Trailwalker Special!

This week I have mainly... been recovering from one of the most rewarding but difficult challenges I have ever taken part in.

Now if you are friends with me on facebook, happen to be in my phone book, see me regularly at work/socially or even if you are a complete stranger who happened to sit still for too long you will have heard all about Trailwalker from me! For those people who endured almost daily updates, pleas and anecdotes about how things were going, let me first apologise and then say thank you for tolerating me!
In truth, the 6 months prior to the event were more stressful for me than the actual weekend itself; finding time to put in the miles in training, ensuring that we all had the correct kit, and especially ensuring that we reached the minimum level of sponsorship required to take part.

Looking mildly manic after only 3 hours sleep on my way to the start line

For those of you who have somehow escaped my torrent of information regarding the event, Trailwalker is a test of mind and body that pits teams of 4 people against a 100km course with a time limit of 30 hours. All 4 team members walk side by side, not in a relay fashion. 

The money raised through sponsorship for the event goes to support 2 charities; Oxfam - for their global relief work, and the Gurkha Welfare Trust - who provide pensions for retired soldiers and work to repair and maintain Gurkha villages in Nepal. Coming into the event knowing that we had already raised over £1600 for these charities was a big boost to our motivation, knowing all of the people who would benefit from the discomfort we were about to endure!

The course it set along the South Downs Way between Petersfield and Brighton. The route is not only beautiful, but it is also blessed with some fairly big hills too! In perspective, the course is equivalent to 2 and a quarter marathons, with enough hills to equal an ascent of both Ben Nevis and Snowdon combined.

Hills... Many many hills...

Spirits on the start line were high. We had unfortunately seen the weather forecast, and knew that we had to make the first few hours of dry weather count as the weather for the best part of the event would not be kind to us.

All smiles at the start, ready and raring to go

We managed to complete most of the opening 3 checkpoints in the dry, but the rain started to set in around half an hour before we actually clocked in at checkpoint 3. By that stage we had made excellent time, and were over 2 hours ahead of schedule. The footing wasn't too bad at this stage; a little muddy in places, though the areas of bare chalk presented more of a challenge due to their lack of grip. 

Coats on by the time we reached checkpoint 3. Big smiles from the drumming Gurkhas in the background

It was en route to checkpoint 4 that Vicky had the misfortune of slipping and twisting her knee. Fortunately our friend and team member Stuart was wearing a knee brace as a precaution, and was happy to lend it to Vicky. A quick call to the support team to order some extra strength painkillers was in order, and with that we got on our way again. A little slower than before, our pace was actually still very good and we made a little time on our target again despite all that had happened.

Literally as this photo was taken came Vicky's slip

From this point onward it was the weather that became our main enemy. We knew from the forecast that we were due to get hours and hours of rain, and by the time we set off for checkpoint 6 it had well and truly arrived. Visibility became incredibly poor (making spotting signposts pretty tricky) and naturally over 1500 walkers in the heavy rain were generating more than their fair share of mud!

There's some beautiful scenery out there... Somewhere! 

The mist was just starting to arrive at this point along with the rain

By the time darkness had fallen the rain had become even heavier, and combined with the wind whipping up all non-essential conversation between the 4 of us had pretty much ceased. The rain hammering on the side of our hoods did for our ability to hear pretty much anything else, and all we could do was to continue taking step after step into the tiny patch of light generated by our head torches. 

It was becoming increasingly difficult to pick our way through the mud, and at points I was aware that both myself and walkers from other teams around us were precariously close to slipping completely over. The chalk and flint sections of path had even less grip than they had in the dry, and all said and done we were aware that the time cushion we had made for ourselves during the early stages was steadily being eaten away.

Checkpoint 7. I really wish this photo showed what the conditions were really like. A brief respite from the rain meant I could take my hood down, but we are in full waterproofs. My trousers are covered in mud up to my knees, and the patch of ground I am standing on seems to have the consistency of custard.

