Project Mountain Man

This one’s a proper adventure.

I flew to Morocco on my own to climb Mount Toubkal — 4,167 metres and the highest point in North Africa.

From questionable Moroccan driving, a taxi driver I briefly thought was trying to kidnap me, mint tea, mules, tagine overload and possibly the loudest snorer in Switzerland...

to a 3am summit push through the dark and one of the most incredible sunrises I’ve ever seen.

And then, right near the top, my guide Hicham gave me a high five, put his arm around me and said:

“Go on, brother.”

That moment hit harder than I expected.

This episode is the full story of the weekend — the funny bits, the lack of sleep, the altitude, the summit and what standing on top of Toubkal actually meant to me.

This is Project Mountain Man.

A straightforward sunrise hike up Cadair Idris turned into something slightly less straightforward.

At around 1,400 feet, I realised I’d left the car keys behind.

So while Steve carried on with both rucksacks, I headed back down, found the keys, turned around and climbed the lower section all over again.

What followed was an extra couple of miles, a second ascent, some very useful Garmin navigation, questionable Welsh pronunciation, a Red Bull-related emissions problem… and eventually, an absolutely incredible sunrise from the summit.

Episode 4 is the first proper adventure episode of Project Mountain Man.

Real audio from the mountain, a plan going wrong, and a reminder that sometimes the only option is to sort the problem and keep moving.

12 months and 9 days without alcohol. So what does life actually look like now?

In Episode 3, I bring Project Mountain Man right up to the present day — reclaimed weekends, better habits, being more present, the bizarre drinking dream that nearly ruined everything and why I've gone from trying not to drink... to simply not drinking.

Life isn't perfect. I'm still working things out. But the good days far outweigh the bad ones.

And now there's something much bigger on the horizon.

In 23 days, I'm heading to Morocco to attempt Mount Toubkal at 4,167 metres, my first experience of altitude and the start of the next chapter.

This is what 12 months and 9 days looks like.

Project Mountain Man.

Episode 2 is about what happens when you take something out of your life — and suddenly realise how much time it used to occupy.

For me, stopping drinking left a gap. At first, I filled it with the gym. That worked for a while, but eventually I needed something with more longevity.

So I started walking.

Nothing dramatic. No huge fitness plan. Just a couple of miles.

Those two miles gradually became three, then four, and eventually the five-mile loop I now walk most evenings.

In this episode, I talk about building fitness through consistency, finding a natural release instead of a chemical one, and how those ordinary evening walks eventually started paying off in the mountains.

I also look back at two photos taken around fourteen months apart on the Edale Skyline — and realise just how much can change when you keep turning up.

This isn't about telling anyone to stop drinking or become a hiker.

It's simply what worked for me.

The route grew. My fitness grew. And somewhere along the way, I did too.

Four cans of cider. A camping trip. And absolutely no idea they were going to be my last.

In the first episode of Project Mountain Man, I go back to the point where drinking had stopped adding anything to my life. The same pubs, the same routines, lost weekends, wasted time — and the growing feeling that I was capable of more than simply waiting for Friday night to come around.

There was no rock bottom. No dramatic final night. Just the gradual realisation that alcohol was taking more than it was giving.

Then came one completely ordinary camping trip, four cans of cider, a questionable compost toilet and a sirloin steak for breakfast.

The following morning, something finally clicked.

This is where Project Mountain Man begins.