On many of the coastal scrambles and upland peat slopes I walk, there's a moment when a comfortable rhythm with walking poles suddenly feels insufficient. You reach a steep grassy exit — a short, eroded band of turf above a gully or a cliff toe — and your poles chatter, slip or refuse to find purchase. That's the moment I start thinking about swapping the poles for a short safety belay....
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Peatland marches are a different kind of wet. It's not just rain that reaches you — it's the slow, cold soak from...
Walking cliff ledges is one of those experiences that sharpens everything: wind, light, the sound of sea on rock. But...
Photographing nesting puffins from a kayak is one of those experiences that feels impossible until you try it — then...
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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