" The most precious quality man is endowed with - the Love of Life" Erich Fromm

Over a couple of Spring evenings during the 2020 Lockdown my escape to this hill (my mountain) was, and still is part of my own well-being. Excuse the poor editing, choice of music, (its a little Black Beauty), but I'm learning new skills and stoked to be out riding my bike, with my dog Kylo, and letting you see a part of our amazing Wild West Cornwall. Hope you enjoy, and please if you can head to the channel and comment, like and subscribe. You never know these might get better and you wouldn't want to miss out!

It feels good to be able to ride a few miles. The quiet lanes and a few good local climbs, the trees coming to life in the rare but beautiful evergreen valleys here in West Cornwall, the bluebells are out in force, the gauze flowers in full bloom and the ferns are starting to appear. Its a beautiful time of year in that sense and the ride to the hill, can be as boring or as scenic as I allow. Right now my bikes are keeping me focussed, healthy and able to keep myself distanced for my own health. 

Riding seems to be opening up so many experiences and memories that are truly stunning, possibly completely different to what I might normally be be experiencing, is it just me or does it seem to feel even more special to be out on my bikes at the moment?

If you've read this you know I'm hooked on riding up to the hill 'My Mountain', but the past few rides have topped most I've ever had up there.

We find these places we cherish and we keep returning and there are many reasons or just the one. I'm not going to write a whole bunch but just let these photos do the talking. This wasn't  case of the right place at the right time, as I had planned to be there, at this time and hour or so before sunset.  What I never expected was the ponies walking into view, or riding up and seeing them so chilled out and rested on the grass, or my dog just getting up onto the rock to check the vista, even without the bribe of a biscuit in return for a photo of him looking all majestic, as much as a border terrier can be. It felt like  it was his first time up there in nearly five weeks so wanted to just take it all in. Anyway, hope you like the photos of the past few nights riding.

I miss sitting on top of our local hill, comfortably rested on a weathered, almost seat shaped granite rock, pondering what I see before me like an ageing hobbit, and feeling like I'm living "the good life". Not the 70's TV programme starring Richard Briars and the gorgeous Felicity Kendal, who most young lads secretly fancied back then, but the 'good life' where your simply open to the experiences and emotions, right there and then, right in the present. I've read a little lately, and I mean a little, about Carl Rogers, the influential psychologist who said that 'The process of the Good Life is to launch oneself fully into the stream of life'. I wonder, during this period, how many of us have been trying to make sense of our direction, choices and decisions, and self acceptance to what we truly want and not whats is expected. My own work furlough has led me to make some creative decisions during this time, and let me say, this Rogers bloke makes a lot of sense, probably more so than this post so far. 

This COVID-19 Lockdown has meant balancing dog walks and seemingly allocating exercise time, which is pretty normal if your married with kids; spending precious time with family,  but not going in the ocean and riding bikes like I want to doing. It would seem that many who are giving up our surfing is, as my friend so perfectly puts it, 'so others can have it all to themselves',  but that's OK, I had my rant previously,  and I'm happy with my decision, and consciously know it's the right thing to do. Strangely it's not my time in the ocean I miss the most, as I'm a surfer, and not just someone who goes surfing, I've made my own sacrifices to live by the ocean, and since sailing with my father when we were younger, the ocean benefits are firmly planted within me. To not be surfing right now, well that's just fine, it's not real hardship to go without for a while, as long as I can see it, hear it, and smell it. 

What I do miss though is that my time on the hill,  and this seems to be absent in my daily routine at present, I had to put that right. I'm not sure why, but I had put restrictions on my riding. Maybe I also thought, well if I'm not surfing, I shouldn't ride either, it felt like I needed to go cold turkey for a bit. It felt strange to have self imposed this on myself, when the rest of the world seems to be dragging their dusty. rarely or never ridden, unwanted bikes out of their garages, pumping up the tyres, and heading out like its something they normally do, and here I am doing the exact opposite. I've been cleaning, maintaining, fixing, re-tuning and then putting my bikes back in the shed. But all the time I'm really missing the solitude on the hill, often accompanied often by Kylo, my traildog in training, I'm not sure how long his apprenticeship is, but he's doing OK.

