Mankind’s destiny Man achieved ascendency on Planet Earth through a big brain. The big brain came from eating meat, which started from the transition from gatherer to hunter. Archaeologists maintain this happened as a result of developing tools from 2.6 million years ago. Paleoanthropologists posit that the transition started earlier through running. Human physiology is […]
Born to run! – Coming to Running at 40, 50, 60, 70? Read More »
It’s October. Daylight appears at 7am and lasts until about 6 pm. This makes for a relaxed backpacking plan:- a core of 7 hours walking, topped and tailed by 2 hours for breaking and making camp. [route map at end of post] Arriving late on a Tuesday evening, I had the campsite to myself –
The Lakes – An Autumn Pitch Read More »
T was keen to revisit his youth! He had worked as a gillie on an estate while a fresh-faced student. He ran up and down the pathless hills to manoeuvre deer towards the hunters. On his days off he took free and walked to The West reaching the edge of that blank part of the
Knoydart – a TGO Challenge Pre-amble, or a Post-lockdown Taster? Read More »
Moving the site from Google to WordPress was accompanied by a change from HTTP to HTTPS. The Ordinance Survey mapping application used here validates the account using a URL and key code combination. The new URL was being rejected by the app which is now out of support. In the middle of Covid lockdown OS
The interactive maps on this site use an App provided by the UK Ordinance Survey. OpenSpace was made available 7 or 8 years ago. When married with a gpx file of location coordinates it provides a great illustration of a route superimposed on the standard OS maps. These can be zoomed in or out or
Why the [ordinance survey] maps don’t work Read More »
The Ransom Season is Here Again The ransoms season is rather short, so take advantage while you can! At this site in southern England they are approaching their best in early April, but I have seen fine ransoms in Scotland at the end of May. Two weeks after this first picture was taken, the bluebells
Ransoms again! Wild Garlic Bread Read More »
Not far away from here is the Nettlebed Folk Club and I can’t help but think about this every time I consider making bread from the new season’s nettles. The folk club is renowned for a long history of showcasing the best folk music in the UK. Unlike its near namesake, nettle bread is far
Nettle Season Once More – Nettle Bread revisited! Read More »
Sometimes we cannot do the TGOC. When this last happened to me the Cape Wrath Trail (CWT) beckoned. In an earlier note I described the first half – planned as a mountain route. After illness moved the trip from May round to a rainy October, it became more low-level covering some of the areas frequented
If not the TGOC then …. why not the Lakeland 100? Read More »
The TGO Challenge – there’s lots of advice out there – so my small contribution may not add much. At least this catharsis will allow me to move on in my reflections – and focus on my new challenge for 2019. Some may think backpacking is backpacking is backpacking. But Scotland always has rain which
The map shows the route tracked from 30 minute beacons sent by a Spot satellite tracker and captured by Phil Sorrell’s Social Hiking site. Push and pull the map in the window below to see the route in blue. Pitlochry was planned as the first night indoors. I had tried to find somewhere earlier, but
TGO Challenge 2018 – Oban to Kinnabaer: #3 from Pitlochry Read More »