There’s one thing I’ve wanted to do in Iceland for years but somehow it’s never fitted into my itinerary. Well, thanks to my Summer in the North trip turning into Impromptu Whistlestop Tour of the Ring Road, suddenly it did fit: I went kayaking on the glacial lagoon, Jökulsárlón. We all know Jökulsárlón, Iceland’s famous … More Kayaking on the Glacial Lagoon
You may remember that a while back I had a go at glassblowing. I wasn’t great at it because blowing that much pressure down a tube triggers my gag reflex. The actual manipulating and handling of the glass was all new but with practice, I could probably become competent but if you can’t blow the glass, … More I tried blacksmithing (I can do it!)
This post has already been through several drafts, with titles like “I got my Going Away With licence!” and “I nearly got my Going Away With licence!” but the reality is… I nowhere near got my Going Away With licence. I did organise a Ranger camp single-handedly though, and I’m going to tell you all about … More Organising a Ranger camp
If you’re a regular reader, you may know I’m on a slow meandering journey to becoming a kayak instructor. If you follow me on Instagram, you may know I’m already there, although you may not realise I’ve kind of skipped a couple of important steps. Last year, I went to a local Ranger unit to … More What is it like to be a kayaking leader?
When I left you last week, I was just getting home from my adventures on the water – and when I say “home”, I mean back to my tent near Corfe Castle. So this is what else I got up to. First, I snoozed a bit and then stuffed my face with Pringles and chocolate … More My Outdoors: on dry land
Last summer, I set off to Purbeck intent on a weekend of “adventure”, which I spent at Norden Farm Campsite, exploring Corfe village in the pouring rain, doing my first sea swim and getting to jump into the cab of a heritage steam locomotive. This year I found myself back there for the “My Outdoors” … More My Outdoors: a night on the water
It’s Sunday night and I’m fresh from the bath, with face, hair and feel all scrubbed and made soft after feeling like a disgusting camp goblin for the last few days and I’m so much more chilled and calm than the creature who loaded up a small car and set off on Friday. I have … More Can camping heal the soul?
This is so exciting that I’m writing the first paragraph half an hour after booking, more than two months before I actually did the thing I’m about to tell you about – by the time this is published, I will hold the British Canoeing Sea Kayak Award. (Well, that’s what I thought when I started … More I now hold the Sea Kayak Award! (Well, nearly…)
Entering the world of wetsuits is a wild and scary one. There’s a wetsuit for every activity and they come with quite the price tag. So, in case you’re just entering this world and have no idea where to start, I thought I’d tell you about mine, which is the Peak UK Centre Long John. It’s … More Peak UK Centre Long John wetsuit review
Is this technically a Travel Library? As far as I’m concerned, it is. It’s all about volcanoes – volcanoes around the planet and around the solar system and as there are no volcanoes in the vicinity of my house, and as I associate volcanoes with going to Iceland, this fits the bill. I’ve been looking forward to … More Travel Library: Super Volcanoes by Robin George Andrews
I Am A Polar Bear 