Journeys by hiking, running, cycling and touring
Four years ago the family had one of those holiday weeks where everybody got to do what they wanted, achieved by us all having separate holidays - my son went off to Scout camp, my wife and daughter headed for Paris, and I had the luxury of a whole week in the Lakes. The usual … Continue reading Finishing off the Eastern Fells – Part 1
Moor Park to West Drayton (14.74 miles) I stepped out of Moor Park station to a slightly less oppressively hot day. Back down the wooded path alongside the tube line, some clear damage sustained since I last passed this way. Across the railway and through the streets of Northwood, I arrived at Batchworth Heath and … Continue reading Blackberries, Reptiles and Pointless Detours (London LOOP Part 6)
We almost didn't make it to Austria, with a 45 minute journey to the airport taking 2 hours as we were forced to take to the country lanes to avoid the M25. We then found ourselves in the slowest check-in queue ever such that we actually checked-in after it had technically closed and arrived at … Continue reading Out and About in Austria
I'm posting a lot less about gear nowadays, but that doesn't mean I've gone off it! I took a number of new or newish things to Wales with me and did a few things differently for this trip. Here's how they did. Fuizion Freeze Dried Food Because I had stocks of other brands of food … Continue reading Cambrian Way – A few gear highlights
Day 12: Storey Arms to Llyn y Fan Fawr - Making up lost ground That "night in" did me a power of good, especially as I'd arrived at camp fully laden with water and early enough to simply chill out and enjoy being at camp, with none of the pressures of the previous night's desperate … Continue reading Cambrian Way #5: Storey Arms to Llandovery (Days 12-13)
Day 10: Friday 11 July 2014 - Filling in the Blanks I woke early to a gloomy and rainy world. Thankful that I'd all but completed the packing the night before, it didn't take me long to get the last few bits together and be on my way, walking to the station in a light … Continue reading Cambrian Way #4: Merthyr to Storey Arms (Days 10 – 11)
It's been over a year, but finally I'm getting back to the Cambrian Way. In a little over 10 days I've gone from not even considering doing it to impatience to get out there on the trail. The Lakes has had most of my attention for the last year, but happily now the balance is … Continue reading Back on the Cambrian Way
Although there's some controversy over who actually uttered this well-known quote, with people usually ascribing it to Winston Churchill or Mark Twain, the fact remains that hitting a small ball with a stick over a long distance to a small hole, is a singularly odd pastime and one I struggle to understand the obsession for. … Continue reading Tree Love and a Good Walk Spoiled ? (London LOOP Part 5)
I'd like to thank Gina (@CumbrianBlondie) for nominating me via her blog - The Adventures of Cumbrian Blondie. The Liebster Award was originally an idea to spread by word of mouth (or should that be word of type?) blogs with relatively low readerships - not because they're crap, but more because people might not have … Continue reading The Liebster Award
The Day After the Night Before No one had seemed that bothered about staying in the pub, helped by the live music act's rather dubious renditions of what had up to that point been some well-loved songs, and so we all decamped to, errr camp. An evening sat around the camp, warding off midges and … Continue reading Beer and Bogs in Borrowdale
The first thing I saw as I stepped off the bus at Rosthwaite, a stop short of where I ought to, was Eagle Crag, one of my most favourite fells, peering out from behind Rosthwaite Fell. This just reminded me that it's ages since I've been to Borrowdale. Quite apart from the challenge itself, it … Continue reading The 10-in-10 (ish)
With the 10-in-10 approaching fast, some training was called for if I was to maintain any of the hill fitness from my Southern Fells trip for long enough to have a hope of getting me through the challenge itself. Where I live is really flat and some of it is even below sea level, (well … Continue reading Training for the 10 in 10
Day 1 - Friday 6 June A few squirts of air into the Airbeam frame of my new Gossamer Gear Mariposa Pack and then I swung it up onto my shoulder and left the house for the short walk to the station. It's usually on the walk to the station that I begin to suspect … Continue reading Some Favourite Southern Fells
The first proper day of an extended work break, and what do I do ? I do the morning commute anyway, as if nothing has changed. 7am sees me on my usual work train into London, taking a sadistic pleasure in the lack of smiles of my fellow passengers, and the knowledge that my office … Continue reading London from the Sidelines with the Grand Old Duke of York (London LOOP Part 4)
The waves rolled onto the empty beach, depositing yet more soapy residue to add to the giant bubble party already in progress. I continued along the beach, gusting wind roaring in my ears. Nearby, an oversized seagull watched me impassively from its vantage point atop a rock, then took off to circle vulture-like overhead, waiting … Continue reading On the Edge of the North Sea