It’s Valentine’s Day. For every unabashed declaration of love, there is a corresponding cynic decrying the commercialisation of the day with its cards, chocolates and twee teddy bears. So, here’s my love letter – it’s to my PrAna trousers! This isn’t a standard gear review – it’s definitely a swooning, lovelorn look at a purchase … Continue reading
Author Archives: Nicola Underdown
News from the Parish Noticeboard
For those who I haven't excitedly blurted this out to already – I've recently become a contributor at Rock Climbing UK. I recently interviewed Ian Parnell, joint editor of Climb magazine, reviewed The Season and will be doing some more stuff with them over the coming months. I'll keep you posted! Continue reading
A micro-adventure: biking to Clumber Park
You know how usually my posts are accompanied by beautiful pictures in glorious technicolor? Well, you’ll just have to do without those today. Dave didn’t come on my micro-adventure, and I was too busy biking to get many (any?) pictures! A few weeks ago, I met up with my friend Kate Lockhart. Kate’s a … Continue reading
Holy moly, it’s February already! A tale of our day trip to Moel Siabod
Oh boy, am I getting withdrawal symptoms! It's more than a month now since we packed up our ludicrously over-stuffed bags and hauled ourselves to YVR airport for our final trip back to the UK, the expired visa hanging limply from the pages of our passports. Christmas and New Year passed in a blur, and … Continue reading
So what’s Canada like, then?
Since our return to Britain in the last days of 2010, the question I’ve heard most has undoubtedly been “what’s Canada like?” or more simply, “how’s Canada?” Needless to say, this is a tough question to answer. How to summarise a year’s worth of exploration, new experiences and adventures? And of course, not everyone really … Continue reading
I hear there’s been a bit of snow in Britain…
… so I thought I'd share what we've been doing in the Canadian snow! As you might imagine, Canada takes the whole snow thing rather in its stride, even though Vancouver itself doesn't often get more than a dusting. And after last winter's warmth and lack of snow (remembering the stories of snow being trucked … Continue reading
Exploring America’s grandest tourist attractions
When you think of the Grand Canyon, what springs to mind? Perhaps it’s a scene from Roadrunner, as the ‘meep meep’ bird outwits Wile Coyote once again, darting amongst the red rocks and sandy canyons of the desert. Perhaps you think of cacti, extreme heat, the grandeur of the scenery stretching for miles. I’m guessing … Continue reading
Niagara Falls: a lesson in how to devalue a priceless natural asset
When you come from the UK, you're born with an inbuilt local seaside comparator. If you're from the North West, it might be Blackpool, in North Wales it could be Rhyl. For the East of England, Great Yarmouth could be your seaside town reference point; further north it might be Skegness, Bridlington or Filey. Everybody … Continue reading
Where have I been all this time?
There's been a noticeable hiatus in my blogging over the last month. Perhaps you were concerned that I'd fallen into a crevasse after my exploits ice-climbing? Or that Dave had finally managed to do me in after his attempt to flatten me on the ski slopes? In any case, we were back in the UK, … Continue reading
Nich and Dave become Canadians
The Olympics provided an opportunity for Canada to soul-search, and to debate what really lies at the heart of being a Canadian. A sense of humour, politeness, diplomacy – all have been considered. At the end of our first stint here in Canada, I feel well-qualified to add my twopenn'orth to the debate. Ice skating … Continue reading
Continental drift 