On the Trail of Giants
‘Which way?’ I didn’t look at the map; it didn’t seem necessary. Instead, I pointed in a vague south-westerly direction where there was no road, only a wall of houses. ‘That way.’ Dad nodded, accepting …
Category: United Kingdom
On Learning to Fly
Ich war vierzehn, schüchtern und unsicher. Vor mir auf dem Tisch lag ein Anmeldeformular für einen Schüleraustausch in Deutschland mit dem Hinweis, dass Teilnehmer:innen extrovertiert und selbstbewusst sein sollten. Tja, ich fühlte mich nicht ganz …
Mountaineering and the History of Fear: an Essay
If I were to fall, I wouldn’t fall far. I could feel the reassuring weight of the harness around my waist; I could feel the slight tug of the carabiners that joined me to the …
Orkney
North. Keep going North. Keep driving – past Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester. Past the Lake District, where low stone walls trace patterns across green fields (and where we stop to buy me a pair of new …
The Call of Snow and Ice
It is August and my fingers are numb. I squeeze my hands into fists inside the gloves and watch Serena secure the crampons onto her boots. When my fingers have regained feeling, I do the …
Phoenix City
Will you promise me something? I would like to ask this of you as my esteemed reader. It really is a very humble request. Promise me you won’t stop reading when I tell you where …
Travel: the other way round
‘What shall I play?’ There is a distinct unsteadiness in his movements as he approaches us and takes Florian’s recently vacated seat at the piano; no doubt he’s come directly from Hild Bede’s college bar …
Welcome Back to Durham
‘You don’t look like a fresher to me.’ He looks first at me; then at my suitcase, which is sitting obediently at my feet; then back at me. ‘Are you a… a…’ I allow him …
Two Hundred Days
I saw the sea again, today. I heard the roar of the waves, tasted the salt on my tongue, felt the wind in my hair. It had been over two hundred days. The crash of …