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 blanket bog and fens are lifelines for walkers and wildlife alike—keeping feet dry, vegetation...
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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...
On the exposed border ridges where peat tussocks meet short, wet grass and a thin crust of ice, footwear and traction...
When the light softens and the river quiets, otters slip from shadow into the shallows — the sort of moment that...
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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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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