Tales from a down-shifted family
- Making the most of modest means
A while ago, Mike asked if I fancied doing Traws Eryri with him. I’m not entirely sure whether this was an invitation or revenge. A couple of years ago, we did the OMM together, and, depending on which version of events you believe, I either pushed us both rather enthusiastically or nearly broke him. Either...
After summiting Yr Aran on Friday, I had a taste for bagging some more Nuttalls, and all of a sudden the weather for the weekend was looking lovely. I had a few other things I wanted to do on Saturday, so decided it would be nice to head to the hills later in the day,...
Whilst taking Mel and Clélia up Snowdon recently, we stopped partway up the South Ridge for a snack and a chat. Sitting there on the grassy slopes overlooking the valley, our eyes were drawn to the summit to the west. Yr Aran. A summit that I’d not really clocked before. On that day it was...
Following a fantastic trip kayaking and wild-camping in the Sankt Anna Archipelago in Sweden, it was now time for a change of pace as we headed to the cosmopolitan capital of Denmark. Next stop Copenhagen! Well, not quite. We first had a short taxi ride to Söderköping that we shared with a German guy who...
Day 4 This would be our final full day in the Sankt Anna Archipelago, so after a chilled breakfast we packed up, left the cabin behind us and wandered across to our kayak, where we replenished our fresh water supplies and slipped back into the calm waters. The wind had dropped off even more now,...
Day 2 It was still windy in the morning, so we had a relaxed breakfast, packed up camp and were ready to start paddling by around 9am. Rather than head south-west across more open water towards Harstena, we adjusted our plans and decided to head slowly north, taking shelter where we could from the wind...
After a long trip to the Sankt Anna Archipelago on the south-east coast of Sweden, we finally rocked up at the Kajak Paradisetheadquarters and collected our kit. We had booked a large double kayak and camping kit for four nights and five days and were soon sitting on the grass with one of the girls...
Scandinavia isn’t that far from the UK as far as overseas holidays are concerned, but Anna had decided she’d quite like to have an overnight train experience on a sleeper train. Quite why she wanted this hadn’t been confirmed until we met a German guy towards the end of our holiday who said, “I guess...
I had another great day in the hills on Friday with Clélia and Mel. Several plans were floated, but with Mel heading back to France soon, we thought we should at least summit Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) before she left Wales. It is the highest mountain in Wales after all, even if it isn’t my favourite....
We’ve just got back from a culinary tour of my old stomping grounds in Bristol. First stop was the Michelin-starred restaurant Wilson’s, in Redland. We first came across Wilson’s in a TV series following restaurants on their quest to earn Michelin stars. It followed their journey as they worked towards achieving their first star –...
The amazing summer weather continues. We haven’t seen a drop of rain for almost three weeks now, and every day has been either hot or very hot. The sea is lovely, the grass is yellow and the trails are dusty. We’re recycling bath water each day to give the struggling garden plants a drink and,...
Fitness / Technology / Triathlon
Fixing the Altimeter on my Garmin Forerunner 910XT
Monday, March 17th, 2014
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Camping / Hiking / The Welsh Nuttalls / Wales
Bagging Nuttalls in the Rhinogs
Tuesday, August 25th, 2026
Camping / Surf Ski, Kayaking and Canoeing / Travel
Sea Kayaking in the Sankt Anna Archipelago: Aspöja and the Central Islands
Thursday, August 20th, 2026
