WEEKLY BLOG EPISODE 151 | NATIONAL WALKING MONTH

In this weekly blog episode: continuing as an OS Champion, May is National Walking Month, writing a foreword to a walking guidebook, a new long-distance trail in the UK, planting a Cherry Plum tree, and my new pack.

The weather is playing with me! After saying last week how nice it was to feel like spring has really sprung, and having some fantastic outdoor adventures in the sunshine, this week has been wet, wet, wet. In fact, the rain woke me up in the middle of the night last night! I’m not impressed. Not one bit.

And while the weather hasn’t stopped me getting my One Hour Outsides (just about), the fact we have had about three days without rain since Christmas is definitely starting to wear me down. I know I’m not the only one.

I’m writing this weekly blog sat on my sofa, keeping a very keen eye on the sky through the patio door. I decided I was going to put the washing on the line despite the forecast telling me it was going to rain this afternoon. I figured that even if it has to come in after an hour, it’s better for it to get a bit of an airing in the fresh air than going on the clothes horse in the spare room straight away. It’s incredibly important washing, you see – it includes my thermal base layers, which I will almost certainly need on my first camp of the year next weekend.

Anyway, back to this week…

This weekly blog episode has a walking flavour to it. May is National Walking Month, and I have a few things to say about that, including about a walk-a-day challenge I’m going to try and meet. I also talk about writing the foreword to a new short walks guidebook for the Cotswolds, and introduce a new long-distance trail that’s being set up here in Great Britain. Oh, and I bought a quite wonderful new pack for my work commute – a bright green one from Osprey’s everyday carry and commuting range. Is it okay to be a little in love with a backpack?!

But first, I’ve got a happy announcement to make. Let’s start there.

OS Champion

I am very happy to say I have been asked to continue as an OS Champion this year.

I’ve been part of this project (originally termed GetOutside Champions but now OS Champions) since January 2017, flying the flag for the everyday adventurer. The group of people from all over Great Britain – which is around 100-strong – is asked to showcase the best of Britain’s outdoors by telling adventure stories and sharing advice to help you get outside.

That ask is completely aligned with my values. I believe the outdoors is for everyone, and that the best way to help people see that is to show them (you…). I talk a lot about getting One Hour Outside, and I really do want to encourage others to work on this important daily habit. Having a solid link with Ordnance Survey helps to amplify that message. And hopefully I’m useful to the iconic mapping-based brand, too.

I genuinely want to inspire others to make the most of their time, by encouraging people to try new things and have a good time in the process of doing life. This is the main purpose of my blog; I try it use my online space to demonstrate a life well lived, documenting the things I get up to, and sharing lessons learnt. Much of this – almost all of it – is about getting outside.

My Outdoor Adventure Why

A long time ago, someone I looked up to told me that you’re not having an adventure unless you go into the wilderness with no access to help or support. He directed that comment at me and my husband, after we told him about an adventure we were going on and were absolutely buzzing about. Talk about putting us in our place.

I’ve spent a lot of time since then trying to show how that is nonsense – adventure is personal, it is what you make it, and we can all have it. Knowing just how much the little outdoor adventures I go on at the weekends and at other times give to me personally, I have to at least try and make sure people know just how amazing spending time outside is. I also want to show that being outside counts whether it is a 200-mile long-distance hike, or a lunchtime walk from your front door.

Activities for Everyone

For me, outdoor adventure is spending a Saturday morning climbing a big (ish) hill and feeling the wind dry the sweat on my face as I touch the trig pillar at the top. Outdoor adventure is tending an open fire whilst using it to cook a delicious paella – in my garden. Outdoor adventure is sitting in my kayak on a river or canal, enjoying countryside views from a different angle. And outdoor adventure is riding my motorcycle on some of Great Britain’s gravel roads (this one’s coming very soon…).

The outdoors is all kinds of things to all kinds of people – there is something for everyone, and you don’t even have to choose one thing. To show this, I did 71 different outdoor activities in 48 hours to celebrate National GetOutside Day in 2019. The idea was to demonstrate just how many different things there are to do outdoors. It’s easy to assume outdoor adventure is difficult, time consuming, tiring, and expensive, which can lead to “it’s not for me, I’ll just stay in”. I try to show the outdoors is for all, there’s something for everyone, and how getting outside makes a massive difference to your enjoyment of life.

I know there are people who do not agree with my definition of adventure. But I really want to stress this: we can all have adventures. Whoever we are, however fit we are, however rich we are, whatever kinds of jobs we have. Those things don’t matter – but our mindset does.

