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Fi Darby

Freelance Copywriter and outdoor specialist

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    • Walk a pilgrimage in Herefordshire
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    • Hunt for lighthouses in Somerset
    • Sea swim along the Riviera Line
    • Wild camp on Dartmoor
    • Bivvy solo on a beach
    • Discover rock houses at Kinver
    • Experience the Ribblehead Viaduct
    • Visit the UK’s highest train station
    • Swim in the River Dart
    • Explore Portsmouth
    • Walk the W&B Canal
    • Walk the Tamar Bridge
    • Walk the Mawddach Estuary Trail
    • Walk the Severn Bridge
  • Station to station walks
    • Teignmouth to Newton Abbot
    • Torquay to Paignton
    • Marsh Barton to Starcross
    • Yeovil Junction to Yeovil Pen Mill
  • Torbay Family Walks
    • Family Walk – Babbacombe and Oddicombe Beaches
    • Family Walk – Berry Head Forts
    • Family Walk – Goodrington Beach to Paignton Geopark
    • Family Walk – Bishops Walk and Anstey’s Cove
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  • Family Walk – Bishops Walk and Anstey’s Cove
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  • Torbay Beaches
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  • Torbay Beaches – Breakwater Beach
  • Adventures by train – walking the Worcester and Birmingham Canal
  • Adventures by train – wild camping on Dartmoor
  • Outdoor Writing
  • Adventures by train – walking into Cornwall
  • Station to station walks – Teignmouth to Newton Abbot
  • Station to station walks – Torquay to Paignton
  • Adventures by train – England’s highest station
  • Adventures by train – Kinver Rock Houses
  • Station to station walks – Marsh Barton to Starcross
  • Why I gave up supermarket shopping for a year

Tag: do I need an Instagram account

Does my business need an Instagram account? – We think so and here’s why

Does my business need an Instagram account? – We think so and here’s why

Choosing the right social media platforms for business can be tricky and, unless you can afford to pay someone to run your social media accounts, will take time. When it comes to choosing the best social media platforms for your business, quality is definitely better than quantity. Some companies dismiss Instagram as a pretty, vacuous sharing space, but we think they are wrong to do so. Here are 4 reasons we believe your business does need an Instagram account.

Continue reading “Does my business need an Instagram account? – We think so and here’s why”

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Author Fi DarbyPosted on November 9, 2018April 16, 2020Categories Digital MarketingTags do I need an Instagram account, how to use instagram for business, is Instagram good for my businessLeave a comment on Does my business need an Instagram account? – We think so and here’s why

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HORSES' WHAT'S?!? One of the mainstays of my sup HORSES' WHAT'S?!? 

One of the mainstays of my supermarket-free year (link in bio) has been the Too Good to Go veg boxes from my local wholesaler.

It's been great fun working out what to do with all the fresh contents. Some things, like these horseradishes, have been new to me.

Yesterday I made beetroot and horseradish jam.

But I still have a fridge full of melons!

#supermarketfree #sustainableliving
#foodwaste #zerowaste #food #sustainability #sustainable #nofoodwaste  #stopfoodwaste  #zerofoodwaste #recycle #socialimpact  #zerowasteliving #foodrescue #ecofriendly #reducewaste #reducefoodwaste #zerowastekitchen #sustainablefood #nowaste #foodie #toogoodtogo
FIRST CLASS TRAIN TRAVEL Helps you sit back and e FIRST CLASS TRAIN TRAVEL

Helps you sit back and enjoy the view, as well as adding that extra bit of special to a weekend away. 

If you're travelling at the weekend, First Class train carriages are often nearly empty.

We were treated to this ticket by @gwruk and had the whole carriage to ourselves (twice!)

If you're travelling with Great Western Railway at the weekend, you can ask on board for a weekend upgrade to First Class.

It might cost as little as £10, depending on how far you're travelling.

I can definitely recommend the experience.

