Month: February 2013
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These are the things I love about wild camping
Daylight is already failing, turning the glass-like waters a majestic purple. Steep crags reach up behind the coast, and the tallest peak, still snow-streaked despite a run of dry days, is edged with orange by an invisible sunset on the far side of the island. For an hour I’ve been scanning the roadside verges for trailheads, […] Continue reading →
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Microadventure: Swim to an island. Sleep on it.
I’m on a train, speeding north from London for an event tonight in Kendal. It’s the fourth in a run of film screenings I’m doing over the next two weeks. I’m knackered. My body-clock is trashed. And I’m wearing the same clothes I was wearing in my sleeping bag last week on an island in […] Continue reading →
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Touring the UK with Janapar: dates & cities
Life in the Lake District continues as usual: rainy, rural and stunning. But things are about to get rather busy as I hit the road with Janapar this month. Continue reading →
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Farsi Friday Week 6: Trashy TV Shows & Other Learning Aids
You might have noticed that Week 4 and 5 of my series on learning Persian did not appear. You might also have noticed that this corresponded with my first big book launch. Unsurprisingly, there is a connection here! Continue reading →
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MSR WhisperLite Universal Canister/Multi-Fuel Stove: Owner Review
Full disclosure: In 2012, Cascade Designs sent me a WhisperLite Universal for testing, review and feedback. As with all such arrangements, I reserve the right to write honestly. If a product is crap, I’ll tell you why. We are already spoilt for choice with camping stoves, but MSR have recently brought out a hybrid-fuel version of […] Continue reading →
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The World According To… Tom Allen (Wanderlust Interview)
I was recently given this list of questions to answer for Wanderlust magazine; a rare opportunity to bang on guiltlessly about my opinions and experiences. Mountain/desert/jungle/ocean — which are you? Some of my favourite experiences have been in the desert. Life has to slow down in the heat and dryness, and that sense of calm is […] Continue reading →