Last day of walking today. And what a day. I started by getting a lift from Middleton to just above High Force as I knew that my legs wouldn’t quite manage the full 21 miles. 15 seemed a bit more sensible! The first stage of the walk was a wonderful saunter along the banks of…
It was raining as I got up this morning. This tipped the scales firmly in favour of a day off. But in fact, by the time I’d caught the bus to Barnard Castle, the sky was beginning to clear and I enjoyed a day in the pretty little town as a tourist. First stop was…
This walk has allowed me to experience a whole range of terrains and today was no exception. A relatively short yomp today – nine miles and over by lunchtime – but my first chance to have a go a real bog trotting. The route from Tan Hill took me over Sleightholme Moor, a really unattractive…
Lesson for self. If you buy new insoles for your shoes, it might be sensible to loosen your laces. Halfway through today’s walk, I did just that and, magically, any pain I was experiencing just disappeared. The walk itself was a real mixture of terrain today. It started with a visit to Hardraw and its…
Breakfast at the sheep farm was simple. No choice of tea or coffee here. It was very strong Yorkshire tea or nothing. But it was quite good. The Pen y ghent cafe was shut this morning so I had to stock up at the post office. Pork pie, crisps and a Mars bar. Not exactly…
Pretty close to a perfect day’s walking. Malham Cove got me off to a gentle start in beautiful autumnal weather. Then I climbed quickly (possibly a bit too quickly) up the side on to the limestone pavement above it. A gentle saunter led me to Malham Tarn, which literally glistened in the sunlight. Then it…
I had forgotten that train journeys at the weekend can be tricky. In a moment of what may turn out to have been genuine madness some weeks ago, I decided that I would take a week off work and do some walking. So, this morning I left London with GNER to head north to Malham…
Staff awaydays don’t have to be spent in a stuffy hotel. We’ve just had a great day out at Alton Towers, where I’ve learned a great deal about myself, my team and our general ability to cope with stress and potential danger… Only three of us were brave enough to go on ‘Oblivion’, but we…
An early morning start today to catch the first Easyjet flight out of Stansted to Belfast. Then a quick run in a hire car up over the mountains to Derry, where Ruth and I met the Principal of the North West Institute of Further and Higher Education. He wants to start a Career Academy, which…
It was the first day of Wimbledon today, so we should have expected it. The rain lashed down. Parts of Birmingham and Gloucestershire were under water. In London, the forecasted showers were more like a monsoon, with the added excitement of wind to move the rain from vertical to horizontal. And today was the day…
