Last weekend I went on a Level 3 walking weekend in South Wales with my Girlguiding region. Level 3, in our terms, is a bit above Mountain Training’s Hill & Moorland Leader but a little below full Mountain Leader. I am not a Level 3 walker. When I walk – which hasn’t been recently – … More Bog-squelching in Wales
I pick up the story of my trip to Edinburgh on Sunday morning. Tom and I were going to see Ashley Storrie on Sunday afternoon. He had plans to meet someone around Sunday lunchtime; I had plans to try to catch up on a little sleep. However, the hostel was so noisy and I can’t … More EdFringe 2017 part 2
I wasn’t going to write this post because I was ashamed of how much stuff I took with me. I’m terrible at packing and I’ve never mastered the art of packing light. But come with me and see how atrocious it was. This is the bag I took with me. It’s my favourite Mountain Equipment … More Packing for Edinburgh
2017 is my third Fringe, although I did make two trips up there in 2013 – one scheduled and one spontaneous when FOMA got the better of me. Actually, I’d only been half-thinking about going this year (I was only working two days a week after two months of unemployment) but then in the pub … More EdFringe 2017 part 1
For the last decade or so, I’ve been a solo traveller. It’s not a lifestyle choice, it’s just the way things worked out and I’ve got so used to it that I can’t imagine travelling with someone else. This year I’ve done just that. In May I went caravanning in France with my sister. That’s … More One bear becomes two bears
In a week’s time I’ll be halfway through my 2017 trip to Edinburgh and Tom wants to go up Arthur’s Seat so let’s go back to my 2015 climb. Right in the heart of Edinburgh is a volcano. It’s an extinct volcano and it manifests itself in two places – Castle Rock and Arthur’s Seat. Castle Rock … More The Volcano Adventures: Arthur’s Seat
It’s August, it’s Edinburgh so first up in a series of special Edinburgh posts is Fringe 101, or “how to Edinburgh”. What is the Fringe? The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a huge comedy festival. Well, strictly speaking it’s not just comedy – it’s theatre and dance and art and all things weird but the comedy part … More Fringe 101
I’ve never been to Hengistbury Head. Always fancied it, never got round to it. When I did GCSE geography, there were six groups. Five of them went to Hengistbury Head and did something with measuring the beach. One group went to the local village and looked at land use by colouring in a map. Guess … More Exploring Hengistbury Head
I will start this post by pointing out that sea kayaking today involves a lot of things that frighten me and as I wrote this, I felt more and more like one of these people who’s scared of too many things to ever leave the house. Things I was scared of today, in no particular … More The problem with sea kayaking is the sea
In this latest edition of Wessex Watchtower (and I still hate that name, so if you can think of anything better, please let me know!), I’m off to Longleat. Back when it opened in 1966, it cost £1 per car in order for the Lord Bath of the time to pay some of the costs of … More A day out at Longleat Safari Park
I Am A Polar Bear 