WALKIE TORQUAY: 4 DAYS HIKING ALONG THE ENGLISH RIVIERA

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Adventure, Britain, Coast, Devon, England, English Riviera, Hiking, Torquay, Travel, United Kingdom

Recently, I had a hiking holiday along the Devon coast in England. The area around Torquay is known as the English Riviera, and it boasts some of the most stunning and tranquil coastline in the UK. I’d been fortunate enough to visit about fifteen years ago, so this was a long overdue return.

I stayed in Torquay for the duration of the trip, staying in a very reasonably priced B&B that offered a limitless breakfast. After a massive plate of food each morning, I set off from the nearby train station to the destinations that follow.

DAY 1: DAWLISH

This scenic little town is quite unique in that it has a stream running down the middle of the main street. I traced the path alongside it and hiked more inland for a time before turning back to walk along the cliffs.

If somebody asked me for a romanticised view of England, I’d tell them to visit here.

A Stream Runs Through It

Gorgeous Terracotta Cliffs

After knocking ten miles, I sat on the beach with a can of fizz before heading back.

Wish I Was Still Here

DAY 2: BRIXHAM

A day in this fishing village is worthy of anybody time. I got lost wandering the mazy streets before treapsing along the seemingly endless pier. Then, I treated myself to cockles and mussels, my favourite seaside snack!

Boat-iful

The Long Pier To Freedom

Day 3: PAIGNTON

Here, on yet another decent October day, I marched back and forth along the seafront before winding my way along the clifftop into the next bay. To finish, I had a fresh crab sandwich, another seaside favourite.

Lush!

Seaweed Island

DAY 4: TORQUAY

I started the day by marching two miles up a hill to Kents Cavern neolithic caves. But then I was told by the receptionist that there were no tours until the afternoon. Dejected, I walked to the marina, then I remembered that the eleventh century Torre Abbey was nearby.

The standout feature was the botanic garden which is home to a poison garden filled with all the plants that Torquay’s famous daughter, Agatha Christie, used in her novels. Then, it was one final blitz along the beach before I headed back home.

Whodunit, Agatha?

The Secret Garden

One Final Look At Torquay

If you’re thinking of new places to visit in England, this area is well worth a visit. It’s definitely a place to which I’ll return.

Walking Round In Circles Close To Home

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Adventure, Blogging community, Hiking, hobbies, Inspiration, local, Mental health, Motivation, Street, Travel, Walking, Well-being

Exploring the urban landscape

I’m still having to stay close to home as I’m running errands for family members in different households who’ve caught Covid. It’s meant that I’ve had less time to get into the countryside, so I’ve had a new idea as to how I hike for the time being.

The idea is partly inspired by two influences: Alastair Humphreys, who did a hike around the circumference of the M25 in his book ‘Microadventures’; plus, it’s a revamping of the urban hikes I did during the first lockdown.

Recently, I was looking at a map of my hometown, Maidenhead, and worked out I could do circular walks of different lengths. Although these will be mainly urban hikes, it means that I can still be close to family. So far, I’ve created a two mile, four mile and six mile walk.

I did the six mile walk today. The accompanying photos are from that walk.

Spring is beginning to blossom

Then, when I got home, I decided to see how many miles the circumference of Maidenhead would be. I measured that out by using pins and string, and measured out the distance in accordance with the map scale. That totals approximately 11.5 miles. With the almost two miles it takes to get to the edge of town and back that would make a fifteen mile walk, which I’m planning to do sometime before Easter.

Pins and string – there’s the thing!

On these walks, I try to counter the noise of passing traffic and trains by deliberately seeking out the sights and sounds of nature in gardens or small stretches of woodland.

So, whilst these urban hikes won’t fully immerse me in nature, they’ve given me the creativity and stimulation to keep going in preparation for when I get back out into the countryside.

Hope you all have a great week. 😊

A Week In Northumberland: Photo Blog Post

Tags

Adventure, Blogging community, Britain, England, Hadrian's Wall, Hiking, Mountains, Northumberland, Photo, Photography, Travel, Walking

A few months back, I was looking at a map of the UK trying to work out where to go on a new adventure. I became drawn to Northumberland. I’d visited its neighbours – Cumbria to the west and Yorkshire to the south – a number of times before, and enjoyed those experiences immensely. But, in Northumberland, here was a whole chunk of county that I’d completely overlooked.

