Journeys by hiking, running, cycling and touring
I stood outside Llandudno Junction station waiting for Rich, due a few minutes after me, little realising that Lee was already there sitting in his car about 100ft away. Rich arrived and we stood around like spare parts waiting for Lee to turn up and luckily he realised we were there when, bored with the … Continue reading 2 Days in the Southern Carneddau
In between a busy couple of weeks where my current client project has reached a critical stage, I've not had time to do much outdoors and with miserable weather and feeling shattered from work, not much inclination either. But one thing has been drifting in and out of my thoughts - my project to complete … Continue reading Wainwrights update
I've been thinking a lot about ways to improve the Cumbria Way, with a suggested new northern end, some options for a new southern end, and a number of ideas for "quick fixes" to liven up the standard route. But now it's time to actually put my money where my mouth is and share the … Continue reading An Alternative Cumbria Way
In my last post I talked about my proposed new Northern End point for an amended Cumbria Way, and also discussed the merits and demerits of the other options. In the northern case, I felt the answer was pretty clear cut - to me there was one outstanding candidate for a revised end - the … Continue reading Fixing the Cumbria Way – Southern Endings and New Routes
As I discussed in my earlier post, the single biggest issue with the Cumbria Way is where it ends.  No one wants to spend a week walking through lovely Lake District scenery and end it all walking through an industrial estate or next to a railway.  There has to be a better way. Of course, moving … Continue reading Fixing the Cumbria Way – A New Northern End Point
In my previous post, I talked about the problems with the Cumbria Way official route, and in this post I'm going to propose some quick fixes to the route that involve minimal change overall, and importantly don't create a whole new long distance path. Really these are just some ideas for varying the walk, but … Continue reading Quick Fixes to the Cumbria Way
"If it's not broken, then don't fix it", so goes the saying, and there's a lot of truth in it. But for me the Cumbria Way is broken and what is generally a fine walk has got serious flaws that almost stopped me doing it in the first place and would weigh heavily on my … Continue reading Fixing the Cumbria Way
After six months of usage of Monica, my Tarptent Scarp 1, I've now got a feel for what I like (almost everything) and what I don't (a couple of minor things only). Most importantly I've got a good sense of how she performs in the field and in a range of conditions - from warm … Continue reading Pimp My Tent
After I had to abort my Far Eastern fells trip back in July, a second attempt was always going to be on the cards. This time, though, the weather was, for the most part, more favourable. Here's the story. Planning Day 1: Tuesday 18 September After a train to Penrith and bus to Pooley Bridge, … Continue reading Far Eastern Odyssey – The Redemption
Considering that the first attempt at this trip went tits up due to the weather taking umbrage at my presence in the Lakes, this second attempt went really well. This is a short post on why. How good was the planning ? This was a strange trip in that I deliberately tried not to plan … Continue reading Far Eastern Odyssey – The Debrief
I woke to sunlight infiltrating the tent, which made a nice change from gloom and rain. Above my head a 3 inch long jet black slug was slowly making its way along the outer seam of my tent's inner and I lay there for a few minutes fascinated by it, but at the same time … Continue reading Mission Complete
Last night certainly put the wild into wild camping. 7 hours of constant heavy rain and strong winds battered the tent, and with each climactic gust I watched for signs that my shelter wasn't going to hold. But it did hold, I survived it and the weather abated just before 1am, allowing me to get … Continue reading Positive Mental Attitude
Thursday was always predicted to be the worst day in terms of weather but even so the forecast I picked up on Wednesday morning seemed better than before I left home. How wrong I was. The gentle patter of rain on the tent woke me after a night when I'd actually got a decent amount … Continue reading The wind and my 11 inch sausage
I woke with a start as sunlight streamed into the tent. This was surprising enough given the miserable day 2 morning conditions of the previous attempt at this trip. But more surprising still was that I ever got to sleep at all. Cold in my -5°C rated bag, I'd tossed and turned all night as … Continue reading Deer, bruises and a perfect pitch
I ambled along Fenchurch Street, by now used to the looks of mild disdain that the sight of a guy dressed for the outdoors and carrying a rucksack evokes in city folk. I left them to hurry on to their early heart attacks while I headed for nature's playground, deriving extra satisfaction from the fact … Continue reading The Odyssey resumes