Exploring and learning while out on outdoor adventures.
After a gentle, weather dampened day based out of Longthwaite Hostel in Borrowdale, wandering through the rain to the Bowder Stone (a glacial erratic from the last ice age), drying out in a café in Grange, pausing by the stream at the bottom of Gate Gill to soak up the atmosphere and heading up Castle …
Continue reading “Tongue Tied and Skew Gill: A Borrowdale Scrambling Day”
Back in the spring of 1998, university life was still new enough to feel exciting, and climbing was fast becoming more than just a hobby. That year, the Warwick University Mountaineering Club (WUMC) trip to Swansea marked a turning point for me: my first experience of sea cliff climbing, my first abseil into a route …
Continue reading “Swansea and Sea Cliffs: Learning the Ropes with WUMC”
I was back at the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, we were last here on the Cumbria Way and took the chance to sneak in a quick recce of Tarn Crag Ghyll. With the dry weather it was good to get a feel for the line and confirmed that I’m still not the biggest fan of wet …
Continue reading “Evening Scrambles with the Mountain Mentor Crew. Stickle Ghyll & Tarn Crag”
There’s a rhythm to our lives, and for me, one of those beats is the annual cycle camping trip. Every year I dust off the bikepacking bags, wrestle with last minute logistics and wonder, again, whether I’ll actually find a campsite willing to let us stay just one night. In the past, I’ve bluffed it …
Saturday 17th May saw me leading another scramble for the UK section of the Austrian Alpine Club (AAC(UK)). A full group of members gathered in Edale for a classic Peak District adventure: a Grade 1 scramble up Crowden Clough, a wander across the Kinder plateau to pick up an Ethel and a descent via the …
Continue reading “AAC(UK) Edale Scramble: Crowden, Grindsbrook & an Ethel Summit Detour”
There’s something magical about arriving early at a nature reserve. When the world is still stirring and birdsong fills the hush before the crowds. That was exactly the kind of moment I shared recently with my son and girlfriend before joining the welcoming band of RSPB Chesterfield group members on a spring field trip to …
Continue reading “A Family Day Among Bitterns and Butterflies: Exploring Far Ings Nature Reserve”
South West Coast Path 2025 trip. Day One: Exmouth to Beer (Friday) The day began with the hush of early morning. By 6:30 a.m. we were seated for breakfast, our bags packed and trail shoes laced. A short walk through quiet streets brought us to Exeter St Thomas station, where we boarded the Avocet Line. …
Continue reading “Walking the Jurassic Coast: Exmouth to Ferrybridge on the South West Coast”
“You might be the only person who asks if they’re OK and really listens.”That single line from Mountain Training’s new Leader Responsibilities e-learning course hit me harder than I expected. As someone who lives and breathes outdoor adventure, I’ve always focused on safety, planning, navigation, leadership. But this reminder about emotional trust. It’s not a side note. It’s …
Continue reading “Reflections on Duty, Care and Breaking Barriers Outdoors”
Easter often marks a time for new starts, although for us it’s also become a season of gentle returns. Two years ago, we explored a different stretch of the Pembrokeshire, tracing sea cliffs and coves further north. This year, we returned to Pembrokeshire southern coastline, a place I hadn’t visited in nearly two decades. The …
Continue reading “Stackpole and Beyond, Wanders and Wonder in Pembrokeshire”
I remember that morning well. It was the tail end of 1997, and the excitement of heading to the National Indoor Arena (NIA) for Climb 97 was enough to get me out of bed in a flash. I was staying overnight at my friend’s place in Derbyshire, and we had planned an early start. After …