My name is Gary Waidson, but friends call me Wayland.

      Welcome to Ravenlore.

When asked “What do you do?” I usually reply “I’m a freelance Viking”

I run a Living History business so it certainly helps people remember me, and it’s a good ice breaker too, but it is only one part of my life.

The first thing I ever really wanted to be was a photographer. In fact I studied and trained for years to become just that, before discovering that commercial photography involved far too many compromises for my liking.

I still consider myself a photographer at heart but these days it is the landscape that captures my imagination and eye.

Since childhood I have had a love affair with the “great outdoors” and it is sometimes difficult for me to tell if I am in the wilderness to take photographs or I am taking photographs because I am in the wilderness.

The wilder the places I find myself in, the more at home I feel. To get the very best photographs I like to totally immerse myself in the landscape and conditions. For me there really is no better way to achieve this than low impact wild camping.

With the popularity of the recent television programs produced by Ray Mears, this approach, often referred to as ”Bushcraft”, has come to be understood a little more by the general public.