Around 4am in the morning came our lowest point. With our time cushion all but gone we realise that if we cannot speed up we will not make it to the finish in under 30 hours. We know we are only just over an hour away from sunrise, but Vicky's knee was causing her considerable pain and the weather has caused our spirits to wane. By this stage we have been walking for 22 hours, our emotions are running high and we all sit at checkpoint 8 for a heart to heart as to whether we can go on as a whole team. I can't begin to describe how horrible this half an hour felt for me. We had all put so much into this venture, and for a good while it felt like we would have to make a choice between completing the challenge within 30 hours or staying together as a team to the bitter end, however long it took. Ultimately none of us wanted to compromise on either of these things, and so we made the decision to press on with the next stage and see how we fared...

Daylight is the best medicine. The rain stops, the sun rises and the smiles are back!

Seemingly from nowhere we were back with a bang. We knew we had to push ourselves during the last 8 hours, but where we found the pace that we did after sunrise I honestly don't know. Seeing where you are going definitely helped, and the terrain changed for the better (more grass and less mud). At points you would be forgiven for forgetting Vicky had even hurt her knee. That said, stage 9 (quick as we were), seemed to go on for an eternity! By the time we reached checkpoint 9 though we had still gained 45 minutes on the target time. The spirit was back, and deep down I think we all knew at this point that we could make it. The only major hurdle between us and the finish line was the 3rd and final big hill the course has to offer (and it kindly waits until you are 91km in before you reach it!).

The path ahead looking out from checkpoint 9. The photo really does not do the size of this hill justice!

Somehow only 39mins later! On top of said hill!

 If you pull out your magnifying glass you can see where the last photo was taken from (a group of cars just above and left of Vicky's head)

Now that the final uphill sections were out of the way, we knew that we had enough time in hand to reach the finish and complete the challenge. The 5km to go sign was a welcome relief, knowing that in just over an hour we would be crossing the finish line. 

Arriving at the finish was an incredible feeling. People lined the sides of Brighton Racecourse and clapped and cheered us along the last couple of hundred metres. We could hear the Gurkhas playing bagpipes and see all of the people who had come to see us over the line with a banner that mum and Anne had made for our arrival. Those last 500metres were like walking on air. The fact that you were tired, aching, emotional etc just seemed to disappear as you got swept up in the atmosphere. 

Posing with our banner. Thanks to Mum and Anne for the creation!

We were so proud to get the whole team over the finish line in a time of 29hours and 22minutes and complete the challenge. To this moment I have no idea how Vicky managed to cover over 60km on a twisted knee as quickly as she did (especially in those last 8 hours). I also have no idea how Stuart was suddenly finding energy to jump and dance toward the end! His encouragement and determination throughout the event was so important to the team. Considering that Emma had a hip injury to contend with during our training, you wouldn't have known it during the weekend. Her pace, positivity and team ethic were so constant all the way through that it helped to keep others going when we were struggling.

One of the best feelings ever... Seeing all of the team receive their medals knowing that we completed it together

The one thing I don't think you can overestimate how important the support crew are to the team during this event. Just seeing a familiar face waiting for you as you arrive at a checkpoint is a welcome boost, but when you factor in all of the spare food, water and clothing they carry for you, and all of the running to shops to buy things you never thought you would need, you realise just how much harder this would be without them (and it's already pretty hard as it is). So a special mention needs to go out to Danny (Emma's husband), Jess (Emma's friend) and my dad, who in shifts all did a sterling job of looking out for us that weekend. They are all the hidden heroes in this tale.

Then of course there are all of you who took time to sponsor us and send us messages of support before, during and after the event. As it stands we have raised over £1800 for these charities which is an incredible feeling in itself. A few weeks ago I would never have dreamed it possible to raise over £400 more than our target, so a massive thank you to each and every one of you who have made that possible.  

So the big question...Would we ever do it again?

On the day I think all of us said probably not. However as the week has gone on since the event there have been a few murmurings of "if we were to do it again, how could we be even better". It's amazing how quickly you forget the pain! I guess time will tell!

Week Ending 28th June 2015

It's just a little warm outside! Summer has without question arrived down here in the south west, and for once we find ourselves actively trying to get out of the sun rather than into it.

In fact for the last week Vicky and I have been in holiday mode having taken a bit of time off work. We started the week by dusting off the tent and heading to a campsite just a few miles up the road from where Vicky works at Chesil beach.

