Tales from a down-shifted family
- Making the most of modest means
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,...
After a postponed trip up Cadair Idris last weekend due to a slight back injury for me and a lack of suitable shoes for Mel and Clélia, we tried again on Sunday. The Crowd Gathers My back was mostly better, Mel’s Mum and brother were now visiting and had brought Mel’s boots, and Clélia had...
We lost a few colonies of bees over the winter. Not only did we lose two small colonies at home, but the bees in our out-apiary at Laura’s house also succumbed. We never had particularly high hopes for them as they were already struggling and then got blown over several times during the autumn and...
After a glorious sunset whilst Anna was playing in the bandstand in Aberystwyth on Tuesday evening, we had some weird misty fog on the golf course last night. I reckon playing golf in that would have added the challenge!
Our anniversary has become a good excuse to try somewhere a little special, and this year we’d booked a night at The Checkers in Montgomery. It was somewhere I’d had my eye on for a while and, with a ten-course tasting menu waiting for us on Friday evening, it wasn’t exactly a difficult date to...
The last few weeks have largely been about getting things in order for the summer ahead. That has meant a mix of early starts, time outside in the sun and wind, and a steady run of practical jobs: washing kit down, moving gear around, clearing shelves, and trying to get everything back into a sensible...
Fitness / Technology / Triathlon
Fixing the Altimeter on my Garmin Forerunner 910XT
Monday, March 17th, 2014
 |
 |
More live data from Ynyslas
Subscribe for full access.
Weather trends, weather extremes and historic data. See what you get here.
Camping / Surf Ski, Kayaking and Canoeing / Travel
Sea Kayaking in the Sankt Anna Archipelago: Missjö to Aspöja
Wednesday, August 19th, 2026
Camping / Surf Ski, Kayaking and Canoeing / Travel
Sea Kayaking in the Sankt Anna Archipelago
Tuesday, August 18th, 2026