#gifted #trains #traintravel #gwr #GWRadventure #firstclass #railways #sustainabletourism #sustainabletravel
#adventuresbytrain
What's the best thing about Falmouth? ⛵ Maritim What's the best thing about Falmouth?

⛵ Maritime history?
🍷Local food and drink?
🌊 Beaches and waterfront?
🏰 Castles and fortifications?
🛍️ Quirky independent shops? 

Or is it that you can opt for more sustainable transport and get there car-free, by train, right into the heart of town?

We had a brilliant trip down from Devon, and are loving all of it! 

#falmouth #cornwall #weekend #riversidea #seaside #winterbreak #december #trainjourneys #trains #GWRadventure #GWR #adventuresbytrain
WINTER WEEKEND by TRAIN What a frosty wonderland WINTER WEEKEND by TRAIN

What a frosty wonderland Devon and Cornwall are today.

#trains #GWRadventure #adventure #winter #weekend #winterwonderland #cornwall #winterweekend #falmouth #sustainabletravel #GWR
Happy December. What better way to demonstrate th Happy December.

What better way to demonstrate the calendar transition from autumn into winter.

When you live in Torbay, a frosty morning walk is a rare treasure.

#getoutside #winter #freezing #frostymorning #leaves #frost #december #cold #walking
ROSEMARY Salvia rosmarinus Rosemary officinalis S ROSEMARY
Salvia rosmarinus
Rosemary officinalis

Supposedly good for...

The immune system
Blood circulation
Memory
Intelligence

Definitely good for...

Foccacia!!

This one needed a good prune but with all Mr D's sourdough baking (his foccacia is amazing), rosemary is precious in our house.

So I saved it all.

It won't last long!

#permaculture #gardening #herbs #foodwaste #happy
THIS PETITION HAS OVER 100,000 SIGNATURES Did you THIS PETITION HAS OVER 100,000 SIGNATURES

Did you know that nearly half our UK farmers and growers think they might go out of business next year?

Or that many farmers give as a reason unfair practices by the big supermarkets?

I wanted to do something about this so, at the start of 2023 I gave up shopping in supermarkets.

Nearly a year on, you can read how my experiment has gone.

💰Did I spend more money?
⏰Did it take up more time?
🍲 Have we eaten well?

And most importantly, did we really manage to stay out of the supermarket?

You can find out over on my website (link in bio).

And you can sign the Fair Deal for Farmers petition here...

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/643216

#food #foodlover #homemade #dinner #cooking #shopping #supermarketfree #supermarket #groceryshopping #fresh #onlineshopping #retail #delivery #everybody #underpressure #farming #ukfarmers #fairtrade #foodsecurity #fairdealforfarmers #2023supermarketfree
Leaves aren't the only way nature paints her colou Leaves aren't the only way nature paints her colourful  autumn landscapes.

Stems (especially dogwood), needles, and catkins all add to this wonderful palette.

I am pretty sure the conifer here is a redwood but larch is our only native deciduous conifer,and one of the reasons I love visiting g Scotland and Wales in autumn. 

#getoutside #lookcloser #autumnwalks #autumn #autumnvibes #trees
S-U-S-T-A-I-N-A-B-L-E It's a tricky word that mea S-U-S-T-A-I-N-A-B-L-E

It's a tricky word that means different things to different people.

Today is World Sustainable Transport Day.

These outdoor adventures have one common theme.

They were all adventures by train.

Small changes matter. And the more we all make small changes, the more influence we'll have on policy makers.

That's my hope anyway.

If you want some ideas on more sustainable transport for your outdoor adventures, there are some great links in my bio. 

#getoutside #adventure #trains #outdoors #walking #camping #wildcamping
#adventuresbytrain #sustainabletravel
#sustainableliving
#sustainabletransportday
D E V O N M O R N I N G S Is this the most photo D E V O N  M O R N I N G S

Is this the most photographed thatched roof in Devon?

It's definitely my favourite. There's a bench opposite, I like to sit on it and make up fox and hare stories. 

Where's your thatched roof? I would love to know.

