Lucky for me, I wrote down at the groups room numbers last night, as it all looked a bit the same in the corridors of the monastery when I went to wake them in the morning! Breakfast was superb and a welcome change from our recent standard of dry bread and cheese.  It took a… Read more

There was a bit of a commotion this morning at breakfast when a cheeky Pine Martin broke into the kitchen! He didn’t seem that bothered about me, so must be a regular visitor, but it was nice to see one so close up.  Today is a step up from the previous two in terms of… Read more

After dinner at the Refuge, we were treated to a spectacular sunset before heading to bed. Once again, my ‘one eared-mess’ ensured that I slept reasonably well, given that we were bunked in with 30 other hikers! Apart from some strange dreams, I woke relatively rested all things considered. Through a combination of concerns regarding… Read more

  I’m spending this week in Mallorca with a group of students on a trekking expedition following a section of the ‘Grand Route’ GR221 long distance trail. It’s been a while since I worked using my International Mountain Leader qualification overseas, and it’s felt good to be back! Final packing and an evening flight got… Read more

Expedition preparations in full flow at The Cottage, but there was still time for some birthday celebrations! A swim in the river was nippy but refreshing and helped to clear the head. Once all was packed and sorted, we had a super evening of pizza making and fun at The Cottage with friends to celebrate… Read more

How lucky we are to be able to grab a few hours out of an otherwise rather busy day, to nip to the coast and climb in the sun, in solitude by the sea. Even the walk along the clifftop was full of colour. After scrambling down to the sea level, we ‘warmed up’ on… Read more