I decided to do a bit of research and found out that the county was home to England’s largest and least visited national park. Those facts alone made the idea of visiting there more intriguing to me. So, before I had a chance to rationalise what I was doing, I booked myself a reasonably priced hotel and train journey to go and explore.

I had plans to explore the whole county in six days, but as soon as I got there I knew that I’d need longer. So, this is the first leg of my tour of Northumberland. What follows is the highlights of a four day trek across the southern portion of the county.

Day 1 – Hadrian’s Wall (Steel Rigg and Peel Cragg Circular Walk

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The iconic Sycamore Gap

This was a lovely seven mile walk that involved some short but stiff climbs along one of the most popular stretches of Hadrian’s Wall. The above photo is of the Sycamore Gap, which is the most photographed image along the wall. The cliff faces rose up so high at some points that I couldn’t see beyond them – it truly felt like I was standing on the edge of the world!

Day 2 – Corbridge

Ruins of the old Roman town

Corbridge was the most northerly town of the Roman Empire, so its economic, cultural and historic importance is worthy of note. The village itself today is a charming place to visit with its sandstone buildings, impressive church and tower (where you can stop and have a pint) and abundance of coffee shops. If I had more time, then I’d have loved to have done a river walk. I had a cracking three course Italian lunch for just £8.95 as well!

Day 3 – Allendale, North Pennines

Awesome river walk

Allendale was one of the remotest parts of England I’ve ever visited. The thirty minute bus journey took us deep into the countryside to this village that was surrounded by rolling hills on all sides. I walked a stretch of the river and climbed hills. I spotted nineteenth century farm machinery, fat hens freely grazing across cottage gardens and some truly magical riverside spots like the one above. Then, I ambled back to the village and noticed that Dr Who had popped in…

The Museum Of Classic Sci-Fi, Allendale

Day 4 – Back At Hadrian’s Wall

Looking down along Hadrian’s Wall

Cawfield Quarry

On this last day, I did a seven mile walk that started at the majestic Cawfield Quarry. It’s well worth a moment of anybody’s time to pause by the lake. This stretch of Hadrian’s Wall provided me with some heart-stopping views across the open landscape. I dropped down into the valley, and I was truly the only person in this expanse. On this clear blue day it felt so good to be alive.

Conclusion

I’ve only scratched at the surface of Northumberland. Whilst I haven’t talked about the history or culture of this area in any great detail, I hope you see that by seeing the natural beauty of the places featured that this county is well worth a visit. It’s a county that I want to return to many times: there’s still a great coastline, acres and acres of forest and the Cheviot Hills to explore.

Northumberland rocks!

Have you been to Northumberland? What did you make of it?

Adventure Photo Story: Northern Ireland Mountain Weekend

Tags

Adventure, blogging, Coast, Friends, Hiking, Motivation, Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland, Travel, Walking

Northern Ireland is a spectacular place. Outside of Belfast, there’s lush green countryside, rolling hills and breathtaking coast. The recent visit I did with my friends was to the Mourne Mountains where we took on the highest peak, Slieve Donard, at 850 metres.

On a bright and clear Saturday morning we headed out of Belfast passing through remote villages and deep green countryside. After about an hour’s drive we arrived at the seaside town of Newcastle – not to be confused with the city by the same name in the North-East of England – then began our journey from the car park.

We trekked up a rocky path that cut through open grassland with rich vegetation. A boulder-strewn river wound its way alongside us and provided a natural water slide for a number of day trippers in wetsuits. Soon, we were about halfway up when the path steepened and the mountains grew in stature.

And that meant one thing…

…My fear of heights kicked in!

On previous mountain explorations nerves had always gotten the better of me. But I was determined for this not to be the case this time. My friends took it in turns to drop back and motivate me to keep going as I tailed off the pace.

As we approached the Mourne Wall – which runs the entire length of the range – we noted the jet black surfaces that occasionally appeared in the side of the mountains. The tin huts dotted to the side of the track confirmed this had once been an area for slate mining.

Around a final corner, and then the final ascent to Slieve Donard presented itself: three hundred metres or so of awesome steepness! We met a man who said it would take us no more than thirty minutes. Secretly, I knew that would mean an hour for me.

