Category: Living Adventurously
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Where would you go for your final three meals?
After a few months living in the Middle East I find myself routinely feasting on Arabic breads filled with any combination of houmous, olives, fresh lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and peppers. Perhaps with a side of stuffed vine leaves, possibly washed down with ripe water melon and natural yoghurt. Delicious! As well as being tasty, of course,…
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Freedom (or: Why cycling to work is the answer to all of your worries)
There is no feeling quite like the freedom of standing atop an isolated mountain, nothing between you and the horizon but snow, rock and more mountains. Or perhaps pedalling purposefully along a straight stretch of tarmac, running flat across an empty plane with the sun lowering slowly ahead. And peering from the porch of your…
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11 Essential Features for the Professional Adventurer’s Household
If I were a professional adventurer looking for the perfect property in the twenty-first century, these are the features for which I’d ask from the estate agent: A staircase that allows me to perform chin-ups Walk-in wardrobe for Gore-tex, fleece and down products Easy access for bicycles (because all adventurers cycle; and those that don’t…
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What if they say it’s not possible?
“Your tyres are too worn” – “The brakes won’t work” – “It’s too heavy” At the advent of another adventure, the usual voices of doubt began. Some real, some in my head. The list of potential hurdles and hiccups mounted and, as ever, I began to question whether what I was doing was feasible. But…
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2010 Review – Best of the Blog
I’ve written somewhere between 150 and 200 posts on this website over the course of the year. I started off with a high output (four posts a week) but have tried latterly to focus on quality rather than quantity; producing articles that will still be interesting or useful this time next year and beyond. I…
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A New Year’s Message from Dave Cornthwaite
As regular readers will know, I am part of a small group of adventurous people who take it in turns to write articles for each other as part of an Adventurer’s Blogging Chain. To mark the New Year I’m very pleased to welcome Dave Cornthwaite to my site. Dave has roller skated across Australia, kayaked…
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2010 Review – Best Adventures of 2010
I was going to write a list of my favourite expeditions and adventures from 2010 but have had so many suggestions from other people that I thought it would be churlish to just pick my own favourites and far better to include them all. Thanks to everyone who contributed suggestions (too many to mention!) Most…
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A Small Christmas Present
I don’t usually schedule blog posts for a Saturday but I think we can make an exception for those of you online today. Below are two small treats for Christmas. First up, a couple of my favourite ever feats. The ones that are so mad that each time I say them out loud, they make…
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Live on a Dollar a Day – Everyday Adventure #10
The major sticking point for most people planning an expedition is money. Right? How they can fund it and who will sponsor them. Yet, I’ve never been on an expedition that had enough money or, for that matter, met anyone else that has. Few are the groups who can afford the latest and greatest bits…
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Heaven Opens the Sluice Gates (and other lines from my blog)
This is a little egotistical and very indulgent but I’ve enjoyed flicking back through some old pieces on my website to select a few lines that have made me smile on re-reading. “Heaven opens the sluice gates and eight pairs of knuckles turn white as they cling to poles in an attempt to keep…
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Head for the Drawing Board – Everyday Adventure #9
The next best thing to the thrill of an expedition is planning one. Poring over a map, tracing the line that you’re going to walk/run/cycle/fly and piercing it with a pin as the idea once did your heart. Punching key words into Google, scouring message boards and gulping down Wikipedia articles to feed greedily with…