Fun

Axe-throwing with Whistle Punks in South London

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I recently had some spare time at my hands and googled quirky fun things to do in London. When Whistle Punks’ axe-throwing (or “urban axe-throwing” as they call it) popped up, I knew I had to book myself in. Not sure if that is normal, but I always wanted to do some axe-throwing. I am a very peaceful, cautious, rational person, but it just sounds and looks like so much fun. Also, hard to imagine better ways of getting rid of a bit of frustration which in these testing times inevitably accumulate. For £22 off-peak (£29 full price) it seemed reasonably priced. I booked a one-hour single ticket for the following day’s evening.   To find the venue is not easy. Most people will arrive by train, bus, or tube at Vauxhall station. At time of writing, the direct path to the venue is blocked by construction sites.   Please […]

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Fun, Travel

Trevor’s Travel Trivia – Bhutan – PART II

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Highest country in the world – Bhutan Travel Trivia Bhutan is the highest country on our planet with an average altitude of 3,280m. If Tibet were a sovereign country, then it would of course easily eat Bhutan for brekkies at an absolutely incredible average elevation of 4,380m. In terms of mean elevation, Bhutan ranks #4 at 2,220m after Tajikistan (3,186m), Kyrgyzstan (2,988m), and Nepal (2,565m) and before Lesotho (#5 at 2,161m), Andorra (#6 at 1,996m), Afghanistan (#7 at 1,884m), Chile (#8 at 1,871m), and perhaps surprisingly China (#9 at 1,840m). Left picture (c) The Planet D, where uncredited either free stock photography or BSqB For comparison, the United States are at 760m, France at 375m, and the United Kingdom and India both have a mean elevation of roughly 160m. Zebra Crossings In the towns, policemen will politely but firmly remind you to use the zebra crossings, should you forget. Big […]

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Fun, Travel

Trevor’s Travel Trivia – Bhutan – PART I

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Before we start, let me mention that the Bhutanese (very rightly so!) are extremely proud of their king and country. Much of the following “Travel Trivia Bhutan” can be found on official Bhutanese websites. Some of these trivia might (intentionally) sound strange to the average Western ear. However, in my opinion, it is very important to take them as what they are. Beautiful, unique aspects of a beautiful, unique country. A country that has been completely isolated from the rest of the world until very recently. The world’s highest unclimbed mountain – Travel Trivia Bhutan #1 Gangkhar Puensum (7,570m), the country’s highest mountain, is the tallest mountain in the world that has yet to be summited. Since 1994 the mountain has been off-limits to climbers. So this might never happen. Bhutan is now banning all mountaineering activities above 6,000m. This is to protect the sanctity attributed to these mountains and the […]

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Fun, United Kingdom

The UK’s Highest Mountains – Did you know that Ben Nevis is only ranking #23?

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During our last trip before Covid struck, the Barbarians visited two countries that are not short of tall peaks, Nepal and Bhutan, and somehow we got talking about the pleasant rolling hills of the British Isles; it seems a common fact that Ben Nevis is the UK’s highest mountain. There is no doubt that it is indeed the tallest peak on the UK main territory, the highest mountain on the British Isles. However, the former British Empire still owns a large number of overseas territories, which are not part of the UK, but under UK sovereignty, owned by the UK: they are UK territory. When you take into account those territories, Ben Nevis is not looking so tall anymore. I was really surprised when I was not able to find any lists of the UK’s highest mountains anywhere on the internet. I found some mentions of the tallest mountain, even […]

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Caving, Climbing, Fun

Wild Wookey – Caving in Somerset

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Last weekend Ms B & I treated ourselves to some caving at Wookey Hole in Somerset. The name ‘wookey’ is believed to come from the Celtic word ‘ogo’, which means ‘cave’. So ‘Wookey Hole Cave’ basically means ‘cave cave cave’. Playing it safe there. The famous limestone caverns have been used by humans for at least 45,000 years. The Romans used it as a burial ground, and besides human skeletons they found the bones of a woolly rhino and a cave lion. Nowadays the cave is used to mature cheddar cheese (funny enough not from Cheddar, ten miles down the road, but from Dorset). Britain’s first cave dives took place here in 1935, making it a place of pilgrimage for the caving community. A significant part of the cave system remains unexplored. Only 4km, including 25 chambers, have been charted so far. In 1927 the caves were opened as a […]

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