Watch this Space

The OS Champion scheme has had a bit of a spruce up ahead of this season, and as a group we are just starting to learn about what it will look like this year. I am proud to still be a part of the team, and am looking forward to making the most of the opportunities it presents. I guess I’ll let you know what happens!

Foreword by Zoe Homes…

Here’s something I never thought would be in my portfolio… I wrote a forward to a book! I was asked ages ago, but these things take a while, and I was super happy to see its publication included in one of Ordnance Survey’s marketing emails last week. My copy arrived a few days later.

Part of Ordnance Survey’s Short Walks Made Easy series (there are quite a few to choose from), this little Cotswolds pocket guidebook includes ten walks of between 1.5 and 4.5 miles, with route notes, stories, and nature notes.

Having done a lot of hiking in the Cotswolds (including the Cotswold Way, but also a bunch of short hikes in this beautiful AONB), I can confirm there is some fantastic hiking to be had in these parts. You definitely don’t have to hike far to enjoy what the Cotswolds has to offer.

The book has a detailed route description, loads of photos, notes on what kind of nature and wildlife you might see, information about parking and public transport, where to get refreshments, and notes on how accessible the routes are for people and dogs. The book also includes access to the included routes in OS Maps, which is very handy for on-the-go navigation.

I reckon that if you are planning a holiday in Great Britain this summer, buying the relevant short walks guidebook would make a perfect pre-holiday gift to yourself. They’re less than a tenner, so offer decent value – a nice little addition to your outdoorsy bookshelf.

Of course, I only wrote the foreword, not the whole book… Maybe one day I’ll have my name on the front cover of something. But for now, I feel all the fuzzy feelings seeing my name in print.

National Walking Month

It’s no secret that walking is by far is my favourite way to spend time outside. Even after all the outdoor activities I’ve tried, and when compared to all the things I do regularly, the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other and seeing the world very slowly tops the list.

And so the fact that May is Living Streets’ National Walking Month, is a pretty good thing to have marked on my calendar. Created to celebrate the health and happiness benefits of walking and wheeling, this year’s National Walking Month has the theme “discover the #MagicOfWalking”.

Living Streets is the UK’s charity for everyday walking. Did you know that a generation ago, 70% of us walked to school – now it’s less than half? Living Streets run campaigns to reverse this – and tackle other similarly worrying statistics.

Walking and wheeling is an easy and accessible way to improve physical and mental health. A 20-minute walk can reduce the risk of a number of preventable health conditions, including certain cancers, depression, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. And by swapping a short drive for a short walk, you can also help reduce air pollution, congestion, and road danger – and save yourself some money in the process.

Living Streets has put together 20 tips to help you fit 20-minutes of walking into your day. From inviting friends and family for a walk to taking a post-work stroll, these are ideas which are very much in keeping with my One Hour Outside project.

OS Champions Challenge

To celebrate National Walking Month, Ordnance Survey are challenging its new group of OS Champions to go for a walk every day in May. While May is looking like a ridiculously busy month, which is causing me much stress and anxiety as I try to work out how I’m going to get through without crashing, I can’t think of a good enough reason not to give it a go. In fact, I should argue that it is because May is looking so busy that I must make this my month-long goal.

I mean, I generally manage One Hour Outside every day, most of the time anyway, so why not make sure that time includes a walk?

Any kind of walk will count for me here – hiking boots required or not. I already know that some of my walks will be in the Test Valley and some in Cumbria (really excited for those short trips away), but the vast majority will be from my home or office door. Maybe I’ll do a spot of otter hunting in Cheltenham, get some miles in up on my favourite local hill, or take the long route to buy something tasty from a lovely local bakery.

I’ll give it my best shot – and let you know how I get on. Maybe you want to join me? Let me know!

New Long-Distance Trail: The Northern Trek

With more talk of walking, here’s something I thought might interest you. I recently heard about a new long-distance trail being developed in Great Britain. Stretching from the Peak District to the summit of Ben Nevis, the Northern Trek aims is to encourage walkers to explore the spine of England and Scotland – in one 40-day burst, or in six sections taking around one week each.

The Northern Trek is over 560-miles, taking in two countries, four National Parks, three UNESCO World Heritage sites, and all kind of terrain. It makes use of some already-existing trails, joining them up to make a mammoth hiking experience.