"The Palace" (as named by Tim on our round the world trip) back in action

Typically when you have had hardly any rain for weeks on end, it decided to pick that one night to absolutely throw it down. Despite the weather's best efforts our tent was still standing in the morning, and we set off to seek refuge in Dorchester for the morning until the weather gave itself a good talking to.

Our campsite for the next couple of nights was just down the road from Corfe Castle, and was situated right next to the Swanage steam railway line.

The Swanage Steam Railway running right past the field that we were camping in

Using the campsite as a base we were able to visit some lovely parts of the south coast like Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door and Studland Bay. The weather was already back on song on the day we hiked from Lulworth to Durdle Door, and the bright sunny day was bringing out a tremendous number of moths and butterflies for us to enjoy. Considering it was midweek and not during the holidays the route was incredibly busy, and it left us wondering what it must be like in the middle of peak season.

Corfe Castle on a sunny afternoon

Studland Bay was our final port of call before we headed back to Kent for a few days. Again it was a baking hot day with little to no wind, and so we decided there would be few better ways to explore the bay than by hiring a kayak for a few hours. The water was incredibly clear and surprisingly shallow in places, and it made for a very enjoyable early afternoon. 

By the stack at the very far corner of Studland Bay

The late afternoon was less enjoyable however as the strike in the port of Calais meant that getting back down to Dover took a lot longer than expected. We spent most of the next 4 days trying to see as many friends and family as physically possible, and all things considered we did pretty well. The Thursday was my Birthday and so a BBQ very kindly organised by my parents was just the ticket to enjoy both the weather and some excellent company.

As with most holidays the time flew past, and before we knew it the time to head back down to Somerset was already upon us. One of the most exciting pieces of news recently is that my job at Magdalen has been made permanent (up until now I have been working my way through a 6 month contract), and I am really over the moon to be able to stay at the farm for the longer term. It's great to have a job that you genuinely enjoy, and when you combine that with how brilliant all the other staff are the decision was a "no brainer" really.

No blog would ever be complete without some kind of wildlife photo...so he is one :)

As a result Vicky and I have started to renovate our little caravan to make it a little easier to live in for the future. More info on what we have done will be posted in further bulletins.

Have you ever thought you have seen a picture staring back up at you from the froth on your coffee, in a similar way that you can make pictures out of the clouds...? Well this week's amusing news story shows that from now on you will be able to have any picture you like "printed" on top of your coffee!
http://news.sky.com/story/1507752/looking-hot-gadget-puts-your-face-on-a-coffee

See you all next time!

Week Ending 24th May 2015

So it's nearly the end of May already and doesn't time fly when you are having fun!

The first signs of summer are starting to appear, including us turning off the heating more and more frequently! This late spring period is one of my favourites, with all of the young birds starting to fledge, plants taking on more and more colour as well as a constant colourful display of butterflies, damselflies and dragonflies.

This Broad-Winged Damselfly was one of many out in number down by the river this week

Now that the weather has warmed up it is great to spend more and more time outside enjoying what nature has to offer. For me it's hard to beat the feeling of relaxation when I sit quietly in the woods or by the river and let nature come out and play around me. 

The only way the motto on Vicky's new water bottle could be more accurate is to say that Nature is Therapy

In the last installment I mentioned that I was tempted to buy a wildlife camera, enabling me to watch animals that are either normally too shy or nocturnal. In the end I decided to go for it and placed an order, and while I am still getting used to setting it up in the right ways some of the results have already been fairly impressive.

Mum and Dad came down for a 5 day visit while Vicky and I had some time off the week before last. We spent each day touring some of our local hang outs, including seeing all of the sites where both Vicky and I work. We even managed to enjoy an ice cream on Lyme Regis seafront without attracting the unwanted attentions of the resident Herring Gulls! I didn't really take any photos during the week, however there are several on Facebook if you want to take a look.

In the absence of any other photos here is another one of our friend Stubby the tame Robin

During the last 2 weeks I have also decided to learn the ukelele. Over 10 years ago now I tried to learn the guitar, but never really got anywhere fast. Several of the guys that I work with are in a band and suggested that I should try the ukelele as a good instrument to start with. Already I have started to master some of the basic chords and learn a few short songs, so hopefully as the weeks go on I will be able to report some further progress in this department!

