Why I prefer hiking to biking

June 5, 2019 Opinion and advice britain, cycling, great glen way, hill walking, scotland, scottish highlands 12 Comments

If you’ve been following my adventures on a bike in Scotland and Ecuador, you will know that cycle touring is an acquired taste that I’m still struggling to acquire. By contrast, I love hiking and I was recently given a good lesson why.

Is Dervla Murphy most admired for her writing or her travelling style?

March 20, 2019 Opinion and advice africa, dervla murphy, ethiopia, ras dashen, simien mountains, solo trekking, travel writing 7 Comments

I’ve recently been reading In Ethiopia With a Mule, about a trek across — you guessed it — Ethiopia, in the company of a mule, by the famously brave travel writer Dervla Murphy. She is widely admired for her intrepid travelling style, but does this come at a price?

Introduction to the Apennines — Part 5: Monti della Laga

February 27, 2019 Opinion and advice abruzzo, apennines, cicerone guides, hill walking, introduction to the apennines, italy, lazio, monte gorzano, monti della laga, pizzo di sevo 2 Comments

I was lucky to live and work for a year in Rome, where the highest peaks of the Apennines were accessible within a couple of hours. It was a hill walker’s paradise, with a feast of mountains of great variety,

What the devil is a circumhorizon arc?

February 13, 2019 Opinion and advice andes, chile, cloudspotting, ojos del salado 1 Comment

As we made our way from base camp for an acclimatisation hike on Ojos del Salado in the Puna de Atacama region of the Andes last month, we witnessed a strange phenomenon in the sky.

Cerro Vicuñas, the world’s easiest 6,000m peak? Quite possibly

January 16, 2019 Opinion and advice andes, cerro vicunas, chile, chris groves, drohmo ri, incahuasi, jagged globe, ojos del salado, olympus mons, puna de atacama, south america, trekking 14 Comments

Last year I returned from the Himalayas and reported that I may have discovered the easiest 6,000m peak in the world to climb. But there is another place in the world where lots of easy 6,000m peaks can potentially be climbed on a day hike from the road.

The cause of Himalayan forest fires

November 28, 2018 Opinion and advice forest fires, himalayas, kangchenjunga, mountain environment, mountain films, natural, nepal 1 Comment

Forest fires have been in the news recently. Some are natural, but many people believe that climate change is causing them to occur more frequently. Earlier this year, we witnessed a Himalayan forest fire that we believe was entirely man-made.

Introduction to the Apennines — Part 4: Sirente-Velino

November 14, 2018 Opinion and advice abruzzo, apennines, cicerone guides, hill walking, introduction to the apennines, italy, monte sirente, monte velino, sirente-velino 0 Comment

Sirente-Velino has only regional park status, but don’t let this put you off. It’s easily the equal of the three surrounding massifs with national park status. There is great variety to be found here, from emerald-green paradise, to bare moonlike landscapes and dramatic cliff faces.

The great Nepal helicopter rescue fraud: an introduction

August 29, 2018 Opinion and advice global rescue, mountaineering insurance, nepal, seven summits treks, tourism, trekking

Last week AFP reported that a group of insurance companies from Britain, Australia and New Zealand have given the Nepal government a deadline of 1 September to take concrete steps to prevent helicopter rescue fraud, or it will stop providing cover to tourists.

5 stepping stones on the path to high altitude

August 22, 2018 Opinion and advice aconcagua, argentina, everest base camp, hill walking, jebel toubkal, kilimanjaro, mera peak, morocco, nepal, seven summits, tanzania, trekking 8 Comments

Are you keen to branch out and develop the skills to climb higher peaks? Here is a series of mountains further afield that more experienced hikers should visit if you are interested in reaching a challenging altitude.

Introduction to the Apennines — Part 3: Abruzzo National Park

August 8, 2018 Opinion and advice abruzzo, apennines, cicerone guides, hill walking, introduction to the apennines, italy, monte marsicano, monti della meta, wildlife 2 Comments

Abruzzo National Park is the wildlife capital of the Apennines. Its peaks are slightly lower in altitude and are aproned in forest which are a sanctuary for bears, wolves, lynx, chamois and deer. It is particularly vibrant in autumn, when the peaks rise in a rainbow of colours.