www.everythingawesome.co.uk

The idea of a “personal car park” usually conjures images of concrete slabs and reserved spaces, but for me, it’s something far more magnificent: the entire expanse of the Peak District National Park. It’s where I escape the hum of daily life, trading traffic jams for winding lanes and the claustrophobia of the urban grind for the endless horizon. This isn’t just a place to park my vehicle; it’s where I park my worries, my stresses, and my digital distractions, allowing my mind to breathe freely amidst nature’s grandeur.

Stepping out into the Peaks is an immediate sensory feast. The air, crisp and clean, carries the scent of damp earth and heather, often with a hint of sheep on the breeze. My eyes drink in the undulating landscape – the soft, rounded hills of the White Peak giving way to the dramatic, rugged gritstone edges of the Dark Peak. Each turn of the road, each ascent up a well-worn path, unveils a new vista, a fresh masterpiece painted by ancient geological forces and centuries of human interaction. Sunlight dapples through ancient woodlands, illuminating moss-covered stones, while the calls of curlews echo across vast moorlands.

This “car park” offers more than just stunning views; it offers solace and rejuvenation. I find myself drawn to the quiet valleys where crystal-clear streams tumble over rocks, or to the exhilarating heights of Mam Tor, where the wind whips through my hair, carrying away every last shred of tension. Whether I’m tackling a challenging ascent up Kinder Scout, enjoying a gentle stroll through a charming Dales village like Castleton, or simply sitting by a drystone wall, watching the clouds scud across the sky, I feel an profound sense of connection and belonging.

It’s a place of contrasts, of raw beauty and gentle serenity. The wild, untamed expanses remind me of nature’s power, while the cosy pubs and quaint tearooms offer warmth and respite. Every visit feels like hitting a reset button, a chance to recalibrate and reconnect with what truly matters. My personal car park is far more than a parking spot; it’s a sanctuary, an adventure playground, and a constant source of wonder that always leaves me refreshed and ready to face the world, until my next return.

The Dunning Kruger effect describes a cognitive bias where people with limited knowledge or skill in a specific area tend to overestimate their abilities and competence in that area. This bias can lead them to incorrectly perceive themselves as more skilled than they are, and also mistakenly underestimate the abilities of others, according to Psychology Today. 

Key aspects of the Dunning-Kruger effect:

• Overestimation of Abilities:Individuals lacking expertise or knowledge in a particular domain may be overly confident in their abilities and overestimate how much they understand or know. 
• Lack of Metacognition:This bias is often linked to a deficiency in metacognition, the ability to think about one’s own thinking and performance. 
• Reverse Effect:While commonly described as a bias of those with low competence, some theorists also discuss the opposite effect, where highly skilled individuals might underestimate their abilities relative to others, according to Britannica. 
• Unawareness of Ignorance:Individuals with low competence may not be able to recognize their mistakes or limitations, further reinforcing their inflated sense of ability. 

Examples of the Dunning-Kruger effect:

• Beginning Aviators:A new pilot might overestimate their ability to handle complex flight maneuvers, according to the British Psychological Society. 
• Medical Residents:Junior doctors may think they are capable of treating patients more effectively than they actually are, according to the British Psychological Society. 

Personally, i think i live most of my life about half way up the Slope of Enlightenment, Or, is this just me sitting on the Peak or Mount Stupid?

But, as a sports coach, i may be able to help, wherever you are.

Living the best life.

My life, so many things are unimportant, age, gender, religion, colour, income, social standing. None of these make any difference at all.

A bold statement!

Standing at the top of a drop in, Mountain bike, Snowboard, Ski,   Pushing the tail of a skateboard over the coping,  ready to drop into that bowl, Rolling into some downhill MTB, Hanging off a rope, with rock in front of me, and birds behind.

I live a world where  as a 60-year-old man it’s cool for me to chat to a 15-year-old boy if he is doing something Uber fucking cool and that 15-year-old boy at the same time will chat away to me because he hopes I’m still doing this shit when he is my age.
There are no obstacles other than self imposed ones.  Free your mind from those, make friends because they have shared interests and the world will just feel better.

The Printroom, Hillsborough did a great job of embroidery, i now have my logo onto a Buffalo Systems Belay Jacket.

Really impressed with the job they did.

