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“The mountains are calling and I must sit on my lily-white arse scoffing crumpets dripping in peanut butter, staring out of rain soaked windows at ghost-town surburbia.” Catchy. I might print some t-shirts.

“While the faithful dispose of a generation All of the mountains rumble knowingly I order a Colada Sit, and count my dollars And watch eagles soar in circles. Perpetually Now I am older I don't look over my shoulder I know what is there in front of me Ten Marlboro cigarettes, rolled the butts into the bottles Today I will stare at the sea Till my eyes have had enough” (BH; Nica Libres) I really, really want this day back. Photo: @rachelsarahm

Let's get this straight once and for all because quite frankly, I'm tired of saying it. And look, I'm not even a born and bred patriot, I'm a 'blow in' (and ergo retain a modicum of objectivity so maybe listen up); people who put jam on first are uncouth heathens. An education: The Devon Cream Tea (#creamfirstthenjam) is historically - ie: a FACT - first mentioned in chronicled records and literature when the Earl of Devon entertained the Mayor of London and the correct order of application was thus described. The second mention is Devon monks serving the exact same thing. I've got nothing against Cornwall, on the contrary, it's mega gurt lush, but you just don't hear of Devonians trying to claim the pasty do you? The Cornish just have a militant streak. Apart from the etymological facts, can you imagine someone slathering jam on bread and then applying butter onto the jam?! For crying out loud. You'd have them Sectioned. Speaking of sectioning militant Cornisher's, here's an uncouth jam-first urchin on home territory, Culm-cruisin on Sharpnose test piece 'Wraith'. As my Grandad liked to say: you're perfectly entitled to your opinion, no matter how wrong it is. Good climber, bad food drills. No one has everything. And if anyone is thinking of throwing their hand-grenades into the comments - ‘oh but the Queen says jam first!’ - rest assured you’re immediately painting yourself as an anti-vaxxing flat-earther. Remember Leo Tolstoy: “wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it”.

[➡️swipe it] This is my favourite run in the UK (the Cuillin Ridge on Skye is my most cherished mountain memory, but that transcends being pigeonholed as a 'run' or a 'climb'). The Horseshoe was suggested to me as a training run, by a local Guide & dear friend who said a lot of locals keep a PB & periodically try to beat it. She shared her record & set it out as a goal for me to aim for. Over the next few years I ran it on every Snowdonia trip, chipping away at my own time until getting under an arbitrary but personally satisfying 2 hours (1h52m). Everything about it feels good to me: it's a car to car circular run (so you can carry a bare minimum); it's in beautiful, majestic scenery (say what you want about Snowdon but the topography is spectacular); it's exposed enough to feel exhilarating, technical enough to be constantly engrossing, varied enough to need strategy (I've blown up before Crib Goch on more than one occasion) and needs [more] intimate knowledge of lines than you might imagine a ridge run requires; and at ~2h is not too arduous or too short lived. Red-lining for 2h is about the limit for me, I like running fast, but don't like being in the Hurt Locker for too long. On one of these runs, done in the evening gloaming to avoid crowds, I paused on Snowdon to take a photo and a woman spoke to me. "You have energy gel matted in your beard". "Oops". "If you're running you know you're not really appreciating it all properly". I didn't have time to argue with her but talked about this later with my friend. I felt the opposite, & so did she. When you're running - especially on technical & exposed terrain - your senses are heightened, your eyes widen & your heart beats faster. You don't only appreciate the view and see colours more vividly with your eyes, but you physically feel the textures of the rock under your hands, and appreciate the uneven surfaces with the enhanced acuity of your proprioceptors and the dexterity of thin-soled fell shoes. We even went as far as to speculate that you’re drinking in your surroundings through the pores of your skin. I won’t bother chasing my PB in future, but I can’t wait for the next time. @salomonrunning #timetoplay

Bosigran. In what’s been an odd year by anyones measure, there have been plenty of good moments too, at least, there have for me. Climbed more than I have for a few years, run for pure fun rather than self-imposed training necessity, and shared numerous moments of rapture with gorgeous people in beautiful places. Bosigran is a special crag because it contains a magic formula of mostly easy angled, jug endowed golden granite, towering up out of the thrift above a turquoise sea, and its rare not to see dolphins, seals, and raptors. I’ve made fewer - but no less memorable - trips here this year, one of them a life altering epiphany. These shots show only a 1 second snatch of a vintage summer of Kernow scrum. Shot by the talented and extremely hard-working @rachelsarahm (and if you slide left and squint you might spot @jonathandoylemedia too). I’d told her it was a good place for showing little people in landscape, and d’ya know, I think she got it!

