On the exposed border ridges where peat tussocks meet short, wet grass and a thin crust of ice, footwear and traction choices can make the difference between a steady, enjoyable walk and a long, nervous shuffle. Over years of routes along cliff-tops, upland mires and cross-border ridges I’ve learned that microspikes and crampons each have their place — but they are not interchangeable. This...
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When the light softens and the river quiets, otters slip from shadow into the shallows — the sort of moment that...
When I started playing padel, I quickly realised that choosing the best padel racket is as important as choosing the...
Empty, undulating peat can feel like an ocean when you're standing on it — one that offers few landmarks and many...
Empty, undulating peat can feel like an ocean when you're standing on it — one that offers few landmarks and many soft, treacherous sinks. Over the years I've learned that the landscape often leaves clues if you know where to look: a faint sheep-track, an old cairn, a line of tussocks, or the way...
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I often plan cliff-nesting kittiwake shoots around the same two priorities I have for any wildlife photography: get close enough to make meaningful images, and stay far enough away to leave the birds exactly as I found them. Dawn is my favourite time — the low light sculpts the cliffs and the...
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Peatland restoration is one of those practical conservation tasks where a small group of volunteers, the right kit, and a little know‑how can make a real difference. Over the years I've joined peat diggers, drain‑blocking teams and revegetation crews across Britain, and the gear they reach for...
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When you spend as much time on Britain's wild edges as I do, the question of what to carry for an emergency bivvy moves from theoretical to essential. Wet border hikes—sea-swept cliffs, peat-drenched moorland, and drizzle-prone coastal routes—demand kit that actually works when everything else...
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I’m often asked on the path — usually by someone balancing a camera and a wind-blown jacket on a cliff-top — which lens they should bring for “dramatic cliff portraits.” There’s a deceptively simple short answer (bring what you can handle), but the practical truth is richer and rooted...
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I spend a lot of time on long, mixed-terrain day hikes — coastal cliffs, heathered peat, stony upland tracks and muddy forest rides. Over the years I’ve learned that being able to walk all day is as much about sensible training as it is about good kit. You don’t need a gym membership or fancy...
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When I set out for a day on Britain's wild edges I expect three seasons in a single walk: a wet morning, a bright but blustery afternoon, and a chilly, damp evening. Selecting layers for that unpredictability is part kit, part judgement. Over thousands of miles on coastal cliffs, peatlands and...
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I often think of fieldcraft as the quieter half of photography — the set of small, patient skills that let you collapse the distance between yourself and a scene without collapsing the scene itself. On Britain’s borders — where cliffs meet sea, peatlands breathe in mist, and woodlands keep...
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On long, cold marches where the rain never seems to stop and wind bites through layers, keeping your energy up is as much about having the right calories as it is about having food you can eat quickly, cleanly and without leaving a mess. Over years of walking Britain’s coasts and peatlands I’ve...
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I’ve learned the hard way that a long ridge walk is not the place to discover your phone battery is dead and your handheld GPS has been quietly draining itself all morning. Over years on Britain’s windswept edges I’ve settled into a routine of using both a rugged handheld GPS and a smartphone...
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