Exploring and learning while out on outdoor adventures.
And off we go again, another Saturday, another early start. Last weekend was spent indoors at the National Outdoor Expo; this time it was the train to Edale, leading a group out with the Austrian Alpine Club. The plan was a classic Kinder loop: up Grindsbrook Clough, across the plateau via Kinder Low and Kinder …
Continue reading “A Landscape in Motion: Grindsbrook Clough Scramble & Kinder Scout Walk”
Up early, down to the station and onto a busy train to Birmingham. There’s always that small moment of relief when you find a seat. This wasn’t a last minute decision; we’d planned to come back after enjoying it last year although this time there was a bit more intent behind it. Partly it was …
Continue reading “National Outdoor Expo 2026: Reflections on Adventure, Community and the Outdoors”
The laptop went into the locker and my bag grabbed from my locker. Then a quick walk, almost a jog, to catch the 5:15 train from Sheffield to Edale. It felt like a small escape. I’d always had 20th March in my head as the start of spring; the equinox, that clean, scientific moment when …
The journey north always carries a subtle shift in mood for me; leaving the familiar roads behind, travelling between the Lake District and the Howgill Fells, the call of the mountains gets stronger. Our first stop came just over the border at Gretna Green. For centuries this small village has been famous for one thing: …
Just off the A1, somewhere many of us must have driven past countless times without ever really noticing, lies Langford Lowfields. This is a place that doesn’t immediately announce itself and yet sits quietly waiting beside one of the country’s great rivers. We arrived early to a simple car park, one that lacks the comforts …
Continue reading “At the Tidal Edge: A Wet Day at Langford Lowfields”
RSPB Local Group Mid Week Walk. The forecast wasn’t kind and officially the mid-week walk was cancelled although as so often in the outdoors, fortune favours the brave. With wellies on and binoculars in hand, I headed to the original meeting point at Somersall Park anyway the sky heavy with grey although still full of …
Some places don’t just stay with you, they quietly weave themselves into your life. For me, Borrowdale is one of those valleys. One I’ve returned to across decades, through different stages of life, different friendships, different adventures. Every visit feels familiar the moment I arrive, as if the landscape itself remembers you. I’m fairly sure …
Exploring Belfast on foot After a summer holiday spent driving around Ulster with the kids, this time I was heading back to explore some of Belfast itself. The trip began with the train into Liverpool Lime Street. Before our ferry to Belfast, we had time for a quick meal at Liverpool ONE. The city was …
Continue reading “Ferry to Belfast: Walking Tours, Titanic Quarter and West Belfast Murals”
November always feels like an uncertain month for birdwatching. With the leaves thinning out you’d expect it to be easier to spot the birds that spent the summer hidden away in the foliage, although what actually turns up depends on whether the winter visitors have settled in and what is still passing through. On this …
Continue reading “Crossbill at Linacre Woods: A November Birdwatching Report from the Reservoirs”
Dresden The journey began in the familiar grey of a British winter, rolling steadily south by train towards Heathrow. We spent the night at the Holiday Inn Express at Terminal 4, a surprisingly calm pocket of comfort on the edge of one of the world’s busiest transport hubs. By morning, we were travellers again, setting …
Continue reading “Walking Through Dresden, Saxon Switzerland and Berlin”