He started writing in 1997, after completing his journalist training. After a time as a court reporter in Sussex, he spent nine years with Reed Business Information in London. There, he specialised as a transport, industry and business writer – a job that took him to naval bases, shipyards, ports and docks across the British Isles. His most memorable work assignments were sailing through a frozen Baltic Sea on a cruise ferry and traversing Welsh terrain in a 62-tonne Challenger 2 battle tank.