Hiking
Why does anyone need walking directions?
Why does anyone need walking directions? It is a fair question. The obvious and simplistic answer is, so you don’t get lost. But there’s more to it than that. […]
Tips & Advice
Devon
The joy of winter walking in Britain
The author of a Guardian article about winter walking in Britain fell into the latter. As a relatively recent returner to yomping across Britain’s countryside, I found it interesting to compare his experiences with mine. […]
Hiking
The difference between walking and hiking
There’s a question to do with outside leisure that pops up every now and again, and which has some people involved in the activity pondering, maybe even as they yomp (another term thrown into the […]
Hiking
Tips and advice for hikers of all levels
When it comes to tips and advice for hikers, whether anyone is new to walking in the countryside or has notched up thousands of kilometres on the trail, there is always something new to learn. […]
Devon
A Shocking Return to Walking in Britain
“Lower! Lower!” Jack’s commands assault my ears but my back refuses to bend any further. If I squat, I get the “That’s it!” approval but then I can’t move forward. I decide to just go […]
Equipment & Accessories
To walk the Camino with waterproof boots or not
High on a hillside above us, a prissy-faced guanaco watched with an amused expression as we contemplated the barrier blocking our progress – a rambunctious river whose clear, pale water was a couple of degrees […]
Hiking
Why pay for specialist travel guidebooks and holidays?
It’s a convivial gathering, eight of us around a dining table at a rural hotel in a converted farmhouse. The food has been plentiful, the wine flowing. As the evening progresses we get to know one another better and tongues loosen. […]
Europe
Travel and weather, beyond the sun and rain
Ever since we took up walking in earnest, and starting monitoring weather conditions and their after effects, we’ve learned things about the weather we would once never had considered for a second. […]
Europe
Traditional vegetarian options in European walking destinations
When travelling we occasionally get tired of traditional cuisine in some destinations. This happens when restaurant menus vary little from one to another and mostly involve meat, meat, or meat. When this happens, we are on alert for any local dishes which don’t involve a slab of dead animal. […]
Hiking
Choosing hiking destinations and inexperienced hikers
My source for much travel related pondering, Tripadvisor, highlighted the potential minefield new walkers especially have to negotiate when deciding on walking destinations. […]
Hiking
The ups and downs of seven days of walking
Will we be up to the challenge? Have our muscles atrophied to the point of no return? A trio of leg muscle-loosening exercises before we set off is akin to slapping a slumbering drunk – “come on, wake up you lazy gits”. […]
Hiking
Slow travel, overtourism and rural locations
“Bom dia,” the woman smiles at us. She leans on the granite window frame of a traditional farm labourer’s cottage, watching inquisitively as we stroll through the tiny hamlet. “Little does she know we might be harbingers of a mini invasion,” Andy ponders. […]
Hiking
Not all walkers are slow travellers
“I don’t want to read flowery descriptions,” the man smiled, but not really in a friendly way. More in a Wormtongue manner. “I just want walking directions that will tell me how to get from […]
Equipment & Accessories
The art of map reading, an essential skill for walkers
It’s funny that something I learnt at an early age – how to direct artillery fire onto an enemy position with pinpoint accuracy – could become an essential part of my working life decades later. […]
Food & drink
Slow Travel means being flexible with your eating patterns
It’s one thing to want to dive into the gastronomy of a destination, but an authentic Slow Travel experience means embracing its eating patterns as well. […]