2025 was certainly a year that I couldn’t have predicted at the end of 2024, it started with difficulty as Becky was not able to be very mobile due to an operation on her second knee. She was then allowed to ski prior to the end of winter, but in spring still wasn’t really allowed to do much walking, so she focussed on road biking and I focussed on paragliding.
As far as a paragliding season goes, it was a pretty spectacular one, with my absolute highlight being flying 200km through the alps while crossing the main alpine ridge with spectacular views over glaciated peaks from above. I also completed my first two competitions which was a great learning experience.
During the year I knew that this was my last year on my secondment, but as I didn’t want to leave Munich I explored my options to get a local job here. In July I was successful which meant that at the end of the year I left Rolls-Royce, a job which I have loved and thought would be my forever job. When I left in December, it ended over 45 years of having a Begley family member employed there.
In the summer and autumn we enjoyed a holiday in Slovenia and in the Dolomites Süd Tirol (more on that later), before taking advantage of heading to Southern Africa for 5 weeks for some paragliding and then an overlanding adventure through Namibia, Botswana to Victoria Falls.
Winter
The winter started with some remarkably good ski touring given the overall snow situation, and it was great to take Katherine on her first ski tours. Her first ski tour to Kreuzjoch was however unusual as we had absolutely perfect snow, but I made sure to give her the proper experience on her second to the Wetterkreuzkogel.
One of my ski touring highlights since I have moved here has to be the weekend I spent with Eric in the the Vorarlberg, where we enjoyed ok snow but with absolutely outstanding views, inversions and weather.
Surprisingly soon after her surgery Becky was allowed to go skiing, despite not being allowed to do much else, only in Bavaria… She had a surprisingly good season despite starting late, and still made the most of her annual ski pass. We enjoyed a particularly good long weekend away for her birthday in the Zillertal.
Our winter finished over easter in the Zillertal, which was a strange experience as the valley was so warm due to easter being so late, I was definitely ready to put my skis away after the easter weekend.
XC Paragliding
After 2024 which was terrible for paragliding in the alps, this year couldn’t have been much more different if it tried. In May it felt like every weekend had great flying conditions, and I certainly made the most of it making personal best flights, enjoying the sights from above and getting current on my Chili before upgrading to my first 2-liner, a Skywalk Sage.
When I upgraded to the Sage I was immediately besotted with the wing, it just felt so natural to fly. On my first flight with the wing I flew a 100km FAI triangle in the Pustertal and the Dolomites, with a brake line as it got caught on the take off.
Having had the brake line repaired, 3 days later I set off on a flight with the aim of flying back towards Munich. The conditions were really excellent as I raced towards the Stubaier Alpen and I was quickly above the high mountains flying above the glaciers, for the first time in years. I changed my mind about the destination due to the conditions not looking so good to the north, so then just flew east along the main ridge until the day ran out, just after I reached 200km.
That was the majority of my XC paragliding for the year as July was awful, and I had to have surgery on my Thyroid, which meant I would have missed the entire month anyway. I enjoyed a scenic xc flight in the Dolomites in September and had a week in Spain working from home in the morning, but the xc flying was unfortunately fairly restricted during that week.
Flying over the Dolomites at 4000m on a 100km FAI triangle from Speikboden
Paragliding 200km from Italy into Austria over the Stubai Alps and with views of the Großglockner
Paragliding Competitions
This year I entered the paragliding competition scene, and while I do not enjoy it as much as free flying on a great xc day, there is a lot to be said about the lack of organisation and stress. One just needs to turn up in a new location and fly the task, while knowing that if one bombs out, a retrieve is just a text message away. The added bonus of improving as a free flyer is really the icing on the cake.
My first competition was Fly Wide Open in North Macedonia, a comp designed for people on their first competition. The conditions were not the best during the week, but we had plenty of flying and overall I really enjoyed it, despite doing well on all the days which didn’t count for much and badly on the two days which really counted!
