Hiking and walking
Main image: Haystacks, Lake District, 2015
Blog posts about hiking and walking
Stretching my legs on the Thames Path in Oxfordshire.
Spontaneously changing my plans for a day’s hiking to achieve the summit of Canisp, a large and rocky hill in the Assynt region of Scotland.
Panoramic photography along a walk between Interlaken West station and Neuhaus harbour.
A cold walk on the shores of Lac de Neuchâtel, and some lovely pink post-sunset light.
The Wainwright Fells
214 of the fells (hills and mountains) in the English Lake District are described in Alfred Wainwright‘s seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. The books, featuring wonderful hand-drawn illustration and the authors’ own experiences of the many hiking routes, remain the definitive walkers’ guide to the region.
I’ve been visiting the Lake District since the 1990s and after taking up hiking in 2010, the Wainwrights have become my favourite destination; even trumping the wonderful and breath-taking routes I walk at home in the Swiss Alps.
Arnison Crag from Patterdale
The third of our slightly soggy hikes in the English Lake District in autumn 2022.
Latrigg from Applethwaite
An autumn ramble from our holiday rental to the top of the nearby Wainwright Fell above Keswick.
2020 Retrospective – The Wettest Walk
Of all the walks Jo and I have undertaken, the path to Haystacks in the English Lake District seems to be the most prone to failure. The attempt we made in 2020 was no exception, although a sudden change in the weather led us to an alternative success.
Scafell Pike from Wasdale
Oh, did I forget to mention? Jo and I walked up the biggest mountain in England in 2017.
Recent walk reports
Imposing mountains at Bannalp in August 2024
Around the eastern side of Grindelwald in March 2024
A couple of hours’ walk from home in February 2024
Hiking amongst glacial screes in September 2023
Interesting links
Scotland’s Best Wee Hills
Sometimes you don’t have the energy or time to slog your way up one of the great iconic giants of the Highlands. Some of Scotland’s best-loved hills are the smaller peaks, often more accessible, full of character and offering equally spectacular views. Here’s our pick of 16 of the best wee hills around the country… some widely famed and celebrated, others virtually unknown, but all under 600m high.