The Welsh side
In all my years visiting the Dee Marshes, I had never looked across them from the Welsh side.
The great Darwin fossil hunt
For my 50th birthday, a friend beyond compare organised a very special birthday present for the only self-confessed ‘Darwin groupie’ in her life.
Prize-winning author lost on Moor
When your instincts and your compass disagree, trust your instincts. I mean your compass.
A new favourite place
A walk with an old friend on the Cumbrian coast.
Seeing purple
The Moor is at peak-purple at this time of year, with the heather in full bloom.
The nearly-dead tree
Each spring, I visit a particular corner of the Moor to check if an old friend has managed to survive another winter.
In the wilderness of Wirral
An unwelcome modern intrusion into one of my favourite wildernesses takes me on an unplanned medieval journey in reverse.
Wild Cat Island
Three and a half decades after I first became enchanted by the place, I finally set foot on the island that inspired Arthur Ransome's ‘Swallows and Amazons’.
The return of the delicate flapwort
On a second expedition I made in search of a rare plant. This time, I accompanied someone who knew what he was doing.
In search of the delicate flapwort—and why we need tricorders
On an expedition I made in search for a rare plant, and the need for DNA-assisted species identification devices.