Working near seabird colonies on cliff edges is one of those experiences that feels both intimate and fragile — up close you can see the earnest business of breeding, but every step or shout risks undoing that work. I’ve carried out surveys along a number of Britain’s coasts, and over time I’ve learned that careful planning, patience and the right kit let you collect useful data without...
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After a long multi-day border hike that threads cliff tops, boggy passes and quiet lanes, I often find myself wanting...
Peat hags — those dark, ragged edges of peatland where the turf has slumped away — catch me every time. They’re...
Finding a brood of sea ducks — eiders, scoters, long-tailed ducks — along Britain's shores is one of those small...
I remember the first time I came across a red deer rut on a windswept Scottish ridge: a raw, rasping chorus of stag calls rolling across peat and rock, a thunder of hooves as stags clashed for dominance. It felt like stepping into a different world — intimate yet public, thrilling yet fragile....
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When I plan a cliff walk on the Northumberland coast I do it with two goals in mind: to experience the drama of the edge and to leave the place no worse than I found it. The coast here is a study in contrasts — long sandy bays, jagged sandstone stacks, grassy headlands and soft, erodible cliffs...
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Every few miles on a long Borderhike route I find myself sinking into that soft, sodden world of heather and peat — boots disappearing, water seeping in from some cunning breach I didn't even notice. Choosing the right walking boots for wet heather and blanket bog is more than a gear checklist:...
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Fog on a border ridge is a peculiar thing: it swallows the crags I know by heart, turns fences into ghost-lines and reduces the coastline to a memory. I've learned that the moments when visibility collapses are exactly when a compass and an Ordnance Survey map become not just useful, but...
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I’ve spent many mornings standing on Solway Firth’s sands watching tide lines retreat and return, learning the rhythms that make this coastline beautiful — and potentially dangerous. Planning a safe coastal crossing here starts with one thing: understanding the tide timetable and how it...
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Coastal grasslands and shingle strands are some of my favourite places to walk: a thin, wind‑scoured band where sea, salt, and soil meet. They feel fragile because they are — thin soils, specialised plants and birds that depend on open, disturbance‑free spaces. Over the years I’ve learned...
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