Last Friday saw me in the Lake District for the Kendal Mountain Festival. As a first-time festival goer, I booked myself on to a couple of talks and went with an open mind to see what KMM has to offer. Here’s how I got on… If you don’t know Kendal, it’s not hard to find the Brewery Arts Centre, home to the festival’s ‘basecamp’ for the long weekend. ‘Follow the people in down jackets’ is as good advice as any….
Many 75 year olds, particularly those who have lost part of their fingers and suffered multiple heart attacks, would be content with a quieter life. Not Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who, on the final day of his 74th year on the planet, chose to regale a packed Royal Festival Hall with tales of his adventures. As if that wasn’t enough, the evening was hosted by Bear Grylls, one of my all time heroes. I remember reading Ran’s excellent book, “Mad, Bad…
We all have weeks where we aren’t getting outside as much as we’d like. Too much on at work. A few busy weekends on the trot. Evenings taken up with housework or just some good telly. Short term, we cope with it. But we aren’t designed to live like this and it’s amazing how quickly this lack of outdoors time starts to grind you down. Your brain feels a little foggier. Thoughts are less clear. Your limbs feel sluggish. You…
Wednesday this week saw me venture to the wilds of Birmingham and the 2019 Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show. With so much on offer, my plan was to experience three things: Find out if there’s room for a campervan in my life Be inspired by a great line-up of speakers Soak up the atmosphere of all-things adventure First things first, I’m always a little nervous of ‘Shows’. I’ve been to the Motor Show and the Great Yorkshire Show a few…
There are some things which should be beyond the capabilities of human beings. Walking on the surface of Mars. Running a sub-2 hour marathon. Climbing El Capitan without ropes or other safety gear. But every now and then, a super-human comes along. Someone who pushes the boundaries of what we previously thought possible. A goal that seems so dangerous to the rest of us becomes an obsession, until that person conquers the impossible and we take a huge leap forward…