Back in June 2004, my caving club went on an “expedition” to Ireland. That’s caving-speak for a holiday. I don’t write a lot of caving stuff but I used to spend half my life underground. We chose Ireland mostly because that’s where they’d been the previous year and because there were plenty of caves. In … More A student caving expedition in Ireland
Every year since 2014, my friend Tom and I have gone for “an adventure” between Christmas and New Year. Usually that involves me picking Tom up from his parents’ house, driving off to some bit of coast and having some wine (well, Tom has the wine. I don’t like it and also I’m driving). We … More A COVID-free Christmas Adventure at Studland
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
Well, this is an interesting post to write. 2020 in review? How has the last year been? We know it’s been terrible. It’s been one crashing catastrophe after another and we’re finishing it with tier 4, international shunning and Brexit. But hey, we get blue passports so it’s not all bad! Let’s start this year … More 2020 in review & plans for 2021
Today’s post was supposed to be my plans for 2021 but I can sum that up in one line: I don’t have any plans. So instead, I’m going to treat you to more Christmas lights and more Dorset content: Ignite at Kingston Lacy. Back in the summer or autumn, I went to Corfe Castle. Kingston … More More Christmas lights: Ignite at Kingston Lacy
I’ve been meaning to do this post for years. Over time, I’ve picked up bits and pieces while travelling and some of them come out only at Christmas. I don’t collect Christmas decorations. I know there are people who bring back a fridge magnet or a beer mat from every place they go to. I’m not … More Christmas decorations from my travels
Santa Specials – Father Christmas and mince pies on steam trains – have been a staple of the season at least since I was a child, and for decades before that, probably. But that’s not really feasible in 2020 and so the heritage steam railways of the country have had to come up with some … More Steam Illuminations on the Watercress Line
If you read the post about my hot tub on Monday, you’ll know I went on holiday to Dorset last week. It’s no less a holiday for the fact that I live in Dorset. I went to stay in a vintage-style shepherd’s hut with glorious countryside views and today I want to show you around the … More A holiday in Dorset: meet my shepherd’s hut
Last week I went off for my first holiday since the pandemic! I went glamping – glamping with a hot tub! It was third time lucky – I was supposed to have gone at the beginning of November but there was a mess-up with the dates. Then I was supposed to go right at the … More A holiday in Dorset: glamping with a hot tub
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
I Am A Polar Bear 