Pretend Vanlife With 2021 not having the best of starts when it comes to getting out and about, I’m super excited to share some happier news. After years of talking about it, I’ve taken the plunge and bought a van! OK, it’s not really a van. It’s more of a big car – technically a Multi-Purpose Vehicle, or MPV. Vanlife aficionados might well scoff but my pretend van could be the perfect vehicle for everyday adventurers who find themselves with…
When I sit down to write an article, it’s often to share my little adventures away from the rat race. But with mountains off the agenda right now, I thought I’d try something different by writing a post that’s a little more personal. I’m conscious readers don’t know a lot about me. I’m quite a private individual, so other than knowing I’m a former lawyer who’s found solace in the mountains, you’ve had to form your own impression about the…
Like many of us gathered around the wireless on Monday evening, I felt a range of emotions. Despair, sadness, fatigue, fear, anger. This tiny virus certainly seems to have us by the short and curlies with no signs of letting go. I’d ordinarily turn to the mountains to escape. But even they are closed for most of us right now. ‘The hills will still be there waiting when this is all over’, I hear you cry. That’s right, of course,…
‘The past is history. The future’s a mystery. But today is a gift – that’s why it’s called the present’. Master Oogway, Kung Fu Panda Goals My goal for 2020 was simple: complete 18 classic Lakeland fell walks, each one inspired by Alfred Wainwright’s excellent book, ‘Fellwalking With Wainwright’. By this time last year, I’d read the book from cover to cover, spread maps across the kitchen table, scribbled notes on scraps of paper and formulated a plan. Things didn’t…
Spend less Many people caught up in the daily grind dream of a more fulfilling life. The events of 2020 have offered a fresh perspective on what’s important. And very rarely does the rat race feature near the top of that list. If you have what society perceives to be a nice, comfortable office job, then you go to work to earn money to pay the bills and buy nice things. Money is a powerful incentive and keeps us plugging…
The mechanics of taking a single step are anything but simple. Each time our feet make contact with the ground, the impact creates a shockwave that erupts through our limbs. Our brains subconsciously anticipate each footfall and make tiny adjustments to ensure the energy efficiently dissipates through our limbs. And it’s not just our legs. Our head, spine, hips and arms all have a part to play in keeping us balanced. Hillwalking and running, although good for us, can increase…
I’ve reached a pivotal moment in my life as a hillwalker. After agonising for some time, I couldn’t put it off any longer. I have bought something I never thought I’d want nor need. At the click of a button, I’ve become the proud, if not slightly sceptical, owner of a new set of walking poles. I know I’m a bit late to the party here; it’s hardly a new and innovative bit of kit. Poles are a common sight…
I thought staying motivated to work in lockdown would be a breeze. You see I’ve been lucky to work from home for the past three years. I have a decent home office setup. I know that Zoom isn’t just a retro ice-lolly. And I’ve had to make up my own coffee-machine gossip for some time. And that’s meant my lockdown routine has felt strangely, well, normal. In our pre-Covid world, people would often say to me ‘you must have so…
Wash your hands after touching anything. Or better still, don’t touch anything, and then wash your hands anyway. My permitted walks have become an exercise in crossing stiles without making contact. And immediately dousing myself in hand gel if my concentration lapses and I accidentally brush past a leaf. And human contact has stopped altogether. I’m not one for hugging every person I pass in the street but an element of touch does come naturally to us. We shake hands…
I miss the mountains. I miss fine-tuning the route. Reading guidebooks. Poring over maps. Checking the weather forecast. I miss packing my rucksack. Sorting my kit. Filling my water bottles. Making a sandwich and deciding how many Mars Bars to take. I miss loading up the car the night before. Laying out my clothes ready. I miss going to bed early. Waking up in the early hours. Sneaking out of bed and wolfing down some breakfast. Creeping around the house…