Happy Winter Solstice.
The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, and the first day of winter.
From this day onwards, the daylight will get longer until June 21st. But, as its the first day of winter, the days will get colder, the weather wetter, until around the sprint equinox when the buds will start to appear on flowers and trees. 

When it happens In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs on December 21 or 22. In 2024, it will be on Saturday, December 21 at 9:21 AM GMT. 

What it means The winter solstice happens when the Earth’s axis is tilted the farthest away from the sun, causing the sun to be at its lowest point in the sky. This results in the shortest day and longest night of the year. 

How it’s celebrated Many cultures around the world celebrate the winter solstice with holidays and festivals, including:

• Yule: A pre-Christian festival celebrated in Scandinavia 
• Saturnalia: A festival celebrated in Ancient Rome 
• Dongzhi Festival: A festival celebrated in China and East Asia 
• Inti Raymi: An Incan celebration in Peru that honors the Sun god 

• A gentle hike around Hingcliff Common, South of Langett reservoir.
• With a couple of clients new to navigation by map/compass. We worked on the basics

• The parts to a compass
• Map Scales, identifying features on the map.
• Taking a bearing.
• Map to ground.
• Taking a back bearing.
• identifying location.

At a time of day when most folk are either still laid in bed, or are eating their breakfast, or just generally getting ready for work. I am often on the road somewhere heading to a days work.

Sometimes I get to drive miles in the rain.

But then there are the days such as today where the thought of working in the outdoors just lifts my heart

Whether I am coaching, mountain biking, rock climbing, paddle, sports, skiing, snowboarding, or supporting people who have suffered life-changing injuries with their dreams of rebuilding a life with access to the outdoors, everyday is a pleasure.

I was once told, if you enjoy your job you will never work a day in your life.

So true.

www.everythingawesome.co.uk

A short piece on the time/effort to gain some of the Instructional qualifications i hold

BASI level 2 Snowboard instructor
This was almost a year of work, The BASI level 1 course was a 5 day long training and assessment course, i did this in Xscape Yorkshire The coach was Nathan Craig, little did he know but that course changed the next decade of my life.
BASI 2 was 2 weeks in Zermatt, Switzerland, this was a step up in every way from the L1, a hard 2 weeks, Mark Petty was the trainer, and similar to Nathan, my life changed after that course. The main change being i was now qualified to coach snowboarding around the world, in every country apart from France. i took time in the Italian Alps every winter for about the next 15 yrs.

MIAS L5 Mountain Bike instructor/tutor
A number of courses, starting with 2 days in Wales with Craig Nelder we went through the MIAS pathway together, progressing through the levels to L5 in around 12 months, this allowed me to run courses to train and assess other people to become MTB instructors

Snow Sport England Ski instructor level 1
A course taken in Snozone, 3 days long, with a month of consolidation and mentoring from Brian Ayres. I took this qualification mostly because my employer at the time paid for the course, they needed instructors with multiple snowsports qualifications. I must admit, I snowboard for love, ski for pay. It was never going to be the obsession my other sports where.

Climbing Wall Instructor. CWI and Rock Climbing instructor RCI
Training and assessment in Foundry Climbing centre Sheffield. The manager there, Mike Adams had told me, get a qualification and i will give you a job. I did. He did. a fantastic bloke to work for, under his support they paid for my next 2 qualifications,
Climbing Wall Development Instructor CWDI and Rock Climbing Instructor RCI. Climbing became an obsession, and still is.
I now work freelance and get to visit many climbing walls weekly, plus regular work outdoors in the Peak District.

Paddle Sports.
After experience with multiple governing bodies and qualification awarding bodies. My comments on PaddleUK are quite negative. The pathway to qualifications is not clear, and the website is a pit of long links that lead nowhere.
Paddle Sport Leader, this allows me to take people on differing crafts for a paddle with some restrictions, limited to under 200m from the shore, and winds under force 4.
Paddle Sport Instructor, this lets me give taster sessions and basic beginner level instructions.

So, this week we flew to Inverness, hired a car and drove around the North of Scotland. the NC500

Not satisfied with this we drove over to Skye to see the Fairy Pools. Then visited Glencoe, Ben Nevis and Aviemore Ski resorts (closed for summer). And. after 5 years remembered old friends at Off Beat Bikes. Foss, Nix and Jonnie. well done to Jonnie on getting his BASI 4.
a fantastic week with my best mate Lesley