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Operation Raleigh

Kendal Mountain Festival 2024 – A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall…

The warm autumn came to a dramatic halt with snow falling in Derbyshire.  Personally I’d have feet of the stuff all winter, but the forecast was for a warming weekend, yet it still set me alight for the Kendal Mountain Festival.  Snow and Ice are my favourite things, and to see the festival under a blanket of the white stuff would be wonderful.  The Lake District escaped the dump however and though initially cold, there was nothing to kick underfoot.

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Mountain Walking Newbies Podcast…


I entered the outdoors as a young lad, with family days in  the Peak District, Tazzing about the fields and hills in the early 1970’s.  Since then my career has taken me Mountaineering across the world.
If you’re a hill-walker who dreams of going higher, further, longer, but don’t know where to start, Mike Potts hopes to provide advice, information and inspiration.

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Roots Of Reality Podcast…

I was recently contacted by Ben Baumann of the Roots of Reality Podcast.  Ben is an historian from the United States of America and has always been fascinated by life’s greatest questions: Who are we?  Where do we come from?  Why are we here?  And where are we going?  As a result, he decided to become a historian with a focus on the history of existence in the big picture and how it connects to our modern world, with the goal of taking our complex history and making it easy to understand.

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BecomingX…

BecomingX is launched..! “If you knew what they knew, what could you become?” We all have potential. It’s the journey from dream to reality. From good… Read More »BecomingX…

Wild Night Out…

We should all spend more time outdoors.  Its simple to say and easy to do, but still as a nation we struggle to get people outside.  Because of this, Belinda Kirk created ‘Wild Night Out’, to enthuse people to enjoy the wonderful world around us.  The Ordnance Survey teamed up with Belinda for 2017.  Some people choose to wild camp, others sleep in their garden.  Some camp with youngsters, others with their pets.  Whatever and wherever, example is better than talk, and I lead by example.  I decided to do more of a marathon than a wild night, and joined by fellow outdoor enthusiast Jo Elson, the adventure began…

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Walking into the New Year…

Around 25 years ago, I started leading a New Year’s Walk.  Initially it was for a small group of friends, brought together by shared experiences on expedition with Operation Raleigh, but it has grown to encompass so many more.  Adventurers from over 25 years of international travel, family, fellow speakers, school friends, neighbours, friends of friends etc. all turn up  to walk, eat, drink and talk.  I have never run the event as a route march, because to me, this is much more than a walk.  It’s an important occasion for people to meet socially and enjoy a day in the hills.

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#Kendal15

KMF2015

The warm and wet autumn brought the risk of severe flooding in Kendal. Not good for the festival I thought, although it would bring the adventurous aspect of the weekend close to home..!

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Volunteering

Heage-Windmill

Giving some of your time for free is a wonderfully rewarding experience. The world doesn’t have to be all money driven, and I regularly find that people are more committed to a cause when they work for the love of it. Many charities run on volunteers because of their dedication and generosity. If only all things in life could be worked purely for passion…Read More »Volunteering

London Calling…

Tower-Poppies

I’m a country boy.  I was brought up with dawns full of birdsong and church bells, and evenings surrounded by bats and owls, so I always find big cities crowded and overpowering places.  Miles of armour and concrete have always made me cringe, yet cities can have their charms too.  They hold many historical palaces, libraries, castles and society’s, and are useful places to meet friends and colleges.  London draws me occasionally, but there is always an adventure theme…

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Time…

Pocket-Watch

Language is full of sayings and quotes about time. ‘Time is of the essence, ‘Time is money’, ‘Time marches on’ etc.  This unending continuum drives many people’s lives at a relentless pace and without respite.  For some, it rules their lives, but should it..?

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Safety 1st (aid..?)

1st-Aid

Last month I sat my Outdoor First Aid qualification in the lovely Peak District village of Castleton.  It was an extremely enjoyable two-day course, which pushes the usual first aid at qualification further, due to the difficulties experienced in an outdoor environment.  Ok, so my hands make wearing the silicone gloves a bit challenging and removing some of the packaging painfully difficult, but that’s no excuse not to get a qualification.

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George Lowe CNZM OBE – The last of ’53…

George-Lowe-B+W

It is with great sadness that the news of Georges death was announced.  My thoughts go to his wife Mary and to all the family.  The last of the John Hunt 1953 expedition has gone and with him a great mountaineering dynasty is over. I met George many times as we only lived a few miles apart in Derbyshire, and what I remember about him is a tall, quiet, unassuming gentleman, who never boasted about his adventures, but gladly shared them…

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