For a long time now I’ve had enough of the day to day mundane life that I and almost everyone leads. Many are happy to go to work, go home, sleep, then repeat. I am no longer willing do that, surely there is far more to life than that?

My previous post “The Journey and the Passion” explained how I had got to the point of identifying what I love to do and why. For years I was a miserable bugger and through the outdoors I’ve changed so much over the last few years and especially this year. Looking back at stuff from 4 years ago I wanted to leave everything behind, but wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do, where to go or anything else.

My mind is now full of ideas, things I would like to see, do and acheive. For what feels like an eternity now I have struggled to concentrate on anything but these ideas, they are all consuming. The internet can be a bad thing and can make Wanderlust almost unbearable. For a few years I’ve bored certain people with my idea to walk every 2000 foot mountain in the UK as a continuous walk, this is an immense task and even defining what exactly you class as a 2000 foot mountain is a hard enough job. I hadn’t realised quite how long I’d been thinking about this, until someone at work pointed out I’d been going on about it for as long as I’ve known them and haven’t done anything about it. Is this just another of my pipe dreams that I never do, like so many others. This has persisted more than any before and just wont go away, not that I want it to.

This year many elements are gradually coming together, probably the most important is my mind set. My outlook on everything has changed, I can do anything I want to..

“If you want something in life, reach out and grab it” – Christopher McCandless

There is no real adventure or risk in most peoples lives these days, life is watered down and fed to us through a straw. Is there any wonder why extreme sports are so appealing to many, they are trying to add the risk, danger and adventure that has vanished from most of our daily lives. I’m not saying I want to jump out of planes (done that) or climb up Everest (yet). I just want to explore some of this amazing place we call home.

I’m not stupid enough to run away to the middle of nowhere tomorrow (am I?), the intention is to start small. I have a test or 2 before I would set off on the 2000′s, which is itself is a test for something much larger. My current life gets in the way at the moment, mortgage, debt, etc..The hardest step in the whole adventure is the first step of leaving the safe normality of my current existence.

If I embark (which I fully intend to) on this adventure, is this where my life finally starts?

I just hope I actually manage to achieve my dreams, rather than being talked out of perusing them, it’d be nice to have help to acheive them. This could be a post I look back on and think if only I’d followed them…

Don’t worry, normal service will resume with trip reports and planning for “Attack of the Wainwrights”, the Ring of Steall & Wainwrights C2C (all in the next 5 weeks).

For a long time now I've had enough of the day to day mundane life that I and almost everyone leads. Many are happy to go to work, go home, sleep, then repeat. I am no longer willing do that, surely there is far more to life than that? My previous post "The Journey and the Passion" explained how I had got to the point of identifying what I love to do and why. For years I was a miserable bugger and through the outdoors I've changed so much over the last few years and especially this year. Looking back at stuff from 4 years ago I wanted to leave everything behind, but wasn't really sure what I wanted to do, where to go or anything else. My mind is now full of ideas, things I would like to see, do and acheive. For what feels like an eternity now I have struggled to concentrate on anything but these ideas, they are all consuming. The internet can be a bad thing and can make Wanderlust almost unbearable. For a few years I've bored certain people with my idea to walk every 2000 foot mountain in the UK as

This post was an idea after one of many long discussions on Facebook with Helen Fisher. We appear to have the same routes and ideas on places to walk like the PCT (Helen calls it the PTC), Wainwrights Coast to Coast and dozens of others, the conversation turned to walking with my dad and how cool she thought it was.

I thought about this and realised that my parents are the reason I started walking and camping in the first place (explained shortly). I have read several books about finding your passion or “Element” and one of them mentioned about looking back over your life, remembering what moments stick in your mind and when you were happiest, this would help find your passion.

From my childhood I can remember our camping trips to Scarborough I loved every minute of them and can remember laughing so much with my best friend, Jay. Although when I kicked the football through the tent we were sleeping in and made a hole, we weren’t so happy. We sat in the tent discussing what to tell my parents, who were in the tent next to us listening to our conversion (doh!). I also didn’t find it quite so funny when Jay started buying studded leather gloves and whips from the joke shop, I got worried (we were 10). On another trip I went with my dad to Scarborough (actually it was nearer Filey) at Easter, I remember waking up and seeing my dad stood above me holding onto the poles of the tent to stop the tent blowing away, he’d let me sleep rather than wake me. He told me he’d been holding the tent up for hours but I don’t know, I was asleep. I think it had snowed lightly when we packed up (but maybe that was my imagination). Those are just 2 of the memorable camping trips, we went to Spain or the Spanish islands a few times but nothing sticks in my mind quite as much as camping, except for being hit on the head by the table football handles by my uncle while I put the money in.

