I missed last year’s KMF but was lucky to find the time to go along this year, with my good friend Dan, so here are my highlights:

In all honesty we were not very well organised and I think if we had done our research better we could have skipped from one venue to the next without missing out too much. Instead we had some big gaps to fill and sort of double-booked ourselves.

We ended up watching a few films which were very interesting but sitting in a comfy chair, in a dark room with a large coffee being whisked off to amazing places also meant we missed the Patagonia Adventure Activists session that we had paid for.

Bad organisation.

This wasn’t the only case of my bad planning. I think what I would like to see at KMF is more ways to fill time between events because we ended up having a large time gap and if you do not have a fairly full schedule it can be a little tricky to pass the time. This is especially true when you are the designated driver, as watching your mate sink pints is less than interesting.

Now, before picking out some of my highlights I just wanted to say one more thing that Dan and I were surprised by (it was Dan's first time at KMF incidentally) and that is the fact that it remains very uncommercial. The bookshop was pretty small and didn’t have the book I was looking for from one of the event speakers. I was informed all his books had been moved to another venue but they were nowhere to be seen in this other venue.

Whether this commercial aspect will change as the festival continues to become more focused on the very wide world of outdoor activities well beyond the strictness of it’s nomenclature as a “Mountain” festival remains to be seen.

Right… I still had a great time. It was lovely to meet some people for the first time, including Alex Roddie whom I have mentioned a fair few times on this blog - as well as older faces from our lovely outdoor community.

FILMS:

The Undamaged

I thought this was a powerful film because it gives me even more hope that we can genuinely make a sustainable and happy planet on which to live for as long as we can when I see people in less affluent countries campaigning this hard. This might sound patronising, but I don’t care!

I found Rok Rozman’s emotional and impassioned Balkan River Tour in which he (along with his team) tirelessly campaigned against, pressured and highlighted the dangers of some 2700 proposed rivers dams in the Balkans to be a little gem; David against Goliath. Rok and his team deserve much praise and support.

Find out more: https://balkanriverdefence.org/crew/

The Longest Hole

I like a bit of golf, although I don’t play nearly enough. But hitting a golf ball for for 82 days and 2000 km across Mongolia is perhaps a bit too much for even the most ardent obsessives. However Adam Rolston and Ron Rutland’s trans-Mongolian trip made for a really fun adventure and a great film. Also, you don’t actually need to be a golf fan to enjoy it.

The UK in 100 seconds.

Narrated by Benjamin Zephaniah, this short film truly shows the UK in its correct proportions. Directed by Daniel Raven-Ellison this is a 100 second walk across our isle.

SPEAKERS:

Alastair Humphreys

I have not seen Alastair Humphreys speak before and although at an event like this he is very much preaching to the converted it was great to hear someone talk with such enthusiasm and modesty about wanting to inspire others to enjoy time outdoors. He has certainly been an inspiration to me in making the most of smaller “adventures”.

Brendan Leonard

Anyone who follows Brendan Leonard on social media, watches his films or reads his essays will know how amusing he is and in person this is no different. I think what is most enjoyable about the likes of Brendan (and Alastair Humphreys come to think of it) is the feeling that they are amateurs - accomplished and skilful, but through their modesty and natural affinity with the audience they help us retain the belief that they are like us. In other words we see a version of ourselves in these kind of people and their achievements. Perhaps a version we aspire to but nevertheless one that is attainable.

Listening to Brendan speak, peppering his talk with amusing slides, I felt myself hoping and praying that I can find a way to fix my knee. Silently I promised myself that if that day comes I will put in the time, I will make the most of my limbs, I will push myself, I will prove to myself that I can run an ultra.

Check out his short film: How to run 100 miles.

DEBATE:

ICELAND (the shop not the country)

Friday evening on the Marmot Stage saw Richard Walker (MD of Iceland Foods) and Hugo Tagholm (CEO of Surfers Against Sewage) announce a partnership that will see them collaborate in pressuring business and communities to change their attitude towards plastic. Iceland Foods has committed to make it’s own-brand products plastic free by 2023 and this is on the back of their “controversial” Palm Oil advert.

They were joined on stage by Kenton Cool who also spoke passionately about educating the next generations regarding environmental issues.

Now here is my two pence worth… I know in this country we really lovely fluffy cute things (e.g. Orangutans) so it's a good way to get attention, but I also hope the wider world will increase the focus on the effect that our “raping and pillaging” of the environment will have on humans. I kind of feel that we maybe don't make enough of this. Ultimately we are going to kill ourselves and this is something which will resonate across all races and all nations (I would like to think).

Now this is only a tiny fraction of what was on offer (especially on the film side) and based entirely on what I had time to see in a couple of days. For more info and details of everything head over to Kendal Mountain Festival.

