In this weekly blog episode: Not seeing the sea, kind-of celebrating National GetOutside Day, roller coasters at Thorpe Park, and the National Outdoor Expo.
Welcome to October, everyone! I’m writing this weekly blog episode from my cozy spot on the sofa, recovering from a stinking cold that hit me hard last weekend. It’s that time of year when the weather stutters and breaks, and unfortunately, so do our immune systems. Despite my best-laid plans for three exciting outdoor days out to see out September, I only managed one.
The idea involved grand visions of riding my motorbike to see the sea, exploring new trails, and generally soaking up the autumn vibes, but my body had other ideas. I actually spent most of last weekend trying to shake off the autumn ills – and I know I wasn’t the only one. I did manage to get outside for a bit, though, following my own One Hour Outside advice for self-care.
Even though I didn’t get to do as much as I had hoped, this weekly blog episode will still very much be about the outdoors. Grab a cup of tea, get comfortable, and let me tell you the story of my week…
Snippets from My Week
Thankfully, this cold really did only impact my weekend plans. It came on properly on Friday afternoon, and by Tuesday I was feeling well enough to do life normally again. This means I can happily report that I’ve continued to stick to my current routine – the one that includes a couple of short pre-work jogs a week, some homecooked dinners, a bit of writing every day, and my morning pages journalling practice. I even included trail running and journaling in my new currently loving article, which I published last weekend.
If anything, my runs have felt a little easier recently. I’m getting fitter, I’m sure of it. I’m on week ten of my plan (I’m using the adidas running app, mentioned briefly in my post about trail running), and I no longer dread my phone telling me ‘next interval 15 minutes at a comfortable pace’.
Dinners included one of my mid-week favourite recipes – this speedy lentil coconut curry – which I’d highly recommend if you’re looking for something to add to your meal plan this week. It’s quick and easy to make, and is full of flavour, although it does involve using the food processor, so there’s some clean-up time to take into account. I up the quantities so it does two days, so it takes a little longer to thicken than the recipe suggests, but it’s worth it to get leftovers.
The Autumn Rain Continues
While it seems I have moved to the ‘let’s just embrace it’ side of autumn, or I am trying my hardest to, I am still finding the dull days and relentless rain hard to deal with. Writing this today (Saturday morning), there is actual autumn sunshine and birds singing outside, which is lovely – but it hasn’t been like that at all until now.
After the Biblical storm I mentioned in my last episode, it has been very wet. Dark, and wet. Until the last couple of days, it has basically rained the entire time for over a week. Never has the ‘Dr Foster went to Gloucester’ nursery rhyme been more true! We haven’t been as impacted here as in some areas (and I’m aware what is happening in North Carolina and surrounding states – that’s really scary), but even on a smaller scale, the effect of the water cannot be underestimated.
I can see how it is influencing people’s general mood, too. I, and I know others, are being gradually worn down by the relentless rain. Getting up in the morning is hard enough at this time of year thanks to the sun not rising until well after the alarm clock sounds – we don’t also need the heavy clouds making the whole day dark and miserable! I often wonder what it would be like to live somewhere with polar day and polar night, but I am sure 24-hour darkness must be incredibly difficult to deal with. Maybe it’s just my cold doing the talking, but I think we could really use a break.
Anyway, here’s to scented candles, cosy jumpers, and decent waterproof shoes! I rather hope October brings some better weather – we could all do with a lift.
National GetOutside Day – The Outdoors is Yours
My National GetOutside Day ramblings should have been three-fold. By some happy coincidence, I had planned three full days of outdoor adventures – motorcycling on Saturday, hiking on Sunday, and roller coaster riding on Monday.
Okay, so my plans were not as big as that time I did 71 different outdoor activities in 48-hours to celebrate National GetOutside Day, I’m not sure I’ll ever have that much energy again. But it was going to be a pretty fantastic weekend, with three very different and fun outdoor activities. The last Sunday in September is a good time to plan adventures as, despite the fact we really have had a ridiculous amount of rain, it is normally pretty decent on the weather front – perfect for outdoor fun times.
Instead, the afore mentioned stinking cold sapped all my energy, and I spent most of the weekend sat on the sofa feeling sorry for myself. There was no riding my motorbike down to North Devon to have an ice cream by the sea on Saturday, and no climbing a big hill to bag a new-to-me trig pillar in Wales on Sunday.
I wasn’t bed bound or anything, it was only a cold, but the blocked ears, snotty nose, running eyes, and head that felt like it needed a hidden pressure valve opening, meant I felt pants.