Ken Heptonstall, a former web developer, is the brains behind the Northern Trek. The idea was born from a desire to see both the Pennine and West Highland Ways incorporated into one enormous, challenging and rewarding trek.

The six sections of the Northern Trek are named the Tail, the Rump, the Back, the Neck, the Head and the Crown and Glory. Apparently, it’s the first of the UK’s big treks to take walkers right through a city centre –Edinburgh. And it is only the second official long-distance hike to cross the England Scotland border.Half the walk is south of the border and the other half is north of it, the idea being that you travel north.

If you’re intrigue has been piqued, you can find out more about the route on the Northern Trek website.

My Own Cherry Blossom

In part enabled by my Comms Unplugged friends thanks to a WhatsApp chat full of photos of beautiful cherry blossom, and in part because I still miss the wild cherry tree we had in a previous garden, this week I bought and planted a Cherry Plum sapling.

The short green leafy stem is in a large pot, sat underneath my dining room window. I can’t see it when I’m sat at my table yet, it’s not tall enough… I wonder how long until I can? Once established, it should be the first tree to flower in spring each year, and might even give me some fruit (if the birds don’t get to that first).

I bought it from Trees by Post, a website I’ve used before to buy gifts for family and friends. My little 40cm-tall sapling arrived on my chosen day in a cardboard box. It really is quite small, but actually a little bigger than I’d imagined it would be. I just hope it likes its new home and grows to be big and strong in not too many years. I have happy dreams of sitting under its shade in springs to come.

New Pack for My Commute

I have known I needed to buy a new pack for commuting for quite some time. It was months ago that I said such in a weekly blog, and since then I’ve done a lot of research on the best one to buy. That need became necessity last week when the hole in the bottom of the backpack I’ve been using for work – a black and cream Animal pack I’ve owned since I was a teenager – became large enough for things inside the bag to run away.

Thankfully I didn’t lose anything, but it was close!

The bag I chose to replace it is this very nice-looking Osprey Arcane. I have the 20l version (labelled as ‘large’ in the product description). I’ll be honest, after just one week of use, I already know this is going make my next Currently Loving feature (likely towards the end of May). It’s so nice – it has plenty of space for my work paraphernalia, and carries the weight of it all very well.

And I mean, just look at the colour! It’s even better in person. I will have to get you some proper photos.

Everyday Carry

The Arcane is from Osprey’s everyday carry and active commuter range – built using hiking pack technology but designed for day-to-day use. It has a large j-zip opening allowing easy access to the main compartment, which has a bunch of pockets to organise my gear, including a padded laptop sleeve that my 16″ work MacBook fits in perfectly, plus a separate document sleeve.

The mesh water bottle pocket on the side is stretchy enough for my 1-litre water. Accessed from the side rather than the top, it’s quite different to any other water bottle pocket I’ve come across, but works really well. And when it’s not in use, you can’t tell its there.

I’m in no position to review this bag yet (I’m thinking it will be time for an everyday carry feature later this summer), but first impressions are very good. I’m happy with my choice. I just hope that feeling lasts.

The RRP is £100 from Osprey’s own website, but I got mine for a little over £79 from Amazon, mostly thanks to some vouchers I received for Christmas that were sat waiting for something I really wanted and needed.

See You Next Time

I’ll end this very walking-heavy weekly blog episode there, hoping that you might have enough tea left in the one you made before reading this article to comment below to let me know something about your own week. Or your plans for National Walking Month.

And in case you’re interested, I did get to the end of drafting this weekly blog episode without having to rush and get the washing off the line. It is looking very dark out there now, though, so I’ll be moving it indoors before doing anything else.

The coming week is looking pretty full here, if I’m honest. I’m very good at filling my diary up with stuff. All good stuff (well, mostly…), but you know, still full.

As such it looks like I might miss out on this year’s International Female Ride Day, which takes place on Saturday 4 May. I did get out for a short ride this weekend, and might include something about that in my next weekly blog episode. If you want some female motorcycling content to read to celebrate, though, I was able to get an interview with the founders a few years ago, was part of the World’s Largest Female Biker Meet in 2022, and if you prefer travel content – here’s some words about my Overland Adventure in Iceland.  

Anyway, here goes May… See you next time.

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Buy Me a Cuppa?

If you enjoyed this weekly blog episode and fancy supporting me and my mini adventures this year, you can “buy me a coffee” for £3 (well, a cup of tea, if that’s okay?). Head over to Ko-fi to find out more. Thank you.