Bivvying is one of my favorite ways to connect with nature. Unlike tents, bivvys provide a simple sleeping place where you can lie down and watch the stars while feeling the rain and wind on your face. Of course, when the rain becomes too much, you can always pull the fabric over to protect yourself. …
Author archives: Richard Cole
Fastpacking Weavers Way in Norfolk from Great Yarmouth to Cromer
I found this walk split into three distinct parts with different landscapes throughout these. Starting by the water and heading through the broads, then along the ‘Muddle and Get Nowhere’ discussed railway line before heading through the landscape of old estates and villages. Colin Elliott’s book Long Distance Trails introduces this walk as follows: ‘Though …
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Arthur Ransome theme summer break in Torver near Coniston Water
Definitely feeling Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazons theme to the summer with lovely trip to Torver near Coniston Water for a summer break. Wanted to write a few words and pictures about some of our favourite things to do in this area. Brantwood House, Garden and Estate Brentwood offers a fascinating insight into the world of …
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Scrambling and wild camping with my daughter on Old Man of Coniston
The plan was simple enough for a weekend of wild camping and scrambling around Coniston with my daughter. From the school pickup we joined the sea of traffic heading north around Manchester towards the Lake District. A few years back we we discovered Audible as a way of keeping everyone happy with long journeys, this …
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Thoughts about wild camping in the UK in 2021
Wild camping is one of my favorite activities. There’s nothing quite like spending a night in a remote location, surrounded by nature. With the restrictions in the UK slowly reducing and the weather improving, my kids and I decided to pack our camping gear, load it onto our bikes, and head up to one of …
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Winter Backpacking Trip along the Cumbrian Way
A great trail across the Lake District. Swapping the more normal fastpacking kit for plenty of warm clothes and a tent as we followed the Cumbria Way signs. Each day as we headed north we got to experience the changes to the landscapes across the Lake District through fields and on into the fells and …
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Sustrans 68 Bikepacking along the Pennine Cycle Way
With my brother having a milestone birthday to celebrate; I initially suggested a trip away down to our old stomping ground in the New Forest to look at racing motorcycles at the Sammy Miller Motorbike Museum. It was a positive response around going away although back to the drawing board for ideas on a destination. Feedback …
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Fastpacking around Norfolk, the Peddars Way and Norfolk Coastal Path
The aim was to travel light, move quickly and have some long days on foot in Norfolk. This would be a chance to revisit some of the places from my childhood memories; including walking sections of the coastline along the mashes and birdwatching with my grandfather along with digging in the sand at with my …
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Top Tips For A Family Trip To Fontainebleau
I wrote the following guest post for: https://www.chrisensoll.com/chris-ensolls-blog Over the years I have had many a good trip to the boulders of the Fontainebleau Forest which is around 50km south of Paris. Over recent years I have been over to climb there with my children and have found it is a great place for all …
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Bank holiday weekend Fastpacking the Sentier du Nord in Luxembourg
This was an amazing trip to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The plan was simple, as I had been working in Brussels rather than go home for the August Bank Holiday, to head into Ardennes and do a multi-day long distance path. As much as the path was marked on the ground with diamonds I …
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