You can find here various short pieces and longer articles I have written, with a few useful resources. It will alter and be added to over time. Dip in to it, you might find something of interest…

• Pin badges associated with outdoor activities, clubs and campaigns have been produced for decades. A large number of examples can be seen in the following links-
  • The Camping Club- a catalogue
  • Co-operative Holidays Association
  • Cunningham Holiday Camp
  • Holiday Fellowship
  • Out O’ Doors Fellowship
  • Ramblers’ Association
  • Robertson’s Gollys 
• Bothies– a glance at some of those visited
• Calculating temperature change with elevation and wind chill
• Drones, are they an intrusion?
• Every Day Carry and Urban EDC
• The Fibonacci Sequence- useful maths for hiking
• Food on trail
  • Some thoughts on food and drink on trail, plus a look at the challenge of resupply.
• Foot care
  • Sad experience recounted and learnt from. Nothing too horrific. Plus a little advice in the extra links above
• Guide books for rambling in Kent– a brief history of their development
• ‘How to stop a mad dog’
• A hikers Library
  • All of us have a few books, or printed resources, that we like to return to or rely on. Here are some of mine
• Knots, on trail and a retrospective, plus some resources
• Lego- really! Yep, there have been a couple of minifigures released over the years that may interest: Lego Hiker
• London- A fascinating history of the free printed maps produced for walking in the capital and largest city in England the UK, in four parts:
  • A history
  • Transport for London maps
  • Royal Occasion
  • Sporting occasion
• Map Measurers
  • A brief history and series links looking at some examples from my personal collection. These are intriguing instruments and deserve a little more attention.
• National Parks– Seventy years old in 2021- a family album
• Navigation
  • A few lessons learnt and some advice, take it or leave it, your choice of course.
  • Highlighters for use with maps
  • Ordnance Survey maps: Three Points of the Compass has had a long relationship with the finest maps ever produced. A retrospective- My Guide and Companion, the Ordnance Survey and me
  • Using a slope card to determine gradient
  • Making a set of Pacer Beads
  • How to use the Sun Clock on the Silva Ranger SL sighting compass
• Outdoor Magazines and Journals
  • The printed medium has produced some classic (and less so) publications over the years, how many do you remember?
• Outdoor organisations in the United Kingdom
  • A brief glance at the various outdoor organisations that have pioneered the way for us in the UK and abroad, plus some links where I look at a few in more detail
• Pedestrianism
  • A look at the mostly 19th century form of competitive walking-. An absorbing piece of almost forgotten history.
• Pooping on trail– mostly just a look at what I carry to facilitate the necessary. Not gross, honest!
• Street Furniture- one thing is guaranteed while hiking in the UK. That is encountering a fascinating array of street furniture.
  • Post boxes on the London LOOP (part one, part two)
  • Post boxes on the Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path
  • Sustrans Millennium Mileposts– occasionally encountered on the National Cycle Networks
  • Telephone Kiosks– can you tell your K2 from your K6?
    • Also- a look back at when both change and a Phonecard had to be carried on trail
  • Trail signage– a totally random collection of signage from the trail
  • Village and Town Signs