And so castles made of sand fall in the sea, eventually Jimi Hendrix – Castles made of sand, 1967 After about forty-five minutes’ walking in a southerly direction along the beach from Essaouira, you’ll see the ruins of an old building on your right. Known today as the ‘Petit Fort Portugaise’, or little Portuguese Fort, …
Jbel Toubkal (4167m) – North Africa’s highest peak
Jbel Toubkal. The highest peak in Morocco. And the highest peak in North Africa. Four thousand, one hundred and sixty-seven metres high. It is also the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains – a group of mountains consisting of the High Atlas (Toubkal is part of this group), the Middle, Anti, Tell and Saharan Atlases, …
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From Platberg to Kilimanjaro – via Africa’s highest peaks
During the past few months, I’ve been working super hard at finishing my book “From Platberg to Kilimanjaro”. And publishing it! Neglecting the blog. This doesn’t mean we’ve neglected our weekend outings. Apart from the odd day when we had to do other things, we’ve been nearly as busy as usual. Even as winter sets …
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Climbing at Brüggler – in perfect Autumn sunshine
Last Sunday was a perfect autumn day. On Monday, it felt like winter! By Saturday the weather conditions had improved a bit, and looked favourable for climbing at Brüggler or Grimsel. Which is it going to be? In the end the weather decided for us. So, Saturday morning in thick mist we set off from …
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Rigidalstock’s two superb via ferratas
It’s Saturday afternoon. The mist is swirling around us. Clearing occasionally to provide a tantalizing glimpse of Rigidalstock above. We’re here to climb Rigidalstock’s two superb via ferratas: Rigidalstockwand (K4) and Rigidalstockgrat (K3). We hope that the weather lady was right and tomorrow is going to be a brilliant day. To keep ourselves busy for …
Segnesböden – Stunning alluvial plain
We’re back in Switzerland. Sardinia not yet forgotten. The Segnesböden area seems to have the best possibility of sunshine for today. Even if it is covered in snow… The days are getting shorter. So, we set off early-ish. Trying to maximize the sunlight. First stop off the bus is Ella – the charming little café …
Sailing Sardinia’s Eastern coastline – Cala Gonone to Cala Goloritzé
The sun rises in style across the Mediterranean Sea; casting its golden glow across the bay. We’re spending our last day sailing Sardinia’s Eastern coastline – visiting countless otherwise inaccessible little beaches along the way. Last night we said our good-byes to Enrico and the gang at the Roadhouse Blues Café, who treated us like …
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Cala Sisine to Cala Luna – stunning scenery
One of our target walks for this week in Sardinia was to walk from Cala Sisine to Cala Fuili. A ‘stage’ of the Selvaggio Blu. I say this with some trepidation, as purists are apt to respond that the Selvaggio Blu finishes at Cala Sisine… although most trekking companies will now offer the additional stage …
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The beautiful Cala Luna
I have a video call at 11 o’clock. So, we have to find a shorter afternoon’s walk. I suggest a walk to Cala Luna. Not only because it’s a short walk, but because it’s one of the most beautiful beaches along this coastline! And a definite favourite of mine. We set off shortly after midday. …
4×500 Gola Goroppu (Goroppu Gorge)
Our second day’s hiking took us into the belly of the 500 m deep Gola Goroppu. Only four metres wide at its narrowest point, local people hype it up as the biggest gorge in Europe. And why not? After all, how do you measure the biggest gorge? By depth? By length? By volume? And at what …