#thatchedcottage #thatched #cockington #torbay #torquay #explore #walking #misty
£££ KIT LISTS ARE EXPENSIVE 'Essential gear!' £££ KIT LISTS ARE EXPENSIVE

'Essential gear!'
'Buy this jacket!'
'You'll wish you had this!'

We've all heard it. The ever louder clamour to sell us outdoor gear.

Some of it is necessary.
Some of it isn't.

Some of it is brilliant.
Some of it isn't. 

But it's hard enough for experienced adults to find their way through the hype. Let alone young people new to the outdoors. Or their parents and carers. 

On what might as well be called International Consumerism Day, I take a look at outdoor gear kit lists and at how the way we present and discuss them can make all the difference.

If you're an outdoor instructor, I would love to hear how you handle this issue. 

Click the blog link over in my bio to read.

#consumerism #sustainability #marketing #climatechange consumer behavior #fashion #environment #business #consciousconsumer  #outdoor #outdoorclothing #greenfriday #kit #kitlist #dofe #costofliving #secondhand #getoutside #oschampion #outdoorinstructor
S-P-A-R-K-L-E by T-R-A-I-N

✨💖✨💖✨💖✨💖✨

Where can you enjoy all this seasonal sparkle, a delicious pot of tea, a walk through a thatched village and even a cheeky sea swim?

Well it's right next to Torquay train station.

It's the Grand Hotel of course.

The walk into Cockington village is part of my Torquay to Paignton station to station walk (link in bio).

#hotelchristmas #christmas #hotel #hotellife #christmastree #christmashotel #festiveseason #christmasdecor  #festiveafternoontea
#trains
#dayout
#festivefun
£££ - ONION Independence - 💚 I can now eat £££ - ONION Independence - 💚

I can now eat aliums (onions) from my garden all year. Here's how...

Autumn - Babington leeks (pictures) pop up after hiding all summer (I snip them at the base then divide them in spring) 

Winter - Babington leeks and three-cornered-leeks (mostly foraged but they do pop up at home)

Spring - Wild garlic from my forest area, more three-cornered leeks, everlasting onions (I snip the leaves or divide the bulbs), chives (leaves) 

Summer - annual garlic (planted in autumn) and stored in the greenhouse), chives (leaves and flowers), everlasting onions

I did buy some traditional onions from my veg wholesaler this year but I hope to buy less next year. We eat some type of alium with almost every meal.

I also bought pickling onions but I pickled and fermented wild garlic and three-cornered leek flowers too (delicious).

It's all been part of my supermarket-free year. 

The advantages of perennial onions?

1. They come back each year
2. They don't need much space
3. They mix well in polycultures
4. I always have something to keep me healthy and flavour my cooking

I can recommend @realseeds and @incredible_vegetables for their amazing range and fabulous advice.

#vegetablegarden #gardening #growyourownfood #garden #growyourown #vegetables #homegrown #organicgardening #kitchengarden #gardenlife #ediblegarden #organic #veggiegarden #urbangarden #vegetablegardening #gardener #gardenersofinstagram #urbangardening #greenthumb #growwhatyoueat #veggies #mygarden #organicgarden
I love watching the morning sun approaching. Mind I love watching the morning sun approaching. Mind you, it won't get to my garden again until March.

North-facing gardens have their challenges but we realised this summer that having access to  shade is really important during a heatwave. Both for us and the  plants. 

Perhaps north is the new south!

#morning #sunrise #houses #sunlight #autumn #north #devon #torbay #torquay
Where the rooftops steam after the rain. It could Where the rooftops steam after the rain.

It could only be Devon.

This beautiful thatched cottage is one of many in Torbay's Cockington village, and is a short and pretty walk from Torquay train station.

Time to hop on that train! 

#devon #devonlife #visitdevon #uk #southwest #southdevon #torquay #torbay #love #england #landscape #travel #paignton #coast #trains #thatchedcottage #cockington #adventuresbytrain
Winter is a great time to adventure by train. If y Winter is a great time to adventure by train. If you want to see snow, I recommend going high and visiting the highest train stations in England and the UK.