I couldn't resist the one with the Union Jack paint job!

Moving on to my news stories of the week. This one made me smile rather than laugh. While happiness can never be measured in material goods, I am more that sure that this guy will have been more than grateful for what he received in an act of good karma...

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/05/24/sikh-man-harman-singh-furniture-_n_7432672.html?1432501730

And as it seems to be wedding season, you probably wouldn't expect this to happen if you booked a Gary Barlow lookalike to perform at your wedding...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-32857832

Week Ending 26th April 2015

Since my last update around a month ago, life continues to be good down here in Somerset and Dorset (Magdalen actually sits in both counties, and as Vicky works in Dorset I thought it best to be inclusive!).

I have well and truly settled into my job at the farm and am really enjoying what I do. Working with large groups of children is something I never thought I would do a few years ago, but to spend so much time with them in an outdoor environment, and to see the difference it makes to them makes the work extremely satisfying.

Vicky has now started her new role with the Dorset Wildlife Trust, and she is working at 2 main sites; Chesil Beach and Lorton Meadows. Her role is technically a lot more varied than mine, working in the visitor centre, developing new events and items of stock for the shop, leading a team of volunteers on practical conservation as well as looking after school visits.

Looking over the Fleet Lagoon to the visitor centre at Chesil Beach where Vicky is based

We are very lucky to be living in such a beautiful area at the moment, with such a wide range of wildlife living all around us. Having a mixture of woodland, open grassland, farmland and the River Axe all in such close proximity allows us to have a huge range of wildlife to admire during our spare time.

The River Axe winds it's way along the north border of the farm. Otters and Kingfisher are among the highlights of what can be found

In fact when we woke up yesterday we were lucky enough to have a Great Spotted Woodpecker on the bird table that I have built, and there were also several deer around when I went for a walk shortly after. Unfortunately though, neither stayed put long enough for me to be able to whip out my camera!

I was able however to catch "Stubby" on camera. Stubby is our friendly resident Robin who is missing his tail and is often in the garden looking for food at the bird table

This month I may well invest in a wildlife trail camera to catch some of the other animals at the farm on film. We have a number of badger setts, fox holes and even the odd otter that turns up on the farm, so it will be a great way of seeing what's around, especially overnight when I am not!

These Willow Tits have been frequent visitors to the garden since we started putting out food

This weekend our friend Emily, who we used to work with at Occombe Farm, came down to see us. The weather unfortunately wasn't as it had been for the past couple of weeks with the colder temperatures and rain closing back in, but we still had a great time exploring for fossils down at Lyme Regis, and walking part of the Coast Path between the Golden Cap and the Anchor Inn (for a pub lunch and a little refreshment of course!).

A Barrel Jellyfish had washed up on the beach at Lyme Regis. Vicky's foot is included to give you an idea of scale!

Last weekend Vicky and I went for a little explore around Portland Bill. The weather at that point was still beautiful and perfect for exploring the coastline. We saw plenty of sea birds including a raft of Guillemots out at sea, while spring migrants like the Swallows and House Martins were flocking back over to England for the summer. Portland has had some great birds come in it's direction over the last few weeks (including 2 Hoopoes), but unfortunately we didn't see any of them during our visit.

Us by Portland Bill lighthouse

Now with the General Election looming next month plenty of us are trying to work out exactly who we are going to vote for. But with all those policies floating around on immigration, education, the environment, the economy and so on, it makes me wonder how politicians can remember all of the things that they have promised? It seems quite often whoever is in power simply "forgets" to do all of the things that they said that they were going to do, and so this weeks funny story looks at David Cameron and his amazing memory coming a cropper...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-32463038

See you all next time :)

It's Been A While!

To say that it's been a little while since I last posted on here would be a little of an understatement! The last 6 months have contained a mixture of times; times when I have been simply too busy to write, times when there has been so little going on that there seemed little point in writing, and other times where my motivation was simply missing.

