My name is Leslie Gilmour. I’m from Glasgow, Scotland – but I now live between Dublin, Glasgow and Prague. I love camping, long-distance hiking, short weekend hikes and long walks like the 780km Camino de Santiago across Northern Spain, and I hate writing bios.
This website is one of my hobby sites on travel and hiking, it is my evening and weekend pleasure when not out hiking or cycling.
How It All Started
It’s my grandfather’s fault! When I was three years old, I first went camping at Brighouse Bay with my grandparents and returned to the same camping place for the next eleven years. (As a 15-year old I became too cool to camp…) I had no idea what we did was called wild camping, but we’d camp on the grass overlooking the beach. There were no facilities, and as a kid, I had a load of fun.
Every summer, those two weeks were an escape from the city and a chance to run around the hills and swim in the sea – even though it was bloody freezing. I have many great memories of building dams on small streams, massive sandcastles when the sea went out, and calm, beautiful evenings around the campfire. It was idyllic.
I didn’t start camping and hiking again until I was in my mid-twenties. (I’d changed what I thought was cool) Since then, I have walked hundreds of day hikes and many long-distance hikes, like a month on the Camino de Santiago (twice), the West Highland Way, and maybe the best has been hiking in the Rockies for 3 weeks.
Today I live in the city and like it – but every weekend is a chance to get out and enjoy the rhyme of hiking and spending time with my family or friends.
To contact me email leslie the usual at outdoorscott.com or fill in the form below.
Hi Leslie,
I’m really enjoying reading all your articles. I’m living in the US and I’m looking at doing a long distance hike, perhaps the Arran Coastal Way. I’m not so keen on busy trails. Would the Arran trail be one of the quieter trails in Scotland/UK? I was considering the St Cuthberts Way also. Do you have any preference between the two? Kind regards, Justin Waples.
If you only had time for one, I would go to Arran. All the trails can get busy in July and Aug, but due to being an island, Arran is quieter.