My Adventures, Past & Present

Climbing all 446 Mountains of England & Wales

I am gradually making my way through climbing / hiking to the summit of all 446 mountains in England and Wales (Also known as the ‘Nuttalls’). The Nuttalls are defined as a mountain over 2,000ft in England & Wales with a prominence of more than 15m – (which means it stands at least 15m higher than its surroundings).

One of the things I love about hiking the Nuttalls (or any list of hills or mountains for that matter), is that it makes you visit & discover beautiful new areas which you would otherwise never go to.

As of now, I have currently done 383 of the 446 mountains of England & Wales.

The Wainwrights – Round 2

I absolutely love the Lake District and since completing my first round of the Wainwrights in 2022, I keep on hiking the routes that I love – both with friends and alone. I always like to keep a tally of the peaks that I’ve climbed / hiked and I’m currently working my way through my second full round of the Wainwrights.

This isn’t a challenge which I’ve put any timescales on – Counting the Wainwrights it’s more just an ongoing tally, or a by-product of doing what I enjoy. I will keep on doing them well into the future for as long as I’m able to do so..

I have currently done 149 of 214 Wainwright Peaks (2nd round).

Completing the 214 Wainwrights

In May 2022 I completed my first round of Wainwrights, finishing with my final (new) Wainwright Bowfell, where I was joined by my 10 year old son. It was a beautiful sunny day and a very special moment, especially the fact that I was able to share it with my son too and hopefully to inspire him in some way. It was also my final Lake District Nuttall, meaning a total of 269 peaks.

Completing the Wainwrights was a gradual thing for me – I didn’t put any timescales on it, it was more just a natural process of doing peaks as and when I was in the Lake District, either with friends or alone. Now that I have done my first round, I will continue to do Wainwrights well into the future.

The Cumbria Way in 2 Days

In May 2022 I decided to challenge myself to do the Cumbria Way in just 2 Days. The Cumbria Way is a 77 mile trail, beginning in Ulverston in the South and passes through the Lake District National Park via Coniston, Langdale, Borrowdale, Keswick and Caldbeck, before continuing through the countryside to finish in Carlisle in the North.

On day 1, I reached Keswick (from Ulverston) – a total of 45.96 miles. Day 2 was from Keswick to Carlisle which was 31.5 miles.

Isle of Man Coastal Path & Peaks

In August 2021, myself and 4 friends – Nicola Hardy, Jessica Mather, Becky Angell & Ben Hales hiked 150 miles (over 10 days) around the Isle of Man Coastal path (known as the Raad ny Foillan) and also incorporated a route inland to bag all the peaks on the island over 1,500ft. The 3 day inland part of the route added approximately 50 miles on to the 100 mile coastal route which made it 150 miles altogether.

The challenge was a last minute alternative to us doing the Tour du Mont Blanc which we were supposed to be doing instead – but our plans had to change because of Italy’s Covid travel restrictions at the time.

The West Highland Way in 3 Days

In June 2021, I challenged myself to do the West Highland Way in just 3 days. The West Highland Way is a 96 mile National Trail in Scotland which winds it’s way up from Milngavie (near Glasgow) in the South, to Fort William at the Northern end of the trail.

I chose not to camp on this challenge as I wanted to keep my pack as light as possible, so I stayed in a pod on a campsite on the first night and a bunkhouse on the second night. Day 1, was Milngavie to Inverarnan – a total of 41 miles. Day 2, was Inverarnan to Kingshouse (Glencoe) which was 31 miles. Day 3 was Kingshouse to Fort William – which was 24 miles.

All 23 Mountains in the Western Brecon Beacons in 4 Days

In August 2020, myself and my friend Bryony Carter hiked all 23 mountains (Nuttalls) in the Western Brecon Beacons in 4 days. We did this over 5 routes (3 of which were linears).

It was around about this time that I made the decision to start ticking off and to complete all of the English and Welsh Mountains. Up to that point I had been doing them anyway naturally with friends and I had done so many by that time with my friend Bryony as part of her Nuttall challenge, that I thought that I might as well continue and do the whole lot.

Sandstone Trail in 1 Day

Back in 2020 myself and my friend Bryony Carter set ourselves the challenge of hiking the Sandstone Trail in just 1 day. The Sandstone Trail is a 35 mile long distance trail in the Northwest of England, beginning in Frodsham, Cheshire and ending in Whitchurch, Shropshire. A great day out starting at dawn in November, we had to do the last 10 miles in the dark, navigating through the fields and farms of Cheshire & Shropshire.

The Windermere Way – 47 Miles in 1 Day

Probably the single hardest day-challenge I’ve done, the Windermere Way is a 47 mile route which goes all the way around Lake Windermere (the biggest lake in England). The route has a surprising amount of elevation with approx 2,500m (8,200ft) of ascent and passes through forests and over several peaks including Loughrigg, Wansfell Pike and Gummer’s How. The route isn’t waymarked and some of it uses paths which aren’t at all well frequented, meaning some quite difficult terrain in places. A particularly challenging part was when I had to clamber over tree trunks and branches in a recently felled forest for about 1.5km. Totally energy zapping!! The idea came from me having completed the Ullswater Way a couple of times, (which is 22 miles) and wondering whether firstly there was a trail which went all the way around Windermere (which there was) – and if it was possible to do it in a day aswell!

There is now a fell race known as “The Lap” which takes exactly the same route I took.

The Anglesey Coastal Path in 5 Days

Back in 2018 I set myself the challenge of hiking the entire 140 mile Anglesey Coastal path in just 5 days. Averaging over 27 miles per day, I set off from the official start point at St. Cybi’s Church in Holyhead and continued anti-clockwise around the island.

Day 1 – Holyhead to Rhosneigr
Day 2 – Rhosneigr to Llanfair PG
Day 3 – Llanfair PG to Benllech
Day 4 – Benllech to Cemaes Bay
Day 5 – Cemaes Bay to Holyhead.

I love Anglesey. My grandparents used to live there and I had spent a lot of time there as a child, so this had been on my list for a while. I camped 2 nights (alternate nights) and stayed in B&B for 2 nights. A brilliant solo adventure.