Every time I complete a professional project, the dominant emotion I feel is relief – relief that I didn’t fail, and that something I did was “good enough”. But do I appreciate my success or have pride in my achievement? Nope. I just move on to the next task. Relishing the accomplishment feels superfluous, because … Read more
Is this the world’s most macho introduction? On entering the garden behind the Butcher’s Tap and Grill in Marlow in Buckinghamshire, I’m engulfed in charcoal smoke. Through the fog I spy a countertop laden with slabs of raw meat – a leg of lamb here, a tomahawk steak there. And presiding over two enormous kamado … Read more
Ginny MacColl was 63 when she accepted her daughter’s challenge to complete a pull-up. It took nine months to nail it. Now, a decade on, MacColl can pump out 17 of them in a row. It’s hard to argue with her when she says: “You can get stronger with age.” MacColl has since competed three … Read more
Name: Naked dressing. Age: You could say the trend goes back to Genesis … The prog rockers at the peak of their pomp in the 1970s? Further back still, to the first book of the Bible – Adam and Eve, wandering round the garden, in the nuddy. Until disobedience, shame, fig leaves, etc? Yes – … Read more
One August evening in 1955, members of York Mountaineering Club had convened in the city’s Olde Starre Inne. They were, perhaps, lamenting the shortage of mountains (or indeed hills) in York, when club chair David Laughton turned up waving a copy of that month’s Dalesman magazine. It contained a challenge, issued by Bill Cowley, author … Read more
By the time I was 19, my life had spiralled out of control – I was homeless and destitute, my infant son was living with my abusive mother and I was addicted to heroin. I’d had a pretty dodgy childhood; my father died when I was very young and I was left with my mother. … Read more
This is a lovely, light dinner, featuring honey- and soy-dressed peanut trout alongside a crunchy smashed cucumber and radish salad. With cannellini beans also tossed through the salad, you’ll be hard pressed to notice that this is also a low-carb meal. Soy and peanut trout with smashed cucumber, radishes and beans Salting the cucumber helps … Read more
Autoimmune diseases affect as many as 800 million people around the world – around one in 10 of us. From multiple sclerosis and lupus to type one diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, these conditions all share a common trait: the body’s own immune system turns against itself. Current treatments aim to suppress that response, but dialing … Read more
Mine is a familiar story: I used to hate even the idea of running. But, in 2020, when gyms closed their doors, I downloaded the Couch to 5k app, and ran approximately three times a week for the next four years, culminating in a half marathon in 2024 – and, predictably, an injury. Physios treating … Read more
The British coastline is a thriving marine habitat, with a biodiversity that’s driven by high tidal range and strong nutrient-rich currents. When conditions are right, snorkelling in British waters brings a connection with a variety of species and stunning terrain: sea lochs, sheltered bays, shipwrecks, tidal pools, kelp forests, sandy seabeds and rocky reefs. You … Read more