Exploring and learning while out on outdoor adventures.
We set out for Scotland with little more of a plan than to get to the coast and visit castles. I had been looking at castles, coastline and islands: perhaps Bute, perhaps Cumbrae, maybe Culzean, perhaps somewhere farther west. South-west Scotland seemed to offer an appealing concentration of all three without requiring the long haul …
Continue reading “South West Scotland with Kids: Castles, Coast and Great Cumbrae”
There are some places that pull you back not because they are new but because they still have more to give. Pembrokeshire is like that for me. The light, the coast, the mixture of wild weather and calm coves, the old estates and the cliffs, the feeling that a day can hold beach play, birdsong, …
Continue reading “Pembrokeshire Family Holiday with Kids: Beaches, Castles, Walks and Things to Do”
Sometimes the brief is simple. A father daughter weekend away. Just the two of us; something that feels more precious now that she’s heading into her teenage years, standing on that edge of the teenage years where I suspect shared time might becomes rarer, more intentional. Somewhere comfortable to stay. Ideally with a proper cooked …
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”
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”
Our London trip began with the typical dash to the train station, followed by a welcome bit of calm on the journey before the city buzz. After hopping off the train at St Pancras, we wandered just a few minutes to Camley Street Wildlife Reserve, a tiny green hideaway tucked between the railway lines and …
It all started back in June with a message from my friend Dan: A quick check revealed the event was being held in Manchester, an easy trip from Sheffield, so the answer was clear. Even if I couldn’t make the whole event, I could still get over to lead a run! So yes, I was …
Continue reading “Manchester Sunrise Run: #DataFitClub on Tour at Data Decoded”
Last year, our family’s autumn getaway took us far from the urban clamor, high into the borderlands of Northumbria and North Yorkshire. There, we bunked in simple hostels and spent our days running across windswept moors and exploring National Trust properties. This year, however, with a school inset day granting us a precious long weekend, …
Continue reading “A Family Adventure Through London’s Treasures”
There’s a unique magic in retracing the footsteps of one’s childhood, especially when those steps lead through the enchanting landscapes that inspired some of the most beloved adventure stories ever written. My recent week-long holiday through Hampshire, Wiltshire, and Dorset was not just a trip down memory lane but a bridge connecting my past to …
Day One: arriving The drive from Calais had been surprisingly smooth—just over four hours of rolling countryside, quiet motorways. As we turned off the motorway and onto the final stretch, we were hit by a bit of what I expected counted as the local rush hour traffic. I felt a gentle sense of relief wash over …