About Me

I was fortunate enough to be brought up by outdoor loving teacher parents, and tagged along on numerous expeditions to places like Iceland, Norway and the Pyrenees. They managed not to put me off, and hillwalking and camping have always been in my life. There was a short career in climbing in my early twenties, but this morphed into mountain biking later on. 

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For my fortieth, I bought myself an inflatable canoe, on the spur of the moment. What a revelation! Suddenly a new world opened up on my doorstep, places I could have little adventures that were inaccessible to others. I soon upgraded to a proper open canoe and the rest is history, as they say. Its now my big passion and I've completed trips in numerous parts of Europe as well as in many corners of Britain. For some reason I particularly enjoy trips that require long periods of carrying a canoe on my head, as well as paddling it!

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I've become increasingly aware of the beauty of nature all around me. Perhaps its slowing down a little, but these days its less about challenges and adrenaline, and more about quiet observation and the little moments of joy that come from the sighting of an unusual creature, or the discovery of a new quiet corner of the countryside.

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Along the way, I've always been a keen amateur photographer. This was originally simply something I did when hillwalking, but has developed into a hobby in its own right. I'd still say I was more of an instinctive photographer than a trained technical one, but I do love creating an image and capturing some of the essence of the beautiful world in which we live. 

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I've also discovered an interest in writing, through blogs on websites and a few articles in the canoeing press. And its that latter interest, combined with the photography, that sparked the idea for this website.

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I live in Surrey. A surprisingly suburban sounding place for an outdoor lover, but trust me, it might surprise you. Open your eyes and go for a wander, wherever you live there are little pockets of wildness waiting for you to discover them.

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