mountains
The mountains of my life: Ben Nevis
This blog post is part of a series of articles on mountains that have a special significance for me. See also: Bowfell, Tryfan, Stob Ban, Castor, and Aonach Dubh. Like most people, I first climbed Ben Nevis via the Pony Track: a relentless grind up the bleak western flanks of
The Cairngorms in Winter with Chris Townsend – film review
The Cairngorms in Winter with Chris TownsendA film by Terry AbrahamFunded by KickstarterI have been looking forward to this remarkable film for a long time. I follow Terry on Twitter (@terrybnd) and, although I was not one of the original backers for the project on Kickstarter, I became intrigued by
The mountains of my life: Aonach Dubh West Face
This blog post is part of a series of articles on mountains that have a special significance for me. See also: Bowfell,Tryfan, Stob Ban, and Castor. Aonach Dubh. For me the very name has the ring of adventure about it. This mountain wall in Glencoe faces west and is
“Dare to Dream” by Matthew Dieumegard-Thornton – book review
Dare to Dreamby Matthew Dieumegard-Thornton Dare to Dream is the new book by Matthew Dieumegard-Thornton, available exclusively on Kindle. In May 2012, Matthew successfully climbed Everest as a member of the record breaking youngest ever team to climb the mountain. This book is the story of his dream–to climb
The Ascent of Cairn Toul and a crossing of the Braeriach Plateau
Braeriach, at 1,296m, is the third highest peak in the UK and one of special significance for me. My relationship with this enigmatic mountain goes back to November 2008, the date of my first failure to climb it (read an old Glencoe Mountaineer report of my second aborted attempt
Backpacking from Blair Atholl to Aviemore
There comes a point in every writer’s career when the usual Google research is no longer enough. You’ve read the Wikipedia articles, you’ve chased up every ebook and textbook you can find, you’ve amassed a library of photos – but still something is missing. You become aware
I’m off on an adventure!
~ Braeriach in May 2010 ~ Well, it’s that time of year again! I’ve worked extremely hard this month to hit my (enormous) target at work, and as an author I’ve also made good progress, beating my previous record of Kindle sales in a month. I’ve been working
First look – EVEREST: THE FIRST ASCENT by Harriet Tuckey
On May the 29th, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the highest point on planet Earth. After fifty years of dreaming and hair-brained schemes, of failed expeditions and death, of legends and heroes, Everest had finally been climbed. It was a pivotal moment of the 20th century
Avalanche by moonlight
The ordinary experience on the UK’s mountains can be a predictable one. The weather is either middling, with low cloud, blustery wind and a splutter of rain, or it’s downright terrible–but you lace up your boots anyway, telling yourself you need the exercise. You reach the summit
The Chomolungma Diaries by Mark Horrell
The Chomolungma Diaries – what a CommercialEverest Expedition is Really Likeby Mark Horrell Everest has been in the news a lot recently, and for all the wrong reasons. The press often seems to take a perverse delight in preying on the negative aspects on climbing the highest mountain in the world.