Had a complete technical fail with the fancy posters all my fellow Salomon Ambassadors have been able to post, so you’ll have to make do with a throwback view of The Faroe Islands I’ve spent waaaay too much time editing. Sigh. Dream trails there. On the other hand though, the rock is as loose as Rob’s Mum, so maybe I’ll stop getting all misty eyed.

Managed to make friends with Dartmoor granite again. Made some new additions to my regular circuits too, but mostly it’s just been so so good to hang out with friends on the high Moor, eating heavy cake and dodging menacing jet-black Kamikaze cows on the drive home. Aching to get on a rope now though, hopefully there’s plenty of summer left yet. • 1. Anaerobic Crack, Hound Tor 2. HayTor & Low Man 3. Liars Dice Arête with the Green Army 4. Dream of White Horses 5. Umpire Arête, Bonehill. PC: @emmacrome

Running around in the woods carrying rock shoes trying to find boulders. A fruitless search, ended up dicking around on a bridge, trying not to disturb the wild swimmers. Some wondrous light in the woods at the moment. Slide 1&2: @jorgemalkin 3&4: mine

“In the midst of Winter, I found there was within me, an invincible Summer” — Albert Camus • Kernow knocking socks off again. If it only had mountains it really would be paradise. Still, twas mega gurt lushino to clamber on golden granite and run trails above turquoise water with Mrs Miyagi, the second greatest decorator in West Penwith (Do Not Climb on this side of ladder). • @salomonrunning #timetoplayagain #RunOnEmotion

Jaffa cakes are like profiteroles: I’m not showing off but I can just keep putting them in. Like tasty mouthfuls of fresh air. I could eat a million, it’s easy, I only wish there was a way to profit from this talent. If you dip them in tea, a whole packet can go in 60 seconds without even racing. Gwen Stefani taught me that little stunt, on a rainy weekend spent doing jigsaws and drinking tea. #fullmoonhalfmoontotaleclipse

Like a lot of people, I’m missing the big hills at the moment. It’s nearly time. But during this mountain sabbatical though, I think I’ve gained the most energy from running in the woods and enjoying the light in the trees. I’ve definitely felt more gratitude for nature since restrictions started and even as they’ve eased. And that’s not a gratitude to the government for allowing that exercise time outdoors, it’s just a more mindful appreciation of little things like flowers, birdsong and running in the forest. Going to try and hold on to that. • @salomonrunning #RunOnEmotion #TimeToPlayAgain

Awwriiite? Yea you? Yea. Wasson, much or no? No not really, you? No. Cheers then. • Been ticking over with some joglets. But must admit it’s so nice to get out with company again recently, running and climbing and talking crap with some of Devon’s finest for company. Geddon. • #TimeToPlayAgain Photo: @jorgemalkin @salomonrunning #RunOnEmotion

At Bonehill Rocks there are two car parks. The main, larger one, is slightly down hill of the Tor and needs a river crossing and an unseemly uphill slog for tourists to access the boulders. The smaller, slightly nearer one, is called The Climbers Car Park and it offers a flat, carpeted approach to the arena that’s more in keeping with the elegance of its patrons. Unofficially officially you can only park in the climbers car park, if you’ve climbed Rippled Wall. This is enshrined as the solemn law of The Green Army and according to the Good gospel of Langage Farm. Rippled Wall is the gem of the Tor, indeed one of the best of The Shire. A beautiful scooped arc of granite with shallow horizontal rippled breaks. A stone set in a natural amphitheater at the top of the Tor, it has an undercut start necessitating a really high right foot, and a bamboozling pull on the two worst holds of the problem. It’s stubborn, it can feel quite tall, and at V4 - repels many more plastic heroes than you might expect. But, if you get past the morale-sapping ‘I can’t get off the bleddy deck’ crux, you can romp to glory knowing you’ve earned yourself a sought-after parking permit. Slide 2 is Big Dave renewing his ticket for the year. Geddon. Not really though, honorary life time membership for Him of course. That old magic? Still got it me ansums.

