MY 2018 IN TWELVE PHOTOS

I love a “year in review” type post, and find myself writing at least one around this time each year. The end of the year lends itself to reflection (plus, let’s face it, we’re far too busy running around like mad idiots to come up with new ideas at this time of year!), and so I’m taking this opportunity to go back over the last 12 months and recall some of the good memories.

This year I thought I’d head down the photo route, and present you my 2018 in twelve photographs. One a month, naturally. As I start writing this I’m not entirely sure whether one a month is possible – lots of my adventures and activities happened in a very short space of time this year, and so I might have to be a bit choosey for some months (September, I’m looking at you). But let’s see how we go. I’ll start at the very beginning and see how I get on…

My 2018 in Twelve Photos

January

Let’s start with this snap of a tree and its reflection taken at Standing Hat near Brockenhurst. I was in the New Forest for the GetOutside Champions launch event, and we were particularly blessed with wintery skies and wet ground that lead me to take 100s of photos. It was a really great couple of days meeting up with old friends and making new ones, a campaign I remain very proud to be a part of for another year.

February

In February I left my employer of 13 years and home for 20 and headed South West to start something new in Gloucestershire. It was a tentative start; I was technically still living in Lincolnshire, making use of hotels in Cheltenham in the week while we continued to make plans for a more permanent move. I made use of my walk to and from work each day to start to explore the area, and fell in love with Pittville Park with its lakes and trees and bunnies.

March

Ah the Beast from the East. Remember that?! I was still working away in the week, which made the incredible cold weather and amount of snow all the more interesting. This was the view on my usual short walk around the block back in Lincolnshire in the middle of the month – it doesn’t look like much of a covering but it was well over the top of my boots along the paths and up to my knees in a couple of exposed places. In March I also joined GoApe for their Zipline Challenge – there’s a post here if you want a laugh at my lack of upper body strength.

April

April was the month during which we finally got everything sorted and made the official move across the country. Finally! In the end we had 36 hours to pack up the house and had to very much rely on the help of our family members to get everything done. I took this month’s photo when walking the Hole of Horcum and Skelton Tower during the Outdoor Bloggers camp – the big views of the North York Moors were exactly what I needed to counter the mountain of boxes and new-home-related jobs waiting for me at home.

May

The view from Cleeve Hill has become a firm favourite since we moved. It’s the highest point in the Cotswolds and I can see it from home and work – often wishing I was up there rather than in the valley. This photo was taken when our family came to visit for the weekend – we walked along the hill to the trig on the most glorious Sunday morning before heading out for a Sunday roast. May was also the month I did my tandem skydive – wheeeeeee!

June

You know how much I love a road trip. After doing the North Coast 500 last year by car because we were not blessed with excellent weather, this year we did the same route by motorbike in the most amazing Scottish weather I have ever experienced. It was utterly wonderful – warm sunshine, bright blue skies, amazing sea views. What more could I want? This shot is from Applecross over on the west coast.

July

My photo for July was taken on the Stiperstones in the Shropshire Hills. I met up with good friend The Urban Wanderer for a short break, exploring Shrewsbury on one day and heading out into the countryside on the next. The Stiperstones were just stunning – the colours and rock formations were truly beautiful. The weather broke while we were there and we got soaked, but it was such a good hike even though we had to have a complete change of clothes before we could get in the cars and drive home.

August

We did lots of little bits and bobs in August, one of which was head to the Olympic Park in London to have a go down the slide from the ArcelorMittal Orbit. The views from the top are really very good, and the slide itself was a lot of fun. My photo was taken through a little hole in the walkway at the top – I rather like it.

September

Ah September, the month of a thousand photos. Really. I could easily have chosen that shot of me swimming through Durdle Door with Wilderness Weekends. But instead I’ve chosen this one that I took from Stinchcombe Hill during my GetOutside Activity Challenge. It was a really superb weekend during which I took part in 55 different outdoors activities in order to celebrate GetOutside Day and share my own One Hour Outside campaign. 

October

In October I headed off on a little solo adventure from my own front door. In an attempt to stop looking at the view and become part of the view, I circumnavigated Cheltenham on foot over two days. My hike was supported by Thryve, and you can read all about it over on their website. This is by far my favourite photo from that adventure, and probably my favourite snap of the year – taken thanks to the timelapse feature on my GoPro, which I am determined to use more in 2019.

November

This month’s chosen photograph was taken from the top-most viewing gallery, the Golden Gallery, at St Paul’s Cathedral in the heart of London. We were in the big smoke for a short break to celebrate my birthday. If you’ve not been to St Paul’s it is well worth a visit – the inside is incredibly beautiful, but the views from the top on a good day put the whole of the city into an amazing perspective.

December

When we started to plan our move to Gloucestershire we started writing a list of all the places nearby we wanted to visit, and we’ve only just started to tick things off. One such place was the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail, which we visited when my parents came to stay early in December. I love a woodland trail, and this one is littered with art pieces designed to tell something of the story of the Forest. This piece is “Cathedral”.

Written your own 2018 in review post? Drop a link in the comments below as I’d love to come and have a gander.

And while I’ve got you here, I’d like to ask a favour… what did you particularly enjoy here on Splodz Blogz over the past year? What would you like to see more of in 2019?

I wonder what we’ll all put in our 2019 review posts?!

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