The Outdoors Show 2013: New Year, New Gear

Tamsin    ash     Adventure gear, adventure holidays, Adventure Sports, climbing, The Outdoors Show, travel gear, travel kit, trekking

Now that Christmas is over and 2013 is well and truly underway, it’s the perfect time to start planning all of the adrenaline packed adventure sports you’ll be undertaking in the New Year.

Packed full of activities and new adventure gear

Whether you’ll be throwing yourself out of a plane, hurtling down a snowy mountainside or trekking through the Himalayas, the only place to go to find out what’s going to be hot and what’s not in 2013 is The Outdoors Show at London’s ExCel centre.

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Top 5 Adventure Activities In Cambodia

David Wells    ash     Bokor National Park, Camboadian Countryside, Cambodia, Cambodia Holidays, cycling, Kampot River, Kayaking, Mekong River, Scuba Diving, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, trekking

Holidays in Cambodia are famous for being enriching cultural experiences. But the country is also beginning to emerge as one of the world’s most exciting adventure activity destinations.

Enrich your cultural experience in Cambodia. Image: Flickr/ Kyle Taylor, Dream It. Do It.

This sublime Southeast Asian nation is ready to make the most of its picturesque landscape and provide the world with a new playground for adrenaline-fueled exploits.

Here’s our list of the top five ways to experience adventure in Cambodia.

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Exped pack liner or bin bags: Packing myths busted

Mark Pawlak    Trekking Gear, trekkingholidays     Bin Bags, Exped pack liner, trekking, trekking gear, trekking holidays, Waterproof gear

Keeping gear dry is never easy. Water has an uncanny ability to get everywhere and so to prevent this trekkers often use an exped pack liner, or similar, to protect their vitals.

All rucksacks waterproofed? Don't think so. Image: Flickr/ iShot71

But why bother when you can achieve the same with a bin bag or refuse sack? You’ve hundreds of them lying around the house, they cost nothing and will keep your gear dry for free.

Let’s look at what’s available on the market and weigh up whether it’s really worth the extra coin.

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Trekking in Germany: Indulge your Wanderlust

Lisa Eldridge    trekkingholidays     Bavarian Tyrol, Bode Valley, germany, Harz Mountains, Mosele, Mount Brocken, Munich, Oberammergau, Rheinsteig, Rhine, Rudesheim, The Harz Witches Trail, The Westerwald-Steig trail, trekking, trekking holidays, Trekking in Germany, Walking Holidays

Think of Germany and you may think of beer-swilling, lederhosen-wearing locals, but Germans are actually very health conscious and known for their love of walking; trekking in Germany is especially popular amongst people who live there.

Enjoying the Edersee Forest Walk. Image: ©Edersee Touristik GmbH

Over three million Germans spend their time Nordic walking along the country’s 200,000 kilometres of walking trails, whether its trekking through the silent valleys, exploring fairytale castles or meandering through alpine forests.

Germany is drenched in history and culture, and offers some incredible sights. There’s no better way to experience this amazing scenery than to get close and personal and explore the country by foot.

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Get off my %*&$ing land: Are trekkers a nuisance to landowners?

Tom Sykes    trekkingholidays     National Trust, Trek Holidays, trekking, Walking Holidays

Research suggests that 70% of Britain’s land is owned by an extremely wealthy 1% of the population. This goes some way to explaining why trekkers and hikers have such difficulties exercising their right to roam.

Trekkers keep moaning about the lack of access. Image: Flickr/ Konrad Andrews

But, so the landowners counter, there are over 140,000 miles of Public Right of Way trails that lead to almost every corner of the country, so why do people who go on walking holidays keep moaning about lack of access?

Is this “baron versus vagabond” debate a waste of time or does it cut to the heart of a serious issue confronting modern Britain?

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In Search of Mama Quilla: 5 of the Best Inca Sites in Peru

Adam Woods    trekkingholidays     Cuzco, explore, Inca Site, Inca Trail, Isla de la Luna, Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu Trek, Mama Quilla, Oldham, Ollantaytambo, Peru, Sacsayhuamán, The Lost City of the Incas, trekking, trekking holidays

Peru, for many people, is all about one thing. And that “thing” – that awe-inspiring, truly majestic “thing” – tends to overshadow all the other “things” that Peru has to offer. Need I state what it is? Alright, that “thing”, for those who hadn’t already clocked what the “thing” is from the title of this blog, is Machu Picchu. There I said it.

View of Sacsayhuamán with the city of Cuzco in the background.

‘The Lost City of the Incas’, with its llama at the fore and its mountain at its rear, is an image so well imprinted in our minds, that those who haven’t been there think that they have and those who have…well, they’re still scratching their heads wandering whether it’s all real.

But is it really the best Inca site?

Yes it is. But to ensure ‘MP’ didn’t top my list (scandalous, I know), I looked for the places where the visitor can really connect with the people who built this once mighty empire, as well as the legendary gods who oversaw it.

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Multi-Activity Holidays in Croatia: Rivers, Islands and Beaches

Tom Sykes    ash     Croatia, Croatia Holidays, cycling, Dol, Dubrovnik, Kalaberra Cave, Lokrum, Mlijet, Monarch, Mreznica River, Multi-Activity Holidays in Croatia, multi-activity-holidays, Peljesac Peninsular, Pit-caving, Podac, Rafting, Rock Climbing, Sailing, Sipan, Suicide Cliff, trekking, Viganj

When you travel abroad why confine yourself to just one experience or activity? Life’s short and you may as well try and squeeze in as much excitement as you possibly can. For this reason, multi-activity holidays are the way forward.

Croatian rivers offer plenty of adventure. Image: Flickr/ _Leon10_

One favourite destination for such breaks is Croatia, a rousing land of contrasting environments, terrains and sights.

In the past you had to be content with cycling or rafting or sailing or trekking or rock climbing or pit-caving.

Now you can enjoy all these activities at once and often in the same location. Only the intrepid and the fearless should read on!

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