Exploring and learning while out on outdoor adventures.
Weekend Break Before My A-Level Exams The end of May 1997 brought another chance to escape the bustle of everyday life and return to the mountains, this time on a bivvy trip deep in the Carneddau range of Snowdonia. Hot on the heels of my Rum Cuillin escapades and the YHA Peak Marathon from Edale …
Continue reading “Father-Son Bivvy Adventures in the Carneddau May 1997”
Itās been over three decades since I first set foot on the Isle of Rhumāspelled “Rum” in many an old guidebook. This trip was my second trip to the Isle of Rum, the first being a similar school trip year before with a group and my father. Flipping back through my tattered diary from the …
Continue reading “Remembering Rhum: A Fell-Running First on the Isle of Rum”
The train ride north offered time to reflect. My rucksack, stuffed with crampons, an ice axe, endless layers, and more than a few nerves, sat beside me. Leaving my kids was bittersweet, but this was an essential pilgrimage: a chance to develop my winter leadership skills, refine my decision-making, and learn to manage people in …
Continue reading “Winter Mountain Leadership Training (Cairngorms, March 2016)”
Sunday, 18th DecemberDistance: 20 kmAscent: 638 mTime: ~7 hours We overslept slightly and barely squeezed in a shower before breakfast at 7:30. Iām sure this is a side effect of so many consecutive days on the hill, plus all the planning. If I do something similar again, it would be nice to schedule a rest day in a …
Continue reading “Cairngorm 2016: My Solo Mountain Diary (Part Two)”
Monday, 12th December I handed in my work laptop and BlackBerry, then headed out with the team for our Christmas lunch, courtesy of Brendon. Afterward, I stopped by the office to grab my bags before heading to the train station for Edinburgh. In the evening, I picked up a few last-minute supplies (including food and …
Continue reading “Cairngorm 2016: My Solo Mountain Diary (Part One)”
Day One: From Bamford to Howden Reservoir Our adventure began with a train journey to Bamford. The journey to Bamford was punctuated by the mild panic when the rail replacement buses were announced although luckily it was only some of the trains and after a short delay we were on our way. Our first day …
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 …
Continue reading “Fastpacking Weavers Way in Norfolk from Great Yarmouth to Cromer”
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 …
Continue reading “Arthur Ransome theme summer break in Torver near Coniston Water”
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 …
Continue reading “Scrambling and wild camping with my daughter on Old Man of Coniston”
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 …
Continue reading “Thoughts about wild camping in the UK in 2021”
