I’m sitting on the sofa in the Snug at The Cottage on New Years Day 2025, having arrived here in the early hours of this morning. It’s stormy outside and cosy inside, so a perfect afternoon to scroll back through the thousands of photos that provide little snapshots into some of the wonderful adventures of the year. I’ve picked a few moments that jumped out, to make a short summary of another fine year of mountain living…

Notable journeys and expeditions of 2024:

• January: Leonidio, Greece

• February: Wirral Cycle Tour

• March: Datca, Turkey

• April: Somerset, Devon, Cornwall Family Tour & Menai Straits Island Camp

• May: Fressingfield, Suffolk

• June: Devon & Cornwall and Peak District Classic Rock Exped itions

• July: Ecrins National Park, France

• August: Queyras National Park, France and Dublin, Ireland Cycle Tour

• September: North Wales Trekking Expedition

• October: Pen Lleyn Climbing & Devon Coast to Coast Bike Tour

• November: Mawdach Estuary Expedition

• December: Ice Climbing – Rjukan, Norway & The ‘Trans-Algarvian’ Bike Expedition

These are just a few small photos, but they represent a huge bunch of life affirming memories, friendship and family for me. Thanks to everyone who’s been part of the action or been cheering from the side lines! As we’ve drove back along a windy and rain swept motorway, we saw in the new year in, in our own quirky style – at 60mph, accompanied by the fireworks of Manchester and Liverpool as we sped past at midnight!….