Ice Blue Rucksack Review The Blue Ice Dragon Fly rucksack is a small 25 litre day pack that is extremely lightweight. First Impressions A very nicely made little rucksack ideal for commuting or gentle days out. Its extremely lightweight making it ideal for getting around. It has a very thin back board and not very…
I have been lucky enough so far to have visited a few ski resorts in the Alps, some in France and now a couple in Austria. I enjoy skiing very much and it is a pleasure to visit different places. My recent trip to ‘St Anton’, supported by Inghams Ski was particularly good and I…
It’s the New Year, and I’m already looking forward to cycling, camping and the adventures that 2017 will bring. I love living a healthy lifestyle and I also enjoy writing it in a blog. Right now however, I would like your help! I need to know what you enjoy about my blog and what you…
By the time I stopped and it had dawned on me that I had probably gone too far and didn’t really know where I was, I was soaked to the skin and really starting to get cold. The rain had been coming down quite heavily but I hadn’t really realized it, I was just enjoying…
I wanted to start my reviews on a positive note because I think it is very important to show appreciation to organisations especially when it’s absolutely deserved. It is so easy to grumble, criticise and highlight where people fall short, so everybody should make more effort to show appreciation whenever they can. So, I was…
Two years ago just now I started this website, David Ventures. I had been writing for many years on aspects of disability but it just wasn’t making me happy. In fact I was not enjoying much at that time at all. Then someone said ‘just do what it takes to make yourself happy’ and I…
Since I began writing my Disability Travel and Sports Blog over a year ago, my motivation to go out and have fun has gone through the roof. One of the things that has really come back for me, is my motivation to go hillwalking in the Scottish Mountains. Having cerebral palsy has of course made…
Describing disabled people as ‘not worth the full wage,’ Lord Freud just now finds himself embroiled in bitter political arguments and is facing calls from the opposite side of the House of Commons for him to step down from Cabinet. The Conservative Peer and Welfare Secretary was recorded making such remarks at the recent party…
Knoydart is a very special place. A peninsula on the west coast of Scotland accessed only by boat, it has all the feelings of a remote Scottish island. Staying in the village of Inverie, I went there recently to explore Scotland’s last true wilderness. Standing on the pier at Mallaig, I…
Cairngorm Mountain is home to Scotland’s only Funicular Railway. Opened in 2001 the line takes thousands of visitors up and down Cairngorm Mountain to the highest cafe in the UK, the Ptarmigan Restaurant, which sits at over 3,500ft about sea level. Cairngorm is a hive of activity at all times of year with thousands of…
We had a comfortable enough sleep in the Dunard hostel that night although I was so shattered after the journey to get there I would have slept anywhere. The beds were a bit rickety and the mattress really soft so not recommended for a prolonged stay. The décor in the front room was a kind…
On a break from my outdoor and adventure life, I have just had the pleasure of sailing the Danube on a luxury cruise. Returning home with my motivation to travel sky high, I decided to write about my trip. From Budapest in Hungary the river Danube took us through some breathtaking scenery and beautiful towns…
We all face challenges in life. Cerebral Palsy is mine, but it hasn’t stopped me from becoming a keen recreational cyclist and playing an active role in my local clubs. I’m actually an active skier and, a few weeks before a ski holiday, went along to a local cycling club to try and build up…
On Friday evening Danny Alexander appeared on Channel 4 news offering somewhat of an apology and policy u-turn on behalf of the Liberal Democrats for what was one of the most unpopular policies of the coalition government, the Bedroom Tax. Alexander stopped slightly short of an all out apology but said that those who have…
I have been fortunate enough lately to have been given a regular magazine column to write. Shooting Scotland is a country sports magazine that has grown out of another publication called Farming Scotland. Having once been a supplement, Shooting Scotland is now a publication in its own right and I am delighted to be involved…
On a weekend away in Scotland, more often then not, one usually ends up traipsing round the nearest town or village to where you are staying in the rain. Last Saturday was no exception and waking up to a stormy day in Pittenweem we made for St Andrews for a mosey round the shops and…
‘Venturing Out’ Based in East Lothian, ‘Venturing Out’ are a not for profit social enterprise whose aim is to encourage young people and adults into the outdoors. Offering a broad range of activities to key target groups, they provide the facilities and expertise required to deliver the service. This enables people to experience outdoor activities…
Disabled people have come under attack again in the latest of George Osborne’s budgets where unemployed disabled people are now set to lose a further £30 per week. In this, the latest blow to disabled people, those on Employment Support Allowance are set to have benefits cut, this comes on top a round of cuts dished…
I have just returned home after an inspirational trip to Orkney. Funded by the John Muir Trust (Des Rubens and Bill Wallace Grant), I set out to investigate and report on disability access to the archaeological areas of Orkney. I spent the week looking at historical sites and remains from as far back as the…
Having access to the outdoors is sometimes taken for gtranted. However for disabled people finding oppotunities to spend time in the wilderness can be more difficult. I was lucky enought to writte this article for Mountaineering Sotland Magazine and share a bit of my expereince. The outdoors have always been a part of my…
