We Brits love to walk. In fact, in 2019 71% of UK adults reported walking at least once a week, with an average personal distance of 205 miles in a year. Wouldn’t it be great if some of those walking miles started and finished at your hospitality business? Continue reading “Writing walking routes, five top tips”
Category: Outdoor Writing
On the road again? Campervan travel and Covid-19
With increasing levels of local lockdown and the October storms already begun, many of us have now subconsciously started the process of hunkering down for the winter. In our household however the darker months have traditionally been a time for future travel plans and short weekend forays to lonely windswept camp sites. Continue reading “On the road again? Campervan travel and Covid-19”
Experiencing intimacy with the outdoors
Many people who spend a lot of time outside will tell you their favourite outdoor memories are those when the elements took charge. Those wet to the skin, fell in a bog, blown over by the wind moments stay with us because they have an immediate and very physical impact. Continue reading “Experiencing intimacy with the outdoors”
Walking routes online are hot this summer; here’s how to write a great one.
Including walking routes as part of your online marketing strategy has never been a better idea. Across the UK, walking is enjoying a surge in popularity and governmental support, boosted by reaction to the Covid-19 lockdown, advice to avoid public transport and a spell of great spring weather. People who have never walked for leisure before have started doing so, and it won’t be long before they’re all looking for gear and skills to support their new hobby. As far as outdoor writing ideas go, online walking routes appear to be a relatively simple outdoor writing activity but, as someone who has written plenty of rural and urban walking routes, I can tell you that it takes a bit of practice.
Continue reading “Walking routes online are hot this summer; here’s how to write a great one.”
Britain’s fabulous outdoor recreation industry… how will it bounce back?
If you have ever worked with outdoor professionals you’ll know that they’re an innovative bunch with a good sense of humour and the type of attitude that is used to adjusting plans to make the most of difficult times. Across the UK there are instructors, activity specialists, accommodation providers, retail organisations and recreation locations who are currently feeling the weight of what will surely one day be called the corona effect.
Continue reading “Britain’s fabulous outdoor recreation industry… how will it bounce back?”
You know you’re an outdoor swimmer when…
Outdoor writing and outdoor swimming
One of the ways in which my hobbies and my freelance outdoor writing merge is through outdoor swimming. In the depths of the winter however, outdoor swimming can seem like a strange habit. Grey waters replace blue ones, grey clouds smother blue skies and blue beach legs replace tanned limbs. That said, there is plenty of anecdotal, and some research based evidence to suggest that cold water immersion is good for both my mental health and my physical health, so I won’t be stopping any time soon.
How to plan a walking route… For someone else
Planning a successful walking route requires a combination of research and knowledge. You need to know what the terrain and conditions are going to offer, and you need to understand your own ability, and any safety implications. This is far easier to get right when you are planning for yourself than if you are writing a walking route for someone else. My role as a freelance outdoor writer requires me to do a fair amount of walking route writing, for both country walks and urban walks. Today I share my top tips on how to plan a walking route, for someone else.
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What on earth is a Dryrobe? Different types of winter outdoor swimmers
What is a Dryrobe and do I need one?
When it comes down to hobbies, swimming outdoors during the winter is not the most comfortable of options, which is probably why I am sitting in bed typing instead of heading for a grey, drizzly beach (don’t worry, I will be venturing out soon). Getting cold is good for me and easy enough, I just get into the water, swear a bit and start swimming. But what about getting warm again? Well, I have discovered that we swimmers fall into a few interesting categories, which is one of the many things that makes us such fun to be around. Read on to find out which type of winter swimmer you are and whether or not you need to rush out immediately and buy a Dryrobe.
Continue reading “What on earth is a Dryrobe? Different types of winter outdoor swimmers”
Collect or explore? Is it time for a rethink about how we share our outdoor spaces?
Could you geotag that photo please?
Get outside! It’s a great message and one that I have been proud to share across various roles and careers. However, as an outdoor writer and online influencer, I am becoming more and more aware of the negative impact that some styles of sharing, in particular geotagging, is having on some of our outdoor spaces.
The serious message behind the Snowdon Trip Advisor reviews
Snowdon Trip Advisor reviews
If you have laughed about the negative Snowdon Trip Advisor reviews recently published in the tabloid press, you won’t be alone. With comments requesting concrete paths, tree-planting and internet access, and complaints about steepness, rocks and clouds, the whole thing does sound a bit ridiculous. However hidden behind the amusement there is an important message for the education and outdoor sectors. We are still not giving enough people the opportunity to find out, from an early age, what it is like to feel uncomfortable outdoors.
Continue reading “The serious message behind the Snowdon Trip Advisor reviews”