Win a copy of Mud Sweat and Gears

The Departure Board are giving away five copies of my book Mud Sweat and Gears. If you would like to enter go to their website here. If you haven't visited the site before take some time to look around - it's packed with loads of brilliant stuff about travelling both in the UK and abroad.

I went in to Stanfords in Bristol yesterday to top up on my map collection for my Ireland tour. I've now got the set of four 1cm-2.5km maps. I've decided that will suffice, anyway I hear that the signposting in Ireland is brilliant so I'm sure we won't get lost...


Mick and I also came this close (imagine thumb and forefinger very close together) yesterday to buying a smartphone each. In the end we bottled it. We are both technophobic and repeatedly glazed over in the various phone shops. 


Whenever Mick was asked a question by the sales person a look of panic crossed his face and he looked round frantically for me. 'Ask her, don't ask me!' he said.
I glared at him. 'I don't know!' I said.

We left feeling browbeaten and vaguely uneasy. As we calmed down over a pint, Mick looked at me. 'Shall was not bother?' he said. 'I've got a camera. You've got some maps. Won't that do?'
Thank god. 'Yes, let's not bother,' I agreed. 'After all £70 per month for two phones - well that's an awful lot of beer.'