About Me
My interest in places and maps began at an early age through learning all the capital cities, longest rivers and highest mountains. My form teacher at junior school said I read maps like others read books. This interest has been part of my DNA. Unsurprisingly perhaps, I pursued geography from school to university and it undoubtedly influenced my decision to study in Canada where the fjord-like coastline and mountains of western Canada acted as a magnet, leading me to live in Victoria at the southern tip of Vancouver Island.
My fascination with maps ultimately drove me to embrace the discovery of what places were like on the ground, whether that has been an amazing landscape or an iconic building or location, as well as providing the intrinsic stimulation of travelling, reaching a chosen destination, and on occasions, perhaps also finding some good weather as a bonus!
Travelling for 3 weeks in Greenland in 2015 was an accomplishment of a long held ambition and has provided the inspiration for establishing this website and sharing some of the experiences, thoughts and tips I have picked up from my various travels.
Besides living in British Columbia, I have
- picked up a car in Vancouver and driven across Canada to deliver it a week later in Toronto
- backpacked around Europe, Alaska, Iceland and South East Asia
- driven up, down and across rough mountain roads
- undertaken many great walks including the old goldrush route of the Chilkoot Trail into the Yukon
- felt about as far away from home as it is possible to be on Stewart Island, New Zealand
- watched test cricket in Barbados
- experienced the urban intensity of New York and Hong Kong
On the other hand, looking down on the patchwork of green fields, woodlands, hills, villages and streams when flying back into Great Britain, can still bring a lump to the throat. It’s a reminder that one doesn’t have to travel thousands of miles to find places and sights that bring reward and enjoyment. There is more ‘just up the road’ to invigorate ourselves than we sometimes realise.
Coming to appreciate Winchester and its surrounding area for the 20 years I have lived here has certainly provided just that. It may not always have the most obvious dramatic or jaw-dropping qualities, but it can still provide much ‘food for the soul’, whether one spends just 10 minutes or a day experiencing it. Such places may simply provide a place for rest or quiet thought whilst we take time out from our busy schedules.
Today the benefits of accessing the outdoors and being with nature and wildlife are more widely recognised than ever before as they provide an antidote to the pace and pressures of everyday life and generally boost our mental well-being.
David Tozer