On many of the coastal scrambles and upland peat slopes I walk, there's a moment when a comfortable rhythm with walking poles suddenly feels insufficient. You reach a steep grassy exit — a short, eroded band of turf above a gully or a cliff toe — and your poles chatter, slip or refuse to find purchase. That's the moment I start thinking about swapping the poles for a short safety belay....
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Peatland marches are a different kind of wet. It's not just rain that reaches you — it's the slow, cold soak from...
Walking cliff ledges is one of those experiences that sharpens everything: wind, light, the sound of sea on rock. But...
Photographing nesting puffins from a kayak is one of those experiences that feels impossible until you try it — then...
Photographing nesting puffins from a kayak is one of those experiences that feels impossible until you try it — then suddenly the world of sea cliffs, tiny burrows and comic-faced birds opens up in a way you can only access by water. Over years of coastal exploration I’ve learned how to get...
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There’s a particular anxiety that comes with a long peatland march: the slow, insistent damp that works its way through socks, collars and morale. Over the years I’ve learned that staying dry on a multi-day peatland route isn’t just a matter of owning the most expensive jacket — it’s...
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Why trekking poles matter on wet heather and muddy ridgelinesI've spent a lot of time moving through the edges of Britain — damp peat hags, coastal heather and narrow, boggy ridges — and one thing is consistent: when the ground turns slick, your feet alone won't save you. The right pole setup...
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Working near seabird colonies on cliff edges is one of those experiences that feels both intimate and fragile — up close you can see the earnest business of breeding, but every step or shout risks undoing that work. I’ve carried out surveys along a number of Britain’s coasts, and over time...
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After a long multi-day border hike that threads cliff tops, boggy passes and quiet lanes, I often find myself wanting to stretch the trip with a single low-impact wild camp before I catch the train home. Those last hours — slowing down, setting up somewhere marginal and watching the light change...
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Peat hags — those dark, ragged edges of peatland where the turf has slumped away — catch me every time. They’re beautiful in a bruised kind of way: layers of peat and roots revealed like the rings of a landscape’s memory. They’re also deceptively dangerous. Over the years I’ve learned...
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Finding a brood of sea ducks — eiders, scoters, long-tailed ducks — along Britain's shores is one of those small rewards that makes coastal time feel rich. But photographing breeding sea ducks is a responsibility as much as a craft. From experience, the best images come when the birds behave...
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I've followed a lot of cliff paths over the years: some smooth, some nervous, and a handful that have ended in that hollow, unstable crunch that tells you the ground beneath your feet is giving way. Crossing a collapsing cliff path is one of those situations you hope never to face, but if you walk...
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Slack-packing a border hike with trains and low‑impact resupply stashes is one of my favourite ways to experience Britain's wild edges. It lets you move light, linger in interesting places and stitch together routes that would be awkward as a continuous backpacking trip. Over the years I’ve...
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Why a short safety belay matters on grassy cliff exitsI've spent years picking my way off coastal cliffs and steep grassy slopes where a single slip can quickly become an uncontrolled slide. In those moments a full climbing setup isn't practical: time, weight and the awkwardness of hauling a...
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