In contrast I can't remember the last time I had a surf without sharing the line up with a crowd of frothing surfers, hell bent on getting the next set wave, hassling for the peak, no regard for etiquette, a completely self-centred approach; Am I guilty of the same approach as a result of how surfing has developed? Probably-Sometimes-Maybe-Definately.

It sounds like a thing of the past, and it's only been a little over three weeks, but I like to ride the trails on the hill at every opportunity, especially if the waves are not exactly up to my middle aged liking, considering I would surf any old shit when I was younger. Sometimes it's too crowded with after school grommets, post work surf instructors, life guards, private lessons,  tourists and wannabe pros, but I can handle that, I'll get my share of waves among the masses, it's just sometimes, I haven't quite got the energy to deal with all that.  So, being alone on the hill, with my bike and my dog is, and will again, soon be my escape from this oceanic world when I choose. Saying all that, I would love a surf right now!!

This is why we ride bikes, because it's super relaxing to just go and ride, 'On or Off-Road', thinking of nothing but what's in front of you, and like Carl Rogers says, 'experiencing every moment', enjoying the escape from whatever it is your wanting to escape from. What I have been missing is also that process of going riding. Similar to going surfing where you get your gear together, board, wetsuit, wax and head out the door. The anticipation of what lies ahead.

I remember a trip we took in Lanzarote, where I was working as a surf instructor back in '98/99. I had a day off , so my friends and I took the ferry to the island of Graciosa in the North West. Once off the ferry we walked up the track that crossed the island, heading for a wave on the West Side, called El Corale. As we approached the crest of the island our anticipation grew as to what we hoped to see as the wave came into our view. That memory of a perfect left hander peeling down the reef will live with me forever. It was our Endless Summer moment, like Robert August and Mike Hynson reaching the crest of the sand dune in the classic movie, and seeing Cape St Francis reeling below them. On sight of perfection, we almost ran down the track towards the magical wave. When we got to the access point, we were frothing so much my mate tripped over and landed on his brand new board,  putting about eight puncture holes in the bottom with sharp volcanic lava rock. We all lowered our heads not knowing what to say, but he didn't care right there and then, he just paddled out!! What a day, what a memory, what a wave. That's anticipation, that feeling  every time you drive to the surf, not really knowing what awaits. Or it used to be, as the webcam has mostly stripped away that feeling for the average days surf and it's become too easy to just click online, choose your beach and make a decision. I like that feeling of leaving work on a summers evening, knowing that there are waves but you've not seen them, that feeling of just getting home, grabbing your kit and rushing out the door and scoring a surreal summer session with a few mates.

My anticipation had grown all day, my bike helmet and gloves were probably hanging on my freshly polished bike about lunch time, she was ready to roll... in seven hours time! Getting ready to ride my bike the other night was actually full of high emotion and excitement.  The thoughts running through my mind were not about the new trail I've been working on, not riding as fast as this old body and ability, will allow on the descents. I wasn't looking forward to a weekly power hour session of interval training, when I'm actually not really training for anything so I'm not sure why I do them really, maybe just because it's fun, it makes you feel sick,  and in my not so grown up mind, maybe I'm visualising, in my own childish way a winning run on the World Enduro Series, strange when I don't even compete...yet!   This anticipation was nothing but looking forward to a simple ride up the hill.  I cherish being on the hill, and everytime I'm on the hill,  and looking over Wild West Cornwall, I feel pretty damn lucky. 

At a speed of about 6 mile an hour, if that, there was no rush, my heavy duty, high grip enduro tyres are not really made for time trial speeds, and any risk of accident was totally under my control. In fact, if I'd drawn up a risk assessment prior to riding, (like my mate Freddy recently did regarding surfing),  then the hazard was extremely low, beyond minimal.  I had already sacrificed my daily dog walk for this ride, and my wife had agreed to take the to dog when she realised I would be like a bear with a sore head all day if I didn't get to ride to the hill.  I really wanted to capture the golden hour, my favourite time to sit on the hill and just do nothing at all but take a couple of shots, listen to the quietness and then ride home.

