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Being on somewhat of a short leash this year, like many others I've spent time getting better acquainted with my local area. One place in particular that I've got to know better is my local wood. The Wood is nothing to write home about in terms of its size - about 200m long at its … Continue reading The Wood
...or strictly speaking Harwich to Mistley, as for logistical reasons I decided to do this last section in reverse. In any case, I'd already experienced the walk into the end at Harwich on the Secret Archipelago Expedition last March, so even if I had opted for the big climax by the sea, it wouldn't have … Continue reading The Essex Way: Part 5 – Mistley to Harwich
It's been over 10 weeks since I returned, broken, from the TGO Challenge, a mystery illness having made me fight hard just to get to the end. On day 2 back at work I collapsed as the mystery illness deteriorated. Three weeks total rest from work followed by a spell of largely working from home … Continue reading Getting Back On The Horse – Part 1: Pottering About
As a kid, I was engrossed by Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series of books, and must admit to having re-read them as an adult too. The same goes for Cath too, and she's been trying to get her son into them (I gave up on this with my offspring years ago after being constantly … Continue reading The Secret Achipelago Expedition
After the big skies and open views of the previous sections, this one was a bit unexciting in comparison. Also, I did this section as a daywalk rather than planning to sleep out - which was just as well as there didn't seem like much of a choice of spots to secrete a tent either. … Continue reading The Essex Way: Part 4 – West Bergholt to Mistley
It has been a month, and high time I ventured out to knock off the next section. Luckily the forecast was for two days of bright weather, little or no rain and wind and reasonable temperatures. It would have been wrong not to go for it. I dumped the car on the outskirts of Witham, … Continue reading The Essex Way: Part 3 – White Notley to West Bergholt
A little over a week later from my first section of the Essex Way, I was back and ready for more. This time the plan was to pick up where I left off, conveniently at a bus stop, and walk to White Notley where there's a station. My mapping software, into which I'd imported a … Continue reading The Essex Way: Part 2 – A1060 to White Notley
The Essex Way is a long distance route of 130km (81 miles) stretching from Epping in the West to Harwich in the East. It was created as a result of a competition organised by the CPRE in 1972, and some of the original CPRE-branded waymarks can still be seen on the route (although now largely replaced … Continue reading The Essex Way: Part 1 – Epping to the A1060
The Mardyke is my local river (ignoring the fact that the Thames is actually nearer), and I've done many walks along and around it. This time last year I even took Little Miss Hillplodder for her inaugural wild camp in its environs. It's about as close to wild land as its possible to get in … Continue reading The Mardyke Bivvy
Somehow over the last month my mojo has gone awol. I've looked high and low for it and nothing has turned up. Until this weekend... This always seems to happen to me when I'm approaching a period where work takes a back seat and backpacking takes to the fore. The initial euphoria of knowing I'll … Continue reading The Mislaid Mojo
After last week's 14 mile jaunt around Canvey, the plan was to up the mileage a little bit - essential if I'm to have a hope at completing the 10-in-10 in June (feel free to sponsor me by the way). 16 miles was the target and I plotted a route of just about that - … Continue reading A Walk on the Essex Fens
Plans for the year have been formulated, potential weekends for escapes to the hills have been identified, but still it feels like 2016 is yet to get off to a proper start walking-wise. The New Year trip to Dartmoor was almost a wash out, with only one walk of a respectable length, and then I … Continue reading A Slow Start to the Year
Like a fool I passed up the chance of a camp the weekend before Christmas when the weather was clear and warm, and so put myself in the position of having to do a last minute camp in order to successfully complete my one wildcamp a month challenge. Having managed it all the way up … Continue reading Last Camp of the Year ?
With the 10-in-10 approaching fast, some training was called for if I was to maintain any of the hill fitness from my Southern Fells trip for long enough to have a hope of getting me through the challenge itself. Where I live is really flat and some of it is even below sea level, (well … Continue reading Training for the 10 in 10
I love beer. It's so liberating. It makes ideas that you'd never otherwise voice come to the fore and be shared with the world.I hate beer. It gets one into scrapes that one didn't intend. And makes one look a wally when you backpedal on what you'd said you'd do.An impromptu couple of swift pints … Continue reading Dithering (London LOOP Part 2)