Tales from a down-shifted family
- Making the most of modest means
Endurance events always come with hurdles: injuries, other commitments, the unpredictability of life. But nothing tested me more than the global pandemic and, ultimately, my unexpected heart attack. That moment changed everything. It forced me to question whether I would ever be able to finish what I had started. For someone who thrived on pushing limits, the uncertainty was crushing.
Yet, A Thousand Mile Run isn’t just about setbacks—it’s about overcoming them. It’s about resilience, persistence, and adapting to the unexpected. Completing this journey meant finding new ways forward, learning to listen to my body, and redefining success.
I’ve been preparing for my summer hike along the Hebridean Way — a two-week, 155 mile adventure across Scotland’s wild Western Isles. With my gear laid out and spreadsheet open, I faced a familiar dilemma: how much is it really worth spending (or sacrificing) to save weight? My base weight is already around 8 kg — pretty lean for a trip...
Having recently posted about the Spring that keeps on giving—where I commented on the amazingly sunny weather we’ve had and its positive impact on our solar production—we’ve now broken another record. This time, it’s the highest daily yield since we had our solar panels installed. The previous record was 29.80 kWh, set on June 14th 2023. But yesterday,...
Do you like our latest framed print for the house? I think we’ll hang it in the kitchen where we’ll see it every day. This latest one was actually a gift from Lizzie herself. She wanted to scramble up and across Crib Goch and was planning to hire a guide. However, Rhys and I wanted...
After a busy day in the hills on Friday, I had a relatively relaxed Saturday. Sunday, however, was far from relaxed! It started with a run in very blustery conditions—along the beach, through the dunes and around the boatyard. I then waited for the tide to drop before going windsurfing. By that time, the sun...
Nuttalls Bagged This Trip Foel Goch – 613 m Trum y Gwragedd – 612 m Foel y Geifr – 626 m Pen y Boncyn Trefeilw – 646 m Stac Rhos – 630 m Cefn Gwyntog – 615 m Foel Cedig – 667 m Y Groes Fagl – 659 m Total to Date Total Welsh Nuttals:...
My Next Long-Distance Thru-Hike: The Hebridean Way My next long-distance thru-hike is going to be the Hebridean Way, from Vatersay in the south of the Outer Hebrides to Stornoway in the north. As usual, I’ll be doing it a little differently—and despite it only being in Scotland, the logistics seem to be more complicated than they should be....
I had a lovely swim in the silky smooth waters of Ynyslas the other day. However, as I was getting out, I slipped on the muddy submerged forest and lost my goggles in the process. Not the most exciting story, I know—but it does get better. There was someone taking photos from the beach who...
Well, that was a fun long weekend. After scrambling up Moel Siabod on Friday, the weather did indeed change. The sun disappeared on Saturday, but it was replaced by a significant amount of wind—so it was off to the beach for me with my windsurf kit. Saturday saw me windsurfing in a decent south-westerly breeze...
I’ve orchestrated my working life around a four-day week — the idea being that day five is for freelance work, leaving the weekend free. It used to be a 3:2 balance between contracted and freelance work, but since Covid and my heart attack, I’ve been gradually scaling back the freelance side of things. This year...
Having climbed Crib Goch and summited Yr Wyddfa last Sunday, I couldn’t resist doing it again on Friday. The weather was still glorious, and Morgan wanted to do it, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to head back to Eryri for another mountain adventure. There was a big ultra-trail marathon over the weekend, though....
Fitness / Technology / Triathlon
Fixing the Altimeter on my Garmin Forerunner 910XT
Monday, March 17th, 2014
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Is It Worth It? Chasing Grams on the Hebridean Way
Wednesday, June 4th, 2025
Hiking / The Welsh Nuttalls / Wales
Bog and Bilberry Bashing in the Berwyns – More Nuttalls Bagged
Sunday, June 1st, 2025