Corrour station on Scotland's Highland line and Dent station on Yorkshire's Settle to Carlisle line are both fantastic journeys. 

Find out more on my adventures by train pages (link in bio).
The garden project is progressing. My digging musc The garden project is progressing. My digging muscles are growing and I have started building up layers in the new veg boxes.

Each one is going to hopefully provide a slightly different environment.

Heavier soil for perennials and trees, lighter more nutritious layers for annual veg.

We now have a lot less bamboo. I have harvested the tops for biomass and the canes for climbers.

I need to go seaweed collecting soon. It's great for the soil and seems to speed up composting processes. 

Oh, and I have a lot of gravel to clean, which is going to take ages because I am refusing to use the hosepipe. 

It's all very exciting. I lie in bed at night planning.

#gardening #permaculture #forestgarden #urbangarden #growyourownfood #vegbox #gardendesign #foodmiles #urbanfoodforest #towngarden
This hazel invited itself into my forest garden tw This hazel invited itself into my forest garden two years ago and I have let it stay.

It's paying its way by dropping leaf litter to improve the soil. In time I hope to experiment with coppicing it.

Yesterday I was just admiring its lovely autumn colour.

'Obtain a yield' is another permaculture principle but yields don't have to be food. A plant that contributes to the well-being of you or your garden is just as important as one you can eat.

#permaculture #gardening #nature #organic #garden #growyourownfood #potager #organicgardening #growyourown #regenerativeagriculture #sustainablelivin #foodforest #sustainability #homesteading permaculture garden #trees #permaculturedesign #homegrown #homestead #vegetablegarden #sustainable  #organicgarden
Family. Friends. Feast. When you've turned your Family. Friends. Feast. 

When you've turned your back on supermarkets (and a consumerism Christmas), preparing the Christmas treats starts early.

✅ Mocha truffles (test run)
✅ Chustnuts for a nut roast
✅ Pickled onions

The truffles (especially their salted walnut coating) were delicious. I will be making more.

The chestnuts came in a zero-food-waste  @toogoodtogo.uk box (not from a supermarket). They are huge compared to my locally foraged ones. 

My (quite frankly wonderful) local veg wholesaler @frankhmanntorquay provided me with the onions and vinegar (it's always worth asking).

I ran out of pickle jars so, instead of buying more, am experimenting with reusing peanut butter pots.

The onions in the larger jar are in a 5% brine solution (sea salt and filtered water), which should allow them to ferment and develop a bit of umami deliciousness.

A few onions had green shoots so they will be going into the garden today. It will be interesting to see how they do.

Perhaps they will be next years giant pickled onions!

#christmasfood #christmas  #christmascountdown #foodie #delicious #christmasiscoming #chocolate #christmashome #christmasdinner #homestead #homecooking #pickledonions #chestnuts #supermarketfree #foodmilesmatter #fairdealforfarmers
#bethechange
'Observe and interact'. The twelve principles of 'Observe and interact'.

The twelve principles of permaculture apply as much to life as growing.

We're in the middle of finishing the transformation of our back garden into an urban food forest.

It's hard work but yesterday I took some time off earth-shifting to watch the garden for a while.

👀 I looked
👀 I pondered plant positions
👀 I anticipated the growing
👀 I appreciated the teamwork
👀 I felt grateful

Then I went in for breakfast.

 #urbangardens #permaculture #gardening #nature #organic #garden #growyourownfood #organicgardening #growyourown  #sustainableliving #foodforest #sustainability #homesteading #permaculturegarden #permaculturedesign #homegrown #homestead #vegetablegarden #sustainable  #organicgarden
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Channel 4

http://www.fidarby.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Channel-4-Devon-and-Cornwall-Fi.mp4

Writing Reviews

English Trackers

"It has been a real pleasure to have Fi contributing to our blogging efforts. She has excellent writing skills, is comfortable working with Word Press and is a proficient social media user. The best part though, is that she comes up with blog ideas, pitches them and writes them in a very fast turnaround time. I would highly recommend her as a writing contributor to any team – a real pro and an utter joy to work with.”

