After driving and working all hours, most people with any level head would use off days for R n R. Good job I haven't got a level head then hu? It all started a few weeks back after a big presentation in London and a training session with one of the UKs Olympic marathon hopes Liz Yelling, I trekked the length of the country and ended up with my friend Alex on the Isle of Arran.

We had an ace few days kicking back, checking out a tour of the local Arran distillery, taking a peek at local cheese factory, discovering old caves, running training in the pouring rains, grabbing a bed and breakfast in a Swiss owned lodge and eating Chinese in someones living room...long story!! The island was real quiet which was awesome for absorbing the views and ripping our rental car around.

The next couple of days off were spent blasting down from Scotland to Wales in search of some epic xc riding. Em, Tracy, Teeny, Dan, Jake, Dean and myself piled into the Hub vans and blasted down at warp speed (fuelled by the biggest box of travel sweets known to man) for some quality trail riding.

We were met by Mo which was ace, I have stayed in the same house as Mo and have quite a few mutual friends, but strangely, in 10 whole years, our paths never crossed!! It was great to eventually hang with her!! Day one was spent at Coed y Brenin on a 32 km loop which was awesome, the trail was interspersed with all kinds of variety to keep us on our toes! There was the most randomly thrown together patch of north shore, it was so squiggly, I nearly did a top fuel and bailed into the bog.

Day two was a little more chilled out on the trails of Betsy Coed. I swear, my ass was so frikkin sore, it felt like someone had wired a tenz machine to it and turned it on FULL BORE!!

Wales was is like a nicely decorated cake. Beautiful on the outside and a little fruity in the middle! Some areas are pikey pikey do as you likey. It is beautiful in a sense that many areas are still untouched, but it does breed some strange things........its all about the village!!

The only reason I am on this computer is because I have HIT THE WALL!! In the last few days, I have driven from Glasgow to what feels like Tim-Buck-Two and back for work....I did like 400+ miles yesterday and I am pooped!! On the way home I was looking forward to going for a spin with a smooth talking Irish stew pot, somethings just never go to plan!! I think I got the best deal tho, I ended up with the Hics in hill-billy-ville pitching a ti pee in the snow!!After stocking up on essentials, we did some 4 wheelin in the snow along the rough ground to 'BASE CAMP' Helvellyn just in time to watch the sun set and the snow clouds roll over. The guys had the deal dialled in, they'd made the coolest wood burner which I cooked a sausage casserole on for T. Man those guys know how to live, basic and FUN! We had such a laugh, I set my shoes on fire

So, be warned, when in Wales, if you walk into a pub and ask if they are still serving, the answer is usually in the fact that the lights are still on and the door is open!! Tom tom aint always right...however, you if it tells you to park up and take a bus, it generally means your lost, bail!! Teeny has the SWEETEST tooth! Ti pees are officially the coolest way to camp. Deliverance is best played full bore, plaid clad from the booms of a 4x4 in the middle of no-where, tinny in hand. Boys don't always know where the hole is, especially in regard to petrol tanks that are cleverly concealed by anti theft 'flaps'.