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 harness and rope on a daywalk often rule them out. A short safety belay made with a walking pole and a...
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I’ve spent countless damp mornings knee-deep in peat, helping small volunteer teams plug eroded haggs and revegetate...
When I plan a trip to see puffins on the Farne Islands I start from one simple idea: the seabird colony must come...
After a long winter of snow, the thaw brings a particular, uneasy season across blanket peat: white surfaces collapse...
After a long winter of snow, the thaw brings a particular, uneasy season across blanket peat: white surfaces collapse into a patchwork of soft hummocks, hidden pools and thin crust that will no longer carry weight. I’ve learned to read those signatures — the visual and tactile clues that tell...
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I remember the first time I crawled out onto a peatland boardwalk to lift a broken board and examine what was going on beneath my boots. The smell of wet peat, the tiny bells of hare’s-tail cottongrass and the distant cry of curlew made it clear this was not a place to rush. Boardwalks over...
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There’s a particular kind of freedom to be found in low-tide coastal scrambles: a squeeze of wildness, the reveal of rock platforms and seaweed-smoothed routes, and the quiet satisfaction of moving along a shoreline when most of the crowds are inland. As someone who spends a lot of time around...
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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...
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When the light softens and the river quiets, otters slip from shadow into the shallows — the sort of moment that makes you forget the hours of waiting, the cold knees and the careful packing. Photographing foraging otters at dusk is one of those rare rewards where patience, kit and a strict code...
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When I started playing padel, I quickly realised that choosing the best padel racket is as important as choosing the right pair of boots for a mountain walk: the wrong tool changes everything about how the game feels, how confident you are on the court, and how quickly you improve. Over time I've...
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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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