#LIKEACHALLENGE 

London offers a fine selection of xmas ice rinks every year. Whether you’re a skilled figure skater or a complete beginner, the atmosphere of the capital’s ice-rinks is enchanting. Here’s a round-up of my top 5 places to twirl around. On the practical side: they all cost between £14 and £17 for an hour of skating. From what I remember, Somerset House was the most expensive at £17,50 and Hampton Court the cheapest at £14. All prices include a pair of ice skates. I booked my t

Straight to the point... after two weeks I’m still at around two to three revolutions in my two foot spin. A lot of ‘twos’ in that sentence, but these are the current figures. I’ve been practising a lot of other ice-skating moves last week, which will eventually help me improve the spin. I wrote it in the previous post that without solid basics I won’t be able to go much further with my pirouetting. I was obviously hoping (wishful thinking..) that it would all happen a bit q

It’s one of the most popular banger car rallies in the world and I’m taking part in in the 2018 edition! It takes 3 days and the route starts in St.Quentin in France (just north-east of Paris) and goes via Switzerland and Italy, finishing in dazzling Monte Carlo famous for those F1 races (and 0% tax). No Ferraris on this occasion though: in order to be eligible, my car has to be worth less than £500. Source: Flicker, Here Lawford There will be a lot of driving and burning

I just came back from a preview screening of 'I, Tonya', the film about the Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding, who, in 1994, was involved in a plot to harm her biggest rival, Nancy Kerrigan. I was only 10 years old back then but I remember the news headlines very well. I was a massive figure skating fan (I still am, hence the pirouette challenge) and together with my grandma I used to be glued to the telly when the skating was on. Probably like most people, I saw Tonya as

Where am I at after one week of training? Well, a bit further than on Monday. I can manage one revolution in my two foot spin (sometimes two, if I focus hard enough on my balance and coordination). Considering I started at ZERO a few days ago, not bad. The thing is, I know I've set the bar really high with 5 revolutions in my pirouette (otherwise it wouldn't be a proper challenge), but in order to achieve that I need to get the hang of all the other bits. It's like learning

Yesterday was my first day at the ice rink. I'm training at the Alexandra Palace , which is an iconic Grade II listed entertainment venue in North London stemming from the 1870s. It's primarily used as an events space for concerts, exhibitions and sports nowadays, but interestingly (at least for me, a telly director) it was a major production centre for BBC. I think they've still got some studios there to this day. I only managed to sort out my skates at the weekend. I t

As promised, here’s a closer look at what it takes to reach the highest peak of the Atlas. It was my first major climb and I knew it wouldn’t be easy - 4167m is not a walk in the park. Toubkal is a really tough hike, rather than a technical climb, but nonetheless serious business. I prepped what I could beforehand: sorted out my attire including thermals, coat, gloves, hat, trekking trousers (I actually wore three layers altogether, putting them on or off depending on the ch

Tangier was the final destination. The very last 3,5 hours driving back from Casablanca to where it all started. I was very sad that my Moroccan adventure was coming to an end now, but busy planning in my head: what's next? For the first time I properly had a chance to look through all the photos and thought how much I've achieved within the space of just 10 days. I've enjoyed every second of Morocco, learnt a about off-road driving and climbed the highest peak in the Atlas.

Casablanca was the penultimate stop on the rally. I had a very romantic imagine of this city based on the cult Hollywood film under the same name, but the reality is...Casablanca is a giant construction site. It's a mix of modern commercial and apartment buildings, and some old soviet-like blocks...so I was left quite unimpressed. It lacks any architectural or historical landmarks apart from the Hassan II Mosque, which was well worth the drive. It's an imposing structure bu

After spending a whole week driving inland, I couldn't wait to head west towards the ocean. Initially the plan involved a nearly 800km / 10 hour drive south to Tarfaya after Marrakesh, but two days of the rally got eaten up by the Mount Toubkal climb... In hindsight, I should have given myself 12 days altogether (including the climb) to be able to visit Tarfaya... but hey, it's one of the first challenges and I will definitely work on logistics a bit more next time! Essaour