But here I am, back in the digital world and ready to bring you back up to speed with the wheres, whens and whys of what goes on in our crazy little lives!

Back in September (when I last wrote) we were just about to embark on a holiday (our first since the epic trip around the world) to Iceland (no...not the frozen food supermarket famous for it's £5 prawn ring).

The 2 of us swimming between continents. One one side is the Eurasian continental plate and on the other is the North American continental plate. The visibility is awesome and the water a constant 2 degrees celcius!

Traveling through the "Land of Fire and Ice" was an extraordinary experience. Based at our friend Siobhan's house in Reykjavik the 3 of us explored the south and west coasts of the country, taking in Volcanoes, Mountains (occasionally through the mist), Geothermally heated water pools and Glacial Lagoons to name just a few things.

Nothing like "chilling out" at a glacial lagoon on a Friday afternoon! You can see the glacier (just) in the background and all of these icebergs have carved off of it

Just a few weeks later the snow came to Iceland, making many areas I am sure unrecognisable from how we saw them during our stay. A trip back to experience an Icelandic winter will at some point I am sure become a reality for us.

From a work point of view, both of our contracts with Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust came to an end in November. A few frantic weeks toward the end were eventually completed by me actually having to finish all of my training course work during our leaving party! As far as we know both of our work has met the grade, and has gone off to be externally verified by the examining body.

Occombe Farm is no longer our home and work. While we do miss it we have merely moved on to the next step on our little adventure

When we arrived back in the UK following our lengthy travels nearly 2 and a half years ago, we made the promise to ourselves that we would do everything we could to make our goal of working in the outdoors a reality. After 2 years of working full time without pay, putting in endless hours in front of computers and in books and sticking to a strict budget I am proud to say that both of us have finally seen our dream become a reality!

As of 6 weeks ago I joined the team at Magdalen Farm (near Chard in Somerset) as an Environmental Education Officer on a 6 month contract. The 132 acre farm is organic and promotes sustainable methodology and technology. As well as receiving a full salary, Vicky and I are also given a caravan on site to live in which means we have no housing or fuel costs associated with my job.

Literally surrounded by countryside, you can just about see the end of our caravan in this photo. A 15 metre commute to work means I can hardly blame the traffic if I am late!

I mainly work with primary school children (typically aged 7-11) who come for either day visits or residential stays. We spend a lot of time with the children (on occasions up to 12 hours a day) and we cover everything from learning about organic animal welfare, organic food production, sustainable fuel sources, wildlife tracking/spotting, outdoor survival to team building and campfires.

Why's it all gone dark?! Damn these big ears! At the farm children really get to understand where our food comes from, and that means telling them that in 7 months time these new piglets will become the meat products they eat when they stay at the farm. As far as practical the farm tries to provide itself with as much of the food that it uses as possible. Local and organic. I think I will stick to my lentil loaf and salad thank you very much :)

Vicky has just managed to land a 9 month contract with the Dorset Wildlife Trust based at Chesil Beach. She starts her job on Monday next week, and so I will save further details for this on my next update.

While as yet neither of our jobs are permanent, we are both so pleased to get our first paid roles within the industry. The step from being an unpaid trainee to a "proper" member of staff in someways seems small, but in other ways it can be one of the biggest and hardest steps to actually achieve.

The largest downfall we have found to our new location is our connectivity. Rural Somerset is a little like the land that time forgot in terms of technology, with phone signals varying on a (sometimes daily but sometimes by the minute) basis. As a result sometimes we can go days without a mobile signal. There is therefore of course no mobile data to access.
The farm's wifi network barely reaches our caravan, and so the internet is also an unknown quantity. I actually went to start this blog last night, but part way through the internet disappeared for around 22 hours. Had it not been for the dreary weather I may even have considered sitting outside to get closer to the signal.

I was astonished to find that some small towns and villages here still do not even have broadband, demonstrating how much the technological revolution left them in the shadows. I will try and make regular contributions to my blog as I did in the past, but I am conscious that given the circumstances this might not always be possible.

Spring is certainly a time for all things cute on a farm!

