Tag: Adventure

10 Things to Do With Your Extra Hour of Daylight

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British Summer Time is here! With promises of long, warm summer nights, sunny evenings at the crag and weekends packed with adventure from dawn to dusk. Admittedly, we’re still in March, which means for every day of sun you get one of rain with the additional bonus of the occasional hard frost, but hey, that’s what living in the UK is all about.

I love this time of year. Finally, the dark days of winter are behind us. There’s no longer the agony of staring out of the office window, knowing that by the time you get to leave work, the sun will have slipped away. And let’s face it, it’s much easier to get motivated to go for a post-work run when it’s still light outside.

If you’re itching to get outside, but lacking in inspiration, here are ten fun things to do outdoors with your extra hour of evening daylight.

Take a Different Route Home From Work

If you cycle, walk or run to work, winter commuting can be a punishing experience. Every day becomes a battle of your will versus the weather. Whether you have your head down, pedalling into a headwind, or you end up fighting with your umbrella as you get soaked by a passing lorry, the shortest route home is usually the preferable one.

The reward for your perseverance, is the warm, dry summer evenings, where commuting becomes a pleasure rather than a chore. So now you have a bit more daylight, why not choose an alternative route home and explore more of your local area? Use the CycleStreets planner to plan a longer route home on quiet back roads and cycle paths or swap your road bike for a mountain bike and go off-road.

Go Bouldering Outside

It may not be quite light enough to justify getting your ropes and trad gear out just yet, but there’s plenty of daylight for a quick bouldering session after work. With roadside venues such as Almsclife (Yorkshire), Bonehill Rocks (Devon), Burbage (Peak District) and Dumbarton Rocks (west of Glasgow), you can be parked up and have your bouldering pad out before most of your work colleagues have driven home.

If you’re new to climbing and have been training indoors over the winter, now is the perfect time to test out your skills on real rock. Just remember that bouldering outdoors can be quite different to indoors; check out these tips from the good folks at UKClimbing.

Get Out in the Garden

If you need some outdoor time, look no further than your own back garden. Gardening is relaxing, creative and can be pretty hard work! The combination of spring sun and rain means that everything is starting to grow, so it’s time to get the lawnmower out, tidy up the garden and start planting out those seedlings you’ve been nurturing in the greenhouse. Follow the RHS’s guide for jobs to do at this time of year.

Go on a Microadventure

Have you spent the winter snuggled up at home reading, planning and dreaming of adventure? Now is the time to get out there and have some! I know, I know, you need to ease yourself into this adventuring malarky. After all, the grey drizzle spreading over the M25 is quite different to the hot, wild African plains. But this is where microadventures come in.

Microadventures are pint-sized adventures. They’re not about taking on some huge daunting challenge that you need to raise thousands of pounds for. And there’s no need to go to your boss and beg for six months off work. Microadventures are simple, local and cheap, but most importantly, fun. Whether it’s cooking dinner over a camp fire, a mid-week overnight bivvy or even camping in your garden, microadventures are exactly what you want to make them. For more ideas and lots of tips check out Alastair Humphreys’ excellent blog.

Try Orienteering

If you’ve never tried orienteering (and if not, why not?), now is a great time to start. Most orienteering clubs put on friendly summer evening events at local parks and woodlands. These are ideal for beginners, and they’ll usually be someone around to show you the ropes. Check out this newcomer’s guide to getting into orienteering, and find an event near you on the British Orienteering website.

Take the Kids on an Adventure

I’m going to be a bit controversial, but hear me out. Spring is here. It’s time to turn the TV off, put the iPad out of reach on the top shelf and limit access to the Playstation. It’s time for a family adventure.

Now the evenings are lighter there are loads of (free) outdoor activities you can take advantage of. Cycle along a canal towpath, go on a treasure hunt or feed the ducks in the park. Go in search of the Gruffalo, roast marshmallows on an open fire or build a den in the woods. Your kids will have a great time and will be so tired, you’ll all get a great night’s sleep.

Get Fit with an Outdoor Bootcamp

Fed up of sweaty gyms? Give yourself plenty of arm-waving space by taking your work out outdoors. There’s also the added bonus of being able to breath fresh, unfiltered air. If you like being shouted at, British Military Fitness run classes at all levels across the country. UK Outdoor Fitness also offer nationwide classes (possibly with less shouting) and there are plenty of local trainers around if you’re looking for some one-to-one training.