Riding to Chapel Carn Brea from home is about a 1.5 miles along the main A30, past Escalls Church, which is the church with crossed surfboards on the gable end, possibly an attempt to attract a younger congregation, who knows but it's a pretty cool little place. I past Trevedra Farm, the busiest caravan and camping site in Sennen, usually full by now, but as empty as since time began. I rode along the only straight piece of road between Sennen and Penzance which is 9 miles away. One lone car passed me,  and this was at 7pm on a sunny evening during the Easter holidays, in Cornwall, surreal but  nice. The chances of being knocked off on a usual Easter holiday or summer would be a lot greater, and I never ride this on my road bike unless I absolutely have to, there are so many back lanes to choose from. April - October is also the  LEJOG season, the endless stream of cyclists leaving Lands End to John O Groats or the JOGLE, the opposite way, when they begin to arrive.  I will say this - I wish they many would learn how to line up, instead of riding 3 abreast, thinking they are invincible. I wish that the huge Deloitte 'Tour Across Britain' educated their riders on how to ride, I wish they would not send them off in groups of 20, and I'm amazed there has not been a fatality. I say all this as an avid cyclist who thinks that this one group ride does more for cycling's bad name on the road in Cornwall than none other, simply because of the large numbers and the disregard fro other road users. There said it!

But I divulge from my mellow, lock down, no traffic ride, to a special place.  As I reached the hill, I swung off the main road and took a great little 'grass up the middle' lane to the entrance to Chapel Carn Brea. I rode through the gate, being careful not to touch the wooden surface, just in case, and then circumnavigated the hill. Winding my way up the easier trail from the main entrance to the top, the light was becoming golden, the sun lower in the sky and not a single sole in sight. This was going to be pretty special. The cuckoos are back on the Nature Reserve of Bartinney Hill, and that's another favourite spot to sit and another post. I also realised that I missed seeing Sam Buckle who's the font of all knowledge on these Short eared Owls. Sam has  been living in his Land Rover documenting the the Owls that have been feeding there all winter and has 250 hours of the most unbelievable footage to edit. Sam is such a great bloke so please check out his instagram feed @landroverandhound and if you see his other edits from Scotland and Highlands you'll know what quality to expect.

The view is always stunning at the Beacon on top of the hill, the site of an ancient chapel which now lies in a pile of granite rubble. This vista possibly rivals anything I've seen anywhere in the world and it's a spot where on a good clear day, you to see for miles. The Isle of Scilly are 26 Miles away to the West, St Michaels Mount, 10 miles to the east away and The Lizard, our most Southerly point, clearly visible at 22 miles, and spin to the North, Cape Cornwall, and the East, endless miles of Cornish countryside, all divided into odd shaped parcels of fertile land, separated by granite stone hedges. Considering our hill is only about 657ft (198 meters according to the OS map) above sea level, it's hardly a mountain, but it's my mountain. Not that I own it, that would be pretty spectacular, but this where I can sit, it's where I ride trails, my training ground I share with a view others, it's my mountain with a view of the ocean, my mountain at the end of Britain, where in the middle of a global pandemic I can live 'The Good Life'.....That's what I was missing the most...but not now, I've had my fix until the sun comes back out!

How many times have you heard the words 'Strange Times'? Well, yes it is but is it strange that we just don't get this amount of time to spend with our children. Our focus has turned into backyard bushcraft. This little edit is of my son Jago and his first time starting a fire using a fire stick and a King Alfred's Cake. I was pretty stoked for him as it took a lot of effort and perseverance. We started just trying to light some dry tinder but is just getting the technique of creating larger, hotter sparks from his fire stick. He wanted to give up but he kept going, and when we introduced another method, he cracked it. He then made his first batch of Charcloth, which is old cotton tea cloths, charred over the heat of the fire in a tin. This works in a similar way as the King Alfred's Cake, and if you can get a good spark on the cloth, it holds the embers. Add this to the small tinder and Voila...Fire, Heat and survival!
We're learning some great skills and its become such a special time,  and like I mentioned before, its thanks to previous instructors and more recently my good friend Alex Woodhouse.  I can't wait for this lockdown to end and start the adventures further afield. Until then, we'll learn what we can at home and be confident in our methods.

