Tag: travel

The first thing that hit me about northern Sweden

20 November 2024

The first thing that hit me about northern Sweden in October wasn't the cold '€“ it was the solitude. After a 19-hour train journey from Stockholm to Abisko, armed with only a basic map from the local supermarket and nursing a persistent cold, I set off. My preparation had been minimal. The night before leaving […]

I was in the Lake District this week

10 June 2021

I was in the Lake District this weekend with the Climbing Clan having a lovely climbing weekend and then it started raining. 🙁 The climbers understandably wanted to head to a cafe on Sunday morning – definitely understandable – but me and my 72yro mum had our caving stuff with us, and it doesn't rain […]

Exploring a hidden wonder with Judith Jasmin and Ashleigh

5 May 2021

A few weeks ago, I headed to a little visited area with Judith, Jasmin and Ashleigh a few days ago to take in the mysteries of this wonder, hidden in plain sight. The free climb/solo was terrifying as usual. I don't know any outdoor climb I'd be happy to bridge and traverse like that on […]

An eventful 2013 solo backpacking trip

17 May 2020

In 2013, an eventful solo backpacking trip to find the route to the bottom of an unclimbed mountain took me to unheard-of corner of an unheard-of country. The guidebook to Kyrgyzstan is over two hundred pages long, covering the six provinces of the country. Batken province is mentioned for two and half pages on it, […]

Before Scotland, people asked why

13 May 2020

Before we went to Scotland, people would ask me, "you know ski goggles are on kit list, are they really needed?" When you've not been out in the big mountains in high winds, cold and snow it maybe isn't obvious why you'd want them. If you're out for a pleasant valley walk and it starts […]

Starting my summer tour of the French Alps

23 September 2019

For undisclosed reasons, as I left the UK for my on my tour of the French Alps this summer, the last thing I picked up was a pineapple plant. Safely strapped into the front seat, the Pineapple plant snook through French customs. In Chamonix he gazed at the Christmas cake mountains, spiky peaks sprinkled in […]

Long-distance relationships have their perks – like pretty coastlines

2 June 2019

One advantage of your girlfriend living 350 miles away, is that she can live near objectively pretty bits of coastline. Originally posted on this post on Instagram

Van life means you can pack everything and go anywhere

13 April 2019

When most people go away, they have to: ˜µ choose what things to bring, ’¼ pack it all up “… plan where they'll stay š† arrange transport › book accommodation It gets complicated, stressful and expensive very quickly. I'm lucky to be able to just drive there, with all my stuff, ready to go. If […]

Scottish highlands adventure with Ellen

5 April 2019

When I first met swiped right on Ellen, "have you been to the Scottish highlands?" wasn't on the tip of my tongue. Maybe it should have been! Ellen lives in Penzance which means it takes ages to get to places that aren't Devon or Cornwall. It is faster to get to France than to Scotland! […]

My 7 aims for 2016.

6 March 2016

Last year was tough. It was so tough, that I didn't write any resolutions or plans, because I couldn't divert any outward energy to them, and didn't feel I was able to write candidly without self-censoring. So I wrote no plans. This year I'm going to try to be more transparent – my current aims […]

Do More With Less

7 August 2014

This is a post from my My 20-day Zappos + Buffer Values Challenge "Do More With Less" Well, I'm an

What's the best way to travel round Manchester?

16 May 2014

I'm learning to drive (and have just passed my test!), but don't be misled. I don't want a car. Not at the moment at least. I live in the centre of Manchester. I work in the centre of Manchester. I have a bike. I don't have a family. I like trains. So mostly, I cycle everywhere. […]