Note – 2026-07-27 07:28
“What will this house be like in a hundred years Dad?” "It will be a ruin, I tell him, the roof burned off, the windows shattered, the stones scorched, blackened and split. The people of the town will...
Grumpy old mountain man living in Spain
“What will this house be like in a hundred years Dad?” "It will be a ruin, I tell him, the roof burned off, the windows shattered, the stones scorched, blackened and split. The people of the town will...

It's #MountainMonday and a very hot humid afternoon in southern Spain, so I thought I'd drop this image. It's from a few years ago in the extreme cold and clear blue skies of the winter Picos de Europ...
When mountain forecasts promise "light drizzle" but deliver thunderstorms & hail... & your gas stove dies mid-crisis? Our 3-day trek near Pic du Midi d'Ossau that turned into a comedy starring a brigh...

"Patatas a la Riojana" and a glass (hmmm...OK, bottle) of Rosado! We have moved into an alpine chalet for a couple of days rest and recuperation before we head up on another backpacking trip. For thos...

Early start to visit the Ibon de Piedrarafita today. A laborious forest trail suddenly opened up to alpine meadows, lake scenery with a backdrop of a huge cirque of magnificent peaks. We ate lunch by...

So we headed over the Col du Pourtalet into France and did a hike taking in the Refuge du Pombie. This day hike has inspired us come back next week and do a 3 day backpacking trek. Lots of lakes, stre...

Yes, I know its not but we passed this spectacular place today and just had to share. Maybe we should have ? 😀 The Cascada del Argualas at Baños de Panticosa

Congratulations to British mountaineer, Kenton Cool who has quietly and without fuss just made his 20th ascent of Everest. More Everest summits than any non-Sherpa ever. I remember us rock climbing w...

Morning Fediverse! The sun was just hitting the "acequia" channel this morning and provided some very interesting light

Our local "acequia" has now been repaired and for the first time in 3 months we have flowing channels and irrigation water. The hillsides are now full of life again and wonderful places to go for a lo...

Out hiking today with a Solos group from the UK who were enjoying the warm sun and stunning scenery of the Taha del Pitres. Hiked from Fondales to Ferrierola and onwards to Busquistar, and Portugos. A...

It's a beautiful morning here in the Straight and for the first time this week we have light winds and a calm sea

No, its not the Namibian desert. It's the Duna de Bolonia. "Hundreds of thousands of small, stinging grains of sand travelling at warp factor 4 directly into the face for the next 45 minutes wasn’t wh...

You might remember the conversation in the old Monty Python movie "The Life of Brian" that posed the question "What did the Romans ever do for us?". Well, I have the definitive answer... they built th...
We're heading west today for a week. Going to watch the bird migration from Africa to Europe through the Straits of Gibraltar. Then we'll be beach bums on the Atlantic coast for a while. Some culture/...

Today's dog walk in between winter storms reminded me that spring is indeed just around the corner. This particular walk is only 100m lower in altitude than my house but I was surprised to see the whi...
A friend just shared this video he took from a ski touring trip we did together way back in January 2013. Must admit it has got me feeling all nostalgic for times past. Nobody on the mountain, some go...
Bruce Springsteen 'I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the peo...

Post Christmas morning walk with the dogs. Arko looking quite pleased with himself, for some reason!