Burns Night Wild Camp | Sub-zero camp on Scottish coast | Haggis, neeps & tatties on a campstove
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- I wanted to do something special to celebrate getting to 500 subscribers (thank you everyone!). So I took a train to Berwick-upon-Tweed (where else?), and headed over the border into Scotland for a wild camp on the clifftops at St Abb's Head. Enjoyed some @Laphroaig Cask Strength while the sun went down, then cooked a Burns Night supper on a campstove: haggis, neeps and tatties.
Sub-zero temperatures overnight. Stunning sunrise in the morning.
Warning: contains a very bad reading of some of Robert Burns's Address to a Haggis. Scottish viewers in particular may wish to look away for that part. Sorry.
A couple of shout-outs: @AllotmentFox and @CampLifeBushcraft.
Famous at last! You decided to drink a bottle of Laphroig and then sleep on a cliff top? Daring. Laphroig is my favourite as well, it has so much smoke it is like drinking an ash tray. A lot of Rivers in Britain have ancient Celtic names, you’ll have to tell me more about this one. I was tempted to learn Gaelic because there is some excellent BBC programming on iPlayer on it, but because Scotland is far away from me and Wales so close, Welsh is a better option, though with less BBC programmes teaching it. Thank you for mention8ng me and congratulations on your 500 subs!
👆 I heartily recommend anyone here with an interest in ancient history to take a look at Allotment Fox's channel, I think he's making very insightful videos, which are also beautifully shot!
I did not finish the bottle of Laphroaig! I think at that ABV it works out as the equivalent of about 4 bottles of wine, which even for me is a bit beyond the pale. Although some of the remainder did help the (severely delayed) journey home pass a bit more smoothly.
The River Tweed forms a decent section of the English/Scottish border - as it is currently - so at least superficially the etymology mentioned here (I think I just found it in the wikipedia article about the river) makes sense. Wikipedia cites it as being Old Brittonic. That said, there have been a number of changes to the border over the years, including Berwick flip-flopping back and forth between being a Scottish town or an English town, so I'm not 100% convinced that holds up to scrutiny.
I like a wee dram of whisky. But Laphroig is a bit peaty for me. I tend to go for the Speyside and I do enjoy a good American Bourbon or Rye
One of the things I find amusing watching the cooking scenes back again is the huge amount of sheep poo surrounding every aspect of my dinner.
Boosts the immunity😂
Outstanding video, Sir! I walk my dog on that cliff walk quite often, residing as I do in fairly nearby Dunbar...you picked a great spot to enjoy your Haggis and cask strength Laphroaig, well done making the journey. Sliante!
The algorithm threw this video to me a year plus after you posted it. We would call the Laphroaig Step 2 in Canada, from our favorite stealth camper, Camping with Steve. Step 1 is setting up the accommodation.
My mother was born nearby where you were, in Haddington, and I've made many visits to Dunbar. The cliffs overlooking the sea made me homesick, in a happy sort of way.
I discovered your channel fairly recently and have been steadily working my way through your excellent videos. Now I know why I like them as any chap who enjoys a Laphroaig is a chap worth subscribing to on UA-cam. I know very little about wine (cheap and red are the characteristics I look for in a bottle) but I do like a single malt. In my humble opinion they don't get any better than those produced on Islay and bang for buck a 10 year old Laphroaig is unbeatable.Slàinte Mhath!
accidently came across your channel searching for videos on the icknield way - i decided to watch this video instead and i must say i enjoyed this very much!
Thanks Artlover! Glad you enjoyed the video. I'm still only part way through the Icknield Way - I was doing it in chunks - I will hopefully do another chunk at some point in the next few weeks.
Watched and enjoyed a few of your videos now. About time I subscribed - done!
My wife saw me watching this and remarked that was a proper hillock. I think that's what she said anyway. I did brace for the poetry reading but I made it through. I enjoyed the table (glad there was a warning not to stand on it) but the dimensions of the "tablecloth" seemed inadequate; perhaps you could have something custom made.
🤣 Yes it must be that she said! Say hi from me.
I did a very abridged version of the Address to a Haggis, just the first and last verses - there's 8 in total. So just imagine how much more torturous it could have been and consider yourself lucky!
Agree on the inadequate tablecloth size. Had to make compromises for the sake of going ultralight, innit.
Thanks for reminding me about the tweed etymology at the start by the way!
Halfway through, had to comment while I remembered.
