“This is ridiculous!” Though I yelled the words over my shoulder at Matt, he stood no chance at hearing them: the wind had whipped them out of my mouth and away into the mountains before I’d even finished shouting. Turning to face forwards, my ears were once again filled with the sound of the wind and rain pummelling my raincoat hood. Just ahead, my dog Bilbo glanced over his shoulder at me, a less-than-impressed expression plastered to his soaked face.
Read MoreSeptember 27, 2018
If you cast you mind back, you may remember the closing sentence of our last expedition update from Belgrade, Serbia. It read “If all goes to plan, the next update we post will hopefully be from the Black Sea!”
Read MoreAugust 28, 2018
Our last few weeks have been somewhat of a whirlwind as we’ve passed through five countries and four capital cities in twelve days of non-stop paddling on the Danube.
Read MoreAugust 13, 2018
During our first ten days on the River Danube, we have very quickly come to realise that this river is a fickle mistress.
Read MoreAugust 1, 2018
Since our last expedition update over two weeks ago, Kate and I have thrown ourselves into a big push in order to complete the Main and Main-Donau Canal, an accumulative distance of over 465km across Germany.
Read MoreJuly 24, 2018
A few weeks ago, we were incredibly lucky to receive a delivery of over thirty cards from students at St Paul’s Juniors, a school in London.
Read MoreJuly 14, 2018
After an enjoyable two days off in the beautiful city of Strasbourg, it was time for Kate and I to leave behind the safety and comfort of the French canals in order to join the Rhine.
Read MoreJune 27, 2018
After the amount of hospitality and generosity we were shown last week, we really didn’t think things could get better.
Read MoreJune 18, 2018
It is a recurring theme on this adventure that the most memorable and positive moments we experience are due to the people we encounter along our way.
Read MoreJune 11, 2018
This past week of paddling got off to an exceptionally good start. We were treated to four days of beautiful weather and every aspect of each day went smoothly.
Read MoreJune 2, 2018
After a prolonged week of kicking our heels in the Belgian city of Namur waiting to replace our wheels, last Saturday we were extremely relieved to finally return to the water in Benji the kayak. The time had come to resume our expedition!
Read MoreMay 21, 2018
Our first week in Belgium has certainly proven to be a mixed bag.
We paddled across the border on a quiet, calm Sunday, alone on the water except for the occasional school of ducklings. For once, there were no fishermen or barges to avoid…
Read MoreMay 13, 2018
Bonjour from the French-Belgian border!
After a week of waiting for the weather to clear up enough for us to attempt the Channel crossing, last Friday we were finally able to cross from Folkestone to Calais…
Read MoreMay 2, 2018
Westminster Bridge to the English Channel
The first leg of our expedition from Westminster Bridge to the English Channel is officially complete!
Read MoreSheffield isn’t your average city. It’s known as The Outdoor City, and for very good reason: it has 61% green space (the highest of any European city), more trees per person than any other city in Europe and a third of the city sits within the Peak District. Sold on Sheffield? After reading those stats, I know I was!
Read MoreGiven how much of an outdoors kit nerd I have known to be, I felt it was only appropriate that I put together a blog all about what I’ll be taking on my next big expedition, the Green Ribbon 2019.
Read MoreAfter a busy start to our roadtrip through Botswana, Chess and I were looking forward to spending some time in the remoteness of the bush. A few hours of bumping down yet another potholed road later, we reached the turnoff for Leopard Plains…
Read MoreWhen a best friend of nearly 15 years spontaneously pitched the idea of a roadtrip in Southern Africa, I didn’t hesitate before agreeing. There are some adventures that you just know are going to be utterly fantastic and this was one of them…
Read MoreI seem to have found the antidote to “post-expedition blues” in Another Place, The Lake. Situated on the shores of Ullswater in the north Lake District, this hotel offers the perfect combination of comfort and luxury, paired with the captivating rugged scenery of this far-flung corner of the country - exactly what I was in need of after almost half a year in a tent. If that wasn’t enough to distract me from the return to “normal life”, there are adventures a-plenty awaiting on the doorstep, meaning it would not be hard for me to fill my time…
Read MoreSince November, a large proportion of my time outdoors has been spent in a kayak with my friend Kate as we train for our world first expedition in April. However, much as I am loving all this time on the water, seeing photos of snowy hills across the UK populating my social media feeds – and not getting to play in any of the snow myself – was almost too much to bear.
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