Fun

Skeleton Taster Session at the Team GB Training Site at Bath University

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I treated myself to a 1h30m skeleton taster session at the Team GB Training Site at Bath University today. The regular price is £90. I booked the combined skeleton & bobsleigh experience for £160. The skeleton session was from 12:30pm to 2pm, followed by the bobsleigh taster session from 3pm to 4:30pm. BAKING-TRAYS As you might or might not know, skeleton is a winter sport involving an athlete riding a small, baking-tray shaped, sled, known as skeleton, down a bobsleigh track head-first, face down. THE SLOWEST BOBSLEIGH TRACK SPORT (130KM/H) It is the slowest one of the three bobsleigh track sports (the other two being bobsleigh and luge). Nonetheless, competitive riders still reach speeds of up to 130km/h and experience forces of up to 5G (five times their body weight). Astronauts are exposed to 3G, a fighter pilot to 8G, to put this in perspective.    WHY ‘SKELETON’? The sport […]

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Fun

Caving at Pridhamsleigh Cavern in Devon – Quite the Adventure

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A couple of weeks ago I went on another caving adventure with Somerset Adventures. Following Goatchurch Cavern and Swildon’s Hole in Somerset, this time we picked Pridhamsleigh Cavern in nearby Devon. I specifically requested a ‘tough and challenging’ experience that would push me to my limits. DISCLOSURE (PREVIOUS COLLABORATIONS) AND PRICING For complete transparency, I should mention that I have been invited on a number of activities by Somerset Adventures in the past. I did pay the full price of £150 for this one-day caving trip, though. If you are happy to join a group or you are a group of 3 or more, then the cost goes down to £60 per person. The half-day speleological experiences start from an amazingly good value £35 per person. Further discounts are available, for example for young folk. EASY TO GET TO FROM LONDON The train from London to Exeter takes around two […]

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Fun

Caving in the Yorkshire Dales with Lost Earth Adventures: Alum Pot & Sell Gill Holes

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A couple of weeks ago, Lost Earth Adventures invited Ellie on a weekend of caving in the Yorkshire Dales. I tagged along, of course. CAVING WITH LOST EARTH ADVENTURES The train ride from London to Giggleswick takes 3.5 to 4 hours. Then there’s a 15-minute cab ride to Horton in Ribblesdale. This tiny hamlet seemed particularly well-placed for the caves we were planning on doing with Lost Earth Adventures. However, you could equally book yourself a B&B in any of the other near-by villages. JUST ON TIME FOR DINNER We were lucky to arrive minutes before the kitchen at our tavern closed. At least off-season and on the weekend, there were no open shops in the vicinity. We felt rather pleased that we had brought sandwiches and vast amounts of muesli bars from London. Our aluminium bottles could be filled from the tap.   PACKING OUR BACKPACKS FOR THE NEXT […]

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Fitness & Health, Fun

Indoor ice climbing course here in the UK

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A week ago, I took part in a four-day winter skills mountaineering course in Scotland. The trip was a lot of fun. Great group of adventurous people from all types of backgrounds and of all ages, men and women. Only problem was the weather. Not enough snow to actually use ice axe and crampons. Too stormy to attempt the Ben Nevis summit via the ridge. As luck would have it, the day after we left the conditions became perfect. UPDATE 29 March 2023: According to various news reports the Indoor Ice Climbing Wall seems to have closed for good. So sad. No more indoor ice climbing course UK.     MORE TIME AT OUR HANDS THAN EXPECTED AT THE INDOOR ICE CLIMBING COURSE UK We managed to get a fair bit of hiking done nonetheless. However, all days were cut short and we usually returned mid-afternoon, beaten by the hail […]

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Fitness & Health, Food, Fun, Travel

Rock-climbing, off-roading and a visit to a Roman gold mine (from Porto)

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My Greenway Tours, run by Eduardo Mata together with a business associate, and which, on Tripadvisor, ranks #21 out of 133 tours to do in Porto (the other ones mainly being about food/wine, or tours of the town), invited BSqB to come with them on a one-day outdoor adventure tour while I was visiting Porto (Portugal) last week. My wife, who is writing this blog with me, only joined the following day, so I was accompanied by an old German friend of mine, who spent the whole week with me as my fellow blogger and as part of our customary boyz-only annual celebration of madness. I grew up in a small town at the doorstep of the Bavarian Alps and have done my fair share of outdoor adventures in the mountains, but this was an absolute blast! Eduardo also grew up in the mountains, and clearly was more serious about […]

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