Cleveland Way - Scarborough to High Hawsker
The Armchair Mountaineer Blog
by Thomas Smallwood
2y ago
In October 2020, my friend Dave and I walked a section of the Cleveland Way in Yorkshire over a couple of days. We started from Scarborough and walked to Ravenscar (18 km). The next day we walked to High Hawsker (15 km). Day one was great autumn weather with a mix of sunshine and showers. Day 2 was altogether harsher with high winds and heavy rain. In. truth we had the intention of walkign to Whitby, but my dodgy left knee was too painful and meant we had to stop… as usual Dave was a great sport in saying it was best anyway to stop in order to get home in good time. Don’t you just love friends ..read more
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Packrafting the River Tamiš
The Armchair Mountaineer Blog
by Thomas Smallwood
2y ago
In July 2020, in a brief respite from the worries of the covid pandemic, I had the good fortune to be able to escape for a little adventure, spending 3 days paddling down the Tamiš river in northern Serbia, in my packraft. Here is a video and my diary from the trip. Day One. My brother in law was kind enough to give me a lift to Sakule, a village in Vojvodina, about an hour away from Belgrade, from where I had decided to start my packrafting trip down the Tamiš river. The Tamiš actually starts its life as the Timis in Romania but it swaps vowels on emtering Serbia. Dr Dragan Simic, the notable ..read more
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Interview with Emily Woodhouse - Founder of Intrepid Magazine
The Armchair Mountaineer Blog
by Thomas Smallwood
4y ago
I recently had the pleasure to interview Emily Woodhouse, someone who is well known and someone who has been somewhat of a pioneer in giving a voice to many women in the adventure / outdoor sports world. Emily founded Intrepid Magazine (something I have mentioned before on this blog) and last week I interviewed her for my work blog which you can find here. In the interview Emily talks about: RUNNING A BUSINESS AS A SIDE GIG THE MOTIVATION BEHIND STARTING YOUR OWN PROJECT DEALING WITH THE BIGGEST PAIN POINTS THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING THE FIRST STEP ADVICE ON STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS Many of u ..read more
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Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the wallaby)
The Armchair Mountaineer Blog
by Thomas Smallwood
4y ago
I spent last weekend getting my outdoor fix on Loch Lomond - Two friends and I canoed around some of the islands. Having looked at the weather forecast for the preceding weeks we felt sure it was going to be awful and were ready for a damp couple of days but Scotland (once again) did not disappoint. The loch was like a mirror as we set off from Luss on Friday to explore. Having walked to the high point on Inchtavannach to admire the views, and paddled around Inchmoan, watching the deer come down to the water’s edge, we agreed to spend the night on Inchconnachan for no other reason than it appe ..read more
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Weekend Adventure - From lying in the sun to crying on a plane
The Armchair Mountaineer Blog
by Thomas Smallwood
4y ago
I took a break from posting over the summer holidays to give myself a breather as I pursue other projects. Just over a week ago Emma and I took a little impromptu adventure road trip. Starting out on Friday afternoon we drove down to the South Downs for the weekend. I have mentioned a few times that my daughter is neither naturally sporty, particularly active or indeed fearless. She is perhaps the opposite. So I was especially proud that she decided on the Saturday morning, as we dithered whether to have an hour in the water at Buzz Active Cuckmere, that this was indeed the ideal opportunity ..read more
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Canoeing the Wye: Happiness V Social Media [Video]
The Armchair Mountaineer Blog
by Thomas Smallwood
5y ago
I had so much fun outdoors this weekend that I didn’t tell anyone about it. Imagine that! The moment was way more important to me than broadcasting about it. Yes, I know it should be, but if we are honest with ourselves, it isn’t alway, is it?Now this is not some holier-than-thou lecture on how you too should not shout about the the things you do. That is not what I mean. After all, I posted on Instagram after I returned, I have written this blog post and made a video (see below), but at the time I was tempted to p ..read more
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Wild Night Out 2019: The Whining
The Armchair Mountaineer Blog
by Thomas Smallwood
5y ago
This past Saturday was Wild Night Out 2019, an initiative to get people together, outside for adventures big and small. Travelling in ultra-lightweight style (we only carried four cricket stumps instead of the full compliment of six) Emma and I marched along the coast path, over the dunes and onto the vast sands of our beautiful coast for a perfect Wild Night Out 2019. And then the high-pitched whining started…Last year Wild Night Out turned into "Snake Bite Adventure” and a trip to A & E. This year we went to the coast for some sandy fun on the assumption that having been stung by a weeve ..read more
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30 Days Wild: Suburban Springwatch
The Armchair Mountaineer Blog
by Thomas Smallwood
5y ago
Half way through 30 Days Wild and the continued damp means I have not spent as much time in the garden as last year. The wild creatures appear happy to have it to themselves. One thing I decided to do this year was leave one corner of the garden wild. I don’t know how long it will last as pressure builds from within the family to “do something” with that corner but while it does last it has had a positive effect in terms of wildlife. A month ago we had a swarm of honey bees find this patch of wild and cling to the ..read more
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30 Days Wild: Freshwalks: Networking in the Outdoors
The Armchair Mountaineer Blog
by Thomas Smallwood
5y ago
Recently a client of my VA company drew my attention to an innovative and inspiring initiative getting business people into the outdoors, for Freshwalks, the benefits of which might surprise a few…This filthy-wet month, I am trying to spend time outside in nature during my working day as part of the Wildlife Trusts 30 Days Wild. I cannot pretend it has been as easy as last year’s sun-drenched June when gently swaying flower meadows and deserted Norfolk beaches called out to me. A highlight however, has been the cha ..read more
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30 days Wild: Welcome to my office
The Armchair Mountaineer Blog
by Thomas Smallwood
5y ago
“Can you repeat that please sir?” I could hear a slightly exasperated tone on the other end of the line.This morning, a few days into June and woefully short of what I hope to achieve during 30 Days Wild, I ventured out into the meadow to make a few phone calls. I took my office outdoors! The helpful assistant from Barclays Business Banking went off for a few minutes to find out some information, and probably to curse me  as my microphone was buffeted by the breeze, that bent the tall flowers surrounding me and rep ..read more
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