I don't quite understand those tables either.
Out of anybody on UA-cam, dare I suggest that you would be the person to carry a potato masher on a wild camp. 😜
And thank you for the mention.. I got a warm fuzzy glow 🙂
Yes I regret not taking a potato masher now!
I have been using hand sanitiser as a fuel for the last few years. London transport have free dispensers at most stations.
🤣 Excellent tip there, thanks!
"Behold! The Swede!" merch please.Thanks.
Hahaha thanks! One of the things I love about the odd business of making UA-cam videos is that sometimes the lazy cheats I do to make creating the video easier end up being somewhat entertaining in themselves (at least to me!). I had originally considered carrying that 500g swede with me, and peeling / chopping it in the wild - but that seemed both like a lot of effort, and a potential for having a horrible knife/peeler accident in the middle of nowhere.
Another lovely video :) and what a beautiful sunrise too! Have you considered doing a camping tour of distilleries?
Congratulations on the 500 subscribers !
Thanks Tricksy! Funny you should mention it, just today I was thinking about this video and the Laphroaig and got to wondering whether a wild camping trip on Islay might be feasible? I have been to Islay once before, about 15 years ago, and absolutely loved it. At that time I stayed in hotels though, and rented a car, but that was a bit of a nuisance in a way given the obvious desire to enjoy the whisky at each distillery. It's not a huge island and given a few days it ought to be possible to just walk between all 7 or 8 distilleries.
Gorgeous sunrise, what a place to wake up in spite of the nip in the air.
I've never wild camped in Scotland before. I'm sure that needs to change.
Enjoyable video sir.
Dan
Thanks Dan, yes it was a really good trip, and I'm also not sure why I hadn't made the effort to camp in Scotland before. I've spent almost as long as this on trains to parts of Dorset! It's great having that added sense of freedom thanks to the right to roam there. Weird that there are hardly any public footpaths marked on the OS map as soon as you get over the border though - you more or less walk wherever you want!
Laphroaig is a lovely whiskey, I've sampled it a few times myself. Great Ultra light backpacking tip on the cask strength tipples:)
Welldone on braving the cold.
Happy Burns night Tweedy
Very happy to hear you're a Lahproaig fan too - great minds think alike!
Superb 👍
Single malt and water? Or was the water for the hydration... ha ha 😂 also did you save some for the journey home? I like a single malt every now and then, however it usually lasts a year. Like your taste tweedy..🥶
Yes I did indeed save some for the journey home! I did about the first half of the editing for this video in the tent, and the second half was on the train home from Berwick to London, while I was also enjoying a few more glasses of whisky. It was meant to be a 3-and-a-half-hour journey but there were engineering works and then a passenger became unwell so the train had to wait for a long time at a station for an ambulance (not me, I hasten to add!)... So it ended up being more like a 5 hour journey but it was surprisingly delightful. Probably the whisky at least partly to thank for that!
Another great video, Tweedy, and an excellent choce of scotch. Anything smoky and peaty is fine by me. Beautiful location too.
I can thouroughly recommend Hot Hands Foot Warmers - definitely worth a try.
Thanks Steve! Yes I definitely lean to the Islay side of things rather than Speyside, although I always think an honourable mention needs to be given to Orkney's Highland Park which seems to please people at both ends of that spectrum.
Thanks for the tip on foot warmers - it's the first time I've taken anything like that along on a camp, but come to think of it it's also the first time I've ever camped out in properly sub-zero temperatures. I'd done a couple previous in the low single digits celsius, but this was the coldest so far for me... and having that heat pack warmer thing (I think I mispronounced the Japanese name in the video, and it's actually more like "kairo") really helped actually. Nice to have some external source of heat to help thaw out toes and fingers!
@15:10 you say “this probably isn’t great footage” and you are correct……………….it is FANTASTIC FOOTAGE! Another fantastic video from you and I hope you get to 1000 subs real quick because you deserve it.
Seán in Cork, Ireland
You are too kind Seán! That scene of me chopping up the haggis was originally much longer, I cut a lot of it (no pun intended) in the edit, but very pleasing to hear what remained wasn't too tedious!
I agree. Fantastic photography.
@@tweedyoutdoors The last time I was in a pub in Scotland on Burns night I was standing at the bar and a huge Scotsman came alongside me and said “Do ye like Scotland?” So I said “Yes”. Then he said “Do ye like Burns?” so I said “Yes”………..and then he stubbed his cigarette out on my neck.
