This week, I’ve been in Ireland, supervising some Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award groups along the Wicklow Way long distance footpath. After several warnings about bottomless peat bogs and constant drizzle from several of my Irish friends, we arrived in the midst of a heatwave. The heat has been extraordinarily incredible; the ground is tinder… Read more

The heatwave continues. And while we’d both have loved to have been out climbing all day, there was computer based work that couldn’t wait. Still, I didn’t mind so much as The Cottage is a nice place to be, especially when the garden is full of sunlight and warmth. By late afternoon, we had to… Read more

Well, the unpredictably crazy life of Ian Martin continues…. Today, I found myself (with about 60 seconds notice!), having to run a 400m relay race at School Sports Day! A few hours later, with stiffening legs, I was playing the bass guitar in an open-air concert! After the concert, I was busy packing equipment for next weeks… Read more

After flying back (with great views above the west coast of France), from the Picos de Europa, I had a day to sort and wash my kit and get ready for the next expedition. I’ll admit to being totally shattered, so was quite glad to have a quite day by myself sorting out budgets, kit,… Read more

Our last day up high in the mountains of the Picos de Europa today. We would be leaving he snow behind and returning to the summer meadows below. But first, one last peak to climb. Across from the hut, the peak of Diente de Urriellu and Neverón de Urriellu mark the skyline, but where the… Read more

We let our dinner companions from last night set off before us this morning. I waved them off as they set off down into the clouds before getting the lads out of their bunks.  It was a classic hut breakfast of poor coffee, bread and biscuits, but there was no shortage of food at least. … Read more