Category Archives: Mountain Treks

In the Höhe Tauern

Time flies.. although it seems like yesterday, it’s almost a year ago now since we spent an interesting couple of weeks exploring the Pinzgau region of Austria’s Salzburger Land, a mountainous area which includes part of the Höhe Tauern range of the Central Alps. Höhe Tauern National Park is one … Continue reading

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Neuschwanstein – In the Fantasy World of the “Fairytale King”

With 1.3 million visitors annually, King Ludwig II’s fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein certainly isn’t “off the beaten track” by any stretch of the imagination. The iconic Castle is one of the Europe’s best known tourist haunts and has provided and inspired the backdrop for many a … Continue reading

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In the Footsteps of Rob Roy

October is often a great month to visit Scotland and autumn 2015 was no exception, with fine settled conditions prevailing; effervescent morning mists dissolving away to leave clear skies and dramatic low angle sunlight. It was great to be back … Continue reading

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Into the Canadian Wild

This is an edited version of an article that was originally produced for a UK paddlesports magazine. It follows a canoe trip we made to the Bowron Lakes in British Columbia in 2002 : The road stretched to the far … Continue reading

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Alps at the Crossroads: Green Utopia or Developers Paradise ?

It all looked great; a traditional apartment in the alpine village of Oberjoch, located at 1200m in the Eastern Allgaü region of Bavaria and close to the beautiful Tannheimer Valley in neighbouring Tyrol. With Germanic diligence I scanned the latest version of Google satellite maps for any items … Continue reading

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Range of Light

A week in Scotland at the end of August gave me the chance to revisit some old haunts around Stirling and the Trossachs.  I am reminded that the light in Scotland is not quite like anywhere where else; a seemingly … Continue reading

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Meeting a Himalayan Legend: the Man who Conquered Everest

Mountain tourism in Nepal has been very much in the spotlight recently following the tragic deaths of 16 Sherpa guides on Everest last April. In October last year, unseasonal snow storms in the Annapurna region accounted for a further 43 deaths, including many … Continue reading

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Summer on the Schöttlkarspitze

Nights are drawing in and the first serious gales and rain of autumn announce that winter is not too far around the corner. Although there has been a bit of an Indian summer here, in general July and August were pretty unsettled months here in … Continue reading

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In the Allgäu Alps

Whilst very popular with German holidaymakers, the Allgäu region by Obersdorf in SW Bavaria, is virtually unknown territory to British visitors, who instead head off in droves to “bigger name” alpine resorts such as Chamonix, Grindlewald and St Moritz (perhaps pausing … Continue reading

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Walking the Five Lakes

The Rhine Valley between Chur and Sargans, just to the South of Lake Constance and the tiny Principality of Liechtenstein, forms a busy transport conduit through the Swiss Alps between Zurich and Milan. Whilst the main valley is heavily developed with settlements and infrastructure, … Continue reading

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