Go to an Open Air Cinema

If you’re looking for something a little less active, then take a seat at an open air cinema. You can usually take along a picnic and drinks and they’re hosted in venues from castles and stately homes to rooftop gardens and cobbled streets.

If a spot of theatre is more your thing, then get along to a performance at Regent’s Park in London, Grosvenor Park in Chester or the stunning Minack Theatre in Cornwall.

Enter some evening running events

If your weekends are packed full of family commitments, opportunities to enter running races can be few and far between. The good news is, that as the evenings start getting lighter, there are more opportunities to compete in events after work. There’s a pretty comprehensive list of events here.

If you’re lucky enough to live near the hills, then there’s no excuse not to try out some of the local fell races. The
Fell Runner website has a full list of FRA registered races and you can search by region to find events in your area. Want to have even more fun? GO ORIENTEERING. (I’m not going to tell you again.)

Take a sunset walk

One of the nicest things about this time of year is that the sun sets at a perfect time for evening sunset walks. It’s not so early that you’re stuck at work, and you have plenty of time to get home for a late dinner afterwards. Take a stroll through your local park, woodland or fields. Close your eye and breathe in the sounds and smells of nature. Relax and enjoy the swathes of colour across the sky as the sun dips below the horizon. Be at peace.

What’s your favourite way to use the extra daylight we have in the evenings? Get in touch on Twitter and let me know, or drop a comment in the box below. Happy adventuring!

The Etiquette Guide for Wild Campervan Adventures

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Campervan-etiquette

In my humble opinion, one of the best things about owning a campervan is having the freedom to park up in a remote location, settle in for the night then wake up for a morning run from your mobile doorstep. And a lot of the time it’s as simple as that. But if you want to avoid giving yourself – and other campervanners – a bad name, there are some essential pieces of etiquette you should know.

First up, the legal bit. The laws around wild camping vary depending which country you’re in. Remember that all land is owned by someone, even if it’s classed as ‘public’ land. So your best option is to get permission from the landowner before parking up for the night. In England and Wales, wild camping in technically illegal so you’ll need landowner’s permission to stop overnight. In Scotland, wild camping in tents is allowed, but the law around campervans is a little hazier. If you’re out of people’s way, not obviously parked on someone’s land and don’t make a nuisance then ‘informal camping’ is tolerated in most places. Across Europe and further afield the laws vary: there’s a useful guide here on which European countries do allow wild camping.

With that bit out of the way, if you fancy a bit of wild or stealth camping in your van, then here’s a quick guide to essential etiquette for wild or informal camping in your van.

Don’t ignore ‘no overnight parking’ signs

If someone has gone to the trouble of putting up ‘No Overnight Parking’ signs it’s a clear indicator they’ve had trouble with campers before. If you decide to stay regardless, you may get a rude awakening by an angry landowner, or even the police. A lot of local authorities in England are cracking down on previously frequented overnight stops. Even if you want to argue about the technical legalities of this, please don’t give campervanners a bad name by blatantly ignoring the signs.

If you’re struggling to find somewhere to stop for the night, it’s worth trying pubs (particularly in remoter areas). They may be happy for you to park up overnight if you eat and have a few drinks inside.

Park up late and leave early

No one’s likely to take much notice of a van that’s gone in the morning. Spending the day lounging outside your van with a barbecue and the awning out, however, is more likely to draw the attention of an unfriendly landowner. If that’s the kind of camping you’re after, then pay for a campsite.

It’s also a good idea not to stay in the same spot for more than two nights on the trot. After all, one of the joys of wild campervanning is waking up to a different view each morning.

Keep the noise down

As above, the best way to enjoy success with wild camping it to be unobtrusive. That means no loud campervan parties (unless you’re really in the middle of nowhere!). If you park up outside of towns and away from houses, you’re unlikely to have a problem and can karaoke along to your heart’s content. If you’re stealth camping in a town, you’ll need to be a bit more careful. Blackout curtains can help, as does accepting you’re in for an early night.

Leave no trace

It sounds obvious, but litter is one of the main gripes about wild campers, and in some places has resulted in wild camping being banned altogether. It’s easier in a campervan than a tent, so there are no excuses for not taking your litter with you.

Be considerate when toileting

I haven’t come across this so much in the UK, but I have in Europe, where popular campervan car parks are turned into open-air toilets. It’s not nice and it definitely gives van-dwellers a bad name. If you don’t have toilet facilities in your van, pick a pee-spot that’s well away from any watercourses. Carry a trowel and bury more solid waste, and bag toilet paper to dispose of in a bin.

