Join me as I travel the world and give regular insights into what it is really like being a solo backpacker and tips to help you plan your own adventures
Day 6 - Thursday 27 July The ice reminded us who is boss this morning. After an early breakfast we hit the water fairly promptly having packed up camp. A large glacier calving had caused intense waves so getting off the beach out of the swell was quite a challenge. I almost capsized before managing... Continue Reading →
Another good night's sleep all snuggled in my fleecy PJ bottoms, silk liner and sleeping bag. It was nice to have plenty of time to rest. My wrist is now making a grim crackling noise when I move it, definitely tendonitis. I've strapped it up to partially immobilise it. I had some lovely porridge with... Continue Reading →
We had a relaxed start, the pace of the trip is really great, I never felt we were rushing and was able to enjoy every second of the experience. My tendonitis was really sore but hopefully manageable. I slept really well, though I needed my silk sleeping bag liner and a warm hat - the... Continue Reading →
I woke up nice and early feeling pretty refreshed. My breakfast in the teepee was mostly German bread with ham, cheese and coffee. Julia and I were both ready quickly and weren't certain if we had forgotten something important. While we were packing, one of the huge icebergs in the bay split in half pretty... Continue Reading →
Greenland-Kayak-Exped2
I'm super excited to blog about this next adventure - it's a week-long 100km kayaking and hiking expedition in the fjords of Southern Greenland! I booked this Much Better Adventures trip after hearing some glowing reviews of the company. My first view of the enormous Greenland Ice Sheet On the flight to Greenland I caught... Continue Reading →
It's going to be difficult to describe the experience on the Cairngorms traverse but to sum it up in a word... Brutal. I didn't make it to the end of the traverse, having decided to head to the road at Braemar in light of a couple of severe weather warnings and having the waterproofing of... Continue Reading →
Yesterday was a lovely chill day in Inverness where I ate loads of nice food and spent some time with Katie and Sarah. I've not seen Katie since 2016 when we met on a trip in Uzbekistan and it is so good to see her again!! I used the time in Inverness pretty wisely I... Continue Reading →
I'm really getting into this now. Late January is off to a flying start! On the 16th I headed to Brecon Beacons solo to hike the horseshoe with an expedition backpack. I didn't leave super early, so it was a fairly "relaxed" day. Hit the trail at noon and once again headed up the gazillion... Continue Reading →
January is off to a flying start. My swim buddy Lance is raising money for St Mungo's charity by swimming the distance of the channel crossing (22 miles) in January. Despite needing to get extra time out hiking I want to swim with him to keep him company. To meet his target it means swimming... Continue Reading →
Now things really get going!! I'm launching into phase 2 of my training and it's all about steps, hills and weight. I hit the stair master for a 10 minute blitz wearing a backpack to ease myself into it. Even without knowing about the backpack, the machine reckons I burned more than 100 calories -... Continue Reading →
I don't know about you, but watching other people "climb their own mountains" is one of the biggest sources of inspiration and motivation for me. Usually I am referring to "striving toward their own goals" but this time I really mean mountains. I watched 14 Peaks on Netflix and it was just mind-blowing. My brain... Continue Reading →
Firstly, a huge shout out to Lauren and the team at Alpkit Bristol - I am so grateful for their help today - what a great place and great team! I thought was going to have to drive to the Lake District to visit an Alpkit store so I was chuffed to find they recently... Continue Reading →
I got to ride in a Jeepney! I wanted to get a good view of the whole crater lake and was told that the Sky Ranch is the place for it. Once you get to the roundabout at Olivarez, all of the Jeepneys are going in the right direction and it turns out that you... Continue Reading →
Hiking in the Svaneti Region of Georgia is an absolute treat. It's one of the main areas that is easily accessible from Kutaisi so it's a well-trodden route to get to Mestia from Kutaisi. Getting to Mestia We discovered just how cheap Georgian taxis are when a 10 minute ride to the bus station from... Continue Reading →
I was in love with Ireland from the first day and I am sure that I will return. Ireland had the best weather on record while I was there, hitting over 30 degrees and not a cloud in the sky for days on end. I was so lucky. It will not always be this way... Continue Reading →
I had heard such good things about Tayrona National Park that it was great to be able to explore it with a good group, so soon after I arrived at the Caribbean Coast. A short bus ride from Santa Marta lies Tayrona National Park, a tropical paradise where the jungle runs right down to meet... Continue Reading →
You ever decide to do something and before you even get there you realise it's gonna be awesome?! Today I visited La Piedra, a giant rock that you can climb up near a tiny town called Guatapé, a 2-hour bus journey from MedellÃn. You take the bus from the North Terminal, just outside the Caribe... Continue Reading →
My first trip to the Amazon Rainforest will certainly not be the last. I loved it!! I can't believe I nearly skipped it. For this 4-day trip I was with Sharon and Paul from the Netherlands and Elaine from Ireland and we made a great bunch. We left Quito at 11pm on a nightbus transfer... Continue Reading →
A group of five of us set out from Secret Garden to hike for three days to a volcano crater (Paul joined us on the first night). We stayed overnight in Latacunga at Hostel Tiana which was actually a fairly decent hostel with interesting split-level rooms, costing $10.50 per night including breakfast.We had breakfast, bought... Continue Reading →
The journey to Secret Garden Cotopaxi Hostel from Machachi was so uncomfortable that it was funny. Finn got grumpy about it so I left him to it! The Secret Garden is in the middle of nowhere, across a valley from Cotopaxi, surrounded by other volcanoes. We arrived as it was getting dark so the place... Continue Reading →
Finn and I arrived in Cuenca at 5pm. As we drove in above the city we could see just how beautiful it was and we could see the domes of the cathedral. We caught a taxi to Hostel AlterNative for $1.50. Our friends Stijn and Silvan were there and we dropped off our things and... Continue Reading →
I just got back to Puerto Natales after an amazing 9-day hiking trip in Torres del Paine National Park. What a place!! I decided to join a G Adventures group tour almost entirely due to the ridiculous shambles of an online booking system the companies have managed to create! But that issue is fairly well-known... Continue Reading →
Day 1 - Hike to Laguna Torre My first day hike was an 18 kilometre round trip to visit a lagoon at the foot of a glacier which has a lot of nature-sculpted icebergs in. The first step is to hike to the top of the village up this rather fancy staircase. This is a... Continue Reading →
The bus journey from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas is approximately twelve hours and takes in a great sweeping road around Tierra del Fuego. It's worth taking the bus and it's a single-decker so it's not too important what seat you get. Bus-Sur have decent departure times and air-conditioning.The scenery changed throughout the journey and I... Continue Reading →
Today is one year since I lost my friend Parik and it is to his sad demise that I owe this world trip. It was quite a wake up call for me. So I often hike solo in his memory and today is no different. First thing in the morning I moved from Hosteria Foike... Continue Reading →
Today, 15th December, I caught the bus from Mendoza to a national park and hiked to Aconcagua base camp and back. It was a really long day but it was fantastic! I decided to catch the 10:15 bus (more details about the practicalities later) and it takes you almost all the way back to the... Continue Reading →