Previously, I’d have taken on such a feat by stopping every so often, shutting my eyes and re-centering myself before taking on the next stretch. I’d repeat this as often as I needed. This time I had a few new tactics to battle the heights: I’d count fifty steps then stop for a bit; I’d zigzag up the mountainside instead of going straight up as it was less strenuous on my legs; and instead of melting down as before, I’d deliberately soak in the countryside to absorb it’s calming beauty. Plus, I made full use of the wall by holding onto it to help me climb as I went – making use of whatever is available is important to getting the job done. And my mates did a cracking job of keeping me going with banter and words of encouragement.

My mates waited for me thirty metres from the peak, so that we arrived together. The clouds suddenly formed around us like a thousand misty ghosts come to greet us. We took a few photos, then hastened our exit as conditions became more dense.

The descent was the most enjoyable I’ve had on a mountain. The first section required careful navigation down rock steps. At times my mind went into a vortex where the greens and the greys swirled and merged into one. Once this tricky part was completed, we trod a well used path, skipping over streams and through boggy sections. Before entering the forest path that led back into the town, I took in my surroundings: the powder blue sky had now reappeared; the mountains formed a horseshoe valley that towered over us, cascading waterfalls giving this place a more majestic quality; the chattering river snaking its way down the emerald hillsides. And all this abundant beauty overlooking the town and the Irish Sea below.

Heaven is a place on Earth!

And so was this afterwards…

Thanks for dropping by and reading this. Please feel free to leave a comment – they’re always appreciated. I hope you all have a great weekend filled with adventure 😊

I Like Trains

Tags

Adventure, Fun, Locomotive, Trains, Travel

I hope you do too.

That’s all that needs to be said!

Happy weekend everybody. 😃

MY HIKING BOOK IS OUT ON AMAZON

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Author, blogging, Blogging community, Book, Britain, Hiking, Novel, Self-publishing, Travel, UK, writing

Hi Everybody,

My self-published novel, Adventure Dayze, is now out on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

• 

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Hiking is the gateway to adventure.

Being in the Great Outdoors is great for the mind, body, and soul. And the even better news? It needn’t involve much more than putting on a pair of trainers and heading out your front door.

In Adventure Dayze, author Wayne Mullane recounts his hiking experiences in Britain and Ireland with his friends, including overcoming limitations walking at altitude and having a dodgy sense of direction!

This book aims to help you get started… or, if you’re a seasoned hiker, to encourage you to hike with renewed vigour. This story shares insights and discusses the benefits of hiking, including fitness, friendship, courage, mental health, and…err…the joy of eating.

Adventure Dayze will inspire you to overcome your limitations and get outdoors to enjoy all the unique beauty that is on offer. Even pandemic lockdowns won’t be able to suppress your exploration, as the author found out, there are many ways to bring the outdoors inside when there’s no other choice.

AMAZON.CO.UK LINK AND PRICES:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventure-Dayze-Overcoming-limitations-Irelands/dp/B096LKHGLN/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=adventure+dayze&qid=1623688944&sr=8-1

Prices: Paperback is £7.99; Ebook is £2.99 (FREE on Kindle Unlimited).

AMAZON.COM LINK AND PRICES

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096LKHGLN?pf_rd_r=7VAYZBC327SQZRJDSEXX&pf_rd_p=9046d300-28af-4c4d-96e2-e418322f9056&pd_rd_r=1a404fe0-0ce0-4d62-adc8-013c023033bd&pd_rd_w=Bndgg&pd_rd_wg=OSlj0

Prices: Paperback is $7.99; Ebook is $2.99 (FREE on Kindle Unlimited).

WHAT’S NEXT?

I’m really focusing on the marketing side of things from this week. I’m learning a lot of new stuff and enjoying the journey.

I’m also looking to get this website revamped in the next few weeks to give it a fresh look, add a mailing list link and more.

It’d mean so much to me if you were able to support me by purchasing a copy and leaving a review. Thank you ☺️.

Peace and Love, Everybody. Thanks for popping by. See you next time.

Back Up And Running

Tags

Adventure, Author, blogging, Blogging community, Hiking, Self-publishing, Travel

Hi Everybody,

I hope you’re all doing well.

After not having been on my website since last Autumn/Fall, I’m back again.

I suddenly got really busy with my book trying to get it over the finish line, and it took longer than I hoped. My brain only allows me to stay focused on one project at a time, so I’m sorry I’ve not been committed here. I was making connections with so many wonderful people here too.