(I’ll get my coat…….😀)
@@Oscartherescuedog Haha I'm surprised I hadn't heard that one before!
I'm always acutely aware of how much I stick out like a sore thumb in Scotland as apparently a "soft Southerner" but I was quite pleased when I got a taxi back from St. Abb's to Berwick yesterday and the driver (a burly Scotsman) looked at my backpack and said:
"Did you camp out last night?"
"Err... yes" I replied.
"You're mad!".
Maybe he didn't intend it as a sign of respect, rather that he genuinely did think I was a bit of an idiot, but I'll happily take whatever tiny hint of approval I can get!
Mash Swede and potato together adding salt and butter, you will be surprised at the result.
Yes I think I did that once, with leftovers from a previous Burns Night, and made a sort of bubble and squeak.
Dinner looked nice 👍 smashing vids.ATB🥃
Thanks David, yes I was really pleased with how that meal turned out! Although I could happily have skipped the swede altogether...
"Behold the Swede" 😂🤣😂
Nice! If you get a couple of pieces of thin and stiff wire, you can put that through the holes at the ends of the slots in the side of your honey stove and have your pot lower down inside the walls of the stove, you can then drop the alcohol burner lower. that should provide some protection from the wind blowing the heat from under your pot as when its resting on the wire mesh. looking forward to the next tweed outing!
Thanks for the tip Stephen!
The weather was beautiful for Scotland in January! I lived in Portlethen (just south of Aberdeen) for 4 years many years ago. Tried a wild camp outside Stonehaven. Was convinced to move on by the landlord with a shotgun and his hounds.😂. Ended up sleeping rough on a stony beach in Stonehaven. Misery. One of the worst hangovers plus near hyperthermia, but can endure a lot at 16😂
A very worth trip, thanks for taking us along!
Thanks Hedley! I really loved this trip, it was magical (albeit a bit bleeding cold!). I must get to Scotland again some time soon.
Thanks for the nice video and the effort. What about some Laphroaig in your porrige. 👍
I have a very firm rule about the sun having gone over the yard arm!
Beautiful spot and beautiful sunrise. And a great cook out for dinner (never mind breakfast). Did look cold but you got through with your trusty warm tweeds (or should we say twill 🤔).
Congrats on 500 subs, well deserved John 😊👍
Thanks Giles! Yes I really loved this trip. Particularly the sense of freedom of being in Scotland where the whole idea of wild camping seems so much more relaxed and easygoing. I don't know why my trips to Scotland are so few and far between - it's only 3.5 hours by train from King's Cross to Berwick-upon-Tweed, and whilst I know that's still (just) in England, you can easily walk to the border from there. I've spent almost as long as that getting to some bits of Dorset!
Wonderful video great scenery Tweedy outdoors food looked good to except the swede or was it turnip ? Anyway I to would have struggled with that . Congratulations on reaching 500 subscribers 👏 well deserved.
Thanks Richard! Yes I'm really not sure what swede/turnip brings to the party, I think I would probably have been happier with just haggis & tatties (those two parts of the meal were delicious) but I'm a stickler for tradition!
That was stunning sunrise. What an amazing place, so beautiful. Not had packet mash in so long 😮 hope it’s improved. Great video
Nice of your daughter to let you use her ipad 😊
Thanks Cara! Yes when I got back home my daughter said she had missed the iPad more than me!
@@tweedyoutdoors 😱😂
I have never had packet mash. Looked good to me. I have made the dehydrated mash and added dehydrated peas. Then add a bit of butter and salt. Traditional outdoor New Zealand cuisine from the 1960’s. cheers Dave
Nice video. My mother used to have a whiskey(or whisky if you prefer lol) club membership. They sent her different ones each month. Personally the highland ones and smokey ones are not for me. As far as rum, My preferred is Pusser rum. But then I also drink Grappa lol. Depends on the mood.
Please keep making the videos!
Thanks Alan! I've been to Bassano del Grappa, the birthplace of Grappa - a beautiful place with its Palladian bridge etc - but have to admit I've never really warmed to the drink itself. Rum on the other hand is something I suspect I could develop a taste for with a bit more practice!
Excellent news on the subs. Stunned that swede is not you're thing! Great video, loved it.
Thanks Paul! Yes I fear I may have alienated any swede loving subscribers with this video.
Really enjoyed this one John , Berwick upon Tweedy got me haha ......Brilliant
Thanks Stuart! It was irresistible - although I did get some funny looks from the station staff...
