My right ankle is now double the size of my left one. I was out last night with Charlie (the boss) and Tim (my replacement) and, I hasten to add that I had had a beer or two, I attempted to hurdle a wall. Today is my last day at work and my last day in Edinburgh and my last day in Scotland....

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Patrick Winterton and Mick BerwickThere are those who say that all the great challenges have been done and all that is left now are obscure adventures in obscure places. Earlier this year Patrick Winterton and his friend Mick Berwick became the first people ever to sea kayak to the Faroe Islands from Scotland. This astonishing and inspirational sea voyage confirms that significant adventures...

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Winter will be upon us soon and with it the season for winter climbing and walking. I asked Alan Kimber, of West Coast Mountain Guides, to explain how to go about sleeping in a snow hole.Can you explain why mountaineers would use snow holes when climbing as opposed to using a tent or a bivvy bag?More shelter from the wind.Is building a snow...

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My experience of using hospitality websites, both hosting and visiting, has been great. I love the randomness of turning up in a stranger's home (and in their life), and it was remarkably good fun to have people stay (and very little effort). Following on from the previous post I wrote about this kind of thing, I got in touch with Randy Fay -...

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The main reason why I'm heading off on this trip is because I want to. It is also important for me that, on the trip, I can act as a cheerleader for music and cycling.I also hope that I can raise a bit of money for an organisation called the Mother's Union. I will try to explain why.I’m a big believer that charity...

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Dirtbaggin'I wrote a post recently about sleeping in the car. This is something I do on occasions when I have just driven up to the highlands and can't be bothered to put the tent up. My friend Russ Haines has taken the plunge and decided to live in a van. He works offshore with a 5-week-on-5-week-off shift pattern and decided that paying rent...

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When left to my own devices I'm not the most tidy of people. One solution is just to have less stuff. If you have very few possessions, and very little storage space, then there is a limit to how much mess you can create. This is one of the reasons I am heading off cycling with all my worldly goods in 4 small...

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The world's least enthusiastic Can-Can with Leg 1 behind "Question 21. What is known as the 4th Estate?", asked the quiz master (a man of BFG proportions). We arrived too late for any reccies of the route, it was dark, and besides that would have ruined the 'romance'. Instead, Team CAAC took on the fell running elite in a grueling battle of general...

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Forgot to take my cameraAfter quite an intense training run in the Pentlands on Saturday, in preparation for the Hodgo this weekend, I whooshed over on the ferry and train to visit Ray. So speedy was the journey that I arrived in time for Sunday dinner (a delicious Mexican treat, thanks Breda!). After dinner, Ray and I headed into Dublin for a few...

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