Two and a half hours later, with sore arms, we passed the finish line. That morning we had travelled from Tyreso back to Stockholm by bus. We then went straight to Stockholm adventures to pick up two kayaks we had booked online. The guy there was very relaxed, casually showing us a route we could... Continue Reading →
Rock climbing in the Peak District
Precariously placing all my bodyweight on my right toes against a tiny indent in the rock face, I leapt up in a bid to reach a section of rock which may or may not provide a nice grip for my right hand. It turned out to be the latter. My toes slipped during the dynamic... Continue Reading →
A week volunteering with The Back Up Trust
'Come on trained killer,' my new coach yelled at me, as we raced around the reservoir. My coach was peddling a hand bike extremely fast, while I was chasing after him. My nick name (trained killer) came from a game of two truths and a lie the night before. As an introductory ice-breaker, we went... Continue Reading →
Cycling the Thames Route – Richmond Park to Hampton Court
Sheets of rain cascaded from the ominous grey sky into the fast flowing river. We had found shelter in the lovely Riverside Vegetaria restaurant. Tucking into a chef specials platter we watched the world go by. A group huddled in an open air boat battling with their umbrellas. The small motor chugged on sending them... Continue Reading →
189 km of cycling later…
Fuelling up on porridge we were ready for our final day of cycling. We left Jenny's air b n b bright and early, just after 8 am. The cycle began by crossing the river on a picturesque bridge. We proceeded to follow a path along the waterway, ignoring the first 72 sign as it told... Continue Reading →
“In my country we go to prison first and then become President. ” ― Nelson Mandela
The day started off in style with a delightful buffet breakfast at Ginja Restaurant overlooking the harbour. We tucked into fruit, yoghurt, granola, a wide range of cured meats, smoked salmon, even endless oysters were an option. Then of course there were plenty of pastries to munch on. We were also allowed bottomless drinks (freshly... Continue Reading →
Penguins, Baboons and Elands
Waking up early I wanted to make the most of the gym facilities in the hotel. As I was on the running machine an elderly couple from Johannesburg joined me. They weren't sure how to use the cycling machine so I helped. It turned out the gentleman was very fit, using all the weights and... Continue Reading →
Cycling through vineyards in Cape Town
Neat rows of vines spanned the valley for miles. They were home to bright green bunches of grapes. Behind the carefully cultivated crop, Cape Town's mountains jutted out into the blue sky. The landscape was aesthetically pleasing. It showed nature next to commerce. The critical part of me focused on what this monoculture crop would... Continue Reading →
6 hours of walking later
Deep asleep the alarm woke me up at 8am. We wanted to set off fairly early for our day of hiking. Enjoying yoghurt and granola in our hotel room in front of Table Mountain we gained the fuel we needed to set off. Our journey began turning up the steep road next to the Hilton... Continue Reading →
Day one in south Africa
We arrived at Cape Town Airport at 10.30 am meaning we had the whole day ahead of us. First up was finding our hotel - Cape Town Lodge. We went to the e-pick point in the airport, using free WiFi ordered an Uber taxi. This arrived smoothly and we were on our way. The Uber... Continue Reading →