Don’t run generators or engines late at night

Another thing that shouts, “Hello! I’m illegally camping here!” is running engines at night. And generators are most definitely a no-no. If you need to charge your leisure battery, do it during the day. If you need more electricity than that, consider paying for a site with a hook-up.

Empty chemical waste at a designated disposal area

If you’re lucky enough to have a toilet in your van, make sure you dispose of the contents appropriately. Most public toilets are not suitable for emptying chemical toilets, so you may have to check-in to a campsite for the night. Use it as an opportunity to have a hot shower before you hit the road again!

Be considerate, but have fun!

Wild campervanning allows you to spend time in some truly beautiful landscapes. Respect these landscapes, be considerate to other people and you’re guaranteed an enjoyable and memorable trip.

Going Back to School: A Wild Day out in the Woods

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Mmmm, leeks roasted in the fire’s embers

This weekend I went back to school. Not to the bricks-and-mortar schools of my childhood, but to a new, different type of school. It has no walls, no ceiling and the floor is pretty muddy. This is Forest School.

The Forest School movement in the UK has steadily grown since it was brought over to the UK from Scandinavia in 1993. It offers an alternative model of education: one based on play and experiential learning that teaches self-esteem, cooperation and respect for each other and nature. There’s also evidence that a long-term Forest School programme improves children’s resilience, confidence and wellbeing.

So much for children, but what about adults? Although many Forest Schools focus primarily on the education of younger children, older children and adults can benefit from the same experience.

Keen to learn some new skills to equip us for some more microadventures this year, I booked myself and my fiance on to an Adult Bushcraft session at The CommuniTree Initiative, a social enterprise based in Ramsbottom.

We meet Danny (founder of CommuniTree and our leader for the day) and the other participants at the entrance to a small, public woodland. The CommuniTree use this space for workshops and events, but there are no barriers and members of the public (and their dogs) are free to wander through the woodlands and campfire area.

Bushcraft vs Survival

Straight up Danny tells us, “this is not a survival course”. I breathe a sigh of relief at not having to forage for – or kill – my lunch. Bushcraft, he explains, focus on developing skills which you can use to get closer to nature. That could be spending the night in a hammock in the woods, or foraging for mushrooms. Think Ray Mears rather than Bear Grylls.

After an introductory session, our first task is to build a shelter. As it’s January, Danny has a handy pile of donated Christmas Trees for this very purpose. We grab an axe each and start dragging trees over to our self-selected ‘camping’ spot.

Ten minutes later I have taken off three layers of clothing and the branches of one Christmas Tree. My hand and arm muscles are feeling the effects already. I switch to a lighter axe and keep going. After a quick lesson on lashing and knot tying, we get to work creating a shelter for two.

It’s a simple exercise, but surprisingly satisfying and absorbing. We learn from experience how best to overlap the branches to create the shell of the shelter. Sam collects armfuls of moss to plug the gaps, while I lay out a carpet of branches inside. We almost wish we’d brought our sleeping bags for the night!

Cooking on an open fire

Satisfied with our morning’s work, we return to the campfire for lunch. There’s some weird magic about eating outdoors. Whatever food you have – however meagre and basic – always tastes delicious. We make a basic bread, roll it out and place it on the campfire to cook. It’s the perfect accompaniment to mop up the tasty chilli Danny’s provided.

Stuffed full of chilli and fruit crumble (cooked in a Dutch Oven over the fire) we get back to work in the afternoon. We’re handed tarps and hammocks and shown various methods of rigging them to create an alternative quick and easy shelter for the night.

Building a fire from scratch

I always find it amazing how we are drawn to fires. I could spend hours gazing into the flickering flames, basking in their warmth and listening to its crackling and spitting. But in this class, we have to earn our fire time.

Danny gives us each a block of dried silver birch wood and shows us have to cut it into different sized pieces of wood using an axe, knife and mallet. I admit to being slightly nervous about this part of the day; my axe skills (or to be more precise, my aiming skills) being pretty much non-existent. But even I managed to split the large block on my first try and end up with a selection of thin sticks to use for my fire.

I haven’t built a fire from scratch for years, but it’s surprisingly satisfying to set a grid out and build it up using smaller and smaller sticks topped off with some natural tinder. We use a firesteel to start the fire and it takes immediately. I’d like to explore different methods of fire lighting at some point, but that’s for another day. For now, I’m happy toasting brioche and marshmallows over the flames I’ve created.

