on 10 Ideas For Day Hikes On Long Distance Trails In The UK and The Go Outdoors Kids Camping Cookbook.

Blogger Friends in the UK

In the last year I have met some pretty fantastic bloggers from across the pond and I thought I would share a few that are talking about how they are managing their health concerns by following a gluten-free, paleo and/or keto diet.

Motivate Me Now Shelley’s blog will be familiar from my Friday Faves and she has started sharing her recent journey to go gluten free to battle health issues she has been having for a few years. She is already seeing some positive results and sharing them in her wonderfully motivational manner.
Pain Pals Blog Claire blogs about her chronic pain and the struggle is real when it comes to wanting to change eating habits, especially when you want to use your new bread maker. Read about how she manages her life and the pain resulting from defaulty collagen production in her body (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome). I, also, think she’s a hiker at heart. We follow a lot of the same blogs!
Chronically Hopeful Nemo’s Kitchen is where Char shares her recipes that help her deal with ME/CFS but her whole blog is filled with encouragement for those living with chronic illness. She, also, blogs openly about her faith which I think is pretty cool.

Camping in the UK

I asked Shelley (from Motivate Me Now) to tell me where her favorite spot for camping was and she gave me Clumber Park in Nottingham. I went go look it up but appears they don’t allow camping there any more! I’m so sad for her I haven’t been able to break it to her yet. Sorry, Shelley! So, here are some other great places I have found that have some beautiful scenery for pitching a tent. The Lake District, Snowdonia, Cornwall and Troytown all seem to be the places to go. Hopefully, she’ll be able to find a new fave!

Paleo in the UK

Interested in what is available for paleo resources in the United Kingdom? Here are a few folks I follow on Twitter. Paleo seems to be as popular there as it is in the States with folks taking it up it for just as many reasons.

And on to the GO Outdoors Camping Cookbook 2018

So, now that you have learned a little bit more about the countries, people, hiking, and paleo in the United Kingdom, enjoy the latest cookbook from Go Outdoors filled with delicious one-pot dishes you can cook outdoors or at home. From paleo to vegetarian to vegan, there are sure to be a few of your new favorites inside. There are three volumes (I have recipes in all three) plus a directory you can look up recipes by category. Enjoy!

For my previous posts, read Salmon Mushroom Polenta and the Go Outdoors Camping Cookbook 2017 and Raspberry Overload and the Go Outdoors Camping Cookbook!

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