For several years in the early 90′s we used to stay in a large house in a small village called Amulree in Perthshire, its a fabuous place with a hotel, tiny school and  church. There used to be a shop/petrol station but it was closed when I returned a few years ago. My time here was amazing, there was fishing on the front door step, and hills at the back door. On various holiday I spent time there with 9 different members of my family. Again one of the most memorable parts of the holiday was climbing up the hill behind the house with my mam and uncle (see picture above)

Another trip that sticks in my mind is walking in Weardale, where my mam grew up on a farm. I remember dragging a huge branch for miles behind me, or it felt huge and felt like miles. My parents will probably tell me it was half a mile and it was a twig. I used to love being outside as a kid, getting up early and going down to the local farm often hours before the farmer (my god father, not religious but I was christened) arrived. The farm is no more and watching it being pulled down from my window a couple of years ago was very sad. All my memories from being a kid was in the outdoors.

Probably the biggest “defining” moment though, was a trip up Helvellyn with my dad which working it out must of been 2001 due to Foot and Mouth. We left the car park near Wythburn and before we’d even left the trees I was shattered and wanted to give up. My dad encouraged me to carry on and eventually we stopped for a cuppa and food near Comb Craggs (I think) after something to eat I was fine and had no problems after that. As we walked higher we looked down at Thirlmere and watched the RAF planes flying down the valley below us (I could see the pilot lower than me). A bit higher and a woman ran past us with her dog, I’d been struggling walking after a few hundred yards up hill. Upon reaching the top the view was nothing short of breath taking, from Helvellyn you can see so much of the lake district and watching what looked like ants clambering along a knife edge (people on striding edge) which must of blew my mind. I didn’t say a lot of this at the time but that feeling of achievement and the stunning views has never left me.

There are so many other amazing walking and camping memories that define who I am today. Walking parts of the Pennine way, also with my dad over Cross Fell in almost zero visibility while we stared at the GPS, we were totally disorientated. The following year it was the complete opposite, 36c. Getting to the top of Ben Nevis, completing the WHW, not giving up on TGO Challenge, once I’d finished I could hardly stand my feet hurt so much. Several times this year when things have been hard or the weather horrible I’ve found myself smiling and really feeling a live.

A previous relationship was probably only held together because she loved walking in the lakes with me, she told me recently how much she misses it.

My spare time was previously spent messing about with computers, often until well after 3am, then would get up at 7 and go to work. A few people in the local pub would call me smiler, not because I smiled, but because like the character in Last of the summer wine I usually looked miserable.

This year especially, walking and wild camping has become who I am. I entered the 2010 TGO Challenge last year after originally thinking about it in 2006 but relationships prevented me from actually filling out the form back then. After getting in, I started to find other challengers and chatted on Twitter with some. I had plans to go to the Cairngorms in the new year and Phil Turner who I met through Twitter said he would meet me there. My efforts to get there were thwarted when I got stuck in the snow at Alnwick. Eventually I returned home and changed the trip to the Lake District, I was amazed that Phil said he’d join me there, we had never met. Anyone who has looked at this site over the last few months will of noticed that myself and Phil have been all over the place since then and can regularly be found taking the piss out of each other either in person or on Twitter.

There are several other people who have either played a part in my journey to this point and/or have become good friends, many may not realise the part they played. Obviously my parents who have taken me on loads of walks over the years, but there are others Andy Howell & Bob Cartwright got me interested in the TGO through their Podcasts. Mike Knipe also after his stories of the challenge while he took me on my local ranger training, we’ve never actually seen each other since to speak to even though we live a mile from each other (his blog keeps me entertained though). Hendrik was an amazing host and guide when he invited myself and Phil over to Finland, hope we can meet up again soon, hopefully on a trip to Scotland. I could keep going on, but some others that I am pleased to call friends who I met mainly through the internet or on the Challenge:
John Garner – Shed Dweller Moments
Helen Fisher – Helen’s Wondering Wanderings
George – Londonbackpacker
Darren Christie – Whitespider1066
Joe Newton – Thunder in the Night

I could go on and on, but while I like lists (or so it would appear, I have hundreds of uncompleted lists of stuff to walk) I don’t want to completely put anyone who’s made it this far through the post to sleep.