As was always traditionally the case, I would like to finish the entry with a news story that made me either happy or laugh. 
In a week where good news seems to have been thin on the ground I was tempted to go with one member of One Direction having enough and leaving the band ;)
However with Spring in the air and Easter around the corner I had to chuckle at one Scottish butchers contribution to the season...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-32069147

See you all next time :)

Week Ending 14th September 2014

So here I am with less than 24 hours to go until we fly to Iceland, drinking many mugs of Lemsip and sucking on menthol sweets trying to beat this cold that Vicky has so kindly shared with me.

Mum and Dad popped down with their neighbours Michael and Kathy for most of last week. The weather was excellent throughout and so there was plenty of opportunity for getting out and about, eating too much good food and drinking plenty of beer and cider too :)

Their stay in fact began with a trip to our Occombe Farm Cider Festival. In it's very first year the festival ran all of Saturday afternoon and well into the night, with 39 different ciders stacked behind the bar and a whole host of musical talents taking to the stage. Our former "next door but one" neighbours from Deal, John and Irene, joined us for the event and between us we sipped our way through many a good cider during the course of the sunny afternoon.

The first of many ciders on Saturday afternoon!

John, Irene, myself, Vicky, Mum, Michael, Kathy and Dad on Paignton beach

Sunday afternoon was spent out at Berry Head for a spot of lunch at the Guardhouse Cafe, followed by a walk looking for anything interesting out at sea. Only 2 days previous we had been at Berry Head for a bird ID training course, and while we had been looking at sea birds we has seen all manner of things such as Seals, Harbour Porpoise and the occasional Common Dolphin. This afternoon however there was no such excitement to be had, and other than the odd diving Gannet a huge US Navy vessel proved to be the only real point of interest out to sea.
The beauty of Berry Head is that even when the wildlife doesn't come out to play the area is still a wonderful area to sit and let the world pass you by. The dramatic coastline makes for an excellent view, and the sound of the waves lapping at the shore below does wonders to help you relax.

Dad, Mum, myself, Vicky, Kathy and Michael on the headland at Berry Head

Monday was spent on the Paignton, Dartmouth and Totnes round robin. We started the day on the Paignton to Dartmouth (Kingswear) train. Michael is a big fan of steam railways, and so it was great that he was able to ride a line that he has not traveled before while he was visiting us. Again the weather played ball, making the views out across the coast and across the River Dart all the more beautiful.

Train just leaving the station to make the return journey from Kingswear

The boat to Totnes was as equally enjoyable with the sun shining down on us. Plenty of wildlife up and down the river could be seen, and even a Seal popped his head up half way through the journey to say hello.

The bus ride back to Paignton was on a traditional open top sight seeing style bus, and while sitting upstairs felt like a good idea when we got on by the time we alighted at the other end several members of the group were using the word "numb" to describe some of their extremities! 

Our final day together on Tuesday saw us go for a relaxed stroll around some of our local area including our base at Occombe Farm and the quaint nearby Cockington Village. A savoury cheese tea at the little thatched tea rooms in the village was a particular highlight, before a trip up to view some glass blowing and blacksmithing the craft studios.

Wednesday and Thursday saw us go back to work before we headed up to Dunstable on Saturday for Vicky's Aunt Susan's wedding. The service and the reception were both lovely, and gave us the opportunity to catch up with a few familiar faces. As we had to do a day round trip from Devon though we weren't able to stay as long as we might have, and so we look forward to catching up properly with everybody at another time.

Vicky, myself, Mum and Dad at Susan and Philip's wedding

This weeks amusing news comes from Canada, and shows what you probably wouldn't expect to find on the green at your local golf course...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29174094

See you all when we return from Iceland :)

Week Ending 31st August 2014

It's been quite some time since I last wrote my blog, over a month in fact, and so I decided it would be a good idea to try and get back into the swing of things again!

Over the last month I have only had one weekend off and have seemed to have worked an obscene amount of hours. So much so in fact that I have racked up an extra weeks worth of holiday to make up for all the extra hours! Writing time has therefore been at a premium, and when a small window has presented itself there hasn't really been that much to write about!

