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…
I still love the moment when I click my boots into my skis. It doesn’t seem to matter how long I’ve been skiing, I get the same feelings of freedom and joy. Although, just accessing the snow can be difficult, ski resorts can be challenging environments for anyone. My recent trip to St Anton, supported…
Give disabled people support to live, not right to die ‘Thousands of disabled people live valuable and productive lives given the right support’ by DAVID REILLY 2014 WITH the House of Lords to consider today the Assisted Suicide Bill tabled by Lord Falconer, how informed are our lords and bishops who are about…
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.
For members of the SHRUB CO-OP, recycling and avoiding waste is second nature. Throughout the year, as one of the many community workshops they run, members will be providing sewing machines and a little guidance for students to create their own clothes and jewelry out of recycled material. We are a wasteful lot and no more…
I have always had a desire to cycle the length of the Outer Hebrides have finally taken the plunge and decided to have a crack at it. Round the world cyclist Mark Beaumont recently accomplished it although he did it is 24 hours. I am not proposing to cycle the 186 miles in 24 hours…
This week the House of Lord voted in favour of cutting disability unemployment benefit by £30 per week leaving many, already struggling people, without money they need to live on. Names of the politicians who voted in favour of such a move have been published in the Independent in a so called ‘name and shame’…
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…
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…
Inspiration The inspiration to climb the Scottish Mountains I believe, once inside you, is a feeling that never leaves you. Twenty years have passed since I last climbed a Munro. Recently my motivation, inspiration and passion for hillwalking flooded into my system again and last weekend I had the chance to rediscover what I…
The Beauty of Winter My motivation and inspiration to be in the Scottish mountains has gone through the roof recently. Winter had seemingly arrived when driving up the A9 recently there was a covering of snow right down the roadside. How beautiful it looked and this just reinforced my determination to climb up into the…
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 have always had a huge amount of respect for Richard Branson, he comes across as a genuinely nice guy and has done tremendously well in life to build up his business from selling records to the £billion brand that he know owns. Nobody can doubt his spirit and flare. He was visibly moved yesterday…
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…
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…
Sports and fitness are so important to an individual’s health and happiness. I have reviewed my fitness routine recently and discovered how inspired and motivated I suddenly am. Nothing seems to inspire and motivate me as much as sports and exercise to support living a healthy lifestyle. I thought I would write and share a…
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…
Fern Cottage. It is always a pleasure to review holiday accommodation and last weeks stay in Killin was no exception. Fern Cottage is a two bedroom property right in the heart of the village of Killin, providing a great location to enjoy the delights of outdoor activities in the beautiful surrounding environment. ‘Cooper Cottages’ have…
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…
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…