Day 4 was a drive from Ouarzazate to Imlil in prep for the Mount Toubkal climb. Just over 240km but the winding mountain tracks (add roadworks to that) made it into a solid 6 hour trek. I never actually feel it takes that long as I'm constantly distracted by the amazing views on route: Nearly looks like LA ;) Ah, the roadworks which stopped the whole traffic for a good hour.. If you look closely there's a digger 'hanging' on the side of the mountain at a 45 degree ang

Day 5 & 6 of the Morocco rally were dedicated to climbing Toubkal, the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains and North Africa. I was in the middle of nowhere for the last two days with no reception whatsoever, so forgive me the slight delay with posting updates to the site. I'll make up for that tomorrow while I'll pamper myself in Marrakesh and do some sightseeing around this amazing city. Firstly, I am soooo knackered. I still can't actually believe I climbed all the way up

As promised, updated post on day 2. Good night sleep in Fes even though I still have to get used to the singing/praying that starts at dawn… This charming hotel, Riad dar Guennoon, is located in the very centre of the city. Hard to find at first among the maze of alleyways, but one of the local lads helped us out. And of course he wanted to get paid for his kindness, which is essentially one of the ways they make money from tourism! I only got a couple of hours to walk

I’ll write more in the morning as I need to get some sleep, but long story short... We were supposed to get from Fez to Agoudal today, roughly 350km and 7hours drive. Unfortunately, part of the 'road' we took through the Atlas mountains simply doesn’t exist anymore, washed away by the river. So we had to turn around 5 hours into the drive.. which meant 2 hours back up the same road to find a hotel in one of the towns. Anyway, we came across this lovely place, Riad Mimouna ne

I’ve got a bit more wi-fi at my current hotel, even though it’s not the hotel in Agoudal that was planned.. more on that story in the next post. Currently sitting in the reception of hotel Riad Mimouna near Midlet (*update as of 2210: they've now closed the reception so outside :) Coming back to day one as yesterday was a disaster zone for internet connection (mind you, I got a 4G dongle for my laptop today, but don’t think it’s working either round here). Anyway, some prom

Well, I'm desperately trying to upload some photos for this post but the local Fez wi-fi ain't havin' any of it! (*update: managed to add ONE in morning today on Tuesday..yes, it only took the whole night to get in on the site) It's been a long day. Prep in the morning (picking up the car, supermarket spree and then..McD, shamelessly have to admit to that sin) and then 300km / 5hour drive to Fez. I'll do a quick tour of the city I the morning, but then we've got another 7 ho

Off to Malaga airport in a few minutes. Excited, but also a bit terrified! I guess that's what challenges are all about..doing something you thought you'd never do. It's been a dream of mine to do an off-road car rally for a loooong time, so no turning back now. And if I ever want to do the Dakar, better start working on my endurance! Even though I feel knackered and I'd rather sleep for a week!!! I barely managed to pack. I've got quite a lot of stuff after a 4 week 'A Plac

I've just reached Torremolinos near Malaga where I'm staying for the night. I've got the flight to Tangier tomorrow evening, so I'll treat myself to a proper lie in followed by sunbathing on the beach before 10 days of hard work. Below you have the face of someone drinking a mint tea and pondering 'why the hell am I not spending the next week and a half in a SPA'. Started the day googling what kind of dangerous creatures live in Morocco. For that reason alone, I'm kind of gl

Countdown to Morocco: 3 days to go and I’m uber excited! It’s gonna be my very first time on the African continent. I’ve wrapped on ‘A Place in the Sun’ in Torrevieja and driving towards Granada for the night. I just stopped in Lorca on the way to grab a quick dinner before another 2 hours drive. This amazing hotel and restaurant is called Parador de Lorca and its built on the site of the old Lorca castle ruins: just look at these panoramic views of he town from up here!

I just found out that Jonas, a cameraman who I’ve worked with for years on 'A Place in the sun', used to be a guide for adventure style holidays and he’s climbed the Kilimanjaro 14 times. Once in flip flops. A few drinks in the bar later, he's given me a bunch of ideas for my future challenges and Kilimanjaro is definitely one of them. But I'll start a bit lower than 5895m... My rally around Morocco will be passing through the foothills of the Atlas, so I am reserving a cou