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Cleveland Way - Scarborough to High Hawsker

In October 2020, my friend Dave and I walked a section of the Cleveland Way in Yorkshire over a couple of days. We started from Scarborough and walked to Ravenscar (18 km). The next day we walked to High Hawsker (15 km).

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Packrafting the River Tamiš

In July 2020, in a brief respite from the worries of the covid pandemic, I had the good fortune to be able to escape for a little adventure, spending 3 days paddling down the Tamiš river in northern Serbia, in my packraft.

Interview with Emily Woodhouse - Founder of Intrepid Magazine

I recently had the pleasure to interview Emily Woodhouse, someone who is well known and someone who has been somewhat of a pioneer in giving a voice to many women in the adventure / outdoor sports world.

In this interview Emily gives me some insight into her whirlwind entrepreneurial journey and how much there is to learn from diving into a (business) adventure.

Not only has Intrepid Magazine provided something that was missing in the outdoor space but it is doubly satisfying to know it was the vision of someone who cares passionately about the subject matter, saw the importance of it and had the courage to go through with it… although I am not sure Emily herself see it as “courage”. As she says in the interview: “I looked at the hole in the magazine world and thought: I can do that”.

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Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the wallaby)

The loch was like a mirror as we set off from Luss on Friday to explore. Having walked to the high point on Inchtavannach to admire the views, and paddled around Inchmoan, watching the deer come down to the water’s edge, we agreed to spend the night on Inchconnachan for no other reason than it appeared absolutely idyllic as the sun began to sink and the evening light bathed the lake in a silvery light.

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Weekend Adventure - From lying in the sun to crying on a plane

I have mentioned a few times that my daughter is neither naturally sporty, particularly active or indeed fearless. She is perhaps the opposite. So I was especially proud that she decided on the Saturday morning, as we dithered whether to have an hour in the water at Buzz Active Cuckmere, that this was indeed the ideal opportunity for her to go solo in a kayak for the first time.

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Canoeing the Wye: Happiness V Social Media [Video]

I had so much fun this weekend that I didn’t tell anyone about it. Imagine that! The moment was way more important to me than broadcasting about it. Yes, I know it should be, but if we are honest with ourselves, it isn’t alway, is it?

I spent Friday and Saturday canoeing down the Wye with my 7 year old daughter, from Hoarwithy to Symonds Yat. It is the first time either of us has done this kind of trip and to share this adventure together was the sort of experience that makes me go all mushy and emotional…

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Wild Night Out 2019: The Whining

Travelling in ultra lightweight style (we only carried four cricket stumps instead of the full compliment of six) Emma and I marched along the coast path, over the dunes and onto the vast sands of our beautiful coast for a perfect Wild Night Out 2019, until the high-pitched whining started…

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30 Days Wild: Suburban Springwatch

One thing I decided to do this year was leave one corner of the garden wild. I don’t know how long it will last as pressure builds from within the family to “do something” with that corner but while it does last it has had a positive effect in terms of wildlife.

Perhaps the best aspect of this experiment is the fact that every night around 9pm we have a fat hedgehog who comes through our front gate, wanders through the garden to this unkempt patch of land and roots around for a couple of hours before waddling off to check out what the neighbours have to offer.

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30 Days Wild: Freshwalks: Networking in the Outdoors

This filthy-wet month, I am trying to spend time outside in nature during my working day as part of the Wildlife Trusts 30 Days Wild. I cannot pretend it has been as easy as last year’s sun-drenched June when gently swaying flower meadows and deserted Norfolk beaches called out to me.

However, recently a client of mine drew my attention to an innovative and inspiring initiative getting business people into the outdoors, for Freshwalks. The benefits of which might surprise a few…

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30 days Wild: Welcome to my office

“Can you repeat that please sir?” I could hear a slightly exasperated tone on the other end of the line.

This morning, a few days into June and woefully short of what I hope to achieve during 30 Days Wild, I ventured out into the meadow to make a few phone calls. I took my office outdoors! The helpful assistant from Barclays Business Banking went off for a few minutes to find out some information, and probably to curse me as my microphone was buffeted by the breeze, that bent the tall flowers surrounding me and repeatedly flicked my hood over my head.

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30 Days Wild: Switch off with Nature

We are just a few days away from June and the start of 30 Days Wild; the Wildlife Trusts amazing initiative to get people outside, enjoying and appreciating nature.

This year, as part of 30 Days Wild I will be focussing on how nature can help alleviate the stresses and strains of work and how to get more of it into the working day.

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Do you want to live more adventurously?

The decision to change my life and live more adventurously was utterly instinctive, borne of exasperation, a last resort. I was burnt out, suffering from anxiety, depressed.

How I got to the point of changing the direction of my life was a couple of years of mental wrangling and torture, until I stumbled across some inspiration.