Very nice thank you for sharing your adventure with us 🙂
Thanks Joe! I really enjoyed this expedition, one of my favourites so far.
Tweed on the feed with Haggis and swede ..typically eccentric and congrats on new subs. enjoying content!
Thanks Sal for that poetic comment!
Also... What's so ridiculous about the hat? Hmmm?
Haha sorry! I just can't take those hats seriously, probably down to Monty Python's lumberjack song.
@@tweedyoutdoors well maybe some of us like to put on women's clothing and hang around in bars 😂🤣
Great video,as always it made me smile. If you are ever in Oban,drop in for a dram.
Thanks Chris! I do like Oban (the whisky) - haven't been to the town yet but photos of it look beautiful.
Well done for Proclaiming your 500! Great attention to detail.
Haha I hadn't made that connection! Seems like a missed opportunity for a video title / thumbnail now you mention it! That song was always a karaoke favourite of mine when I lived in Japan about 20 years ago, coincidentally around the same time as the peak of my interest in whisky.
What a beautiful sunrise and morning view! Excellent choice in whiskey too! 🎩👍⛺🌄
Thanks Jamie - great to hear you're a Laphroaig fan too!
A tennis ball is a sure sign of dog walkers.
Yes I think I saw a couple earlier in the evening - it did look fairly chewed as well.
Haggis stir fry works well 😋
I have a feeling this is something everyone in Scotland already knows, so perhaps that's the reason I found so little information on UA-cam / the rest of the web about cooking haggis this way as it's just obvious to everyone there. So it's probably not a revelation to anyone north of the border but I was really pleased I managed to make this work on a campstove!
Nice mini adventure again! Congratulations on 500 subs too.
You may remember recently offering me advice in the comments section (dissuasions mostly) on your Nordisk tent - I took it to heart and have bought one. Very silly. It's brilliantly lightweight, seems very well made, and I like it so far - based on testing it in the ferocious weather conditions found in my living room one night.
I recommend Ardbeg, sure you'll have tried it. I've never tried cask strength but it sounds like a nice avenue to explore in general.
Thanks Matt! I'm oddly delighted to hear you bought the tent regardless, despite my protestations! I seem to be constantly complaining about it in these videos but I am on some level really quite fond of it. I think after this camp I've come to the conclusion it needs more serious pegging out at the foot end - I've just been using the tiny pegs that come with it, but they seem a bit too easy to be yanked out either by bad weather or just my clumsy getting in and out of the tent. On this trip that was the only thing that let it down, if I'd put extra pegs in at the end it would have performed pretty much perfectly. Other than not being able to sit up in it of course.
@@tweedyoutdoors
If you drop the inner tent maybe that will give you more room. It works really well on my tent.
Mr Tweedy you certainly picked a wonderful spot for an overnight camp. St Abbs is one of my favourite places. As for the tatties i also was highly suspicious of powdered mash after eating so much of it in the 70s. The variety then was called “Smash” and it was a cross between semolina and chalk. 😢the cheesy Idahoan is my fav. Loved the video. Thankyou
Thanks Ken! Yes I think my initial negative impression of instant mash had been largely informed by Smash. Maybe it's better now? I think your characterisation of it is very apt. I would also add wood glue and old socks into the tasting notes there. Idahoan definitely a massive improvement, although I'm a bit sad we don't have a domestic brand which is on a par with it, considering how many potatoes we grow here.
@@tweedyoutdoors there's a business opportunity if ever there was one
Hey Tweedy, the harbour they made there looks fascinating!! Shame about the wild camping on dartmore. Very nice meal and nice scenery. The last overnight hunting camp I went on I had a serious issue with my white spirit stove. Luckily lots of dead trees so ended up cooking over a fire. Go Well Dave 🇬🇧 🇳🇿
Thanks Dave! Yes the stove setup I took along didn't work very well at breakfast, some combination of the cold and the wind: might have been better with a proper windshield? Fortunately it did seem to work the night before at least. There were no trees nearby but I had spotted a few gorse bushes that had shed some dead branches if I had been desperate.
@@tweedyoutdoors beautiful photography thanks Tweedy and congratulations on 500
17.55
Is that the bit where I said the swede was actually good? It did seem a bit at odds with my later appraisal of it. I think I was just trying to convey it was actually cooked, which I was quite pleased about as I remember from cooking swede at home it can take aaaages!