Jenny Tough is a professional adventurer. An endurance athlete, a writer, and a lover of exploring mountains alone. Jenny was one of the stars at Love Trails festival, joining me on stage for a screening of her new film SOLO followed by Q&A with an overflowing and excited audience.
Read MoreCaving might seem like a niche interest, but as The Rescue is remade in Hollywood adaptation Thirteen Lives, this underground pursuit is being thrust into the light. In fact, it isn’t the first time the world’s media have turned their attention underground and the roots of this most recent drama may be traced back to a cave system deep beneath the Peak District…
Read MoreIf you’ve ever wondered whether you’re eating a correctly balanced diet for trail and ultra running, Renee McGregor’s book More Fuel You is for you! It’s about understanding your body’s needs, in particular what to eat and drink (and when), if you take part in endurance sport and outdoor adventures. I’ve waited a while to write this review as I wanted some time to put the learning into practise..
Read MoreAs partners of Sheffield Adventure Film Festival, LED Lenser very kindly gifted both the NEO10R headtorch and the NEO6R as a back up. After six months of use, here’s my review…
Read MoreIn January 2018 mountaineer Élisabeth Revol’s rescue after becoming the first woman to summit Nanga Parbat (8,126m) in winter made headlines around the world. Tragically, Élisabeth’s climbing partner Tomasz Mackiewicz did not survive, and the world watched - and judged - in real time as the rescue effort unfolded. To Live is Élisabeth’s side of the story, and it’s a hard read….
Read MoreFell runner and poet Helen Mort explores our love of dogs and mountains. By coincidence I’ve met some of the dogs in this book. The first is Dean Potter’s Whisper, who I patted at the Yosemite Facelift in 2014, shortly after a screening of When Dogs Fly in which Potter takes his canine best friend BASE jumping…
Read MoreThe Winter Spine Sprint is the harshest, hardest and most rewarding race I’ve entered, and as 2nd Female (16th overall) it’s my best result so far. With 2,500m ascent, it’s not the steepest or most technical, but it’s a true mountain race in the sense that every competitor must carry the kit to survive ‘Britain’s most brutal’…
Read MoreThe lowdown on all 30 items of compulsory kit for the Winter Spine Sprint race. Once you’ve got them you’ve still got to run 74km and 2,700m ascent, so I’ve added training tips based on my experience. I hope you find this useful if you’re thinking of taking on the Sprint (do it!).
Read MoreThe western fringes of Scotland weave water, rock and wood as mountains drop away to a system of peninsula that look out across the sea to the ‘small isles’. Here, with a little exploration adventurers are transported back in time…
Read MoreSince we’re still locked down there’s not much camping happening, but the chance to ‘eat out’ and dream of future trips meant I was keen to take the new Wolf And Grizzly campfire and grill set out for a test…
Read MoreThe Trigger, otherwise known as Marsden to Edale, is a winter fell race that goes over Black Hill, Bleaklow and Kinder to Edale. If all goes well it’s around 25 miles with possibly 1,250m ascent. Half the challenge is to stay on the route, the other half is surviving the route…
Read MoreThe race is weird, Nicky is wonderful, and so is Last Women Standing: The Barkley Marathons 2019. Presided over by cult leaderish organiser Laz Lake, the Barkley Marathons promises to ‘shred your ego and your clothing’. Enter Nicky Spinks and it’s legendary ultra runner v legendary race…
Read MoreIf you’re thinking of entering the Dig Deep Trail Ultra 30 race, do it! Don’t be lulled into thinking it’s a soft option for an ultra though, there are several tough ascents and you’ll really feel them…
Read MoreI’ve always struggled to find outdoor trousers that look and feel good, so when Acai Activewear asked if I’d review their Skinny Outdoor Trousers I jumped at the chance. To really put them to the test I took them for a weekend hiking and camping along the North Yorkshire coast…
Read MoreThis summer feels deceptively quiet and with all this rain I’m in need of a little adventure inspiration, so I put together my list of five female filmmakers to watch this summer. Most of the films are free to view online - great inspiration for a rainy day…
Read MoreWeight is one of my biggest considerations when choosing new gear, so when the team at Rab asked if I’d like to review the super lightweight Flashpoint 2 waterproof jacket my answer was a definite yes please…
Read MoreThere’s a growing recognition that time spent outdoors is good for us - not only for physical health and exercise, but for the positive effect it has on our mind. I spoke to Ruth Allen, coach, counsellor, and writer to understand more about the powerful effect the outdoors can have on emotional and mental wellbeing...
Read MoreRecently I’ve seen several high profile women mentioning with frustration the fact that their gender is a talking point. I do understand that. When you’ve dedicated your life to becoming one of the most highly skilled in your profession, whether as an athlete, a survivalist, or a photographer, why should the fact that you happen to be female be a talking point?
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