Trails & Tribulations.

Always smiling! Derbyshires Peak District National Park. Ladybower Reservoir in the backdrop.

Today (Thursday) we set out for a Dark Peak epic!

However as often happens it didn’t turn out to be quite the epic we had planned (no change there then! :D).

Mitch and I set out about 08.20am to hopefully meet up with Mark Franklin in Edale; the beating heart of Dark Peak mountain biking. The Captain (Mark Bishton) couldn’t make it today which was a shame because whenever The Captain comes out it means that I’m not the slowest rider! En-route Mark Franklin informed us that his van wouldn’t start and he wouldn’t be coming either. Just me and the wing-man today then (or am I his wing-man? Probably!).

The forty mile drive to Edale always flies by when you have the beautiful Derbyshire countryside for company and Mitch and I arrived in good time. It was unexpectedly windy when we opened the car doors and not a warm wind either. We shivered and grumbled as we got changed and prepared the bikes. It was a ‘jackets on’ job for the first few miles until we warmed up. Once mounted we retraced our steps along Edale road towards Nether Booth before climbing steadily up the bridleway that traverses Nether Moor, through Jaggers Clough and up on to ridgeline at Hope Cross. I stopped briefly to take a couple of photographs of the stunning views all around us; it is a truly beautiful place and I never tire of it.

Health, Happiness & training tips for mortals.

Disclaimer (:D): I am an ordinary guy with a full time job and a life. I’m certainly not an athlete nor am I a sports scientist. Here I’m going to try and give you an insight into how I train and how I’ve been training for the Himalaya Quest. I’m not sponsored so every product that I recommend is tried, tested and paid for with own money. None of this may be suitable for you; although I’m sure some of it will help.

Anyone thinking of taking up a challenge like our Himalaya Quest or just wanting to get fitter should consider seeking advice from a professional; you can find plenty of advice online or consult an adviser at your local gym etc.

For me there are three important criteria for preparing for an event or for just living a balanced and healthy lifestyle; which is pretty much what I try to do these days.

All are equally important to me and help me to function better.

Fueling, Hydration and Recovery.

Posting comments help.

Hi everyone.

I have been contacted about users being able to post comments on the blog pages; apparently quite a few have tried and nothing appears!

How to do it:

1. Post your comment in the comment box at the bottom of the page you wish to discuss.
2. Select your profile in the "comment as" drop down box immediately below the comment box. IE Anonymous etc.
3. Next select the publish button. This will refresh the page and normally send you back to the top.
4. Scroll down the page to the comment box and you will see a preview box and a word verification code, for security and to prevent spamming, insert the code an select publish.

Hey Presto and your comment is published. It won't appear immediately as it has to be confirmed by myself or Matt but as long as it's not spam we'll OK it.


I hope this helps. :)

Asia Fantasia Part 4. Laid back Langkawi.

Sam from The Gecko showing off his fire breathing skills

Our flight with Air Asia from Singapore to Pulau Langkawi, Malaysia was smooth, quick and easy. Once again we passed through immigration and collected yet another Malaysian stamp in the passports before getting a taxi straight to The Gecko Guesthouse at Pantai Cenang (all the taxi prices were on fixed rates!). I had emailed ahead to inquire about accommodation and we got a half decent twin chalet with a fan and a usable bathroom (unlike the one at the hovel in Padang!) for a princely £12.00 per night or thereabouts. The Gecko was a cool place with a decent hang-out area and a bar. We liked it immediately.
As usual we dumped our packs in the room and went of to explore. We had a walk down the main street to check it out and a look at the lovely 2km long white sandy beach. Oh yes! That'll do nicely we decided :)
Langkawi is an unusual spot; it has a very laid back feel to it, almost a Caribbean vibe and the locals are as chilled as you can get. Expect to hear the constant humming of Reggae beats everywhere you go if you ever get the chance to visit.
It is a stunningly beautiful place too with long ridges of Karst-like mountains and a lush green interior. Fortunately for us it was also designated a duty-free district by the Malaysian Government in 1986 and this meant that it was also a very cheap place to visit.

Coming soon... :)

Bridge over The Daugava River. Riga, Latvia.

Hi folks.
I hope you have been enjoying my recent posts.
There are a few more to follow in the next week or so.
Asia Fantasia - Part three; should be the final one of that series.
A nice review of my short trip to Riga, Latvia over the weekend Including the Bobsledding! And quite a bit of Mountain Biking stuff - Trails & Tribulations - to write about, oh and a couple of Peak District hikes too. 
I'm also going to try and include a few genuine and honest product/hostel/travel reviews as well, hopefully some of you will find them useful.


Please try and support our charities for the Himalaya Quest if you can spare any change. Just £1/$1/Euro from every reader will add to up to a lot of money! You can use the "Please Sponsor Us" link boxes at the top of the page.

Don't forget that you can follow our progress daily on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/#!/HimalayaQuest

And also view additional stuff and photo's etc on our Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/ChaseTheRainbow  
Feel free to click the "Like" botton if you err... like it!

See you soon q:)