Hiking and camping in the wilderness
Almost exactly 10 years after I first arrived in Beijing in 2007 I found myself back there in March 2017. As has sadly become the norm, the city was shrouded in a thick blanket of smog so we decided to head out of the city for the weekend for a hike in the mountains.
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In recent years I’ve discovered the joys of hiking in Japan, where all levels of experience are catered for with well-maintained trails and some of the best mountain huts in the world. Up until this January, I’d never ventured out during the winter and, as this trip proved, I was missing out! Read more
I always knew I would return to Shikoku although I hadn’t anticipated it would be quite so soon. A little over four months since I completed the pilgrimage, I find myself back on the island but this time without any strenuous obligations. I’m here to attend a few events and acclimatise before another expedition next week. Read more
On my yearly trips back to the UK I rarely get a chance to visit anywhere outside of London or my hometown of Norwich since time is never on my side. This year, however, I decided to return during summer and spent a few days in the Lake District, a national park in the North-West England. Read more
After a particularly sticky summer in Tokyo, autumn has arrived and the temperatures are finally beginning to drop. Looking back, it’s been a pretty good season for adventures and while my memory is still fresh I wanted to share a few interesting spots we visited on a recent road trip to Shizuoka Prefecture (静岡県), a few hours west of Tokyo. Read more
Having fully recovered from my epic hike earlier in the year, over a recent public holiday I decided it was time to hit the mountains again, this time heading to the Hotaka Mountains which consists of five peaks; Okuhotaka, Karasawa, Kitahotaka, Maehotaka and Nishihotaka reaching a height of 3,190 m (10,466 ft) in Nagano prefecture. Read more
Unlike outdoor adventures I’ve undertaken before, the Shikoku Pilgrimage is unique in that you’re rarely far from civilisation and that it takes upwards of 7 weeks to complete. This means you don’t need to worry about food or cooking equipment but any gear you carry needs to be extremely durable and light. Read more
After all the ups and downs of yesterday, I slept like a stone statue last night. Luckily today was a mostly downhill affair with some of the finest weather to date (21°C with a slight breeze). Read more
After a better night’s sleep than I’ve had in a few days I woke shortly after 6am and was heading out of Ōzu by 7. I passed scores of kids on their way to school and saw a group of them sweeping their playground. Only in Japan. Read more
It’s a little difficult to know where to begin with this entry since it was such an epic day; I covered 40km, climbed three mountains, entered a new prefecture, visited temple 40, met some amazing people, and found an incredible place to stay the night. Phew! Read more