Longform
First look: Walking the Border by Ian Crofton
Walking the Border:A Journey Between Scotland and Englandby Ian Crofton I have just started reading this handsome volume by Ian Crofton. The author has a number of books to his name, and has a reputation for bringing history and facts to life in an engaging way. He’s also
Backpacking in the Yorkshire Dales
I spent a lot of time exploring the Yorkshire Dales as a youngster. My dad’s family is from the area, and we would go up most summers to spend a couple of weeks in the caravan. At the time I was obsessed with fossils and minerals, so the main
Ten years ago
Ten years ago right now — at precisely 11 a.m. on May the 5th, 2005 — I was taking my first steps on an amazing journey. At the time it didn’t feel like very much, but in a very real sense that journey continues to this day, and maybe I
A Tour of Kinder Scout
I’ve made some changes to my backpacking gear this year. Old, heavy items have been replaced by lighter alternatives, and I’ve stopped carrying quite a few things that I never really used or needed. The overall result is a significantly lighter load that makes mountain travel far more
Snowshoes on Bynack More
All photographs taken with a Pentax MX 35mm camera, Pentax-M 50mm f/1.7 lens, and Ilford XP2 400 black and white film. On the 2nd of February 2015, I took the long train north and alighted at Aviemore. My mission was simple: to hike into the Cairngorms and get
Your story already exists
The story you want to tell already exists. As a writer, your job is not to make it up — it’s to illuminate the truth that’s already there. One of the questions I’m asked most frequently about my books goes something like this: “How do you make your
Helvellyn with Mark Richards — film review
HELVELLYN WITH MARK RICHARDSA film by Terry AbrahamWatch the trailer here Terry Abraham has made his name by creating beautiful mountain films, usually doing all the hard work himself — and that means both the filming and the production. His Cairngorms in Winter with Chris Townsend was a visual feast with
Forty-eight hours at the Lairig Leacach bothy — a typecast
In a departure from my usual form for trip reports, I’m writing this one up as a typecast — that is, scans of pages typed on a manual typewriter. I used an analogue camera to take all the photos on this trip so it feels appropriate. I hope you enjoy
Book review and interview: Low Fidelity by Riccardo Mori
I have published a book review of the serialised science fiction novel Low Fidelity over on my work site, Pinnacle Editorial. It also includes a mini-interview with the author, Riccardo Mori. There are days in which Internet and what’s happening online dishearten me so much I would like for