Tinkadventures

25/03/2023

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.

04/02/2023

Illiniza Norte

There’s always a point on a trip when people show their true colours. When they do, I’m rarely surprised anymore. The Illiniza’s was that point in our trip.

26/01/202326/01/2023

Imbabura – climbing an inactive volcano

The first encounter of altitude during our trip the impressive Imbabura volcano provided an engaging scramble and epic crater to reach its two summits.

The route is largely hiking with some short sections of easy scrambling.

31/12/202226/01/2023

Lake Cuicocha

After a few days in Quito we headed out for acclimatisation walks and Lake Cuicocha was a beautiful place to have on the list.

We’d spent the night in Otavalo, a nearby town which was very friendly and laid back. After a morning wandering round the market and having coffee in a cafe we drove to Lake Cuicocha.

Lake Cuicocha is a 3 km wide caldera lake at the foot of Cotacachi Volcano. The name comes from the Kichwa, a variety of Quechua language and means lake of the guinea pigs – referring to the two humped islands.

31/12/202204/02/2023

Must see places in Quito

Ecuador definitely changed my opinion of South America. It’s a vibrant and positive place which was friendly and accessible.

We used Quito as a based for our mountaineering trip but there’s plenty in the city which must be seen too. I loved having some free time to explore, especially getting off the beaten path.

Here’s some places you must seek out while in the city. Bear in mind Quito is a massive city, covering 370 square km. This means taxis can be essential to getting around.

28/10/202208/11/2022

Book review // Mont Blanc Lines

Sometimes I get asked to review some beautiful books. Mont Blanc Lines is definitely one of those. It succeeds in not only having beautiful images of the Mont Blanc massif in a coffee table book format but also providing detailed topos and stories.

04/10/202218/10/2024

Mountain Biking the West Highland Way

Sweating pouring down my back, muttering expletives under my breath as I carried my On-One 456 on my shoulder. Seat digging in and the pedals constantly clipping my leg. As I emerged from the woods I put my bike down to find 4 ticks on my legs. That was it. I lost it.

Mountain bike the West Highland Way?! Who’s stupid idea was this?

12/09/202225/08/2024

Camping food review // RightonTrek

12/08/202211/08/2022

Book Review// Running Adventures Scotland

I have to be honest I was skeptical as to whether I’d like this book. I am really confident navigating outdoors so the idea of a running book is a bit of a novelty to me as I’d usually just head out of the door with just a map and a sense of exploration. So I expected to find this book a bit underwhelming.

However I was totally surprised.

11/08/202211/08/2022

Book Review // Great British Gravel Rides

I’m a mountain biker but I love this book for inspiring some really interesting and long adventures off road around the UK. The book starts with the usual chapter on safety, and grading of routes but also includes a really good bit on bike maintenance.