An adventurer is bringing a taste of Mongolia to Ayrshire.
David Scott has led numerous expeditions to the Asian country — including in temperatures plunging as low -40C.
However, the coronavirus pandemic has put adventure tourism trips on hold and left his customers unable to experience the culture, cuisine and nomadic Mongolian lifestyle.
So David has set up the next best thing — a Mongolian-style camp in Straiton Forest, South Ayrshire.
He explained: “The pandemic has been a nightmare for the travel and tourism industry, but also for tourists and explorers who love to seek out new adventures.
“We normally lead several different expeditions every year to Mongolia, but this has been impossible last year and so far this year.
“We have customers asking what we can do to give them a mini adventure ‘fix’, so we came up with the Taste of Mongolia experience.”
David and his team at Sandbaggers Expeditions have set up a camp in the forest for a two-day adventure, including building and living in a Mongolian-style ger (a portable circular dwelling), as well as learning culture, etiquette and how to cook traditional Mongolian food.
Participants will also learn bushcraft, including fire-lighting, basic knife skills and foraging for seasonal wild food.
“It’s a terrific experience and a great introduction to Mongolia,” added David, from Newton Mearns, Glasgow.
“The camp will be invaluable for anyone planning a full expedition to this amazing country in the future, but also great fun for anyone looking for something a bit out of the ordinary and exciting to do for the weekend.”
The first camp is on August 21 and 22, with full details available at www.sand-baggers.com/a-taste-of-mongolia-in-scotland.
Sandbaggers run various Mongolian expeditions, including trekking across the Gobi Desert, crossing a giant frozen lake in a horse-drawn sled and fishing for some of the world’s biggest salmon.
More details are available on their website at www.sand-baggers.com.
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