Well, I have to start somewhere. Hiking for me began in the early 1970s when I was living in Bristol as a student. Day walks locally and in the Forest of Dean, mainly with a friend, Tony Martin, led to us doing the Pennine Way over 1975, 1976 and 1977. 1975 was as wet as it could be (waking up one night in the tent, which had been pitched in desperation on a cobblestoned path near Ponden, to find that there was two inches of water inside the tent); 1976 was the drought year and 1977 was hot and dry as well.

I lost touch with Tony many years ago. He came from somewhere in the Forest of Dean. if anyone knows of him then I’d welcome some news.

The backpack I used then (see picture) came from an Army Surplus store in Bristol. There wasn’t much choice then and lots of people had these. I still have it. Could I sell it on Ebay? Not very comfortable and the sleeping bag was stored in a black plastic bag on the outside at the base. My stove was a bog-standard Camping Gaz, I wore denim jeans, a woollen jumper and Tuf work boots. Still, it was all an unforgettable experience.

I’ll leave it there for the moment. The layout and design will change as I discover more of the world of blogging so please bear with me.