Reconnecting with nature

Throughout the day, Danny shows us parts of the wood and different trees and fungus. We learn that the Birch Polypore or Razorstrop fungus has antiseptic properties and you could cut a thin strip to use an emergency plaster. The Jelly Ear fungus, on the other hand, is surprisingly tasteless and has (as its name suggests) a jelly-like texture. Nature’s Haribo!

We’re also encouraged to explore the wood ourselves. One of the first activities is to go off, individually, and find a place to just sit for five minutes. For me, this is pretty new. Though I love and appreciate nature, and spend a lot of time outdoors, I’m always doing something. Even if it is just walking. If I do sit, it’s usually when I’m admiring a beautiful view, or resting on a long hike. Not generally in the middle of a muddy, damp winter woodland.

But when you sit and close your eyes you realise how alive the wood is. You notice the birds chattering in the trees, hear the babble of the nearby river and smell the damp, fallen leaves. You appreciate this little patch of woodland – this bit of nature, however small – for what it is.

How often in our busy lives do we actually just sit and do nothing in nature? Nothing other than appreciating the sounds, smells and sights it produces. Perhaps reconnecting with nature is not about doing anything; it’s actually about doing nothing at all.

The CommuniTree Initiative run events and workshops for children, adults, families and schools in the Bury area. In the interests of full disclosure, I traded my place on the course in exchange for doing some writing work for CommuniTree (got to love the the sharing economy!). This post was not part of the agreement; it’s based purely on my own views and awesome experience with Danny and the team – I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.

Setting New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Actually Keep

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Happiness is a beautiful, frosty, sunny morning

New Year’s resolutions can be great. If you’re a goal-orientated person (like me!) then you’ve probably already set out your aims and ambitions for 2017. If you’re a follower of the Tough Girl podcast, you may already have committed to your 7 or 17 challenges for 2017. My Twitter and Facebook feeds are full of people setting out their resolutions for the coming year.

And I applaud you all! But perhaps take a moment to stop and think why you’re making these resolutions. Many people set themselves resolutions to get fitter, lose weight or get a promotion because they feel this will make them happier or help them be a better person. If they don’t achieve their goals by the end of the year, they feel like they’ve failed.

Or perhaps you do achieve your goals, but wonder why you’re still not feeling as happy about it as you ‘should’ be. That despite all the effort and work you’ve put in, life is still not perfect.

But is happiness something that can be pursued? Sometimes I think we try and define ‘happiness’ too much, and set too much store in trying to achieve it. Earlier this year, I came across this comic strip from The Oatmeal which I think sums the pursuit of happiness up perfectly. If you sometimes feel that you should be feeling happier or more contented, I suggest you have a read of it.

Setting real resolutions

Last year I was guilty of setting a ton of goals without actually thinking through whether I’d realistically be able to achieve them. I’m all for setting ambitious targets, but when you don’t even achieve half of them, you know you’ve done something wrong. In my case, the challenges I’d set were way too ambitious given what else I had during the year. Several of them also conflicted with each other: climbing 7c requires very different training to that needed to tackle the Cuillin Ridge!

So what did I learn from this about New Year’s resolutions? Number one: be realistic. Break down what you’ll need to do to achieve your resolution and work out what you can fit into your life. Number two: commit to it. Set aside time to do whatever it is you want to do, whether that’s reading more books or getting out running.

And perhaps most importantly, number three: do things because you find them meaningful and because you get satisfaction out of doing them. Do things you enjoy whilst doing them and not just for the outcome. And definitely not because you think achieving it will automatically make you a happier, more awesome person.

For example, if you hate dieting but want to lose weight, look at setting a resolution for the process rather than the end point. So rather than your resolution being to lose eight pounds by June, set a resolution to test out a new healthy recipe every week. Yes, it sometimes works to have a goal and endpoint in mind, but making the journey easier is a sure-fire way of actually achieving your target.

What happiness means to me

A few days ago I was running down through the forest I grew up near, on a cold, frosty but sunny morning. I had family (and a hot shower) waiting at home, I wasn’t gasping for air (unusually) and everything was just beautiful. And suddenly a thought popped into my head: this is what happiness means to me.

I do have goals written down for 2017, both for work and personal life. But for once, I have no goals relating to sport, adventure or being outdoors. I’d like to spend more time climbing, but I’m not aiming to climb 7c (as I tried – and failed – to do last year). I’ll go walking and running and orienteering, but I have entered no races or competitions. We’re planning more microadventures, but without any specific agenda.

What I’ve realised this year is that I’m happy just being outdoors and taking part in these activities. There is a satisfaction from achieving goals and ambitions, but the enjoyment is in taking part. And sometimes those moments of contentment are more significant than getting to the top of the climb, or completing the run.