There is a little exercise at the end of this post but let me firstly explain about my new spoon!

Its been nearly five years since I carved a wooden spoon. This might sound like a weird thing to say, but five years ago I was running a project taking veterans and the wider community on empowerment days to introduce them to a variety of employment sectors, like hospitality, engineering and leisure. The aim was to highlight skills they had forgotten, or develop new skills that would engage them, and take them away from the lives they were living. Many were in a negative space, either suffering mental health issues or dealing with the barriers that had been placed before them after being long term unemployed, but the experience for everyone involved was so  positive.

Our Bushcraft days were an escape, in fact all our outings were an escape. Our fishing trips with Captain Jack out of Plymouth often resembled the scene from 'One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest', when Jack Nicholson broke the patients out of a mental institution and took them fishing, and they loved it. This seemed to be the similar with us some days, and when we returned and cooked freshly caught mackeral by the boat, their faces were a picture, in was such a new experience, and memories I'd hope they would never forget.

Taking people out of their everyday lives and showing them a different world that include trips to National Trust properties, and working with woodland rangers, and days out with a forestry project learning stone walling, or wood carving, or being taught about foliage found within a forest; we would go to community project where we would press apples, pluck pheasant and plant trees, and the bushcraft days where we'd build shelters, learn fire lighting skills, knife safety whilst preparing tinder and make the fire. There is something very special about sitting around a fire you have made, drinking tea, carving spoons and talking about life, and it's amazing how people would open up. This wasn't counseling, this was just engaging in conversation whilst planting a subtle seed that there is more to life if your willing.  I thoroughly enjoyed this work, and when it  ended, which is another story, I was very sad and a little lost for a while.

What I learnt on the woodland and bushcraft days, has stuck with me most of all and such valuable skills to own. I remember Ray Mears indicating once that everyone should learn basic woodland or survival skills, its about being prepared as you never know what might happen.   Being in a woodland is such a special place, just being outdoors is, as you might have guessed (if you do check into this blog), whether riding bikes, surfing, or walking, is essential to how my family live our lives here in West Cornwall.  I can  only imagine how it might feel living in an urban city centre  under lockdown right now, and that feeling of claustrophobia. But it's also essential that we're keeping busy, as exercising the body and mind is key for morale.

As I write this we can walk, ride bikes, and for coastal communities, even surf if we want to, but travel is limited and many are choosing to keep things mellow to protect our health service. Outside of home, walking the dog is about the limit right now for us, or cycling the the local community stands on the lanes around our area for vegetables and eggs, and that takes care of the physical. The mental side of this has meant myself and my son, building a small makeshift bushcraft camp, and we've spent the past two weeks engrossed in learning new skills, revisiting old ones, and starting to document what we are learning, like fire starting skills, knife handling and shelter building. That's why this spoon means such a great deal to me, as the process of carving it brought back some great memories; the instructors that kindly gave us their time and who taught us; the people and characters that came on the our courses, the presentations, travel and different locations around Devon and Cornwall. Yet, also this spoon has been a real highlight of these current weird times and now firmly placed in my lock down good times list and helped to create memories. I say this with the greatest respect for those key workers keeping the country safe,  and who are not as lucky as us to have the option to Stay at Home and staying healthy.

If your interested in learning more about bushcraft, have somewhere safe to practice, I might suggest, buying a Kelly Kettle online, getting some old wood, (prefably not treated) pull out an old pen knife thats been hidden away for years and have a go. Learn some knots, which we have tried and requires patience and memory, and build a shelter in the garden with an old tarpauline if you have one, or a blanket if not. There are so many useful Youtube channels on bushcraft too. I seem to be exploring the entire backlog of Ray Mears in the Wilderness, whilst my son seems to be drawn to the excitement and slightly wired Bear Grylls!

So here's the exercise, and I've not put one on here for a few days but try this one. I'm sure we are all doing things at home right now that have some memories attached. What are you doing that brings back fond memories, what do these memories mean to you? Once you've thought about it, write them down in the good times list.

Take care everyone, and stay safe.

