On bog hopping and jungle treks

On bog hopping and jungle treks

Why experiencing something unique is worth sacrificing a camera for I’ve just been reading the former Welsh rugby international Richard Parks’ latest post following his ascent of Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia last Tuesday. I’ve been following his attempt to climb

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Turning mountains into trash heaps

Turning mountains into trash heaps

The environmental cost of mountaineering expeditions Base camp on the east side of Baruntse, Nepal, is one of the most breathtaking settings you’re ever likely to come across. Hemmed in by rock walls on two sides, to the west the

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Yippee! Our forests are safe, for now

Yippee! Our forests are safe, for now

Looking back at the Save Our Forests campaign Across the Middle East grassroots movements are toppling governments one after another like dominoes. Tunisia and Egypt are already down, and Libya and Yemen are next in line. Somewhat less momentously, but

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5 great books about mountain exploration

5 great books about mountain exploration

If you like books about mountaineering, here are some of my favourites. I make no claims that these are the 5 best books about mountain exploration ever written, because I can’t claim to have read them all. They are simply

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My response to that blasted Sell Our Forests consultation

My response to that blasted Sell Our Forests consultation

It’s not been the best of weather this weekend, but even so I may have preferred to spend it outdoors rather than sitting in front of a computer screen responding to a boring government consultation document. It’s a task I’ve

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Is the Annapurna Circuit still a Must-See?

Is the Annapurna Circuit still a Must-See?

With the spring trekking season in Nepal nearly upon us, and record numbers of visitors expected in the country for the second successive season, some people are beginning to question the impact of tourist numbers on this small developing Himalayan

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How the sale of England’s forests drove me back into politics

How the sale of England’s forests drove me back into politics

As a digital communications professional who has worked in central government for much of the last three years, I’ve managed to remain deliciously apathetic to the world of politics. This may seem strange, for you would think a person whose

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Will the Coalition government protect the UK’s forests?

Will the Coalition government protect the UK’s forests?

As a keen walker who spends many weekends walking and enjoying the UK’s network of public footpaths, many of which pass through woodland, I’ve been following with interest discussion of the Coalition government’s proposals to sell off 150,000 hectares of

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