The weather forecast wasn’t looking good, thunder and rain was forecast. Perhaps we wouldn’t get to do the Drei Schwestern, the main bit of the ridge.
Liechtenstein end to end
Book Review // The Search
Having met Paul and Scout on the first national dog course I attended I was as excited to read this book – to both learn about their journey through the training system but also to glean any pearls of wisdom from his career as a dog handler.
The Stanza Stones Trail
Having been involved in the local LEADER funding panel which approved the funding for the Stanza Stones project, and living in Marsden, I’ve been meaning to complete the 50 mile route linking the stones together for a long time.
As it was created over 10 years ago, it felt like a good time since I was looking for a long challenge for the summer.
The Gritstone Trail
This year I wanted to complete some local long distance routes as part of training for my next big race. Having never really explore Cheshire despite it being so close to home, The Gritstone Trail was an obvious contender.
The trail guide recommends walking North to South but I wanted to finish closer to home so logistically it would be easier. So on what turned out to be a scorching hot day during a rather cold and wet British summer I set off from Kidsgrove.
Gear Review // Mac in a Sac Venture Jacket
This summer I was given the opportunity to trial Mac in a Sac’s new Venture jacket and have put it through the wonderful British summer weather to test it out.
Billed as a jacket designed specifically for runners and offering waterproofing and breathability, I was interested in whether it would live up to this.
Gear Review // Suunto Race S Watch
I am very lucky to have been given a Suunto Race S watch to review by the Ordnance Survey and Suunto, but despite it being a freebie I want to ensure I give a thorough and honest review for anyone looking to buy this sports watch.
Designed specifically for women who tend to have smaller wrists this watch has a sleeker design and a smaller face than the Race model. It’s marketed as a performance watch for racing and training. As a keen runner and hiker and already a Suunto fan, I was excited to see if this watch would provide everything I needed. Would it prove that all the additional features mean that I give up using my trusty Ambit 3?
Hiking the Coronallacs
Having wanted to hike in the Pyrenees it seemed a good opportunity to visit Andorra – a tiny country tucked in between Spain and France entirely in the mountains. I knew Andorra was a good ski destination but was intrigued to find out about summer hiking there.
Having looked at the various long distance trails in the mountains I stumbled across the Coronallacs, a new circular route utilising various existing long distance paths through the mountains.
The Coronallacs is a 92km route which we chose to do in 5 days, allowing us to stay at the 4 manned huts in the mountains. This allowed us to carry less as the huts provide dinner and breakfast as part of the fee.
Continue reading “Hiking the Coronallacs”Being the Ultimate Dragon – Dragon’s Back Race
I had entered the Dragons Back Race in 2022 as a 40th birthday present to myself but then quickly bottled out – feeling under prepared and like I was trying to achieve the impossible. Having deferred a year I was then committed to doing it in 2023. This ‘do it now or lose my money’ committed me to training properly and gaining the confidence in myself too.
The Dragon’s Back Race is a 380km mountain race which covers over 17,400m of ascent over the 6 days. Yes that really is twice the height of Everest for those of you that wonder if I stuck in too many zeros. It heads from Conwy Castle in North Wales to Cardiff Castle in the South, twisting and turning as it crosses most of the major mountain ranges in Wales.
Continue reading “Being the Ultimate Dragon – Dragon’s Back Race”Pichincha integral
If you’ve spent any time in Quito you will have been aware of the old volcanic peak of Pichincha as it is the highest point close to the city and marked by the cable car which takes you on to the plateau below the summit.
It is possible to catch the cable car up Pichincha and walk for a couple of hours to reach the scramble to the summit. However offered the option of the full traverse of the volcanic ridge I wasn’t going to turn that down.
Climbing Cayambe
It’s taken me a while to get around to writing about Cayambe. For some in our group it was their first alpine ascent, for some their first 5000m peak. So I didn’t want to take anything away from that achievement for them. It’s certainly an epic achievement, a great volcano/mountain to climb and a wicked view from the summit. There’s not many places you can climb a volcano and see others surrounding it which are still active.
But for me, it was the first guided ascent I’ve done in 6 years and reaffirmed why I hadn’t done any sooner.
