Planning

Trail talk: the Pembrokeshire Coast Path: a backpacking itinerary

There are many ways to tackle the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Section-hike, thru-hike, bed & breakfast or backpacking. If camping, which to choose- campsites or wildcamping? What follows is simply how Three Points of the Compass tackled it in September 2022.

Trail talk: Maps and guidebooks for the Pennine Bridleway

The Pennine Bridleway is a peculiar trail. Not only is it multi-user, it has a couple of add-on loops and link routes, and... years after it opened, it still isn't complete! Finding maps and guidebooks for both planning and use on trail can be a challenge in itself. I know, as I searched them down in advance of my own hike in summer 2022

Trail talk: Harvey maps

Harvey have been producing excellent maps since the 1970s. Convenient scales, waterproof paper, lightweight, what's not to like?

Trail talk: weighing fuel canisters

Three Points of the Compass believes there are two essential tools required when looking at fuel requirements for a backpacking trip. These are digital scales and a sharpie

Trail talk: returning to my ‘not-so-local local walk’

Three Points of the Compass recently took himself out for a days hike around the local hills, slopes, woods and fields- a 'not-so-local local walk'

Map measurer of the month: the Silva scale lanyard

The scale lanyard from compass manufacturer Silva is an interesting innovation but ultimately a failure in design

Trail talk: measuring gradients with a slope card

Slope cards can be a useful tool when planning a route or determining the risk of avalanche

Trail talk: A brief history of rambling guides for Kent

“Kent includes within it every variety of scenery which can […]

Gear talk: 2020 tweaks to trail electronics

Always on the lookout for an opportunity to shave a little weight from my pack, or just refine a system, without compromising either safety or effectiveness, I recently had a […]

Trail talk: FREE London walking maps- Sporting occasion

This is a final glance at the free paper maps […]

Trail talk: FREE London walking maps- Royal occasion

The British love a royal occasion, well at least most […]

Trail talk: FREE maps for walking in London- Transport for London

Three Points of the Compass recently looked at the FREE […]

Trail talk: A brief history of FREE maps for walking in London

London is pretty big. While the City of London is […]

Map measurers

Map measurer, opisometer, curvimetre, mile-o-graph, meilograph, chartometer, call them what you will, in the era of digital mapping, who uses such an antique analogue object today? Well, Three Points of […]

Trail talk: Hiking in Menorca: the GR 223

The Camí de Cavalls– the Horse’s Path Menorca is a fairly small island in the western Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the Balearic Islands, an archipelago of Spain, near […]

Gear talk: What gear wears out on a long hike?

Lightweight modern gear can be surprisingly tough. With care much […]

Trail food- lentil curry

Three Points of the Compass was talking to another long distance hiker a couple of days ago and I was asked what I favoured as an evening meal on trail. […]

Trail talk: The South Downs Way in winter- water sources

Three Points of the Compass walked the South Downs Way […]

Three Points of the Compass- I’ve done it!

It took a month longer than I thought it would, […]

Six days until my ‘Big Walk’- Food, water…. and wine

“If you can drink the water I will drink the […]