It doesn’t take much mental effort to recall that sensation of falling through mid-air, accelerating and waiting for something, anything, to arrest my seemingly unending downward progress. The leader doesn’t fall is ice climbing’s number one rule, a rule I rather spectacularly broke. I still get that lurch in my stomach from thinking of that … More The Leader Doesn’t (Usually) Fall
We pulled into the Cromlech boulders lay-by at about 1:30am. Somewhere to our right, through the mist and rain was the famous Dinas Cromlech walls, featuring some of the finest trad climbing in the UK. To the left was our route for the day, Parsley Fern gully up to Snowdon’s summit. We were disinclined to … More Bad Nights in the Hills – Part 1, Volkswagen Golf, Snowdonia
It was our second day on the Wainwright’s Coast to Coast walk and we were sampling some of England’s dreariest weather (simply known as “weather” in the Lake District). We’d spent the previous night sliding downhill in a pokey two-man tent perched on the flattest ground we could find, and by the time we reached … More Great Nights in the Hills – Part 1, YHA Black Sail
Fully expecting to suffer greatly going uphill and glide majestically going down, my latest trip cycling the legendary Alpine cols of the Tour de France yielded some surprises. The usual (unintentional) formula for my trips held true, where I return significantly more bruised having learnt some important lessons, but ultimately have a merry time. Expectations … More Tour de Bit of France
London Outdoorsman 