A More Gentlemanlike Manner

I didn’t have high expectations for today. Reason being that I remember last year’s bank holiday being kind of a bummer with most shops being closed and the town feeling completely dead. Turns out that may have been because I was in Dover and not somewhere (anywhere) else. I basically expected York (and London when […]

York is encircled by the most complete set of medieval city walls in England. It’s about three miles around and the guidebooks say it should take about two hours to finish. I took all day. I hadn’t really intended to. I set out around 9:30 after a quick breakfast and intended to finish the tour […]

It’s the August bank holiday weekend! And unlike last year when I didn’t even know it was a thing, this time I was ready. My alarm went off at 5:30am. I hit snooze and woke up before it buzzed again feeling way more refreshed than I usually do after just one snooze. What a great […]

We drove through the night from the Lake District in northwestern England to Snowdownia in northern Wales. We were sweaty and sore from the two previous hikes, and I dearly wished to sleep. Alas, it was at best a night of fitful dozing. At 4am we arrived at the base of Mount Snowdon, the last […]

After a many our drive from Scotland to the Lake District, we reached the base of Scafell Pike, the tallest peak in England, around 6:30pm. We climbed up in the golden light of a lowering sun and made it back down by around 10:30pm as it was finally getting dark. The top was initially shrouded […]

Ben Nevis is the tallest peak in Scotland, and all of the UK for that matter. We tackled it first. Left the lodge in Fort William at 5:00am and got to the trailhead about 20 minutes later. We paused long enough for a group photo . . . . . . and then took off […]

Our Three Peaks weekend began with a long train ride to Glasgow, where we rendez-voused with some additional hikers and our driver. We piled into the van and headed north into the Scottish highlands. We passed Loch Lomond and entered a magical world of green hills, silvery lakes and streams, and low grey clouds. Eventually […]

I’m on the train to Scotland! The farther north we go, the wetter and greyer it becomes. Green hills dotted with sheep and sat upon by thick low clouds. It’s a refreshing change from sweltering London. This morning started early. I bid fond farewell to Amanda, whose month-long stay has ended; she’s en route to […]

After a nearly sleepless night in sweltering London, we left early for a weekend road trip to Wales. By early afternoon we were in the green, hilly, blessedly cool Welsh countryside where all the road signs have more Ys, Ws, Ls, and Ds than you ever thought possible. First stop: Powis castle and gardens. It’s […]