Catching up on some overdue writing projects. This first one will bore the bejezus out of most of my friends (way to whet peoples appetites Marky), but for anyone training for 'ultras' or more specifically the big UK mountain Rounds, it might be an interesting ramble. Feel free to share it or tag anyone you know who might be aiming at similar goals. You know where the link is. @salomon @salomonrunning #timetoplay

Managed to see February off without being buried under an avalanche of valentines cards, or proposals. Not sure I’m thrilled with the whole ‘new weekend new storm’ pattern though. But after getting up a few hills to blow the cobwebs away, am now looking forward to March: The clocks go forward; the @salomonrunning #salomonsummituk promises to be fun; the weather must surely SURELY become rock friendly (come on Dartmoor!); it’s socially acceptable to have Hot Cross Buns every day; and Scarlett Johnansson is going to tire of this silly hard to get game. #timetoplay

“Shall we go for a run?” Hesitation thoughts: ‘It’s freakin freezin hail & snow forecast minus 7 windchill gusting 45 getting dark work to do hungry.’ “Come onnnn!” “Okay then.” Why am I always so reluctant when other people are always right? It’s an illness. On the plus side: Third ever time with hot aches and first time I’ve managed to keep the tears inside. Am finally toughening up into gnarly mountaineer type. Might even start being enthusiastic soon. Maybe. @emmacrome & me on the run. @rygoff on the gun. • @salomonrunning @salomon #timetoplay

It's been a bit of a bleak winter. Certainly not a vintage one from a weather perspective. Making the decision to finally bring my spirit animal into my home, who turned out to be a labour-intensive twat, was only a silver lining inasmuch as I wasn't missing out on much outdoor fun while it rained and rained and rained. Making do with tiny morsels of time in nature became the norm. It felt pretty grim at times, genuinely touch and go for my poorly little puppy (I love him really), and first-world cabin fever for me, and I realised what a privileged life I'd been leading. These low key outings were pretty far removed from the Matterhorn, the Black Cuillin, even the South West Coast Path, and they felt like crumbs when I wanted to be baking my own bread. But being thankful for little stolen scraps (and eternally grateful to my friends and family dogsitters who facilitated these sanity restoring runs & climbs) and having plenty of time to ruminate, has only really served to whet my appetite for what's most important to me. Cannot wait to get back into the mountains. Here are a few of my favourite crumbs... (The last slide was taken by @emmacrome ) • @salomon @salomonrunning #timetoplay

If it’s like this at loch level, imagine what’s it’s like on the tops? Salomon Golden Trail National Series UK: Trail Marathon Wales – 20th June The Serpent trail 50km – 11th July Scafell Pike Marathon – 16th Aug Ring of Steall Glencoe (UK Final) – 19th Sept Top 3 men and women of the series will be invited to take part in the grand finale in the Azores. With travel and accommodation included, it’s well worth trying to get to 3 of the 4 races if you can if you fancy a challenge? @salomonrunning #GTNSUK

Having a bit of an outdoor drought. Haven’t climbed in yonks. Running only sporadically. Being out Alpha-maled by an 11 week old poo machine. It’s raining a lot. Got a backlog of work. On the day pictured I didn’t even pull on because I’d run out of enthusiasm and energy. Looked that particular gift horse right in the mouth didn’t I. But... despite feeling pretty grinchy about things, next years Mountain Scheming has started in earnest. There are glimmers of hope that Elvis might let me escape for a quick 10k soon, without leaving me lots of welcome back presents. It won’t rain forever but while it does, I can catch up with work. In the meantime there’s still a chance to win a head to toe Salomon Running outfit. That link is still in my bio. Pretty sure you can even enter twice if you sign up for a newsletter too. (It’s Golden Hour at Margalef by the way. In case anyone was wondering.) • @salomon @salomonrunning #salomonxmascomp #timetoplay #sponsored #climbing #climb #climber #tradclimbing #rockclimber #rockclimbing #climbing_lovers #getoutside #optoutside #exploremore #climbinglife #folkcreative #bestmountainartists #margalef #limestone #climbingphotography #thegreatoutdoors #mountainstories #climbinginspiration #sportclimbing #tradisrad #thisisthebestdayofmylife #thisisliving

I am counting down the days - not until Christmas, just until the sunlight gets longer every day. But if you’re more excited for the big day of gifts and food and family, there is a link in my bio for a competition to win an entire head-to-toe Salomon running kit. That will be with you just as the evenings start getting longer. • @salomon @salomonrunning #salomonxmascomp #timetoplay #sponsored #mountainrunning #thefellrunner #lesscloudmoresky #skyrunning #sunrise #runtoexplore #running #runner #muddytrainersclearmind #winnatspass #wildrunning #goniceplacesdogoodthings #thisisthebestdayofmylife #ridge #runhappy #exploretocreate #bestmountainartists #wanderfolk #folkscenery #folkcreative #thisisliving #seenonmyrun #runwildrunfree #catchthesun