I think of Tenerife as a place where people go on the sort of holidays that scare me.
Tibet, Yarchen Gar the final part – 8,000 nuns, a naked lama and passing out
Yarchen Gar was such an unexpected place. We had never even heard of it only a week ago and here we were, two of the very few foreigners to have seen and stayed in the place. It is described as the world’s largest Monastery with 8,000 Nuns staying here but also about 2,000 Monks, quite simply it’s a huge sea of Burgundy robes!
Tibet Part 3 – Holy Lakes, big climbs and chicken feet
From the Tibetan city of Garze we headed West towards the biggest climb we’ve ever undertaken, we both wondered nervously how would we cope riding at over 5000m.
My favourite 12 pictures from 2016
2016 was pretty fun if rather busy, I traveled across Scotland, visited Georgia, Iceland, Spain, Tenerife, Tibet, China, Ireland and the Netherlands. Here’s a selection of my 12 favourite pictures, one for each month of the year.
Riding Tibet Part 1
It’s taken a while to write a blog about our trip to China and Tibet. It was a pretty crazy trip where so much seemed to happen it’s hard to keep track.
Pentland 7Reservoirs Half Marathon – race report
The mornings have turned frosty, there are frozen puddles to dodge whilst out training and I don’t leave the house without a beanie on – it must be time for the Pentlands 7 Reservoirs Half Marathon!
Tweed Valley Tunnel Trail Run 2016 – race report
The Tweed Valley holds some trail running gems, and it’s great to see a growing recognition of this. But a 600 metre long railway tunnel filled with disco lighting effects has to be one feature few trail races can boast!
The Skye’s the limit
A casual look at the weather revealed a storm was coming towards Scotland, the tail end of a hurricane lashing the US east coast. A normal person would stay at home and watch some TV. I thought why not ride to a bothy perched on the cliffs on the Isle of Skye and watch the wind and rain lash in, it will be super cozy. A perfect plan, expect I didn’t appreciate I would have to ride through the storm to get there…..
On the run in Iceland
Iceland’s awesome running trails are a great way to escape the crowds and immerse yourself in its incredible landscape.
Bikepacking Iceland Part 2
There’s little less inviting to facing the outside world than waking up warmly cocooned in a gore-tex bivvy bag listening to rain pattering down on the fabric which is resting just millimeters above your face.
Bikepacking across Iceland Part 1
Cycle touring Iceland is something that’s always been in the back of my mind, the desolate empty interior captures my imagination with its volcanoes, ice caps, hot springs, geysers and miles of gravel roads. It is certainly a place that needs exploring by bikepacking on my Tripster and there’s no time like the present!