Adventures of an Archivist

As well as the diary of his cycling adventures, Rope also deposited some of his maps and guidebooks at the archives. I discovered among...

Transcription by Alex Mager Itinerary: Horsepath, Foresthill, etc. (cycling) – 14th May 1901  Littlemore, Cowley and Cliffton Hampden...

Transcription by Alex Mager A few notes about this transcript before we begin... Words added as quotes (like this) are all taken from ...

Transcription by Alex Mager* April 1901 Faringsoutset We left Shrewsbury sheer against a sharp cool freshenend windbluster which grew as...

I can't wait to tell you about the wonderfully quirky diary which I have had the pleasure of unearthing of late! But first, as ever, I'd...

Transcription by Alex Mager Note: transcript of complete text, with added punctuation and headings for ease of reading. Any additional...

Join me as I travel back to 2006 when our canoeing adventures began - and we had five to a boat!

Researching the places mentioned in the "Log of the Gnat" and finding out if it is possible to revisit them...

Surprise discoveries opening up a whole new perspective on the canoe trip of 1867.

A week-long expedition across the lochs and coast of the Scottish highlands in our Old Town Discovery canoe.

Original text of the "Log of the Gnat" with a page by page full transcript.

Researching the author of the "Log of the Gnat" and the rest of the crew, along with the fascinating world of nineteenth century canoeing.

Here I explain what first inspired me to start this blog, travelling beyond the stores and into the wilds...