August has been mainly taken up with the children's holiday club that our organisation runs, where parents can pay to leave their children with us for the day and we take them out to do fun and interesting (hopefully) activities in the local area. Much of the time is spent doing more informal versions of the lessons that we run with school groups, however there is much more space for these sessions to be dictated by the interests of the children as opposed to their teachers!

While it has been busy I have ultimately enjoyed the work. Getting to work outdoors all the time is fantastic, and even if they don't necessarily realise it the children are learning new things all the time as well. One of the wildlife photography sessions we were running with the children turned up this beauty, a Great Green Bush Cricket.

Great Green Bush Cricket. They live only in the south of England eating vegetation and other small insects. They can live for around 10 months.

With one day off recently Vicky and I were able to walk part of the South West Coast Path between Paignton and Berry Head. The changeable weather didn't dampen our spirits and we were rewarded when we arrived in Brixham with glorious sunshine overhead. Fueled with a portion of chips and an ice cream we made our way up to the headland where a range of wildlife decided to put on a show for us. A seal was keeping a few of the local anglers company in exchange for a share of their catch, while Gannets, Harbour Porpoises and the odd Dolphin were busy rounding up and catching fish not far out to sea.

Friday night saw us head over to Dartmouth for the regatta, with the Red Arrows leading the line up at 6.30pm. Unfortunately having made the epic trip through the traffic to get there in time, low cloud forced them to perform only their most basic of maneuvers before they disappeared off and out of sight. 

The famous red, white and blue trails as the Red Arrows came into sight above the River Dart

The noise and maneuvers of the RAF Typhoon that preceded them left them upstaged slightly, but in their defence there was only one Typhoon in the sky and not 9 planes all trying to fly just meters away from one another.

Saturday was Vicky's birthday, and so I lined up weekend of surprises for her with the hope that the weather would play ball (which thankfully in the end it did).

After dropping her off for a massage to begin the weekend we made a trip to Kent's Cavern where we received a guided tour of the prehistoric cave system that sits so close to the town of Torquay. Some great finds have been made there over the years including the teeth of Woolly Mammoth, jaw bones of bears and even remains of Neanderthal man.

After a swift picnic in Cockington Country Park we made our way over to the Park's beehives, where a group of local beekeepers were holding an open meeting for people to come and check out the hives and learn more about the bees. We donned our protective suits and made our way inside where we were able to get up close and personal with about 15 bee hives. At this time of year each hive is supporting around 20,000 bees, and with the collecting season over all of the nectar the are collecting now is to make honey that will get the colony through the winter.

All kitted up and ready to go!

The bees are fascinating to learn about, and I think both of us are seriously considering having a hive of our own when we eventually find the right space.

After the bee experience was complete I led Vicky to believe that we were off somewhere for dinner. Arriving at a small farm in the middle of Dartmoor around an hour later, I revealed that we were in fact camping and that we would be cooking our own dinner.

For all of those ladies out there thinking how disappointing this may sound, I will just add that Vicky really enjoys camping and seemed genuinely more excited by this than the thought of going to a fancy restaurant! 

The camp site was perfect and we spent the evening enjoying the peace and quiet of the moors, with just the sound of the river behind us running by. Thankfully the weather continued to hold and we were even warm during the night. Memories of a few very cold nights camping across Europe and Australia came flooding back to us, making us all the more appreciative of the good weather!

Tent up, BBQ on and a cold cider to hand. A great way to spend the evening!

This morning we continued our journey across the moors taking in the wonderful scenery. We stopped at a little cafe for a late breakfast / early lunch, before spending some time basking in the sun on a rock in the middle of the nearby river.

A hop, a skip and a jump got us to our own personal island. A little smaller than Flat Holm was I must say!

Back at home the weather was still so good that we decided to hit the beach. A bottle of wine went down all too quickly, while we lazed in the sun enjoying a good book. Top weekend!

So as per normal I have been scanning the news for a story that makes me smile or laugh, in my quest that news doesn't all have to be bad (even if most of it seems that way sometimes).

This week's story comes from very close to home in Kent. Take a bucket and spade down to Folkestone and you never know what you might find!

http://news.sky.com/story/1326687/gold-diggers-flock-to-beach-for-treasure-hunt

See you next time :)