...marking International Dark Sky Week – 19 to 26 April 2020 The North Pennines is a stunning upland landscape of open heather moors, dramatic dales, tumbling upland rivers, wonderful woods, inky-black night skies, close-knit communities, glorious waterfalls, fantastic birds, colourful hay meadows, stone-built villages and intriguing imprints of a mining and industrial past. Seventeen years … Continue reading Celebrating the Dark! →

... tumbling waterfalls, sweeping moorland views, dramatic dales, stone-built villages, snaking stone walls and friendly faces... High Force in Upper Teesdale, England's biggest waterfall, is probably the most visited place in the North Pennines and for many represents the qualities of the area - powerful, breathtaking and mesmerising There's no doubt that the North Pennines … Continue reading The North Pennines – A Slow Tourism Destination? →

I heard my first curlews yesterday - on the school run in the centre of Stanhope, Weardale. They weren't to be seen but the plaintive, lonely 'cour-leeee' was unmistakable. Hearing and seeing my first curlew of the year has become a bit of a watershed moment for me. It marks the beginning of the end … Continue reading First curlews →

The North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is the darkest mainland AONB and is one of the darkest places in England. Here it is still possible on a cloudless night to see thousands of stars and revel in the shimmering, shining river of stars which is our home galaxy - the Milky Way. … Continue reading Searching for the Darkness →

Every year CPRE The countryside charity aka the Campaign to Protect Rural England run a campaign to get people looking up and counting stars. It's all about highlighting how important our night skies are and getting people to think about light pollution and how to reduce it. All you have to do is between now … Continue reading Star Count 2020 →

This piece is thought-provoking stuff. In summary offsetting doesn't let travellers off the hook in terms of an overriding need to reduce carbon emissions. When you travel/fly/whatever the carbon dioxide goes directly into the atmosphere and immediately starts to contribute to climate change. Offsetting schemes - even if they work - won't have an impact … Continue reading To offset or not to offset →

This Matrix quote popped up on my Facebook memories this morning "... in the end, while I can show you where the road leads, to know, to really know, will require you to take to the road yourself..." I've been thinking a lot recently about why I run - what am I trying to achieve? … Continue reading “Don’t just think you are, know you are” →

Over the last few weeks I've been locked away in a darkened room working away on this year's North Pennines Stargazing Festival - I'm pleased to say that it's reached the light of day and we've started to take bookings for events already... Last week saw the launch of the programme for the festival - … Continue reading Up, up and away… →

So it's Midnight on Friday 28 June and I'm on the start line for the ultra I've been training for since 31 December last year. The Lakeland Trails Ultra 100 - starting and finishing in Rothay Park in Ambleside. A midnight start is a first for me! Atmospheric 🙂 It's an inauspicious start - exciting … Continue reading 2019’s ‘A’ Race →