Whilst working as a financial services project manager, I increasingly found myself drawn to the hills, kicked off my an email circulating at work about the 3 Peaks Challenge. Training for that and the event itself led to a greater appreciation of the wilder places, and their power in combatting the stresses and strains of modern life.
In 2011, I became freelance so that I could enjoy more time in the outdoors on my own terms, with several trips to the hills each year, and big gaps between work contracts to binge on the outdoors.
In 2015, ten years after starting, I completed my Wainwrights round – achieved without using a car (public transport or on foot only) to get to every fell.
In 2017, I completed my first TGO Challenge, an event which offered the sort of balance of solo time and social time in the outdoors that I was looking for. I am now a regular Challenger, taking part as often as I can manage around other things going on.
Somewhere along the way, I felt the desire to capture my experiences in a way that photographs couldn’t, and took up drawing and painting. I eventually evolved into an abstract landscape artist working in a variety of media – but principally watercolour, acrylic, texture and mixed media.
As a semi-professional artist, I have exhibited several times in London, and at various regional art fairs.
My art can be viewed at the dedicated site matthewkingarts.com which showcases my latest work. I exhibit primarily in Essex and London, but selected works are also available on etsy and on my Facebook page.
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Hi mate don’t suppose you still have the ookworks inner ?
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No sorry, someone took that off my hands almost straightaway.
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I’ve been reading your blog for some time now and I’m hoping to ask a couple of questions…can’t find an email add so this space will have to do…please delete if inappropriate. I’ll be walking the Wainwright Way with Ramblers Holidays in May and I’m wondering if you’d set me straight on the clothes to bring. Any thoughts on what the weather across England in May should be? Always raining? Cold, warm or hot? Layers, of course, but I’m wondering whether I should expect rain or cold continuously in that area. Thanks…and Happy New Year!
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NW England weather in May can be anything from warm sunny days to rain, gales, hail and even snow. I’ve had all of these in the Lake District at that time of year. So the clothes you should bring should reflect the uncertain nature of the likely weather, and reflect the fact that the route of the Wainwright Way does go up high where it will be colder and more exposed to wind. There may be some snow underfoot in places on the tops – I’ve encountered snow on Glaramara in May, which is close to your route. However, I’d expect the “average” weather to be rain showers and day time temperatures of 9C to 15C. I think it’s quite likely that on a walk of that length you’ll get some days of heavy rain or strong wind. Personally I would work on it being cold and wet rather than hot, but use your layers so that you can walk in anything from just a base layer through to full wet weather gear. Assuming the holiday involves luggage transfer (?) then I’d simply cover all of the bases if I were you, with as many spares as you find works for you. If I were doing it I’d pack: 200 weight merino base layer, a softshell jacket, a decent waterproof jacket that fits over the softshell, and an emergency warm layer of some kind in case it’s really cold – that may be an insulated jacket (definitely if I was camping, probably not if I was staying under a proper roof at night), or a windshirt type thing. I tend to wear softshell trousers as well, which then covers rain showers but not heavy prolonged rain, so I’d throw in a pair of overtrousers too. This combination works well for me as I get quite hot when walking, so I rarely feel the need for a fleece. So packing for cold and wet but with the ability to take stuff off if it’s warm is the way to go.
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Thank you…this is hugely helpful. I also get pretty warm while walking, so it’s a challenge to figure out the best combination to wear/pack. Thank you for the head’s up re May weather and for the point of it getting colder as we climb. I’ve just picked up a Patagonia down “sweater” (really a jacket) and a Marmot Minimalist rain jacket, but it sounds like I’ve got plenty of reasons left to head to our outdoor gear stores! Much appreciated. Happy 2016!
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