Journeys by hiking, running, cycling and touring
A sleepy Saturday afternoon it was in Meopham as I parked the car. A rather leisurely-looking game of cricket was taking place on the green, a cyclist was taking a rest and that was about all there was in terms of signs of life. I threw my pack on my back and headed off down … Continue reading A Camp on Pheasant Down
The plan was ambitious, and as it turned out, too ambitious. A dry and warm forecast for the weekend, and the need to get out for a camp in August to maintain the goal of a wild camp every month led me to the attempt to finish the Wealdway. It was always going to be … Continue reading There may have been some swearing… (Wealdway: Uckfield to Berwick)
Poor old Cath (@wellycath), she tries to arrange a get together and the weather forecast doesn't play ball. Yours truly ends up having a sneaky camp on the North Downs instead. She tries again, and then finds everyone dropping out for a variety of reasons. Still I made it. Having long earmarked the weekend for … Continue reading A Quick Pop Up Kinder
After a long drive, I parked up by the Cornewall-Lewis memorial in New Radnor and met up with Stuart who’d parked just up the road. Stuart dumped his recently acquired Mariposa by my car while he did his pre-walk faff, and I took the opportunity to have a good look at it. I really should … Continue reading 24 Hours in the Radnor Forest
"Civilisation", or what passes for it in the Medway Valley, was winding down for the night, as we abandoned the car in a lane chosen for its proximity to our target, whilst still being, sort of, a built-up area. We headed up the lane, a party clearly on the go in someone's garage and garden. … Continue reading A Camp in Slug Meadow
Day 5 The Old Man had clearly been struggling the day before, a combination of a dearth of training and a surplus of blisters. So much so that the state of his feet ruled him out of a walk today, so I set off on my tod, taking the same bus journey out to Zennor for … Continue reading The Far End of Cornwall – Part 3: Guano and Galleries
Day 3 The bus dropped us back at Porthcurno, among the tourists arriving to visit the Minack Theatre, and we walked around it as much as we could short of actually paying to get in. We had other things to do. Up on the cliffs, the views back across the bay were stunning, and yielding … Continue reading The Far End of Cornwall – Part 2: The Corner
Day 0 Familiar stations flashed by as the train made its way through Devon - Tiverton Parkway, my old city of Exeter, then the highlight of the whole route with the coastal section through Dawlish and Teignmouth. Soon we were passing Dartmoor, and I craned my neck to get a glimpse of a favourite place. … Continue reading The Far End of Cornwall – Part 1: The Plodders of Penzance
I pulled up in the car park at Lane End and spotted Paul (@paulgbuck) and Col (@colinastbury) over to the right, so hobbled over to meet them. Quite a bit of time was spent milling around while we tried to decide whether Phil (@daylightGambler) had actually already turned up or not. He'd got a new … Continue reading A Misty Meet
East Hill was a riot of purple and yellow as I climbed up and contoured around to find the first tor of the day – Ashbury Tor. I managed to overshoot it and doubled back through the gorse fringing the edge of the hill to find it. Unsure at first, I managed to find … Continue reading Clitter and Clotted Cream
Being the hostelry I'd visited for a restorative lunch on the day in 2008 when I decided what my final fell would be, it seemed fitting that I should mark the completion of the project in The Bridge. I sat in the pub with a pint and a pie and whilst taking advantage of the free wifi … Continue reading What Do I Do Now ?
Daylight’s fingers crept over the surface of the tent and the wind that had blown malevolently all night finally disappeared. It wasn’t supposed to be especially windy according to the forecast, but it seemed that it must have been funnelled in such a way as to enhance its force. Either that, or it’s just out … Continue reading And Then There Were None
I stood watching the black silhouette of the Scafells against a redish glow gradually infiltrating the sky above. As more light spread across the land, the glow became an intense orange concentrated behind Great Gable. A time for contemplation of the walk so far, and the walk ahead. Today was forecast … Continue reading The Valley of Sluggishness
The whistling and roaring sounds from outside that I heard whilst safely tucked up in my YHA bunk were all the confirmation needed that I’d made a good call last night. I didn’t feel a bit bad about taking the easy option this time. A deliberately leisurely breakfast took place before I went off to … Continue reading More Jam Than Hartleys
I woke knowing I had a little head start on the day’s walk, by virtue of my camp at High Nook Tarn. I was a bit slow packing up and it was nearly a quarter to nine before I was away. But it didn’t matter – it was likely to be quiet being midweek and … Continue reading Fog, fences and forests