The good news is that my hiking book is finished. It’s on Kindle and out in paperback now. I’ve just got a few final touches to do before it goes ‘live’, but I hope to do a big reveal next week.

As busy as the last few months have been, the journey has been fun. I’ll chat about that in coming posts too. I’ve connected with some very lovely people who’ve been instrumental in me completing the book. The joy is that I’m still learning and growing as a writer, and I enjoy the opportunities and connections that brings.

As I’m typing this out, I’ve got to admit that it’s nice to be back.

I hope you all have a great weekend. I’ll post up again soon. I look forward to reading your posts soon.

Peace and love to you all.

Self-Publishing Update: Time For A Revival.

Tags

Adventure, Hope, Journal, journaling, non-fiction, Self-publishing, Travel, writing

Finally, I sat down today and wrote out a comprehensive plan of how to take my hiking novel forward. The main issue I’ve faced is that a lot of the advice I’d given was pre-pandemic, so, for instance, info on train travel to reach destinations or visiting a pub was in need of revision. Covid-19 caused my usual drive to evaporate – like a lot of people’s, I guess – and I shelved my attempts to carry on with writing the novel for several months.

Lockdown came and went. Thankfully, my editor, Jessica Coleman (www.colemanediting.co.uk), was always on hand to give me sage advice. Jessica advised me to keep a journal of 2020 to record not only the hikes I took in this new world, but also what coping mechanisms I adopted. Without this sound and simple advice, I think I may’ve consigned my book as a lost project – something which I’m ashamed to admit.

Keeping a journal has been a novel experience for me: the whole exercise has been a chance for me to reflect and to think up new ways to carry on hiking. For instance, if you read my recent post on how to travel the world for free, you’ll know that I’m attempting to walk every capital city in the world via YouTube from the comfort of my own front room. So far, I’ve done six; I’m going to give an update on my virtual adventures in a near future post. Spoiler alert: I’m off to Caracas, Venezuela tonight.

Being able to reflect made me realise on a deeper level than before that hiking is therapy for me. Going outside freely again after lockdown – in a socially distanced way – over the summer emblazoned my heart with fresh passion. I think that deeper sense of love for this hobby comes across more in my renewed edits.

Journaling has given me a source of hope and strength. Without thinking about it, I was writing the book even when I was thinking about giving it up. Sure, as well as revising what I’d already written, I have another chapter to write for this year. But that’s okay because, thinking about it now, despite all that’s gone on I know I can relay a message of hope.

When hope was lost it was hard for me to write. But thanks to my family, friends, Jessica Coleman’s advice and kind words and being connected with lovely people here on WordPress, hope has returned.

Thanks for reading this. If you have any comments, it’d be great to hear from you.
Peace and love…and hope for now xxxx

Photo Poem: Adventure In The UK’s Smallest County

Tags

Adventure, Britain, Photography, Poem, Poetry, Rutland, Travel, UK

Ten-thirty in the morning, rushing around with last minute packing,
My mate Rob is waiting outside, I’d better get cracking.
A two hour drive north awaits for adventure to start,
The excitement is starting to build in my heart.
I jump in the car, the engine is running,
Let’s go to a place where the scenery is stunning.

Rutland, Rutland.

Two hours later, we’re there, the tent is pitched,
Bags are dumped and without a hitch
We march across farm fields – hope we don’t get a stitch!
Our friend Aaron has joined us from Yorkshire, for which
We are grateful as he directs our hike without a glitch,
Now at the pub, for a pint we itch!

Rutland, Rutland.

After a pint or three we treapse through country roads in rain,
Amid gentle hills that keep rolling again and again.
The sky is grey as rocks, as hard as stone,
I’m glad I didn’t undertake this alone.
Idyllic villages with churches, pubs and friendly locals,
This is a trip that for a long time I shall be vocal.

Rutland, Rutland.

After a seven mile walk and four pubs (where we socially distanced, of course),
We head back to the campsite where we hear plenty of snores.
Next morning, we’re up and out early as you like
As we head to stunning Rutland Water to use our bikes,
Through rocky trails by the lake and through woods,
A seventeen mile pedal will do our legs and souls good.

Rutland, Rutland.