Yes these films are poor, and not great quality, they don't really have any dramatic effects or slow motion action, they're not surfing or mountain biking, or extreme sports; but who cares? Right now I'm just having fun, enjoying a process of filming and editing, and most importantly learning.  In fact this film below, my wife shot most of the footage, I just enjoyed putting it together using a simple phone App.

This time is letting me be creative, experimenting with things I've never really done, especially putting things on Youtube, and this is out of my comfort zone, but what better way to start. At this point in my career as a global Youtube influencer, I'd like to say a massive thanks to my 6 subscribers, your the best. You never know, this time next year I might have doubled that!!!

Anyway here it is, my second world premiere in only one week....Last of the Mohicans in RAW.

Having plenty of time at home means time to have some fun creating ideas and content for my blog, but also learning new skills. I love being outdoors as you might have seen on this blog but usually riding my bikes or surfing. But I often spend time, and not enough, with friends and our kids doing bushcraft and woodland activities, and their always kindly passing on ideas to try out. For kids it's an amazing way to learn

My good friend Alex Woodhouse (check out 'Wild About Cornwall') who's also a forest school instructor, showed me how to use these 'King Alfred's Cake' to get a good camp fire going, and so we did. We thought we would combine this with our amazing Kelly Kettle, film the whole thing and made a proper cup of tea. I've already been ribbed about not using Tea leaves, shaky hands, and I agree, the milk jug is not very bushcraft; but I don't care!! This was so much fun to create,  so I thought I'd also start a Youtube channel and just put some random content on their until I work out what I'm actually doing. This time is not only for staying  home, staying safe and healthy, but a gift in terms of using it wisely, spending time with our families and reconnecting with what we love doing.  

Anyway, have a watch and if you like it, please give it a thumbs up like, comment if you dare,  and if your desperate...subscribe as you never know whats coming next. Big hugs and stay safe everyone.

Here's a little fun exercise, just a quick one to keep you thinking.

Think of three items in your house that would go into Room 101. We're not talking Plastic or the obvious items that are destroying the world, there's enough negativity around on social media. Think Fun here....Here's mine

1. The Plastic/Silicone Spatula. The ones used to clean out the cake mixture from the bowl. The scourge of Dads and Kids who have grown up eating the left over cake mixture. Then all of a sudden there is this spatula, sold everywhere and it's capable of extracting every last bit of mix from the bowl. Its a disaster, an invention that has destroyed so many souls. Get rid of it...Room 101.

2. Sprouts.  Unless used in Bubble and Squeak, the sprout is a vegetable that chefs love to disguise with, bacon and ginger, or spices etc. The Jamie Oliver's of the world, brilliant as he is, bangs on about how to cook sprouts. Name one other character that has to be camouflaged in order to enjoy? Vegetables have their own unique taste and do not need the alchemy of other ingredients to make them edible.. I rest my case..Get rid of them...Room 101

3. Marmite. Love it or hate it. I hate it, my son hates it. When I'm making toast and happily minding my own business, my wife asks for some Marmite on toast. This means contamination of my work area, the knife and my personal space. Marmite is just wrong, the word 'yeast extract' or whatever the dark mysterious gunk is, it's just not right. Get rid of it...Room 101.


There you go, three simple things that can easily be left out of life making it a happier world all round.

Stay Safe everyone.

When we have something taken away from us it can often leave a empty space. It can leave us with a sense of loss, anger and or even anxiety. When I say something taken away, in this case obviously self isolation as a result of the Corona Virus, but this still leaves us left wanting for the things we can't have or do, like surfing.  In 2016 I broke my foot and went down hard with pneumonia, and for two separate periods, what I loved to do was taken away. Surfing and Cycling were temporarily off the  Good Times List. But, after weeks of rehab for both scenarios, they were also my means of recovery too and such a positive part of this time. In this case we will get these activities back again, it will be part of our recovery, and for many might just be a catalyst of real change for many.

To compliment the time lost, I wrote words, short stories and its a great exercise to keep the mind active. One little exercise is describing the things we love in 150 words.

Here's mine.....

Surfing is,,,,,,,

Surfing is pure escape and hydrotherapy; my spiritual rinse. Surfing is learning, decision making and choice. Adventure, self-expression and happiness; Surfing is Flow.