Blog
2020 in review: surviving shocks, new projects, and yearning for the heights
How I’ve navigated through 2020 as a professional outdoor writer, editor and photographer. About five minutes ago, it seems, I published my overview of 2019. Last year was my most successful to date in what still feels like a relatively new career, and I had high hopes for 2020.
What I’ve been reading this week, 20 December 2020
Brain games in winter, weathering the storm, the Cotswold Way, and Christmas books. Outdoors Brain Games — David Lintern’s latest piece for Walkhighlands is a reminder about the risks and dangers in winter mountaineering. ‘Experienced old hand? Don’t get too cocky. More interest in the outdoors in general makes
Nature Notes: selected landscape photography, autumn 2020
Now that winter is upon us, here’s a selection of a few of my favourite images from autumn 2020. Each year, my photography goes through seasons that mirror the seasons of the natural world. While spring and summer 2020 have been all about wildlife (especially birds), autumn and winter
What I’ve been reading this week, 12 December 2020
The hill road, taming the Eiger, remembering Doug Scott, and the comfort of a pencil. Nature and environment The Hill Road — a perceptive and thought-provoking piece from Matt Cross in his new blog, A Strange Country Almanac, about grant-driven forestry (and solastalgia too, I guess). ‘In truth few of us
Signed copies of Wanderlust Europe available for a short time
Looking for Christmas presents? I have a limited number of signed copies of Wanderlust Europe available to buy direct. In 2020 it was my pleasure to co-edit Wanderlust Europe with German publisher gestalten. This gorgeous compendium of Europe’s best hiking trails is a large-format coffee-table book filled with stories,
What I’ve been reading this week, 5 December 2020
Finding common ground, farming’s future, a winter sunset on Cairn Gorm, and solo on Mega Route X. Nature and environment At Darley — while the rewilding and landownership debate is increasingly tribal and bitter online, shaped more by identity politics than the messy realities of nuance and fact, there’s
‘The silence roared in our ears’: a selection of quotes from Hell of a Journey by Mike Cawthorne
I’ve recently finished reading Hell of a Journey: On Foot through the Scottish Highlands in Winter by Mike Cawthorne. This is a modern classic of mountain literature and the account of a landmark mountain journey in the late 1990s: the first continuous trip on foot over all 135 of
Outdoor publishing, Europe’s best hiking, the camera I use in the hills, and more: in conversation on YouTube with the Outdoors Station
This week, it was my pleasure to chat with Bob Cartwright at the Outdoors Station live on YouTube. Here’s how it went. As I wrote in my blog post introducing the show, I don’t make many public appearances. It has been over a year since my last talk
What I’ve been reading this week, 28 November 2020
Grouse shooters in dismay, a tribute to the Fox of Glencoe, a sunny day on Skye, and the impact of high winds. Nature and environment Grouse shooting licence move sparks ‘dismay’ — atrocious headline from the BBC aside, this is a step in the right direction. I’d like to think
Live on YouTube with the Outdoors Station, Wed 25 November 2020 at 19.00 GMT
Keen to learn more about my new book, Wanderlust Europe — and have the opportunity to win a copy? Come along to my live show with the Outdoors Station on YouTube next Wednesday. Where: YouTube (direct URL: https://youtu.be/qDk6lOoAxpc) When: 19.00 GMT, Wednesday 25 November 2020 Cost: free
