Glen Coe in the snow

Glen Coe West Highland Way walk

Glen Coe In The Snow had a nice ring as a post title, thankfully there was indeed lying snow, albeit from about 500m. Which is almost inevitable, given that it was the second weekend of January. This was, I think, the third time I have stayed in Glen Coe, enjoying a long weekend of walking, scrambling (for some), communal meals and whisky-fuelled banter.

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Burnham Deepdale and coastal walks

Burnham Deepdale camping campervan trip

Anita and I are now part of the camper van world and got our converted van just before Christmas (it started life as a people carrier in Japan before we got it). We couldn’t wait to road test it and decided to spend 3 days away in it over the New Year period. So we headed to Burnham Deepdale Backpackers and Camping. … read more >

Kit Review – North Face Men’s Diablo Pants

I was contacted by Ellis Brigham at the end of last year (great store in city centre Manchester, btw – I’ve been in a few times when working in town) and they asked if I wanted to review some winter walking trousers. “Yep, of course” – I was heading off to Scotland just after the festive period and they were North Face … read more >

Peak Bog Persons Christmas Jaunt

Black Hill Peak District Christmas gathering

It being Christmas it was time for what has become The Traditional Peak Bog Persons Christmas Carol Jaunt. We were back to Black Hill Trig Pillar on a misty winter’s night. Each year sees two groups comprising of (a) moors runners (team Peak Bog) and (b) walkers (I was in that group) traversing the moors to meet at a pre … read more >

First-time tips for tackling the great outdoors

Fjordland National Park

I get a lot of approaches from PR and / or Search Engine Optimisation / content agencies, looking to boost traffic to their client’s website with improved search engine visibility. Or to add credence to a new product launch with reviews from outdoorsy folks. Sometimes they’d like a paid article insertion (I don’t do them), or ask me to review … read more >

The dodgy achilles limp-along post..

Warkworth beach boat wreck

A recent ultrasound provided me with a new label to add to the middle-aged collection of ailment badges.

Achilles Tendinopathy.

So that’s what the painful bulge on the back of my ankle was.

The pain is exacerbated by the off-piste moors yomps I love with the dog. And hilly / mountain hikes (I ignored the signs over the last year or more, doh). And the stop: start driving on the M62.

So all the above are being avoided where at all possible.

I don’t miss the M62, I do miss the moors and mountains.

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