Traditionally, the first post of a new year would be my Christmas Adventure With Tom but that’s waiting for Thursday this year because today I want to make a post for the Resolutioners: how to get into walking A New Year lockdown hasn’t been announced as at time of writing but we can all feel … More Outdoors 101: How to get into walking
In this second “episode” of A Single Map, I’m taking my dad out for a walk in the woods. We’ve done a lot of walking this year. Headlands, several hillforts, the local thanks-Dr-Beeching trailway, around town and even a couple of fort-less hills. But woods are new. We didn’t really realise there was much in … More A Single Map episode 2: a walk in the woods
A couple of weeks ago, I read Alastair Humphreys’ post on “a single map is enough for a lifetime of exploration” in which he ordered a custom OS Explorer map of his local area in order to explore his doorstep in greater detail, especially while bigger and further-flung adventures are on hold. I’d already been … More A Single Map episode 1: a walk up a very muddy hill
I used to be more active than I’ve been in recent years. I have (had?) a friend who occasionally introduces me as “a keen hillwalker”, which I don’t think was accurate even in my most regular walking days. But I’d realised how inactive I’d become and so in 2019 I signed up to twelve monthly … More My exercise routine: 500km in 2020 challenge
Last year I did my first ever virtual race. You sign up and even get a downloadable bib (has anyone ever printed and worn this?) but you do the race by yourself at your own pace at your own place. You don’t even have to run. I walked it but cycling is also an option. … More Virtual running and swimming
In June, I tried the Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild challenge. Spoiler: it didn’t go too well. It started ok. Well, it started ok in May. I found myself continually doing things that made me think “I should be saving this for next week” but when June started, it wore off a bit. The first … More 30 Days Wild
Back in the summer of 2014, I rented a car and based myself in and around Borgarnes, on Iceland’s west coast and spent one of the days driving around Snæfellsnes. You can do it in a day but I find it’s such a long way and there are so many things to stop for that by … More The Volcano Adventures: Climbing Saxhóll
Since I’m walking the Laugavegur trail in July, it’s time to talk about the time I sampled it. In the summer of 2012 I did a day trip to Landmannalaugar. Just long enough to visit the hot spring and then run across the floodplain to see what else this little oasis had to offer. I … More Walking the Grænagil-Laugavegur loop
I used to walk a lot. Well, a bit. But it’s been a while since I’ve been out, or at least, out of my own volition. I go on Girlguiding region walking weekends when I can because it means I have to but other than that, I can always find more appealing things to do … More New Year, New Unicorn
At eight o’clock in the morning, having packed up my tent and hauled it across the campsite, I was on a bus. By one o’clock, with an hour’s detour to walk up a canyon formed in Iceland’s most productive eruption in history, I was at Landmannalaugar, an oasis and campsite in the Highlands. The plan … More Landmannalaugar circular walk
I Am A Polar Bear 