Runs With Axes exists because some journeys are too good not to share. For the better part of two decades, I've been drawn to the high places and wild waters of Britain—running across fell and mountain, chasing light and movement through a camera lens, and paddling the ragged edges of our coastline. This site is where those adventures live.
Who I Am
I'm a fell runner, race photographer, sea kayaker and writer based in the north of Britain. My home is within striking distance of some of the country's most compelling terrain: the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District, Snowdonia, and the Pennines. Over the years, these landscapes have become less like destinations and more like old friends—places I return to again and again, each visit revealing something new.
Fell running came first. There's something about moving fast over rough ground, reading the land beneath your feet, that strips away everything unnecessary. The races—the Ben Nevis Race, the Lakeland classics, the Scottish hill races—they're the punctuation marks in a life spent in the hills. But the real joy is in the running itself: the dawn starts, the weather turning, the particular silence of high places.
Race photography followed naturally. Watching fell runners push themselves on steep ground, capturing that moment when effort and landscape collide—it's become as much a part of my year as the running. I've spent hundreds of hours on mountainsides with a camera, waiting for the light and the runner to align.
Sea kayaking is the newest thread, but perhaps the most meditative. From the Shetland Isles to South Wales, I've been exploring Britain's coastline by paddle. There's a different kind of wildness on the water—the tidal races, the sea lochs, the sudden islands that emerge from the horizon. It's taught me patience and respect in equal measure.
Why This Site Exists
Runs With Axes began as a way to document these adventures properly. Too many experiences were living only in memory or scattered across social media. I wanted a space where the writing could breathe, where photographs could be presented as they deserve to be, and where I could explore the stories behind the routes, the races, and the journeys.
But it's become something more than a personal archive. Over the years, readers have found their way here—fell runners looking for route inspiration, photographers seeking technical insight, kayakers planning their next expedition, and people simply curious about what draws someone to these wild places. That community matters. Knowing that something I've written or photographed has helped someone else find their way onto a hill or into a kayak—that's the real point.
What You'll Find Here
The site is organised around three main areas:
- Fell Running — Routes, race reports, training reflections, and the occasional rant about weather. Routes span the Scottish hills, Welsh mountains, and Lakeland fells, with detailed descriptions and honest assessments of difficulty.
- Race Photography — Images from fell races in northern England and hill races in Scotland. These aren't polished studio shots; they're the raw moments of competition and effort captured on mountainsides.
- Sea Kayaking — Expedition reports, coastal exploration, and the particular challenges of paddling around Britain's ragged edges. From sheltered sea lochs to exposed headlands, each journey is documented.
There's also a Words section, where longer pieces live—essays, interviews, and reflections that don't fit neatly into the other categories. And a blog that captures the smaller moments: the conditions on a particular day, the light at a particular hour, the small discoveries that make these places endlessly interesting.
The Philosophy
Everything here is rooted in firsthand experience. I don't write about routes I haven't run, photograph races I haven't attended, or kayak journeys I haven't made. The knowledge comes from time spent in these landscapes—sometimes in perfect conditions, more often in poor ones. I've learned as much from getting lost as from finding the way.
The writing aims to be honest and specific. Fell running isn't always glorious; sometimes it's cold and wet and harder than expected. Sea kayaking can be genuinely frightening. But these difficulties are part of what makes these activities worthwhile. I try to capture that complexity rather than smooth it away.
Photography here serves the same purpose. The images aren't meant to be pretty postcards; they're meant to convey what it actually feels like to be on a fell or on the water—the scale of the landscape, the effort required, the light at a particular moment.
An Invitation
Whether you're a seasoned fell runner, a curious photographer, someone planning their first sea kayaking expedition, or simply someone who loves wild places, there's something here for you. Explore the routes and races. Look through the photographs. Read the stories. Use what you find useful; ignore what you don't.
These mountains and coastlines belong to all of us. My hope is that Runs With Axes helps you spend more time in them, and that you find in them what I have: challenge, beauty, solitude, and the particular kind of peace that comes from moving through wild country under your own power.
Welcome.