top of page
Search
All Posts


Ben Lawers 7 Traverse
Follow my Ben Lawers Traverse adventure in the Scottish Highlands as I bag Meall Greigh, Meall Garbh, An Stuc, Creag an Fhithich, Ben Lawers, Beinn Ghlas and Meall Corranaich. Read about hiking seven Munros in one day, navigating hours of clag, tackling the An Stuc scramble, discovering Ben Lawers' glittering mica schist, meeting fellow hikers and completing one of Scotland's most rewarding Munro routes.

bootsandbanter
1 day ago8 min read


Meall nan Tarmachan: Starting My Munro Adventure
Join me on my hike up Meall nan Tarmachan, a Munro near Killin in the Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve. After three cancelled Scotland trips, the adventure finally begins with breathtaking Highland views, a windy summit, and an unexpected hitchhiker on the drive back. Follow my first intentional Munro journey and discover why this mountain was the perfect introduction to Munro bagging.

bootsandbanter
3 days ago6 min read


Hiking The Dovedale Little Dipper
Discover the Dovedale Little Dipper, a stunning circular walk in the Peak District. Starting from Hartington, this route passes through Sheen, Warslow, Wetton, Alstonefield and Milldale before following the River Dove through the beautiful Wolfscote Dale to Beresford Dale. Read my honest route guide, including terrain, elevation, highlights and tips for one of the White Peak's most underrated long-distance walks in Derbyshire.

bootsandbanter
Jul 35 min read


Matlock Skyline
The Matlock Skyline Challenge takes in a fantastic mix of Derbyshire landscapes, from the Limestone Way to the villages of Bonsall and Winster, the heather and bilberries of Stanton Moor, the woodland around Darley Dale and the views above Rowsley and Riber Castle. Typically, I couldn't leave the route alone and added diversions to Peak Tor, Bumper Castle trig point and Farley Moor trig point, creating my own extended version of this already challenging Peak District Skyline

bootsandbanter
Jun 226 min read


Derwent Valley Skyline Solo Hike | 46-50 km
The Derwent Valley Skyline is a demanding Dark Peak circuit in the Peak District National Park, linking Ashopton, Crook Hill, Alport Castles, Alport Moor, Bleaklow Stones, Bleaklow Head, Featherbed Moss, Margery Hill, Outer Edge, and Back Tor. A 46–50 km moorland expedition with relentless navigation, bogs, peat hags, groughs and featureless terrain, it tests endurance across one of the UK’s most remote-feeling upland landscapes.

bootsandbanter
Jun 611 min read


Helvellyn, Striding Edge & Swirral Edge
Helvellyn via Striding Edge and Swirral Edge in the Lake District, starting from Glenridding and climbing Birkhouse Moor before tackling one of the most iconic ridges in the UK. A perfect sunshine day taking in Helvellyn, Catstye Cam, Red Tarn, High Crag and Nethermost Pike, with time to pause, scramble, and soak in the views. A relaxed finish with a stop at Red Tarn and a scenic descent via Glenridding Common.

bootsandbanter
Jun 47 min read


From Mickledore to Great End
A day in the Wasdale valley exploring Scafell Pike and its surrounding fells. Fog forced a change of plan as Lords Rake vanished into cloud, redirecting the route through Mickledore. From there the day unfolded across Scafell Pike, Broad Crag, Ill Crag and Great End, blending quiet boulder fields with busy summit mayhem. Unexpected company, clear skies, and shifting conditions turned a planned scramble into a full mountain wander through some of the most iconic terrain in the

bootsandbanter
May 317 min read


Pillar, Poor Visibility, and the Pull of Dore Head Screes
A wild day in the Lake District starting from Wasdale Head taking in Pillar, Scoat Fell, Steeple and Red Pike, including a turned-back attempt on a High Level Route near Looking Stead. The day ended with an exciting descent via the steep and loose Dore Head Screes and return to Wasdale Head Inn.

bootsandbanter
May 289 min read


Alphin Pike, The Trinnacle and Ashway Moss - completion of the Far North Fells
A 20 km journey through the far North Peak District starting at Dovestone Reservoir, climbing Alphin Pike (Ethel and trig), crossing Saddleworth Moor to Saddleworth Trig, and sweeping past Raven Stones Brow and the dramatic rock formation of The Trinnacle. From Ashway Moss ethel to Dean Rocks and Great Dove Stone Rocks, with constant views over Greenfield and Dovestone and Yeoman Hey Reservoirs. Finished with an unplanned bonus Ethel at West Nab, completing the Far North regi

bootsandbanter
May 128 min read


Featherbed Moss, Black Hill and other ethels in the Northern Peak District
Circular hike from Crowden taking in the ethels Featherbed Moss, Black Chew Head, Black Hill, White Low. Also bags 3 trigs including Hey Edge. A summer-like day in April in the far north of the Peak District.

