britain

Here’s a picture of the Channel Tunnel terminal from the North Downs Way, which passes it on an escarpment above the town of Folkestone on Britain’s south coast. I’ve look at it twice this year in very different circumstances. Back

There are times when you pick the wrong option, and just have to shrug your shoulders with no regret. Last weekend was a bit like that for me. While the rest of the UK was enjoying glorious sunshine, I found

It’s taken a couple of visits, but I’ve arrived at the conclusion that the Cambrian Mountains in Mid Wales are a great area for backpacking and wild camping. They aren’t the most dramatic hills in the United Kingdom, but these

I’d like to pay tribute to a man called Graham Uney. I’ve never met him and I probably never will, but thanks to his Backpacker’s Britain walking guides I’ve had many an enjoyable weekend in the UK’s hills, in places

There are some hillwalking routes in the UK that everybody knows about, and in good weather are certain to be jam-packed with walkers, while others very close seem to remain known to connoisseurs only. I remember once being all alone

I’m going to say something that I don’t believe many people say: some of my favourite hills in the English Lake District are the rolling grassy bogland hillsides of its northern fells. There are some impressive looking mountains in the

While sitting in my tent the other morning deciding which Scottish mountain to tackle that day, I came across a couple of passages in Cameron McNeish’s book The Munros which struck me as out of place. “It’s interesting that the

Joking aside, I think the view up Fan y Big must be about the best in the Brecon Beacons, looking back across the cwm to Cribyn, with Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in South Wales, behind it. It was

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

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

On completing the North Downs Way after 15 years

A walk in the clouds on the wild Moelwyn ridges

The Welsh Wilderness: backpacking in the Cambrian Mountains

Backpacker’s Britain: walking guides for people who like it tough

The Rhinogs: Snowdonia’s best kept secret

In praise of Cumbria’s northern fells

The joys and perils of off-piste walking

A weekend escape to the Brecon Beacons

Yippee! Our forests are safe, for now

My response to that blasted Sell Our Forests consultation