Guest blog by Greg Wilson, MD of Wilderness Escapes
Wilderness Escapes is an idea that was literally born out of years spent sitting around a campfire in some remote lake or loch far from civilisation. The silence of these places is at first startling, but then is soon replaced by the sounds of nature and natural phenomena. In the past a friend and I would paddle from our ‘put in’ point in a 17ft Canadian open boat canoes for miles, searching here and there for beautiful hidden places that were just right in terms of beauty, splendour, majesty and as far away from the hustle and bustle as is reasonably possible.
Over time there was occasion when the weather simply unleashed itself upon us and as naively prepared as we were in those days it gave us lots to talk about after re-lighting the fire, drying out and opening some fine single malt.
Bit by bit we slowly became wiser, balancing size and weight of equipment against what we needed and its versatility. Logistics are the key to running any operation and our safari style trips involve a lot of logistics – all drawn together after many years of running such trips and constantly improving the way they happened.
I ran an expedition several years ago through the Great Glen (60mile canoe trip) to help raise money for charity. We needed a group shelter and so I devised and built my very own 6-man Camp Fire tent prototype based on an old Bill Mason design from the book – ‘The Song of the Paddle’. It incorporates a wood burning stove which revolutionised the way in which we ran trips from then on. It provided a more than comfortable environment we could cook, dry our wet clothes and socialise freely in whatever the weather.
Having the wood stove opened up new opportunities for improving the quality of food we ate, and with one of us being a chef then it wasn’t long before mealtimes on camp became a sacred occasion. You just can’t beat eating five star quality food washed down with fine wine in your very own restaurant, located on a beautiful shoreline shrouded by mountains.
I am an environmentalist at heart and have held a keen interest in nature since childhood. I look at the world and think of it as Planet A – there is no Planet B….every organism alive today on our planet is by definition the most successful that has ever lived. Our world is full of wonder.
Wilderness Escapes holds a firm commitment to being environmentally friendly and our core purpose is to enable our guests to experience places they would not ordinarily be able to access and perhaps, learn a little whilst they are there.
I guarantee that our destinations are simply stunning – a bit like the popular inspirational art and images of landscapes that live on everyone’s walls. I suspect that as you are reading this you will have such an image hanging not too far away. Imagine if you could actually be inside the image…..what would you do next?
All of our holidays include transfers to and from the nearest airport or train station, all food, drink (Inc alcohol), accommodation and activities are included in the package. We make it easy for our guests to visit wild places, have fun and enjoy the luxurious environment we have created.