Happiness is the chirruping of a robin, bouncing across a frosty forest floor. The shaft of sunlight lighting up the heather-coated hill. The breathing in of fresh, unpolluted air. The sound of silence.

So for me, being outdoors will be the place I can escape from the pressure of goals and targets, and just be. A place I can recharge my batteries to help me achieve everything I want to in 2017.

Whether you make resolutions for 2017 or prefer to just take life as it comes, I hope you can all find some kind of happiness outdoors this year. Or if not happiness, then moments of contentment and satisfaction.

The Push: How to Overcome Barriers to Adventure

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What is your dream, and what are you willing to do to achieve it?


Over the last week I’ve been reading a new book titled The Push: Overcoming Obstacles to Adventure. It was also my birthday, which was a nice opportunity to reflect on what I’ve been doing with my thirty-plus years on this planet. The combination was almost serendipitous.

So what is The Push? It’s a book about adventure, or rather barriers to adventure. The excuses we all make for not doing the awesome things we really want to do with our lives. It’s about recognising these barriers, overcoming them and getting on with ticking off items on your bucket list.

The Push is a short, easy read. It’s also pretty raw – if you’re looking for perfect grammar and sentence structure, this may not be the book for you. But there is more to life than grammar and spelling (whatever your English teacher said). Think of The Push not so much as a book, but as a chat with a friend in the pub. A friend who shares your hopes and dreams. A friend who sweeps away all your ‘buts’ with the biggest ‘but’ of them all: but what if you don’t do it?

I met Andy Madeley, the author of The Push, last weekend when he came to stay with his fiancée (a friend of mine). We went for a bitterly cold walk in the Yorkshire Dales, drank wine and talked of adventure, opportunities and of what we really wanted out of life.

And that is really the crux message of this book: what do you really want out of life?

If what you want is to have a house, a 40-hour a week job and a comfortable family life then that is totally fine. (But maybe don’t put this book on your reading list.) If there’s something inside of you saying that there must be more than this; if you have a hidden dream of exploration and adventure, of quitting the day job to try something completely new, then this book is for you.

As I read the Push, I reflected on where life has taken me and spotted a line in the metaphorical sands of time. Between the ages of 17 and 22 I traveled to India, camped on a glacier in Iceland, climbed previously unclimbed mountains in Greenland and summited Kilimanjaro. These may not be world firsts (well apart from the new routes in Greenland), but they were adventures.

And then something changed. I left university and got a series of ‘proper’ jobs. I still traveled, still climbed and occasionally took part in crazy mountain marathons. But these had to be squeezed into weekends and one or two-week holidays. And somewhere along the way the tents were replaced with holiday cottages, the weekend mountain marathons with long runs and cooking over a stove with restaurant meals.

Life got cosy.

But there is a part of me, deep inside, that still yearns for adventure. She’s the child in me, who loves to play and never wants to grow up. She is excited (and yet secretly scared) about new experiences.

I feel her in the wind on my cheeks and the rain that soaks my hair. I feel her in the harsh pain of my lungs screaming for air as I struggle to run up the hill. And most of all I feel her on the top of the mountain, reminding me that there are more adventures to be had.

The Push is a book about big, life-changing adventures. But the principles can be applied to an adventure or life-change of any scale.

Everyone has something they dream of doing.

Something that will push them a little bit out of their comfort zone. Something they are secretly scared of, or perhaps worry that others will judge them for. The Push addresses all of these fears; all the barriers you will need to face and overcome. And the rewards of doing so.

Perhaps the most common barrier relates to the immediacy – the ‘now’. There is always some reason why ‘now’ is not the perfect time. This applies to many things in life and quite frankly if people waited for the ‘perfect’ time for everything there would be far fewer children, homeowners, and happy workers in the world. So if you can throw away the concept of perfect timing to have a child or move into your dream home, why not consider adventure in the same way?

As I cross another birthday boundary, this is my main takeaway from The Push: the time to face these barriers and realise these dreams – to consider them as real possibilities – is now. It is time to draw another line in the sand.

Of everything in The Push, there is one quote that I keep coming back to, made more poignant through losing two friends earlier this year:

“Take a shot at living your dream, because you’re going to die whether you do or not.”

We only have one life. What are you going to do with it?

The Push is available on Amazon – 50 percent of profits are donated to War Child. You can find out more about Andy and what he’s up to on his blog: andymadeley.com. And no, he didn’t ask me to write this.