Welcome to my website. It’s mostly book reviews and accounts of my walking, hillwalking and mountaineering trips over the years, plus a mixed bag of other articles. If you want to get in touch please email me – I’m always pleased to hear from anyone who’s read anything here!
The Dream of Scipio by Iain Pears
While Pears’ ‘An Instance of the Fingerpost’ (published 1997) tells its story through the voices of four people and is set in one time period, ‘The Dream of Scipio’ (published 2002) and his ‘Stone’s Fall’ (published 2009) combine multiple protagonists … Continue reading →
Book of Dust – The Rose Field by Philip Pullman
Well, it finally arrived – the third and final volume of the ‘Book of Dust’ trilogy. Parts 1 and 2 are reviewed here. I was critical of the third book of the ‘Dark Materials’ trilogy (review here): would Pullman pull … Continue reading →
Mr Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood
Isherwood’s story set in Berlin at the end of the Weimar Republic is a fictitious account drawing on his own time there and featuring characters based on real people. It is entertaining and amusing, but don’t expect to be shocked … Continue reading →
The Portrait by Iain Pears
Having admired and enjoyed Pears’ ‘An Instance of the Fingerpost‘ and ‘Stone’s Fall‘ I came across ‘The Portrait’ by chance when I was looking for his ‘The Dream of Scipio’ in my local library catalogue. But while ‘Fingerpost’ and ‘Stone’ … Continue reading →
Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood
A classic I should have read long ago. It bounces up and down along the surface – entertaining, amusing. Then with the introduction of Bernhard Landauer you find you’re slithering and bumping down the crumbling cliff until you end up … Continue reading →
South West Coast Path – Day 40
Portwrinkle – Plymouth 1 October 2025 Distance on Coast Path: 21.0km; ascent: 297m Total distance: 22.0km; ascent: 351m Walking time: 5h 15′ Total time: 6h 59′ Overnight: Copthorne Hotel, Plymouth I woke in the night around 3.00 and took more … Continue reading →
South West Coast Path – Day 39
Polperro – Downderry 30 September 2025 Distance on Coast Path: 17.0km; ascent: 417m Total distance: 18.3km; ascent: 417m Walking time: 4h 37′ Total time: 6h 22′ Overnight: Sheviock Barton B&B I woke up soon after 2am with a seriously sore … Continue reading →
South West Coast Path – Day 38
Par – Polperro 29 September 2025 Distance on Coast Path: 21.4km; ascent: 640m Total distance: 23.3km; ascent: 640m Walking time: 6h 15” Total time: 8h 20′ Overnight: The Crumplehorn Inn, Polperro Self-catering meant I could get off to an early … Continue reading →
The Essence by Dave Hutchinson
It’s just over ten years ago that I first read a full-length novel by Dave Hutchinson. It was the first in his ‘Fractured Europe’ series, and I’ve been a fan ever since: ‘The Essence’ is now the ninth I have … Continue reading →
Eat Sleep Cycle by Anna Hughes
I came rather late to this party. Anna Hughes cycled 4000 miles around the coast of Great Britain in 2011 and this book – her account of that epic journey – was published in 2015. I only discovered it late … Continue reading →