bootsandbanter
Apr 275 min read


Dambusters Challenge - When Distance Changes Meaning
The Dambusters Challenge was long, committing, and intimidating, mapped in winter for “maybe June.” Nine hours later, 37 km and 1180 m of ascent done.
From steep climbs to calm reservoirs, quiet moors and shaped tors, what sticks isn’t the distance or climbs but the feeling: exploring new areas, sunshine on my skin, endless views, and that sense of being fully alive. That is what I remember most.

bootsandbanter
Apr 85 min read


Edale Skyline in March: From Blue Skies to Whiteout
Edale Skyline in March - The coldest Skyline I have done, and somehow one I will never forget. I started the day giving directions to lost runners and ended it fighting a snowstorm straight to the face. Somewhere in between, the Peaks decided to throw everything at me, and my brain is still pretending it was fun.

bootsandbanter
Mar 296 min read


Black Hill, Sponds Hill and Unreachable Trig
After weeks of grey skies, a sunny day in the Peak District was too good to waste. Starting from Whaley Bridge, this walk delivered two more Ethels, a beautifully positioned trig on Sponds Hill, a shiny toposcope pointing to distant peaks, and an intense standoff with four very large cows. The only thing missing? The elusive Ladder Hill trig.

bootsandbanter
Mar 154 min read


Edale Skyline in February: The Most Brutal One Yet
Blue skies, brutal gusts, and the stubborn streak that carried me through nearly 8 hours of the Edale Skyline.

bootsandbanter
Feb 235 min read


Peak District Return: Solomon’s Temple, Experiment 66 & Suspiciously Perfect Timing
A solo circular walk from Grin Low to Oliver Hill, featuring Solomon’s Temple, panoramic views, spontaneous route changes and the quiet freedom of hiking alone.

bootsandbanter
Feb 213 min read


Edale Skyline in January: Fog, Wind, and Unplanned PR
Clockwise Edale Skyline in January was a choice. 31.6 km, 1,306 m, 3°C (feels like -4), five hours of fog and savage wind with no views until km 20. Hope Station to Lose Hill wasn’t a warm-up, the Lose Hill trig was being hogged, Brown Knoll was bog theatre, and Kinder Low tried to exfoliate my face. Somehow it turned into a PR by 3 minutes. Unplanned. Unhinged. Loved it.

bootsandbanter
Jan 257 min read


❄️ Frozen Ground, Edges and Cloughs
A cold winter solo walk in the Peak District, starting from Winscar Reservoir and crossing frozen moorland, empty edges, and invisible summits. The route took in South Nab trig and the Ethels of Britland Edge Hill, Dead Edge End, and Snailsden Pike End, all requiring careful navigation rather than visual cues. With solid ground underfoot and very few people around, the day became about precision, movement, and quiet focus, from bleak moorland to the drama of Ramsden Clough.

bootsandbanter
Jan 45 min read


Ten Wainwrights, One Haunted Pub, and a Very Kind Stranger
Six months earlier, I booked a place above a pub. When I arrived, I realised I hadn’t booked a room but the entire second floor of a 17th-century pub. Alone. After very little sleep, I set off at 07:20 on an endurance round that depended on a bus timetable I thought I’d researched properly. The day brought brutal wind, poor decisions, unsettling surprises, and a finish that nearly left me seven miles from my car. Somewhere in all that, I climbed 17 peaks.

bootsandbanter
Dec 17, 20257 min read


An Ode to the Fog - Gun, Roaches, Hen Cloud
A fog soaked November hike in the Peak District that turned bad weather into atmosphere. I set off from Tittesworth Reservoir and climbed the Ethel Gun, then wandered across the Roaches and over to Hen Cloud. Mist hid the world and revealed the landscape in a new way. Drizzle, silence and rock shaped the day, proving that visibility may disappear, but imagination and wonder certainly do not.

bootsandbanter
Nov 26, 20254 min read


📍4 Ethels Earned, One Trig Erased🙁
A violent-wind, bright-sky day in the Peak District ticking off four new Ethels: Mt Famine, South Head, Eccles Pike and Chinley Churn. A route from Hayfield with cow stand-offs, Highland cows, an overgrown “path”, a missing trig ripped out by a farmer, and a winter-grade wind that felt more like February than late October. Finished cold, feral and satisfied. Still convinced the Peak District is my endurance training ground and still full of surprises.

bootsandbanter
Oct 26, 20254 min read
bottom of page