Category Archives: Iceland

17
Oct
2011

Hard graft with a raft

3 comments
Posted in Best Bits, Expeditions, Iceland, Kit, Packraft
An in-depth look at the equipment choices for a packraft expedition.
20
May
2011

Packrafting Iceland Pecha Kucha

1 comment
Posted in Best Bits, Charity, Iceland, Motivation, Packraft, slideshows, Speaking, Travel
20 slides and 400 seconds to explain my expedition across Iceland. You don't necessarily need skill, money or talent...
27
Nov
2010

Video from Iceland

7 comments
Posted in Expeditions, Iceland, Video
To conclude the series of posts about this summer’s expedition to Iceland, here is a short video I made from the journey. Video production and editing is the next skill I need to learn, so please do give me any feedback (positive or negative). I’d really appreciate it. To receive a monthly newsletter of the [...]

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25
Oct
2010

The Men Who Don’t Fit In

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Posted in Iceland, Poetry
He’s a rolling stone, and it’s bred in the bone, he’s a man who won’t fit in… The Men Who Don’t Fit In – Robert W. Service There’s a race of men that don’t fit in, A race that can’t stay still; So they break the hearts of kith and kin, And they roam the [...]

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18
Oct
2010

Ulysses time lapse

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Posted in Iceland, Poetry, Video
As we trekked and paddled across Iceland Chris and I recorded two of our favourite poems, one line each day, and turned them into videos. What do you think? Ulysses -Alfred Lord Tennyson It little profits that an idle king, By this still hearth, among these barren crags, Matched with an aged wife, I mete [...]

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12
Oct
2010

Expedition kit list for Iceland

15 comments
Posted in Expeditions, Iceland, Kit, Lists, Packraft
I have had quite a few questions concerning the equipment we used for crossing Iceland. Here then is the kit list. If I had more cash or was more of a gear geek then I would change a couple of things. But I hope that it proves helpful. I’ve added links where I think they [...]

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11
Oct
2010

Top 10 highs and lows of an expedition across Iceland

5 comments
Posted in Iceland, Lists, Packraft
The nice people at Ooh.com asked me to write down some of the ups and downs from Iceland. Here they are: 1. Discovering that one of the most varied, deserted, beautiful wildernesses I have ever been to is only three hours away from London with Iceland Express. 2. Carrying 25 days of food meant serious [...]

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28
Sep
2010

Iceland: Paddling to the ocean – the end of the expedition

7 comments
Posted in Expeditions, Iceland, Packraft
I’m heading north, I’m heading home Doing 125. I close my eyes and count to ten, Ha, Ha, Yeah, I’m still alive! Perfect, perfect tunnel vision, Razor sharp and racing, racing. These moments, immortal No one touches this. - New Model Army We stood at the source of the Markarfljót River. It was time to [...]

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20
Sep
2010

Iceland expedition – back on our feet

10 comments
Posted in Iceland, Packraft, Photography, slideshows, Video
Packrafts bring variety and freedom to your travels. They are not ideal if you would rather hike the whole journey. They are not ideal if you would like to paddle the whole journey. They are ideal if you’re looking for adventure, and whatever comes your way. We chose not to paddle the Þjórsá all the [...]

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13
Sep
2010

Paddling Iceland’s longest river

19 comments
Posted in Expeditions, Iceland, Packraft
In pleasant peace and security how suddenly the soul in a man begins to die - Robinson Jeffers When paddling a river it is wise to know what lies in wait. However it is not always possible to scout ahead. We were about to begin paddling Iceland’s longest river, the Þjórsá. Information on the river’s [...]

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07
Sep
2010

Iceland: crossing the glacier

11 comments
Posted in Expeditions, Iceland
We need sometimes to escape into open solitudes, into aimlessness, into the moral holiday of running some pure hazard, in order to sharpen the edge of life, to taste hardship, and to be compelled to work desperately for a moment at no matter what. -George Santayana Can you think of a better beginning to a [...]

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31
Aug
2010

Iceland: into the high lands

13 comments
Posted in Expeditions, Iceland
“If you go far, far away,” the child said, holding his mother’s hand, “can you get everything you want?” “Yes, my darling,” she said wearily. “And be whatever you’d like to be?” “Yes,” she answered. - Halldor Laxness, ‘Independent People’ And the rain fell, and the winds blew and slammed against the tent. Days of [...]

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24
Aug
2010

Iceland: the expedition begins

27 comments
Posted in Expeditions, Iceland, Packraft, Photography
Working hard to get my fill, everybody wants a thrill. Payin’ anything to roll the dice, just one more time… - Journey *** “For I have always lived violently, drunk hugely, eaten too much or not at all, slept around the clock or missed two nights of sleeping, worked too hard and too long in [...]

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21
Aug
2010

Report from Iceland expedition

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Posted in Expeditions, Iceland, Packraft, Photography
Starting next week: blog reports, photography and video from my recent crossing of Iceland. I hope you’ll come back to enjoy them. Here’s a landscape photo of Iceland to start your weekend off. DON’T MISS A THING – FREE MONTHLY UPDATE BY EMAIL: Have you read Alastair’s books? Also available for Kindle, iPad and children.
29
Jun
2010

Mum’s gone to Iceland.

13 comments
Posted in Humour, Iceland, Packraft, Photography
No, she hasn’t really. But I am off to Iceland tomorrow. Not the nasty frozen food shop, but the land of the now-famous volcano. And I can’t wait! I’m really excited about this expedition. Jumping around with excitement. I had worried about the prospect of being on top of a remote glacier far from a [...]

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