Upskilled Australia
"Fi is a great asset in my day-to-day work. She always meets the needs of briefs and deadlines, usually providing copy in advance. Very good communicator and always has channels open when she's working. I'm glad to have found her freelancing services."
Flycast Media
"Fi is exactly what we want in a writing partner, the quality of her text is extremely professional and articulate and best of all she is able to work in such a way that supports the way our agency works. Looking forward to a long partnership."
Origin 1
29.08.2017
"Fi is really easy to work with and understands copywriting in relation to SEO. We're really pleased we found her and looking forward to working with her more."
Visit Dartmoor

"We were hugely impressed with Fi’s pro-active and professional approach when we worked with her on a fascinating WW2 exhibition. Her insight and sensitivity were matched by her quality text and prompt delivery, we would highly recommend her as a copy writer with a certain ‘something extra’. She was an absolute pleasure to work with and we look forward to collaborating with her again."

Ordnance Survey - Walk London
'Thank you so much for your efforts, your patience, your advice and of course, your beautiful words.'
Ordnance Survey - Secret Stories
February 2021

'Fi came highly recommended by another member of Ordnance Survey’s Consumer Team and she did not disappoint. Her work is always precise, always on time and she can turn her hand to any style. From sparkling, child-friendly humour to detailed, directional information, her knowledge and passion for the outdoors shines through. She is also adept at creating content across many formats, from print guidebooks to digital apps.'

Mary Malyon, Content Editor, Ordnance Survey’s Secret Stories app

Read More
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  • Home
  • About
    • Author
    • Copywriting
    • Portfolio
      • Outdoor Writing
      • Travel Writing
      • Blog Writing
      • Technical Writing
  • Supermarket Free
  • Adventures by Train
    • Plan your own train adventure
      • The best journey planners
      • Best UK train lines for adventure
      • Taking your dog on a train
      • Devon walks from train stations
      • SW Coastal Path beaches by train
    • Walk a pilgrimage in Herefordshire
    • See winter on the West Highland Line
    • Explore the highest station in England
    • Hunt for lighthouses in Somerset
    • Sea swim along the Riviera Line
    • Wild camp on Dartmoor
    • Bivvy solo on a beach
    • Discover rock houses at Kinver
    • Experience the Ribblehead Viaduct
    • Visit the UK’s highest train station
    • Swim in the River Dart
    • Explore Portsmouth
    • Walk the W&B Canal
    • Walk the Tamar Bridge
    • Walk the Mawddach Estuary Trail
    • Walk the Severn Bridge
  • Station to station walks
    • Teignmouth to Newton Abbot
    • Torquay to Paignton
    • Marsh Barton to Starcross
    • Yeovil Junction to Yeovil Pen Mill
  • Torbay Family Walks
    • Family Walk – Babbacombe and Oddicombe Beaches
    • Family Walk – Berry Head Forts
    • Family Walk – Goodrington Beach to Paignton Geopark
    • Family Walk – Bishops Walk and Anstey’s Cove
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Freelance Copywriting
  • Family Walk – Bishops Walk and Anstey’s Cove
  • Family Walks in Torbay
  • Torbay Beaches – Torre Abbey Sands
  • Torbay Beaches
  • Adventures by Train
  • Torbay Beaches – Breakwater Beach
  • Adventures by train – walking the Worcester and Birmingham Canal
  • Adventures by train – wild camping on Dartmoor
  • Outdoor Writing
  • Adventures by train – walking into Cornwall
  • Station to station walks – Teignmouth to Newton Abbot
  • Station to station walks – Torquay to Paignton
  • Adventures by train – England’s highest station
  • Adventures by train – Kinver Rock Houses
  • Station to station walks – Marsh Barton to Starcross
  • Why I gave up supermarket shopping for a year
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