The most recent book I read was Ken Robinsons – The Element which is good, but you are far better watching one of his online talks. He talks about finding your Element. For years I thought my element or passion was computers, which I am good at and they satisfied my desire for new subjects to learn, things move so fast that it suited me. When I got bored with one subject, there was always something new to learn. I realised I became bored because I wasn’t interested enough. After years of searching I know my “Element” or passion is being out walking, exploring, camping, basically having an adventure. When in that environment I am surrounded by people I connect and feel “at home” with.

Who knows what the next stage in my life will bring, I hope that the memories and people that I’ve mentioned and so many more will guide me in the right direction…

This post was an idea after one of many long discussions on Facebook with Helen Fisher. We appear to have the same routes and ideas on places to walk like the PCT (Helen calls it the PTC), Wainwrights Coast to Coast and dozens of others, the conversation turned to walking with my dad and how cool she thought it was. I thought about this and realised that my parents are the reason I started walking and camping in the first place (explained shortly). I have read several books about finding your passion or "Element" and one of them mentioned about looking back over your life, remembering what moments stick in your mind and when you were happiest, this would help find your passion. From my childhood I can remember our camping trips to Scarborough I loved every minute of them and can remember laughing so much with my best friend, Jay. Although when I kicked the football through the tent we were sleeping in and made a hole, we weren't so happy. We sat in the tent discussing what to tell my parents, wh

My head has been all over this week, everywhere but work. All I can think about is walking, routes, maps & gear.

I haven’t finalised my route for the TGO challenge yet, I’m intending to sit down at the weekend and not move until I decide on my route. It’s more or less taken shape itself somehow, including Sheil Bridge, Fort Augustus, Kingussie, Braemar, Tarfside & St Cyrus. Those are the main towns I would be going through, from what I’ve read there are several doing almost an identical route which is sort of why I haven’t filled in the rest in that description. I would like a few days of solitude (I think), so might rehash the rest or maybe even the whole thing.

Besides for the Challenge, I’ve also decided I will redo the West Highland Way and finish it. Previously I stopped at Crianlarich and got the train home, I learnt a lot about gear and more importantly myself on that failed trip. In the 2.5 years that’s passed since, a lot as happened (not enough walking). I’m intending to get to Milngavie on 27th February 2009, I’m yet to confirm the time off work though. This is quite early to walk the West Highland Way I guess but it will give me a chance to test some of the gear I want to take on the TGOC and by late February I will be desperate for some time off work. Phil Turner may walk from Bridge of Orchy with me, if he’s free at the time.

I said my mind was full of walking, not content with the above 2 walks, I also have The Cape Wrath Trail stuck in my head. This is another 200 mile walk from Fort William to Cape Wrath, which from driving through the area is probably the most stunning scenery I’ve seen in the UK. I haven’t done any research  into it yet and the major problem is the time of year I would want to do it, I imagine it’s the wrong time. Late August/early September is smack bang in the middle of the stalking season and I’m guessing the midges and Ticks will be bad then. This needs a lot more thought. My dad said did I not fancy doing the Pennine Way, but my image of the 2 walks are very different and know where my heart lies.

I will have 6 weeks of holiday to take next year and don’t want to be sat on my arse staring at the computer on my holidays.

Oh the reason for Buachaille Etive Mor above, besides for it looking fantastic. I’m thinking about driving up to Kings House Hotel on New Years Eve and doing some walking on New Years Day. This is just a thought at the moment, but would be an excellent start to hopefully an amazing year.

My head has been all over this week, everywhere but work. All I can think about is walking, routes, maps & gear. I haven't finalised my route for the TGO challenge yet, I'm intending to sit down at the weekend and not move until I decide on my route. It's more or less taken shape itself somehow, including Sheil Bridge, Fort Augustus, Kingussie, Braemar, Tarfside & St Cyrus. Those are the main towns I would be going through, from what I've read there are several doing almost an identical route which is sort of why I haven't filled in the rest in that description. I would like a few days of solitude (I think), so might rehash the rest or maybe even the whole thing. Besides for the Challenge, I've also decided I will redo the West Highland Way and finish it. Previously I stopped at Crianlarich and got the train home, I learnt a lot about gear and more importantly myself on that failed trip. In the 2.5 years that's passed since, a lot as happened (not enough walking). I'm intending to get to

I was just reading Kevin Shannons Because it is there blog and he had posted this quote from Beachcombing in Miramar. From these few paragraphs it sounds like my sort of book.

