Author Archives:

About McEff

Journalist on The Northern Echo, former shipyard electrician, former quarryman and tunneller. Climbs mountains and runs long distances to make life harder. Gravitates to the left in politics just to make life harder still.

Glen Roy – A Parallel World

Posted on January 31, 2012

GLEN Roy is the place that thwarted Darwin. That’s Charles Darwin – the man who turned conventional knowledge on its head with his revelation that our ancestors emerged from the sea, not the Garden of Eden. Glen Roy is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Charles Darwin, Climbing, Environment, Geology, Glen Roy, Hiking, History, Louis Agassiz, Mountains, Parallel Roads, Walking | Tagged , , | 25 Comments

From Gable’s South Traverse to the Breaker’s Yard

Posted on January 19, 2012

IT’S 7.45am on Friday morning and I’m standing on the flight deck of HMS Invincible, watching the sun rise over a scarlet Morecambe Bay. I shouldn’t be up here; I should be down in the aircraft carrier’s aft engine room … Continue reading →

Posted in Camping, Climbing, Hiking, HMS Invincible, Mountains, Napes Needle, Walking, Willie Horne | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

The Circles that You Find . . .

Posted on January 3, 2012

A final trip back into the Bronze Age in search of rock carvings . . . Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Bronze Age, Cup and ring carvings, Environment, Geology, History, Industrial archaeology, Mountains, Stone Circles, Walking | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments

Still Walking in Circles

Posted on December 26, 2011

Exploring the Bronze Age rock art of Barningham Moor . . . Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Bronze Age, Cup and ring carvings, Environment, Hiking, History, Mountains, Stone Circles, Walking | Tagged | 20 Comments

Bronzed Off . . .

Posted on December 5, 2011

Another walk in search of Bronze Age rock carvings high on Barningham Moor . . . Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Bronze Age, Cup and ring carvings, Environment, Hiking, History, Mountains, Stone Circles, Walking | Tagged | 8 Comments

In the Bronze Age on Barningham Moor

Posted on November 24, 2011

Searching for Bronze Age cup and ring carvings on Barningham Moor . . . Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Bronze Age, Cup and ring carvings, Environment, Hiking, History, Life, Mountains, Walking | Tagged | 16 Comments

Madeira: The Royal Road to Ruin (Pico Grande . . . nearly)

Posted on November 16, 2011

THIS is a tale of bewilderment and defeat in a strange and hostile environment. It started out like any other day in the mountains – one man with a cheery whistle and a bag of food. Then things deteriorated . … Continue reading →

Posted in Allotments, Climbing, Environment, Hiking, History, Mountains, Walking | Tagged | 12 Comments

Madeira: The High and Mighty (Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruivo)

Posted on November 8, 2011

The most spectacular walk in the Atlantic . . . Continue reading →

Posted in Climbing, Environment, Geology, Hiking, History, Mountains, Walking | Tagged | 15 Comments

Madeira: So Let Me Get Right to the Point . . .

Posted on November 1, 2011

A clifftop path through some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in the world . . . Continue reading →

Posted in Cookery, Environment, Food, Geology, Hiking, Mountains, Walking | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Madeira: Walking with Water

Posted on October 26, 2011

Levada walking in the mountains of Madeira Continue reading →

Posted in Climbing, Environment, Hiking, History, Industrial archaeology, Levadas, Mountains, Walking | Tagged | 8 Comments

Madeira: Stairways to Heaven

Posted on October 21, 2011

McEff discovers the mountains of Madeira. It’s more than a piece of cake . . . Continue reading →

Posted in Camping, Climbing, Environment, Geology, Hiking, History, Mountains, Walking | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Voyage of a Dawn Treader (Buachaille Etive Beag)

Posted on October 17, 2011

THERE is something hauntingly primeval in watching the sun rise through a cold mist. And somehow a lonesome lorry roaring over the pass of Glencoe adds to the starkness . . .

Posted in Camping, Climbing, Environment, Glencoe, Hiking, Mountains, Walking | Tagged , , | 16 Comments