Hiking, Wales

Another Fun Trip with GO London: Two Days of Hiking in Snowdonia

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Those who regularly visit this blog will know that Ellie and I go hiking with GO London at least once a month. We’ve been doing so for many years now, and never regretted it. DISCLAIMER This post is not so much about hiking in Snowdonia, but about another variation of ‘Fun Things To Do Outdoors,’ about GO London, and about group hiking trips in general. I got a bit carried away, so feel encouraged to go by the headings and skip those sections that don’t look interesting to you. Hopefully, even if you’re based somewhere else in the world, and the vast majority of you are, then this post might give you ideas about what you want to do when you’re not grinding away on the job.   A GREAT PLACE TO MAKE FRIENDS… Half of our friends are people we met through GO London. This includes my main climbing […]

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Fun, Norway, Travel, Winter

Snowshoeing in Rjukan, Norway

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Ellie & I recently did some snowshoeing in Rjukan, Norway. We had arrived one and a half days early for our ice climbing beginners course, with some time to kill. For a long time we had been planning to give snowshoeing a try, but every time an opportunity seemed to arise, it never worked out. During our trip to Spitsbergen there was not enough snow. Another time, in Austria, the gear rental place didn’t have any snowshoes left for hire.     OLD SCHOOL We felt lucky when the Old School (Dale Skole) in Rjukan, the ski school cum hostel where we were staying, had two brand new pairs of snowshoes available. We paid the hiring fee of €25 per person, walked to the snow-covered hilly area behind the building, then put the snowshoes on.   OUR FIRST FEW STEPS A few minutes later we were casually walking around and […]

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Fun, London, Runs

Best Running Events in London, from 5K Fun Runs to Marathons & Ultras

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During the last few years, everyone and their dog started running. There are now so many events out there, especially in a big city like London. It can be hard to choose an event that’s right for you. This blog post is designed to assist you in doing so. WHAT DOES “BEST RUNNING EVENTS” MEAN? While I haven’t done more than a tiny fraction of all available runs, I have done many dozen of them over the years. I also speak with a lot of other running enthusiasts. The events listed here are ones that either I have completed and enjoyed, or that people I trust have completed and enjoyed. WHAT DOES “IN LONDON” MEAN? For the distances up to marathon, “in London” means in almost all cases, that you can run the event without staying overnight, even if relying on public transport (and possibly a short taxi ride). Considering […]

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Caving, Climbing, Fun

How to get started outdoor climbing independently

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There are all kinds of different climbers. Indoor boulderers are often amongst the best technical climbers. However, they might have no intention to put on a harness and use a rope. Some top indoor lead climbers have no interest to get started outdoor climbing. On the other end of the scale, many trad climbers are doing relatively easy routes. Only long-lasting, heavy rain will push them into an indoor gym, if that. (Trad climbing or traditional climbing is where you set your own protection, without any pre-existing bolts or anchors.)   NO ONE SAYS YOU HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO GET STARTED OUTDOOR CLIMBING It is perfectly fine to stay indoors for all your climbing activities. However, if, like me, you are planning on using your indoor gym experience as a stepping stone and training practice for the great outdoors, then you’ll probably ask yourself at some stage: How to […]

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Caving, Climbing, England, Fun

Best Caving Locations in England

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Ellie & I only started to do some caving about three years ago. We had come across the so-called Wild Wookey experience at Wookey Hole in the Mendips in Somerset. It turned out to be one of the best caving locations in England. The three hours underground were so much fun, we have been going caving ever since. HOUSE-KEEPING To be clear, this article is not the gospel. I have only been caving in England a dozen times so far (not counting show caves), and some of the caves below I have never been to. The Three Counties System, for example, I’m scheduled to explore month after next month. This means I have thoroughly researched it, but not entered it, so far.   Feature photo (c) BerkeleySqB; above 2 pics (c) Somerset Adventures; Where not otherwise indicated: (c) BerkeleySqB Where I haven’t visited the cave myself yet, my information comes […]

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