“I have a choice, the same choice that faces every man. I can live a frivolous life, trying to impress others with the house I live in, the clothes I wear, the car I drive. I can strive to be a success in the way of the world, seeking the admiration of others, reveling in their jealousy. I can seek domination over my family and fellow workers in a vain attempt to hide my own deficiencies. I can seek fame, which is the most elusive pursuit of all, for it has no substance and soon vanishes in the air.
I can indulge in endless prattle about my friends and neighbors, dissipating my life’s energy a little at a time. I can wallow in self-pity, refusing to accept responsibility for my own circumstances. I can manipulate others into taking care of me, which is the way of all petty tyrants. I can complain about boredom, as if it were up to those around me to inject excitement into my day.
“These are the patterns of the living dead, people who have forsaken life, who are willing to squander their most precious gift, because they refuse to face up to the reality of death. If they wanted to live, truly wanted to live, they would rise up in a resurrection of their own making and commit themselves to the life they have.”

I was just reading Kevin Shannons Because it is there blog and he had posted this quote from Beachcombing in Miramar. From these few paragraphs it sounds like my sort of book. “I have a choice, the same choice that faces every man. I can live a frivolous life, trying to impress others with the house I live in, the clothes I wear, the car I drive. I can strive to be a success in the way of the world, seeking the admiration of others, reveling in their jealousy. I can seek domination over my family and fellow workers in a vain attempt to hide my own deficiencies. I can seek fame, which is the most elusive pursuit of all, for it has no substance and soon vanishes in the air. I can indulge in endless prattle about my friends and neighbors, dissipating my life’s energy a little at a time. I can wallow in self-pity, refusing to accept responsibility for my own circumstances. I can manipulate others into taking care of me, which is the way of all petty tyrants. I can complain about boredom, as if it were up

Photo by Massimo Valiani

For the last year, possibly two for some reason I’ve hardly messed around with computers. Yeah I’ve sat and stared at the screen like a zombie on Facebook, Twitter and god knows how many other “Time wasting” sites. I hadn’t got stuck in and built a computer or taken something apart or really messed around in code. I also stopped my old blog and for some reason  the “geek” in me was hidden away.

Yet this week I decided it was time to sort out all the old computer crap in the cupboards, build up a spare computer out of old parts and get rid of the rest. I now have a machine up and running and have a stack of about 10 drives I am securely erasing. I had put off for months taking apart the old computers, yet I found myself strangely enjoying it today.

I realised just how much I actually missed messing around with computers and learning everything I could. Over the last few months, I’ve been seriously thinking of leaving working in IT. My head is now back buzzing with ideas, although I hope I can use some of the things I’ve read and learned recently to focus on achieving some of those ideas. Rather than never finishing any, as is usually the case.

Photo by Massimo Valiani For the last year, possibly two for some reason I've hardly messed around with computers. Yeah I've sat and stared at the screen like a zombie on Facebook, Twitter and god knows how many other "Time wasting" sites. I hadn't got stuck in and built a computer or taken something apart or really messed around in code. I also stopped my old blog and for some reason  the "geek" in me was hidden away. Yet this week I decided it was time to sort out all the old computer crap in the cupboards, build up a spare computer out of old parts and get rid of the rest. I now have a machine up and running and have a stack of about 10 drives I am securely erasing. I had put off for months taking apart the old computers, yet I found myself strangely enjoying it today. I realised just how much I actually missed messing around with computers and learning everything I could. Over the last few months, I've been seriously thinking of leaving working in IT. My head is now back buzzing with ideas, alth

The weather is going to delay my trip to Scotland, I really don’t want to spend my holiday trudging along in torrential rain and struggling to sleep. Luckily I have taken 2 weeks leave, so I’m hoping the weather will improve.

Instead of going to Scotland tomorrow I’m going to do some jobs around the house and start work on zippymap again. It’s about time I stopped thinking about it and got on with it!

The weather is going to delay my trip to Scotland, I really don't want to spend my holiday trudging along in torrential rain and struggling to sleep. Luckily I have taken 2 weeks leave, so I'm hoping the weather will improve. Instead of going to Scotland tomorrow I'm going to do some jobs around the house and start work on zippymap again. It's about time I stopped thinking about it and got on with it!

Photo: Genie’s lamp by Davic

“I’ve spent all my life making wishes and only just realised there is no genie” – Steven Horner July 2009

Photo: Genie's lamp by Davic "I've spent all my life making wishes and only just realised there is no genie" - Steven Horner July 2009

While it’s good to see iTunes starting to sell all music as MP3s, I still don’t like iTunes or the prices they charge. The best thing to happen recently is Amazon selling MP3s in the UK, many new full albums are only £3. That’s less than the petrol it would cost to drive to my nearest music store.

