Journeys by hiking, running, cycling and touring
Drewsteignton to Ivybridge - 38 miles, 2½ days Paul's feet seemed to have got a second wind, and he was back in the lead as we climbed up out of Drewsteignton onto the Castle Drogo estate. Familiar territory now, and I'd visited all of these tors earlier in the year, so it wasn't a long … Continue reading A Different Coast to Coast – Part 3: Dartmoor
Knowstone to Drewsteignton, 29 miles, 2 days As is always the case on a long distance walk, a night spent in a proper bed and the body filled with a proper breakfast gives you a bit of a spring in your step. And so it was as we started out for day 3, tempered only … Continue reading A Different Coast to Coast – Part 2: The Middle Bit
Lynmouth to Knowstone - 27 miles, 2 days The rain started just as we got to Lynmouth, banishing the hopes that had arisen that the forecast didn't seem to be playing out. We stepped onto the beach to take the obligatory start photo and then turned our faces southward and into the rain. Before we … Continue reading A Different Coast to Coast – Part 1: Exmoor
Apart from a forlorn-looking ice cream van (why are the damn things always there when you don't need them and never there when you do ?!) and a couple of cars dropping off kids on the school run, Ilam was deserted as Stuart parked up and we put on our packs. A short walk across … Continue reading The White Peak Journey
I really should have been on the Cambrian Way, but I just didn't fancy it. For once I wanted to do something I wanted to do. It's been 6 years since a truly memorable trip to Eskdale, and a couple of years since a less successful one - I was itching to retread some of … Continue reading The Eskdale Escapade
The forecast seemed OKÂ and diaries were lining up like soldiers on parade, so I headed down to the Moor on the Friday to squeeze in a solo walk and camp before the Saturday meetup. Parking in Lydford, the plan was to do a walk linking up two patches of unbagged tors - 5 on Sourton … Continue reading The Weather Window
The curse of tent greed has struck again, which recently led to me taking an unwanted new MLD Duomid off someone's hands. This means I am officially in trouble at home. Having said that, I do "need" a shelter that's really light - my Scarp, Hexpeak and Ionosphere are all in the 1.5kg area and … Continue reading A New Toy
Ice cream and tea consumed I got on my way, leaving sleepy Strata Florida behind and heading along a lane that would take me to the Teifi Pools. Climbing up gently over grass, I gained a trackway and soon saw the first of the lakes - Llyn Egnant. I stopped to refill my water from … Continue reading Cambrian Way #7: Strata Florida to Ponterwyd (Days 16-17)
It probably wasn't a great idea to begin a 4 day backpack through remote mid Wales with a night of virtually no sleep. Even less a good idea to do so with a newly hurt knee obtained in an ill-advised game of garden volleyball at a gathering with the in-laws a few hours before. And it's probably … Continue reading Cambrian Way #6: Llandovery to Strata Florida (Days 14-15)
From far and wide they came - the south west, the south east, the bit in the middle, and one on foot from Langdale - the Social Hikers gathered near Keswick for our third crack at the 10-in-10 and 5-in-5 in aid of MS Society. Now less a gathering of people who know each other … Continue reading The Gathering of the Clan
The sky was dumping large amounts of water as Colin picked me up and we headed onto the motorway network for the long journey north. A combination of rush hour and large amounts of standing water made for unpleasant conditions, but the gradual change to better was discernable with every mile further north. A quick … Continue reading Ups and Downs: Referendum Night on Blencathra
Dover was miserable as I stepped off the train. A walk through town saw me narrowly avoiding being accosted by some rather dubious-looking characters. Not responding to their calls was probably the smart thing to do. Ironically, by the time I found the Market Square and then followed the NDW I was almost back at … Continue reading The North Downs Way 11: The End
Looking down from Lynch Tor, I see the valley spread below, lush, green and beckoning us onward. Legs tired, water running low, and still a fair way to walk. The map shows a well-defined path leading down a valley between two ridges, and seeing the same on the ground we take it. Some way down the path, … Continue reading A Nemesis and the Noble and Ancient Art of Tor-sitting
There's really not much to tell about this walk. It simply involved lots of trees. Ducking, diving and twisting around them trying to find odd bits of rock secreted in the depths of the forest. Some of them may even have been a touch naughty to visit. The Tavy was crossed a few times before … Continue reading A Spot of Bushwhacking
I sit in the car awaiting developments: Jim is on the last stretch from Exeter, Paul is due a little later. The rest of my flask of tea is sipped while the car doors are pressed into service as a makeshift clothes horse - a mishap with my Camelbak having dumped 3 litres of water … Continue reading A Camp above Belstone