Country Sport has been something close to my heart from a very early age. I grew up in a rural environment where I was surrounded by opportunities for fishing and country sport. After a long break I am now beginning to rekindle my love for the outdoors and am making the connections again to enable…
Time to review With the New Year just days away, I thought I would write a review of 2016 and reflect on what a fantastic year I have had. Through health, fitness and outdoor sports, I have developed a lifestyle that really makes me happy and I want to inspire and motivate others to…
Nestled on the East Lothian coast, Aberlady Bay is a wonderful nature reserve with a staggering amount of bird life on it, and somewhere that plays host every year to tens of thousands of geese every Autumn. Aberlady Nature Reserve is a gem on the East Lothian coast providing miles of beach, bog land and a…
This week the Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt told the Independent Newspaper that the Labour Party must get over its fear of the ‘F’ word and start promoting family values. He said the party needs to ‘shed its leftist qualms’ about appearing to patronise when talking about family values. In the past the Labour Party…
Just the other week, a care worker was sentenced to four months in prison, and another two given suspended sentences, for their roles in a catalogue of mistreatment and abuse of people with Alzheimer’s disease at a care home in North Somerset. Despite the introduction of some of the tightest regulations and monitoring in the…
I have been lucky enough to get another guest blog post published, this time on the Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op website. I have written a summary of my trip to the Hebridies and a little background about how I got into cycling in the first place. Hope you enjoy. https://www.edinburghbicycle.com/info/david-c-reilly-disability-cyclist/
The Three Brethren If you are looking for motivation, this inspiring walk in the Scottish Borders might just be the thing. On a relatively low hill outside Selkirk, the Three Brethren stand tall against the skyline. Three 10 foot cairns stand on the top of a hill, and give outstanding views of the surrounding countryside….
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…
E-bikes are becoming more popular than ever as people realise that having an electric-assisted bike can take much of the effort out of cycling. This is of tremendous benefit to commuters who don’t want to arrive at work in a puddle of sweat, or those less active but who still want to get out…
It was poignant moment that will stay etched in the minds of many of the over a billion people who were estimated to have been watching. As the world held its breath with excitement and anticipation of the events that were about to unfold suddenly everything stopped and the opening ceremony of the 20th Commonwealth…
Cycled 38 miles last night which turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far. Was quite a hard training run and got a great work out from it. Feeling fantastic today after it.
Health and Fitness I thought I would review a sports facility I use in Edinburgh to look at Disability Awareness. For many years people have thought about Disability Awareness as fitting ramps and accessible toilets. However, Disability Awareness is much more complicated than that. People’s attitudes and perceptions of disabled people is just as vital…
Set in fifty five acres of Fife countryside, the Scottish Deer Centre (SDC) near Cupar, is committed to the preservation of deer species and a number of other animals. Providing a natural home to deer, raptors, brown bears, wolves and wild cats, the SDC provides an educational facility as well as conducting research….
The John Muir Trust is a conservation charity dedicated to protecting and enhancing wild places. Each year the John Muir Trust award a small number of grants to individuals, to enable them to visit and explore wild places. Grants are to enable people to go and experience wild environments while, at the same time, raise…
Motivation Since I started this sports and fitness blog last year, I have felt really inspired to start hillwalking again. When I was at university I was very motivated to climb mountains. I was a member of the university hillwalking society. These were really happy days and I climbed over 25 Munros with various university…
Deuter Rucksack Review The ‘Helium’ Rucksack by Deuter comes in a number of different sizes suitable for a days expedition. I was lucky enough to have been asked to review the Helium 34l and see what I make of it. First Impressions When it first arrived I was quite impressed because…
First Impressions I was quite excited when I took my new Lumos helmet out of the box and with good reason too. The first thing that struck me is it felt like a real solid piece of kit, very well made and a little more sturdy than an ordinary helmet. To look at, it is…
Background Those who follow my blog will have an idea of the sort of struggles I have had recently with joint pain. Being a member of Nuffield Heath has been of tremendous benefit to me because I have been able to receive advice. Thanks to the instructors at the gym I have been able to…
I am really delighted to say that I managed to get a blog post onto the Berghaus Community Website. Berghaus very kind let me write a post about my experience of disability and outdoor sport, for which I am very grateful. I hope you will read the post and leave some feedback. Thanks very much,…
Beyond Boundaries East Lothian, or BBEL, is an organisation that helps to provide access to the outdoors and outdoor sport to disabled people. Founded in East Lothian about six years ago, BBEL has over 50 members but in the last year alone has reached over 350 disabled people and given them access to outdoor activities….