On one side is the water, so still and calming,
On the other there’s fields so ripe for farming.
At Normanton, we whizz by the ‘floating church’ that stands on the water,
Should you visit here? Yes, I think you ought to!
Then, we cycle over the dam that stands so proud,
For our tiniest county, Rutland should sing it loud.

Rutland, Rutland.

For here, there’s lots and lots for whoever you are with,
Cycle, hike, sail, birdwatch, even catch a fish
As we finish our biking adventure, feeling stronger,
I wish we’d stayed here a heck of a lot longer.
We’ve experienced Rutland in such a short time space,
I hope these memories never ever erase.

ABOUT

This weekend my friends and I descended upon Rutland, the smallest county in the UK. It may be tiny, but it packs a punch. It was great to hang out with my friends during these Covid-19 times. New rules and restrictions are important, and we managed to adapt our adventures well to that. I feel blessed to share these experiences with my friends.

The photos are a mix of ones we all took.

If you live in the UK or if you visit from abroad at some point, I hope you can visit Rutland.

Peace and love for now 😊

My 100th Post: How To Travel The World For Free!*

Tags

Adventure, blogging, Blogging community, Dreams, Lockdown, Travel

(*All you need to pay is your monthly internet bill).

As the rain slaloms down my front room window on this gloomy October morning, I’m on an early morning summer stroll around Tokyo. The throngs of early morning commuters seem oblivious to the giant electronic boards displaying all sorts of products and famous faces overhead. All the while, I march on the spot next to my sofa. Soon, as I’m hiking through the affluent Ginza shopping district, I hear the kettle begin to reach the boil. I hit pause on the screen and nip into the kitchen to make my coffee, then don my headphones once more and continue on my journey around the Japanese capital.

This has become a very common event for me in 2020: like a lot of people in these times of pandemic, I’ve had to become creative about how I travel. I still love to go outside and explore the countryside. However, having been through the gruelling national lockdown earlier in the year in the UK and with an uncertain winter looming, I’ve had to take the outside indoors.

I’ve mentioned in a few previous posts that one way to achieve this has been to watch virtual hiking videos on YouTube of other places around the world. I’ve explored the Icelandic wilderness, traversed heavenly Hawaiian beaches and reached dizzying heights in Swiss mountains.

Although I’m not in these places for real, I’ve journeyed the world on a more intimate level than before.

This whole experience seems to be evolving and becoming a hobby in its own right.

Then, earlier this week, I watched videos by a YouTuber called Drew Binsky. He has been fortunate enough to visit every country in the world; it seems that he’s managed to captured a staggering amount of his trips on film. One feature of certain trips he undertakes is to challenge himself to see how far he can go on ten dollars in a day in capital cities across the world.

This made me think: maybe I could visit every capital city in the world! Okay, as I’ve highlighted, travelling afar isn’t a realistic option for me at present. Plus, I can only really afford a small holiday each year. But visiting every country is doable via YouTube. Every single 195 of them.

I’ve set myself a few rules for the challenge:
• I have a year to do this.
• I have to walk in at least each capital city for forty minutes a time.
• I have to learn five amazing facts about that country.
• If I can’t find a virtual walk of a country’s capital, then I must watch another video or two on that country and walk on the spot during that.

I started in Tokyo as Japan is the number one country I’d love to visit. I think I’ll tackle this challenge continent by continent, but it’s fine if I chose to tackle another area of the world for a bit too. If I think I’d like to stay in a country for a while and escape the city vibe, then that’s a good reason to read more widely and visit another part of that land via YouTube. I’m going to make a list of all the countries and capitals and write a few brief memories of each.

From previous searches on YouTube, I know it’s also possible to do tours of certain landmarks or museums in various cities. This will help me to explore the culture in various destinations a little more.

Also, I’ve found that by typing ‘Virtual World Tours’ into Google, there are other websites that open the world before my eyes.

Although this health and budget friendly way of travelling doesn’t beat immersing myself in the real world, I’m looking forward to gaining a flavour of what each country has to offer.

I hope this inspires anybody reading this to take up the challenge or even just to try a few virtual hikes. Who knows where it may take you once we’re more free to travel?

I’d be interested to hear what you think. Or it’d be great to hear from you if you’ve come up with any novel ways in being creative with your travel bug during these crazy times.

Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, I truly hope that you and your loved ones are safe and have a good week.

Peace and love for now