Tag: stories

You are not supposed to get Trent wet

19 May 2022

You're not supposed to get Trent Belly *before* you get on the river Dean! Thanks for following me on the bank with a throwline though

The worst caving trip I have ever been on

7 May 2022

The worst caving trip I've ever been on. Solid Type 2.5 fun. Shall not be returning to Old Man's Slabbed Level. It wasn't the plan, and shall never be the plan again. Well done to mum for showing that the sling game paid off and she could turn round. Clearly I need to try harder! […]

When the big sky god decided to intervene

30 May 2021

When the big boy sky god decided to turn on the leaky tap a few weeks ago, I thought the Climbing Clan Thursday evening was lost. But with some quick thinking and Kirsty and Paul's fantastic efforts, the Wilton groups ran some impromptu trad skills training on the ground. Often there are skills you want […]

How did they get stuck

23 February 2021

"How did they get stuck?" "Oh just mum introducing people to caving games" Thankfully we didn't have that conversation in the autumn ˜… Originally posted on this post on Instagram

Probably should not put this on Instagram

15 February 2021

I probably shouldn't put this on Instagram but I want to tell you about somewhere off the beaten track downstream from a tourist hotspot. If you were to go to this tourist hotspot, having paid for the new pay and display carpark, you'd first visit the main event and realise how busy it was. To […]

The lockdown project I am most proud of

1 December 2020

One of the lockdown 1.0 projects I'm most proud of was a series of talk nights, both with the Climbing Clan, but also Paddling Pals, Caving Crew and Social Clan to share some of the stories and knowledge within the communities. I'm sure I can't remember everyone who spoke at them but I have particular […]

The most scared I have ever been underground

26 May 2020

Later Ashleigh would describe this trip as "the most scared I'€™ve probably ever been!!" but as we abseiled down to Garlands Pot to the long crabwalk, there was a bounce in our step. We'd been due to meet at 10am, but since Ashleigh was still incredibly hungover, by the time me and (Ashleigh kitted up […]

Will you take a photo, Mum asked

23 May 2020

"Will you take a photo?" Mum had stopped me. "I want a photo of me that's not in a nice beginner cave" I took the photo. We were exploring a well known mine newr Stoney Middleton and taking Mum on a "real" evening caving trip. When mum started Caving, we kept to large, gentle, horizontal […]

I turned the key and nothing happened

22 May 2020

I turned the key. Nothing happened. I took the key out and put it back in. Nothing happened. An hour earlier, the farmer had left, telling us not to go back over the road, that I'd driven over shortly before. It was too snowy he said. My friend with their their own MWB Sprinter looked […]

Bleary eyed and ready for adventure

19 May 2020

Bleary eyed, I rolled over in bed and looked at my phone. 47 new group chat messages. "We're stuck. Snow. County Durham. Can anyone help?" It seemed my friends from Scotland had had an eventful night. Not wanting to miss out on the excitement, I put the van in warp mode, told them I'd be […]

Photos of a day that never happened

15 May 2020

These photos are of a day that never happened. This day won't be talked about. No-one will tell stories about it. In mountaineering, we often only share stories of the epics. The epic successes or the epic epics. These photos show the moments shortly after backing off a loose and avalanchy-feeling winter route. After these […]

The stories behind these photos

5 May 2020

Don't admire these photos. Admire these stories. When you're progressing at Climbing, one thing you need is nudges and opportunities to push yourself gently towards the next level. In the one photo, a 71yro newbie climber is leading a 15metre overhang – something that would have been impossible to imagine 5 years ago. In another, […]