I previously used, almost the perfect music model. I was a subscriber to Napster To Go (NTG), “Oh No!” I hear you cry, let me explain. I signed up for NTG after buying a Creative MP3 player and liked the idea of having as much music as I wanted for a set amount. The reality was it was clunky and I could only play the music on the player or the PC. I canceled my subscription.

Then some months later, I heard about a program to remove the Playforsure protection. I signed back up to try it out and it worked. I could download a WMA remove the protection then play it anywhere, I set Winamp to convert the WMA to an MP3 before it transferred it to my iPod, which I’d bought. I could play the music on anything. Yes there was quality loss, but not much and I said almost perfect.

I thought about downloading lots of music and  canceling the subscription but then I realised I liked being able to download the latest music each week, as it was released. So for 18 months I continued to pay the £15 a month for NTG (I could of just paid £10, I realise). Then Unfortunately for Napster and me, their software became totally unusable. I tried on multiple machines but the software kept crashing. Reluctantly I canceled my subscription, this was more than 6 months ago. I miss Napster, I no longer listen to as much music and don’t spend £15 on music a month anymore. I mainly use Last.FM or other online services to find and listen to music.

I want the perfect music distribution service:

So if anyone is listening, please allow me to subscribe to an all you can eat service that uses MP3s. Music industry people would say hell would freeze over first, but just look at my experience. I paid £15 every month for the convenience of being able to download and play my music anywhere. The public will keep paying each month for the convenience of knowing that at anytime, from anywhere, they could download any music they please. There would be no need for anyone to use Torrents, P2Ps or Newsgroups. Yes they may lose out on some people who spend more than £15, but they would gain so much more from people like me.

What do you think?

While it's good to see iTunes starting to sell all music as MP3s, I still don't like iTunes or the prices they charge. The best thing to happen recently is Amazon selling MP3s in the UK, many new full albums are only £3. That's less than the petrol it would cost to drive to my nearest music store. I previously used, almost the perfect music model. I was a subscriber to Napster To Go (NTG), "Oh No!" I hear you cry, let me explain. I signed up for NTG after buying a Creative MP3 player and liked the idea of having as much music as I wanted for a set amount. The reality was it was clunky and I could only play the music on the player or the PC. I canceled my subscription. Then some months later, I heard about a program to remove the Playforsure protection. I signed back up to try it out and it worked. I could download a WMA remove the protection then play it anywhere, I set Winamp to convert the WMA to an MP3 before it transferred it to my iPod, which I'd bought. I could play the music on anything. Yes the

I have purposely not posted anything recently. I have been trying to decide exactly the direction I want to take the site. It’s fairly obvious that if I am going to actually want to post stuff, then I’ve gotta be interested in the subject. Otherwise I will very quickly lose interest.

I’ve decided to post about the things I try in the wired world (physical or online) that I find interesting or a total waste of time. Basically just my views on stuff, how it can be useful or not as the case may be.

Here’s an example of the stuff I’m using and thinking about:

• Blip.fm
• Last.fm
• digg
• Evernote
• stumbleUpon
• Twitter
• Xbox 360
• Wii
• Google Reader
• Orb
• MythTV
• TV/Video (How we receive/view it)
• GetRight (Is there something better for my needs)

I’m fairly sure that just about all of those will be familiar to most people, but I want to explain what they are, how they are useful and what I find annoying as hell with them. What could be improved that sort of thing. Again this may sound like countless other sites, we will see…

Just thought I would post something to explain the direction I want to go. “Do something you love”, well I’m trying. Besides for this blog, I have something brewing in the background and its not “Fail To Complete” – which I failed to complete or even really start!

I have purposely not posted anything recently. I have been trying to decide exactly the direction I want to take the site. It's fairly obvious that if I am going to actually want to post stuff, then I've gotta be interested in the subject. Otherwise I will very quickly lose interest. I've decided to post about the things I try in the wired world (physical or online) that I find interesting or a total waste of time. Basically just my views on stuff, how it can be useful or not as the case may be. Here's an example of the stuff I'm using and thinking about: Blip.fm Last.fm digg Evernote stumbleUpon Twitter Xbox 360 Wii Google Reader Orb MythTV TV/Video (How we receive/view it) GetRight (Is there something better for my needs) I'm fairly sure that just about all of those will be familiar to most people, but I want to explain what they are, how they are useful and what I find annoying as hell with them. What could be improved that sort of thing. Again this may sound like count