You can read more of my blog posts here:
Salt Flats, Sand & Sunshine: Revisiting Portugal’s Iconic Coast on the Algarve
“Baby Come Back” – 🎶 Eddy Grant (1984) There’s a common saying – “Never go back.” Most commonly it is connected with a relationship that has previously soured, but started to improve; a job opportunity with a previous employer; or in the world of football, where a BIG return for a former ‘legend’ in a…
A 14 Mile Forage around Fountains Abbey and a FIFA-Style Sporting Fiasco
‘Some people are on the side of the pitch. They think it’s all over: It is now!’ – Kenneth Wolstenholme, at the 1966 World Cup Final, Wembley Stadium ‘Gold’ 🎶 Spandau Ballet https://open.spotify.com/track/2X9fsxb6O6bYEopJYmUbNC?si=WyX7rsfSS2y2J1lpeJHjKw&utm_source=sms I’m a big sports fan. Well a fan of most sports anyway. I absolutely love football and also enjoy watching elite sportsmen…
Staring Sheep and Smoking Chimneys ….. and Car Crashes!
A 15 mile walk from Harrogate to my home near Pateley Bridge: a week that contained car crashes and purchases, a 500,000 Steps Challenge and the Nidderdale Show.
A Cake Maker’s Debut at the Pateley Show
“9 to 5″ 🎶 – Dolly Parton “Maybe you should start with a smaller show”. These were the sensible words of my lovely friend Suzie (Sue) earlier in the summer as I confirmed my decision to become a debutant at the Pateley Agricultural Show. Wise words from Suzie, a magnificent home baker in her own…
A Gritty Ramble up the Ryburn Valley and round Ripponden
“Into the valley” 🎶 – The Skids “You just need to find your new tribe!” Back in 2023, at a time when I had really struggled mentally to adapt to so many life changes in such a short time, those immortal words had been uttered by my friend Jo, a simply brilliant headteacher who runs…
A Forage for Quakers on my own Doorstep
‘The Sounds of Silence’ 🎶 – Simon and Garfunkel Traditionally, in the UK, September is viewed as the start of the harvest and foraging time of the year. After a record summer of sunshine and heat, the hedgerows and byways of North Yorkshire are ripe with produce waiting to be seen, snapped and sometimes picked.…
‘Pateley Punches’…….
‘Fields of Gold’ – Sting 🎶 https://open.spotify.com/track/0I1DJdLt9BKOb7GWmWxCjo?si=7YVSVwmMQwSnxl5XTZVCCQ Pateley Bridge really punches’ ….! That was my overriding conclusion from my 6 mile amble through, above and beyond, the little market town that is Pateley Bridge, set in the heart of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales of North Yorkshire. Yesterday afternoon, Thursday 3 September, I parked my car…
‘Many rivers to cross’ 🎶- Jimmy Cliff (1972)
The Tale of the River and the Missing Footballs Good morning campers and welcome to the third and final part of my ‘Tales from the Dales Trail’: the 80 mile walk linking Ilkley, north west of Leeds, with Windermere, the iconic ‘capital’ of The English Lake District. I started my backpacking trek on Tuesday morning…
“Take me to the river and wash me down.” – 🎶 Al Green in 1974 and covered by Talking Heads in 1978
The Tale of the 3 Grumpy Landlords Welcome to Day 2 of my little jaunt along the 80 mile Dales Way, that links Ilkley in West Yorkshire to Windermere in the Lake District. Due to limited signal and charge this blog is written a day behind my actual walking day. Eg today is Thursday but…
“Forest Fire” 🎶- Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
“Spontaneity is a meticulously prepared art”. (Oscar Wilde) The last few days I have been itching to get off for a walk. On Tuesday 18 August 2026 I actually managed it It is some 14 weeks since I returned to North Yorkshire from Portugal and Spain, having spent 35 days walking the height of those…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Follow My Blog
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
