Words in my head, words from the page, words for the page…

My brain plays with words before it plays with anything else. This started when I was very young with the consumption of facts, continued through the absorption of languages ancient and modern, and found expression in the teaching of Classics over 36 years.

It’s five years since I escaped the strait-jacket restrictions that came with working in an institution. That means I’ve now had half a decade of freedom to explore and create in my own way.

On the pages of this website you will see a selection of my words. Some of this writing stems from my Travel and Nature Writing MA studies (2021-23), an enterprise which opened my eyes and other senses in ways I had not foreseen. Being co-recipient of Bath Spa’s V-C Award for Academic Impact - selected from all students across all subjects - was the icing on the cake of two very happy years.

https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/blog/posts/2023/june/vc-award-winners-2023.php

Since completion of the MA, I have pressed on with my writing. Whilst much of my output and practice has been nature-related (regular pieces for a local newsletter, talks and walks for local groups, leading nature-writing sessions in primary schools), I have written increasingly about the walking that continues to be a central part of my life. A feature for The Great Outdoors magazine (May 2025 edition) told of my unique Lakeland walk that took in the 24 Wainwrights which my father still ‘needed’ to climb at the time of his death. The telling of this story within my story sought to celebrate the gift my parents gave to me when they first showed me the hills and coasts of Britain. In my Walking section, you’ll find details of the hills I’ve climbed and the trails I’ve completed - Offa’s Dyke being the latest to be added to the list.

I’m currently working on a whole-of-life memoir, the glue of which is the walking I have done since childhood.