After getting the bug, I decided to tag the Porterville Open onto the start of our African adventure. It is safe to say this competition was in a different league to my first one, and I loved it. The atmosphere was really great, the tasks were long and the conditions were good, when it wasn’t blown out.
Cycling/Hiking/Hike&Fly
The start of the year didn’t involve much walking due to Becky’s knee, but we started to make up for this in August. In June we enjoyed some cycling together in Germany and Italy, before heading to Slovenia in August where we did a few great hikes and also met up with some friends from the UK and went on a family cycle ride with them.
As summer drew to an end, we did some wonderful hike with friends, a highlight being the crossing of the Birnhorn in the Leogang Steinberge, despite the terrible vegetarian food of Sauerkraut Strudel.
Beautiful countryside cycling around the Chiemsee
Autumn in the Dolomites Südtirol
Our plan for a September holiday was to be in the Dolomites, however our camper van had other ideas! After having clutch issues on the way we ended up spending two nights camping in a Vineyard near Brixen while waiting for a garage to open. Unfortunately the van ended up taking 5 days to be fully repaired which somewhat hindered our plans for the Dolomites.
We made the most of this with a hotel in Mühlbach at the end of the Pustertal. This had the advantage that lifts were included which meant we could still do some great hiking, without further breaking the bank. Eventually the van was ready and after paying a very large bill we were glad to collect it.
The next day we headed to the Dolomites for the last few days of our holiday, on our first day there I enjoyed a great xc flight, before landing at the Sellapass. Becky came to meet me there for dinner before we stayed in the pass and enjoyed some wonderful views of the stars and a great sunrise.
Autumn in the Alps
During autumn we enjoyed some Autumnal walks and David came to visit, which meant an action packed weekend of photography. Its amazing what you can achieve photographically over a weekend when there is the motivation of a visitor, especially when combined with pretty excellent conditions.
Right before the major snow arrived, I enjoyed a wonderful hike and fly on the Ochsenkopf and Stanser Joch at the end of the Achensee in perfect autumnal weather, which was a wonderful end to the season.
Southern Africa
At the start of December I headed to Southern Africa for 5 weeks, the first 10 days was covered by a paragliding competition (see above), however after that Becky joined me to start our adventure.
The start was chilled out enjoying wine in Franschhoek which was wonderful and great value, before seeing Penguins in the wild at Boulders Beach and catching a flight to Namibia to start an overlanding adventure.
The section of this adventure took us from Windhoek, through the mountains to Sesriem, through the Desert to the coast, up the Skeleton Coast via an old volcano crater, and then through the hills to Etosha National Park.
The trip was really incredible, the landscapes totally blew us away, along with the temperature! We were prepared for the dune landscapes and the wildlife, but we were not prepared for all of the mountains, the hills, the arid landscapes which were clearly formed a long time ago by water and the scale of it all.
The trip was really incredible and it is hard to pick favourites, but if I had to try, in sequential order:
- Seeing our first Meerkats in Lake Oanob Resort
- The dunes at Sossuvlei
- Staying 1km from the nearest person in the desert at Bushman’s Desert Camp
- 4×4 dune tour to Sandwich Bay
- Messum Crater
- Driving out of the Skeleton Coast and through Damaraland
- Desert Elephant Safari near Twyfelfontein
Having written that list, I realised that I haven’t really listed a favourites, as I have literally listed something from every day…
Overlanding Day 2: Lake Oanob Resort to Sesriem & Sossusvlei
Overlanding Day 3: Deadvlei, Big Daddy Dune and Bushman’s Desert Camp
Overlanding Day 5: Pelican Point Kayaking, Swakopmund and Skeleton Coast
Overlanding Day 6: Cape Cross Seals, Messum Crater and Skeleton Coast
Overlanding Day 7: Drive to Mowani Mountain Camp and Desert Elephant Safari
Overlanding Day 8: Twyfelfontein Rock Engravings and Etosha National Park
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