I'm the 'walking calamity with ants in their pants and a great big heart', is how one friend described me. I operate just as well solo as I do with a group, so never be offended if I want to be alone. I'm a free, and (frustratingly) forever curious soul, so there is a good chance if you host me I'll have somewhere or something I need to see/taste/experience before I can settle, if it strikes your curiosity then come along for the ride.

As much as I love to pound the pavements of the city, scooping all the sights, sounds and flavours it has to offer late into the night, 'm also blessed to live surrounded by beautiful countryside, so equally like to get out for a hike, or go camping, when the English weather allows.

I'm less at ease with big groups than small groups, where you can have a really good (as we would say in England) natter, and get to know someone. This might be because I've lived in the same small town for 15 years, things are a little more sedate and everyone is familiar - a safe environment with few random events to keep one on their toes.

Most of my adventures have been small as I never had an opportunity to do something grander, but in my older years I'm slowly pushing my boundaries further out and I'm setting the bar higher for the future.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I would love to be more involved, but I've never lived anywhere I can host, and since most people who are willing to host require you to write an essay in applying for the possibility to be hosted, then I just don't have the time. Which is a great shame as some of the best experiences, and friends I have now, are people I met through couchsurfing.

I'm on couchsurfing to connect with like minded folk, I live in a small town but, as one of the locals in my pubs says, 'I have a city mindset'. By that he means I'm a bit more experimental and cultured than my living environment has to offer. I'm really into food and drink, especially beer, cheese and cider, in the past few years a lot of my trips have centred around this, meaning I've gone to some far out places! I really want to continue down this path but I'd love to do this with company and local knowledge to create more stories to remember and get beneath the surface of a place.

I can't host but my friends will tell you I have a really good knowledge of where to go. Need a craft beer in Tbilisi? No problem! How about a bacon sandwich in central London for only £2? Got it covered!

I love sharing stories and listening to experiences so if you see I'm in town then feel free to join me.

Interests

I am VERY passionate about beer, cider and cheese....though increasingly I'm loving eating out and cooking. Check out my instagram @hopandwedge to see my travels through the medium of food and drink.

• folklore
• design
• music festivals
• festivals
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• movies
• music
• sports
• volunteering
• food
• craft beer
• cider

Music, Movies, and Books

Such a hard question because it depends on my mood!

But I love science fiction (Stars Wars isn't Sci-Fi, it's a fairytale set in space), world cinema and non fiction both on screen and in print (If you haven't read Trip to Echo Springs by Olivia Laing do).

As for music, I try to embrace the music from other countries, not world music but music of the world - the website beehy.pe is my audio bible

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I would be hard pressed to do name one thing, but I guess the thing that amazes me most is that I'm still here, I've had a whole host of misadventure, including one trip where I was stuck in a revolution, nearly kidnapped, beaten up by police and nearly had my stuff blown up my an unexploded WWII bomb!

Teach, Learn, Share

Food and Booze - it works both ways! I can show you some things and you can show me some things. My focus is on beer and cider but I would love to learn more about wine and coffee. I'm also really getting into cooking after years of a crippling phobia so I'm always keen to learn something new.

I'm no musician, dancer or sportsman - but I am a trained Frommelier (like a sommelier, but for cheese) and have extensive beer/cider judging experience. I can also teach you to cook some British classics such as Toad in the Hole, Steak and Ale Pie and Chicken Tikka Masala

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories and knowledge of a whole array of subjects plus everything I've already mentioned

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United Kingdom