I’m Rusty.
I like long-distance hiking, camping, travelling around in my self converted VW Caddy camper and finding a decent pub at the end of the day. I’m definitely not an athlete. I’m not an outdoor influencer. I’m just a bald bloke in his fifties who likes getting outside.
Rusty Outside is where I share the walks, the routes, the kit, the campsites, the pubs and the stories that happen along the way.
🥾 WALKS
Long-distance trails, multi-day adventures and walks worth getting your backpack on for.
🎒 GEAR
Walking and camping gear I’ve actually used. What works, what doesn’t and what I’d buy again.
🍺 PUBS
Because getting to the end of the walk is only half the story.
🚐 VAN
The Caddy, campsites, road trips and adventures from the back of a small van.
THE BIG ONE…
COAST TO COAST – 192 MILES • 13½ DAYS • THREE NATIONAL PARKS
St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay.
192 miles across northern England, carrying everything I needed and discovering that walking across the country is considerably harder than looking at the route on a map.
It was one of the best adventures I’ve ever had.
THE NORTHERN TRINITY
Three trails. Three very different landscapes. One walking challenge.
THE DALES WAY – Ilkley → Bowness-on-Windermere
80 miles through the Yorkshire Dales and into the Lake District. Beautiful countryside, great villages and plenty of places to stop along the way.
YORKSHIRE WOLDS WAY – Hessle → Filey
Rolling countryside, quiet villages and a trail that turned out to be far better than I expected.
NORTHUMBERLAND COAST PATH – Cresswell → Berwick-upon-Tweed
Beaches, castles, huge skies and some seriously good coastal walking.
MEET THE RUSTY CADDY
A SMALL VAN. A LOT OF PLANS. 🚐
I finally bought a VW Caddy Maxi and started turning it into my own little basecamp.
It’s not a luxury motorhome. It’s a small van with somewhere to sleep, somewhere to store the walking gear and enough room to disappear for a few days.
This is where I’ll share the conversion, the kit, the campsites, the road trips and everything I learn along the way.
GEAR I’VE ACTUALLY USED
I’ve carried this stuff up hills, through rain, into campsites and occasionally back home completely knackered. These aren’t laboratory reviews. They’re my opinions after actually using the gear.
⭐ RUSTY RECOMMENDS
Gear that’s earned its place in the rucksack and that I’d happily buy again.
🤔 I’M NOT CONVINCED
Gear that’s done the job, but hasn’t quite lived up to expectations.
❌ DON’T BOTHER
Stuff that looked like a good idea at the time but I’d leave at home next time.
WALK • PUB • REPEAT 🍺
BECAUSE A GOOD WALK DESERVES A GOOD PUB.
For me, finding a decent pub at the end of a day’s walking is part of the adventure.
So I’m going to start collecting the best pubs I find along the way — village locals, walkers’ pubs, historic inns and anywhere that serves a particularly welcome pint after fifteen miles on the trail.
THE RUSTY PUB RATING
🍺 Beer
🍽️ Food
🛋️ Atmosphere
🥾 Post-walk suitability
📍 Location
LATEST FROM RUSTY OUTSIDE
The latest walks, van adventures, gear and general outdoor ramblings.
SEE YOU OUT THERE.
Rusty Outside is about long walks, small adventures, van trips, questionable weather and finding somewhere decent for a pint afterwards.
If that sounds like your sort of thing, have a look around.
