I was recently very lucky to be accepted on to a habitat identification course run by Operation New World to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. During the week that we were out there I met some absolutely fantastic people and made some brilliant friends and whilst the course had it’s ups and downs, it really was worth it for the experience gained and friends made. Have some photos.
The view from Colderon Hondo
Some shots taken whilst out for a stroll of the Starlings roosting under Aberystwyth Pier.
Luckily I’ve got a good friend that has the very enviable job of being head warden of Skomer Island off the coast of Pembrokeshire. With this being the case, if I’m in need of getting away from the main land for a while, Skomer proves to be the perfect retreat to have a change in pace of life. As I did last year, I’ve recently been back out their again around seal pupping to have a bit of a chill and live without the inconveniences that come with modern life. Unfortunately though, all good things come to an end but I definitely hope to head back out there soon. Here’s a few shots to make you go “Awww”.
I learnt the hard way that printing, photocopying and writing down what look like relevant quotes isn’t enough for a dissertation. Somehow I’d managed to convince myself I was doing plenty of work by doing that… and forgot about the 10,000 words that actually needed writing about it all, rather than just being thought about. By Christmas 2010, I was well on track. I had my title, my reading list and a rough plan of how I was going to go about doing it. That though is where it all seemed to stall and go downhill rather rapidly. New year came and went. February reading week came and went. Pretty soon it’d be Easters time to come and go. Still nothing. Easter was drawing closer and still the only thing I could show for my dissertation was my title, reading list and a massive pile of notes and photocopies. With the aid of chocolate, coffee, pick ‘n’ mix, energy drink and locking myself away in the top room of the house like a hermit, I eventually managed to complete my dissertation and get it handed in. I used to hate people telling me how to work, or how not to work, but that really isn’t the way to work! I’d advise anyone doing a dissertation definitely not to do it that way.
Sorry about this being a rubbish post, but count it as a bit of background info as to why I needed (but certainly didn’t deserve) a summer of getting out and about.
For our final media project for the University of Cumbria myself, Lauren Dean and Ali Keech worked together to produce a series of videos to promote the various adventure sports available throughout the Lake District. This one was shot at Askham Fell, featuring Bex Tatham, filmed by Ali and myself and edit by Ali.
As some of you may know, my girlfriend, Madi, lives in Brussels. As some of you may also know, I’m not Belgiums biggest fan. To me, it’s just like lentils. It’s there and people clearly like it, but I just can’t work out why. Whilst I might not like Brussels and Belgium, I cannot however say that the capital is uninteresting. I think the main reason I dislike Belgium is its lack of geographical diversity. I like mountains and rivers. Flat green spaces and concrete have never really done it for me. Socially though, it’s actually a very nice place. You can still smoke in bars (whilst I hate it around food, I quite like it with drink and music), cannabis is socially accepted, a massive range of beers, great jazz and there are no problems with drinking on the streets.
I was having a hunt through my photography hard drive and discovered quite how much slips through the net when you’re looking for photos. After several months (or longer in some cases) of not seeing a set of photos, it’s amazing how much of a different light you might view some of them in. Photos you previously hadn’t liked or had thought weren’t suitable may suddenly jump out at you, or you may find some that need that extra touch up and then they’ll be ready. Either way, I found a few panoramics that for some reason I’ve never posted on my blog so thought it was best to pop them up here.
The shot above was taken whilst Skiing in Verbier, Switzerland in 2009 when we had a stunning bluebird day.
In case anyone was wondering whether Moroccan customs had got the better of me and I was now some big guys bit of arm candy in a Moroccan prison…there’s no need to worry! The silence is due to the impending deadline of my dissertation in a few weeks, so as soon as that’s out of the way I’ve got some more articles written about my experiences in Morocco with Mid Wales Paragliding and the wonderful bureaucrats to post.
I’ve always been a white water kayaker, sea kayaking never really appealed to me that much until last summer. Then the bug bit. Although there’s certainly a journey element to white water kayaking, it’s more about getting whatever feature you’re on at the time right, and the adrenaline it gives. However with sea kayaking, it’s all of those small parts put together that make the journey so special. That’s what did it for me, when I finally discovered the pleasure and satisfaction in the journey. It’s been written and said a million and ones times in a variety of different ways by various lyrical florists, but sometimes it needs to be said simply, and at the risk of pulling the biggest cliché in adventure media, it really is about the journey and not the destination.
With the abundance of flat water (even though there is only one true lake), sooner or later it was inevitable that I’d end up in a sea kayak getting some lake touring done in the Lake District. Being one of the most beautiful places in the UK, it makes sense to get out and about to get to see all it’s natural beauty from a view point many haven’t and won’t get to, whether it’s in the mountains, on the crags or on the water. Doing it at night though….well you don’t quite get to see the place quite as well, but I’ve lived here 3 years now, I’ve seen it quite a lot and it seemed like it’d be more of a challenge at night.
Myself and two friends from uni (Luke and Laura), headed down to Ullswater layered up with thermals and armed with head torches, glow sticks and our paddling gear. After getting kitted up, we climbed in to our kayaks and launched in to the lake, breaking it’s obsidian like surface in a landscape bathed in moonlight. On such a still night, each of our paddle strokes was silent as our kayaks carved through the smooth surface with just the slightest rushing noise as the water ran along the sides of our boats. We’d launched around about the middle of the lake and were paddling down towards Pooley Bridge, some 3 and a half miles of paddling with water for a hundred or so meters either side of us and dwarfed by the dark outlines of the surrounding hills against a clear sky. Even with the glowing lights of the various properties dotted along the lakeside, the middle was a profoundly lonely yet peaceful place to be, but a place where the company of friends is very much appreciated as opposed to being there alone.
Taking a kayak out at night really isn’t a great way to see any of the sights of the Lake District, but it really is a different way to experience them and one well worth doing, especially on such a calm night.
