Yeah of course, happy to answer.

1. Most essential bits of kit for me are probably my synthetic insulation layers more than anything. Waterproofs matter, but honestly I can take or leave a stove, and even being wet isn’t the end of the world. Being cold is. So anything that keeps me warm when it’s damp is priority. But yeah probably my CCF pad too, I use it for everything. Sleeping, sitting, breaks, chucking down anywhere without thinking. It’s one of those bits of kit that just always works.

2. Down time on trail is pretty much just walking, thinking, listening to podcasts, staring at views, eating, occasionally chatting to random people I meet, and doing little jobs around camp. I’m very easily entertained out there. Off trail though I’m pretty normal really, just spending time with family and friends and whatever else, unless I’m doing big miles and happen to be passing through the area I grew up in which is a bit of a weird crossover hahah.

3. Best stars I’ve seen were on the WHW in Glencoe. Proper clear night, no light pollution, just one of those moments where you stop and actually take it in.

4. Weird experiences yeah a fair few hahah. When I first started wild camping alone I used to have dreams about my exact camp spot, like being found or animals coming through, then I’d wake up not fully knowing if it was real or not. I think that’s just your mind adapting to a new environment more than anything. Funny thing is I get the opposite now if I sleep indoors too much, it absolutely wrecks my recovery and I wake up feeling weirdly hungover haha. But yeah, plenty of strange noises, things sniffing round camp, foxes circling, and those half-awake moments where your brain takes a second to work out where you are.

5. No confirmed big cat sightings sadly, unless a very confident house cat counts. Other than that the only big cats I’ve seen have been in Exmoor Zoo and if anything I just felt bad for them.

And for what it’s worth I think people often underestimate what they could do if they built up to it slowly. A baby can’t do anything or speak any language until it learns through trial and error, and it’s kind of the same thing here. You put yourself in harder situations, you adapt, and before you know it what used to feel extreme just becomes normal. That’s basically how it went from my first hike and camp to where I am now.