Journal
Adventure guides. Kit. Stories from the hills.
Written by people who actually do this stuff.
What a Grade 1 scramble feels like if you're scared of heights
Almost everyone feels something on exposed ground. Here is what the fear is doing, when it shows up, and the handful of things that make it manageable.
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Am I fit enough for a mountain weekend?
The most common question we get before a booking, and the one people are most embarrassed to ask. Some real numbers, and what the day asks of you.
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What a UK mountain weekend really costs
A line-by-line breakdown of doing it yourself versus going guided, including the costs people forget. Indicative prices, autumn 2026.
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Snowdonia, the Lake District or the Highlands: which one first?
Travel time, terrain, weather, crowds and what each one is genuinely best for. An honest comparison from someone who runs trips in all three.
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Nearly everyone who books comes on their own
The thing people worry about most before a first trip, and the thing that stops mattering about ninety minutes in. What the weekend is like when you arrive knowing nobody.
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The Friday night before
The bit no itinerary captures. The late train, the bunk room, kit spread across the floor, the briefing, and the forecast everyone checks one more time before bed.
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What the instructors are watching while you look at the view
A guided day looks relaxed from the inside. Here is the running assessment going on behind it, and why it is the thing you are paying for.
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What the Marines taught me about carrying weight
Load carriage is its own skill, and the gym does not teach it. How a pack should sit, why strong people still suffer under weight, and how to build tolerance without wrecking yourself.
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You can't drive to Knoydart
It's one of the last genuinely roadless places in mainland Britain. You walk in, or you take a boat. That inaccessibility isn't a travel inconvenience, it's the whole point. And building an expedition around it took considerably longer than I expected.
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My favourite running route in the UK is on the Isle of Skye
I've run in Richmond Park, along the South Downs, on the Pembrokeshire Coast. None of it comes close to Skye's southern coastline. This is the route, and why I built an eight-day trip around it.
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Torridon: the mountains most people never reach
Most people who visit Scotland go to Glencoe or Skye. Fewer than one in ten makes it to Torridon. Those who do tend not to go anywhere else.
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From Goldman Sachs to the mountains: the honest version
Growing up in a council house in Devon, joining the Royal Marines, burning out in finance, and eventually putting every penny of savings into an adventure company. The full story.
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Why your bootcamp class won't get you up a mountain
Most people don't specifically train for adventure, and spend too much time focused on the wrong things. Here's how to think about fitness differently.
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How to plan a year of training for adventure
If you bounce from one Classpass session to another without a clear goal, this is for you. A simple four-phase framework used with Jove Club members.
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Mountain weather: what to check, what it means, and when to turn back
Weather impacts every adventure. Mountain conditions can change fast and extremes are much more severe than in the valley. How to read a forecast and make the right call.
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The kit you need for a mountain day
Getting the right kit is key. It doesn't always have to cost a fortune, but it needs to be of sufficient quality. Here's what matters, and what people get wrong.
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Wild camping in the UK: what's legal, what's not, and how to do it properly
It can be one of the most magical ways to explore nature. It can also be dangerous if you don't prepare, and people are steadily ruining the freedom to do it at all.
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3 beginner adventures worth doing in the UK
Three specific routes to get you started. A mountain hike, a coastal trail run, and a first scramble, each one a genuine step into something new.
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How to eat for a long day in the mountains
Nutrition is surprisingly simple, yet people overcomplicate it, give misleading advice, or follow fads. A straightforward set of principles that work.
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The Welsh 3000s: the complete guide
Route, training, kit, and the things people get wrong. Everything you need to know before attempting one of the UK's great mountain challenges.
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A Sensible Guide to the National Three Peaks
What the challenge involves, routes, drive times, fatigue, and environmental impact, so you can decide whether it's right for you.
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Trail running for adventure: how to get started
Trail running is one of the best ways to build adventure fitness and explore wild places quickly. How to start, without getting into trouble.
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Your first scramble: what to expect and how to prepare
Scrambling is the step between hiking and climbing, hands on rock, real exposure, a completely different kind of challenge. How to approach your first Grade 1.
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Winter mountaineering: what changes and how to prepare
Mountains in winter are more severe, more remote, and more rewarding than anything summer offers. What changes, and what you need to start safely.
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How to plan a mountain hike: the complete guide
Most people don't plan properly, and end up on the wrong route, in the wrong conditions, with the wrong kit. How to get it right from the start.
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Getting into hiking: an honest guide for complete beginners
No faff, no gear lists that cost £1,000. Just the things that matter if you're starting from scratch and want to do this properly.
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Knoydart: the UK's most remote hiking destination
No road access. One pub. Some of the most spectacular wilderness in Britain. What it's like, and how to approach it.
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Six training principles worth sticking to
Most people make fitness harder than it needs to be. These are the principles that drive real progress, drawn from endurance sport, military preparation, and the simple logic of how the body adapts.
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Strength training for the outdoors: what matters and what doesn't
Most gym advice is aimed at people who want to look better. If you want to move well in the mountains, what you need is different, and simpler.
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How to build an aerobic base for the outdoors
Aerobic fitness is the foundation everything else sits on. What it is, why it matters more than most people think, and how to build it without running yourself into the ground.
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Choosing a wild camp: five things to check before you pitch
A good pitch is the difference between a great night in the hills and a miserable one. Here's what to check before you drop your pack, in the order I'd check it.
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