Tales from a down-shifted family
- Making the most of modest means
More Islands Within four walks I’d already covered 64.8 miles of the 155-mile Hebridean Way. I’d visited five of the ten islands, and a bonus sixth by car, and was about to start day five with a quick trip from Benbecula across the causeway to Grimsay and then across another to North Uist. This was...
With three days of walking along the Hebridean Way under my belt, we were now getting into the swing of things. Having Anna supporting me in the hire car was making life easy and the whole experience good fun. The comfy bed and endless breakfast options from the B&B helped too. Progress was good and...
After another night at the hostel in Castlebay, we were up early for the bus to the Ardmhor Ferry Terminal on the far side of Barra. Over breakfast, Anna spotted a half-used gas canister on the free shelf — perfect, as I hadn’t been able to bring one on the flight. One less thing to...
We met a lovely German couple over breakfast at the hostel. We later found out their names were Stephanie and Christian, but for now, we were calling them “The Germans” — I don’t know what they called us!! They were also walking the Hebridean Way. They hadn’t organised a taxi to get to Vatersay though,...
Over the past 20+ years, various trusty wheelbarrows have served me well for getting my windsurf kit to the beach. Loaded up with two boards, 2–3 sails, two masts, two booms, a whole host of fins, extensions, tools and accessories — not to mention a harness, helmet and some spare parts — they’ve done the...
You can’t beat sunny days with a decent wind. Not if you’re a windsurfer — and since I’ve been out a few times lately, I think I can once again call myself one. Friday was a little more full-on than expected, with a solid 30-knot wind gusting up to 40 knots at times. There wasn’t much...
I finally got to try out one of my new windsurf boards on Sunday. The forecast looked perfect — warm temperatures, a warm sea, and a solid wind that would gradually build throughout the day. The really hot days were behind us, and the sun was shy, but that didn’t matter. The wind was set...
Windsurfing kit doesn’t come cheap. I rarely — if ever — buy brand-new gear, and some of my boards, sails, and accessories are probably more than 20 years old. But it’s still nice to keep up with the times where I can. The relatively new 2021 Severne Nano 87 that I bought a few years...
I’ve been preparing for my summer hike along the Hebridean Way — a two-week, 155 mile adventure across Scotland’s wild Western Isles. With my gear laid out and spreadsheet open, I faced a familiar dilemma: how much is it really worth spending (or sacrificing) to save weight? My base weight is already around 8 kg — pretty lean for a trip...
Do you like our latest framed print for the house? I think we’ll hang it in the kitchen where we’ll see it every day. This latest one was actually a gift from Lizzie herself. She wanted to scramble up and across Crib Goch and was planning to hire a guide. However, Rhys and I wanted...
Fitness / Technology / Triathlon
Fixing the Altimeter on my Garmin Forerunner 910XT
Monday, March 17th, 2014
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