Journeys by hiking, running, cycling and touring
Once upon a time, when bandits roamed the land and all manner of thievery and roguery was the norm, the sheriffs of my land ran out of places to lock up these undesirables, and instead sent them on a long sea voyage to the lands at the end of the earth. They settled in that … Continue reading The Shirt of Destiny – Part 5: The Grey Mountains
Ahead of this merry band of adventurers lies the Great Glen, and a chance to stock up with provisions at the Great Trading Post that lies towards the southern end of the Great Waterway. Keenness to reach this mythical place stirs our tired limbs from our beds, aided by the ever-present sound of cuckoos. We … Continue reading The Shirt of Destiny – Part 4: Civilisation
A cold night, but there are no complaints about preferring to sleep in the old shack. Not for us a night punctuated by farting and snoring of fellow travellers. Nor a night woken by the crunch of giant’s teeth on my bones. I have survived the encounter. The gods of this valley seem to have … Continue reading The Shirt of Destiny – Part 3: From Fjord to Forest
We adventurers rise early for there is much to be done. Fasts to be broken; equipment to be checked and packed; parcels to be despatched; and provisions to be secured for the journey. Finally, the Moor Man and I queue up to inscribe our names in the Grand Ledger of Questers kept in the inn. … Continue reading The Shirt of Destiny – Part 2: Pursuit by a Giant
I slouch on the back seat of the charabanc trying to get some sleep whilst simultaneously keeping one eye alert to the near continuous passing by of restless, incontinent natives to what is laughably termed the “facilities”. It seems an odd way to begin such a momentous quest – hurtling north in pitch darkness to … Continue reading The Shirt of Destiny – Part 1: Beginnings
Once more the Challenge beckons, as it corrupts and subverts my freedom of will. Almost from the first steps taken eastwards from Dornie in May 2017, I knew it wasn't going to be a one-off. 2018 was intended to prove 2017 wasn't a fluke - as it turned out, it was pretty hard going. Now … Continue reading TGO Challenge 2019: Prep and Kit
After the struggle of last year's Challenge, disrupted by hayfever that went so rogue it turned into full-blown asthma, I've been determined to make up for it this year. With the summer following the Challenge largely wiped out by getting the condition under control and finding a new normal, no sooner had I tentatively started … Continue reading Training and A Pre-Walk Walk
...or strictly speaking Harwich to Mistley, as for logistical reasons I decided to do this last section in reverse. In any case, I'd already experienced the walk into the end at Harwich on the Secret Archipelago Expedition last March, so even if I had opted for the big climax by the sea, it wouldn't have … Continue reading The Essex Way: Part 5 – Mistley to Harwich
Before you get too worried that I'm about to bombard you with loads of pictures and ask you to buy them, I'm not. I'm just going to pick out a few instances where the outdoors and art overlapped this year. Increasingly my hikes are geared around the search for subject matter to paint. Of course … Continue reading 2018 Round-Up Part 3: Art
This is nothing more than a selection of pictures to show what happened this year...
Persistent readers will no doubt be aware that for the last few years, I've had a camping out competition with my daughter, who does quite a few camps due to her involvement in several sections of the Scout movement. We did it again this year, but with 2018 being A Level year, it was pretty … Continue reading 2018 Round-Up Part 1: Camps
After all the shenanigans getting ready for my art exhibition at the start of the month, and then helping a friend with her exhibition which immediately followed mine, I'd managed to rack up a couple of months without any significant time in the outdoors. Other than a brief snatched camp out locally, but then a … Continue reading The “No Wainwrights” Lake District Backpack
It’s now 40 days until my first solo exhibition opens. Gulp. This sounds like a lot, but it certainly doesn’t feel like a lot. With a two week holiday away coming up , it effectively reduces my remaining preparation time to 3 and a bit weeks. With the two weeks after getting back from holiday […] … Continue reading Go Big or Go Home — matthewkingarts
The forecast for the next couple of days was markedly better, and it seemed a shame not to take advantage. So I made plans to stay another couple of days. This would be solo though, as Paul had to go to work and Cath had to go home. The obvious thing of doing a two … Continue reading Getting Back On The Horse: Part 3 – Pole to Pole
The plan was hatched, with anxious looks at the weather forecast several times a day. Ok for a couple of days then a brief bad spell at some point over the weekend. It was good enough to book the train tickets. I headed down on the Thursday, with Cath due to follow the next day. … Continue reading Getting Back On The Horse: Part 2 – Dartmoor Bimbles