During my recent visit to Edinburgh, we took a day trip to a town that had long intrigued me: Berwick-upon-Tweed, just across the border in the English county of Northumberland. I've always been fascinated by borders and Berwick is the ultimate frontier town, famously changing hands between England and Scotland numerous times up until 1482 when the … Continue reading Bastions and Border-Hopping in Berwick: Part 1
I visited friends in beautiful Edinburgh for a few days last week and took the opportunity to head up a couple of the city's hills. I'd been up them before on previous visits but's it's such a stunning city, both architecturally and setting-wise, that I was happy to fit in some exercise and take in the … Continue reading Hills of Edinburgh: Calton Hill and Blackford Hill
I visited beautiful County Sligo at the weekend for a catch-up with friends and got to do a hike that had been on my list for years. The intriguing Caves of Kesh (or Keash) are a series of gaping holes set in limestone cliffs part way up Keshcorran hill near Ballymote. I'd first seen them during … Continue reading Sligo: The Caves of Kesh / Keshcorran
In my review of my most memorable hikes and cycles of 2016, I included Vodno Mountain which overlooks Macedonia's capital, Skopje. It was such a worthwhile experience, and I took so many photos, that I thought I'd cover it in a post of its own. Sadly I only had one day in this little known (to people in my … Continue reading Macedonia: Vodno Mountain Hike and Cable Car
Part 1 of my year in review included hikes (some in the loosest sense of the word) from Scotland, mainland Europe and Jordan. This second part will cover the rest of my 2016 voluntary redundancy-funded travels in Asia and the US plus my favourite Irish hikes after returning home. Top image: A view of Half Dome … Continue reading 2016 Hikes & Cycles in Review: Part 2
I've been meaning for a while to add a 'year in review' post with photos from my hikes and cycles during 2016. As well as trips within Ireland, these include excursions in mainland Europe, Asia and the US during my voluntary redundancy-funded travels earlier this year. Many of these were short, urban trips or hikes/cycles at tourist attractions. I … Continue reading 2016 Hikes & Cycles in Review: Part 1
In September 2015 I spent a very enjoyable few days cycling in the Galloway region (specifically its western half) of southwest Scotland. It's taken a year but here are some highlights in photos. It's a stunning and very underrated area, probably overlooked in favour of the Highlands and Islands, but ideal for a cycling break with its quiet … Continue reading Cycling in Galloway, Scotland: Photo Blog (A Year Late)
Hike Cycle Ireland 