I had now extensively asked about the boar plague and, it seemed, that their numbers were far, far more significant on the north side of the loch than the south. Once I turned the canal again by Neptune's staircase I would no longer have to be concerned about a midnight death caused by a stampede … Continue reading Loch Ness 360: Day 4, Fort Augustus to Inverfarigaig (20 miles)
I woke to a text from my dad - 24 people rescued on Ben Nevis yesterday. One death. My dad is my biggest support, but I'm not sure he looks up the trails I tell him I'm doing until I'm actually on them, and then expresses his concerns through 'breaking news' style texts. This approach … Continue reading Loch Ness 360: Day 3, Ruskich Wood to Fort Augustus (16 miles)
A druid travelled through a valley where water was everywhere, but none pure enough to drink. Marshes and bogs formed where snow had melted and fallen slowly down the peat covered sides of the mountains, and whilst there were many pools; they were all dark with mud and covered with a constant haze of midges. … Continue reading Loch Ness 360: Day 1, Inverness to near Blackfold (5 miles)
1st - 6th January 2022 Image from the Hiiker app Day 32 Clarach - Aberystwyth 2 miles/301 ft total ascent The lump on my sleeping pad from the delaminated baffle had started to grow. It seems one going weakens others. There had been two other bangs last night and the hernia was growing. Between that … Continue reading Ceridigion Coast: Clarach – Cardigan
Northwest from Ilkley Start: Ilkley Finish: Bowness on Windemere Distance: 80 miles (128km) Total ascent: 5,217ft (1,590m) Traditional Sections: Ilkley - Burnsall (13 miles)Burnsall - Buckden (14 miles)Buckden - Cowgill (18 miles)Cowgill - Sedbergh (9 miles)Sedbergh - Burneside (16 miles)Burneside - Bowness on Windemere (10 miles) I walked northwest from Ilkley in November 2021 over … Continue reading Dales Way: Information, Advice and Personal Reflections
Eastward From Barrowford Start and Finish: Barrowford, Pendle Heritage Centre Distance: 45 miles (72.5km) Total ascent: 5,993ft (1,836m) Traditional Sections: Barrowford - Barnoldswick (7 miles)Barnoldswick - Earby (5.5 miles)Earby - Laneshawbridge, (7 miles)Laneshawbridge to Coldwell Inn, (6.5 miles)Coldwell Inn to Reedley, (4.5 miles)Reedley - Newchurch, (6 miles)Newchurch - Barley, (5 miles)Barley - Barrowford (3.5 miles) … Continue reading Pendle Way: Information, Advice and Personal Reflections
I left Reedley as the light started to press against the ash grey veil of the new morning. Whilst my first day had been crisp and blue and yesterday had been drizzly, today looked to be thoroughly overcast with occasional rain. The gloom of autumn was setting in after the initial joy of seeing the … Continue reading Pendle Way, Day 3: Reedley to Barrowford (14.5 miles)
I was up bright and early, trying as quietly as I could to gather my things together to exit the bunkhouse and meet the taxi driver. His son has somehow further disappointed him in the last twelve hours and now his wife was overfeeding the dog as well and everyone kept saying how they needed … Continue reading Snowdonia Slate Trail, Day 3: Beddgelert to Llan Ffestiniog (16.5 miles)
Kinder Scout, the highest of the Dark Peaks, is known for its risen plateau; a wild moorland that is twisted with bright heather in midsummer, yet achingly desolate come the cold. It is a moody, magnificent, fickle and arrogant place; blanket bog, dense and ancient, drags down the unsuspecting after the rains and, come January, … Continue reading The Kinder Scout Mass Trespass
Once upon a time, a trickster God came from the north and made his kingdom upon an island paradise. He was Lord of the Sea and of the islands that lay beneath; the islands of the dead. The water of the mists were woven into his cloak, through which he would shroud the island to … Continue reading Raad Ny Foillan: Introduction, Itinerary and Kit List
The Walking Papers 