Borderhike Co / Guides
I've followed a lot of cliff paths over the years: some smooth, some nervous, and a handful that have ended in that hollow, unstable crunch that tells you the ground beneath your feet is giving way. Crossing a collapsing cliff path is one of those...
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Slack-packing a border hike with trains and low‑impact resupply stashes is one of my favourite ways to experience Britain's wild edges. It lets you move light, linger in interesting places and stitch together routes that would be awkward as a...
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Why a short safety belay matters on grassy cliff exitsI've spent years picking my way off coastal cliffs and steep grassy slopes where a single slip can quickly become an uncontrolled slide. In those moments a full climbing setup isn't practical:...
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When I plan a trip to see puffins on the Farne Islands I start from one simple idea: the seabird colony must come first. You can make spectacular images and memories without putting breeding birds at risk — but it takes intention. Below I lay out...
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After a long winter of snow, the thaw brings a particular, uneasy season across blanket peat: white surfaces collapse into a patchwork of soft hummocks, hidden pools and thin crust that will no longer carry weight. I’ve learned to read those...
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I remember the first time I crawled out onto a peatland boardwalk to lift a broken board and examine what was going on beneath my boots. The smell of wet peat, the tiny bells of hare’s-tail cottongrass and the distant cry of curlew made it clear...
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There’s a particular kind of freedom to be found in low-tide coastal scrambles: a squeeze of wildness, the reveal of rock platforms and seaweed-smoothed routes, and the quiet satisfaction of moving along a shoreline when most of the crowds are...
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Empty, undulating peat can feel like an ocean when you're standing on it — one that offers few landmarks and many soft, treacherous sinks. Over the years I've learned that the landscape often leaves clues if you know where to look: a faint...
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I spend a lot of time on long, mixed-terrain day hikes — coastal cliffs, heathered peat, stony upland tracks and muddy forest rides. Over the years I’ve learned that being able to walk all day is as much about sensible training as it is about...
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On long, cold marches where the rain never seems to stop and wind bites through layers, keeping your energy up is as much about having the right calories as it is about having food you can eat quickly, cleanly and without leaving a mess. Over years...
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