The Spirit of GetOutside
I did get outside, though. On Saturday I spent a little time pottering in my garden, cutting back the lavender and tidying the strawberry plants. Nothing strenuous, but it made the view from my sofa a little neater. And then on Sunday I went on a very local walk from my front door, one of my favourite regular routes, which got me just into the countryside for an hour or so.
I don’t mind admitting that I felt quite sad that I hadn’t been on the big celebratory adventures I had envisioned. Many of my friends and fellow OS Champions had amazing-looking adventures – big hikes, wild swims, mountain summits, group activities. I, on the other hand, was at home feeling meh; I missed out, I was jealous, I wallowed.
But I know that pulling back and staying home was the right decision. It allowed me to recover, and means that now I’m feeling much more like myself. It’s so important to make good decisions to look after yourself, even if it means missing out on some fun. And of course, that is exactly the point of One Hour Outside – you really don’t have to have a big adventure to get outside; it can be as simple as a walk from your own front door. I should listen to my own advice, sometimes!
The One Hour Outside November Challenge is Coming…
And because it would be remiss of me not to mention it… Later this month I will be sharing details of my annual One Hour Outside November challenge. This will be my tenth year running this month-long challenge, and I very much hope you will join me in embracing the outdoors this autumn.
The initiative encourages everyone to spend at least one hour outside each day, making it part of our normal daily routine. Getting outside into the natural light and fresh air is a great way to boost your mood, improve your health, and reconnect with nature – even more important when the days feel short (and your nose is blocked).
But why wait until November? Start now and build the habit early… Even if you aren’t feeling 100% or the weather is a bit damp. Go for brisk walk, a gentle bike ride, or simply sit on a bench and enjoy a flask of tea (I especially enjoy this one). There’s more on One Hour Outside here.
Roller Coasters at Thorpe Park
The outdoorsy day out I did manage to have last weekend was that trip to Thorpe Park. I received a couple of tickets for free, and so my husband and I booked a day off work on Monday to go. It would have been much better if I had been feeling energetic, but as the tickets could not be changed, we went anyway.
Given it’s over two hours to get to Thorpe Park from Gloucestershire, we stayed at The Bridge Hotel in Chertsey the night before. Chosen because it offered decent value a very convenient ten minutes’ drive from Thorpe Park, it turned out to be a great find; I would happily stay again. We arrived late on Sunday night so were only there to sleep, but it was a great location, the room was comfortable and clean, and the staff friendly.
I’m not going to suggest our day at Thorpe Park was the perfect day out, because it wasn’t. UK theme parks are not a patch on Disney or Universal, and having had the pleasure of seeing how things can be done, parks here always feel a bit lacklustre somehow. It rained (of course it did…), there are clearly some issues with ride reliability, and things seemed quite rough around the edges. But I did have a fun day riding a bunch of excellent roller coasters, and I was glad I went, even if I wasn’t feeling my best.
I think it’s worth me writing a proper review post to qualify the above paragraph with some storytelling covering the whole experience, but for this weekly blog episode, I’ll keep things light by very briefly telling you about the roller coasters I went on…
Roller Coasters are an Outdoor Activity…
Our first ride (after a couple of failed attempts due to breakdowns) was Colossus, known for its ten inversions. It was very spinney in a corkscrew kind of way. Next was the adrenaline rush of Stealth, which catapults riders from 0 to 80 mph in less than two-seconds and shoots the car up and over a huge loop. Short but very sweet. After that, I went on The Swarm, which is underestimated if you ask me – the sensation of flying through the landscape is real.
Until Monday I hadn’t been to Thorpe Park since before Saw opened in 2009, but it’s one I’ve always wanted to ride, thanks to the 100 degree drop – I love me a drop ride. Next, I decided I would put up with the queue for Hyperia, the park’s newest and tallest coaster. This was the only ride with lengthy queue; everything else was less than ten minutes, and most were walk-ons – the benefits of going on a rainy Monday in term-time. Standing at 236 feet high, Hyperia provided far-reaching views, massive loops, fast drops, and surprisingly long moments of weightlessness in the sky.
You may wonder why an outdoors-focused blogger is going to Thorpe Park courtesy of free tickets…
Hopefully you know that my opinion on what constitutes an outdoor activity is incredibly wide ranging. Is it outside? Then it counts. One Hour Outside is all about finding different ways that get you out in the natural light and fresh air, so you want to do it every day. If that involves riding roller coasters, then bring it on! In any case, even at this small theme park in the UK, I still walked over 14,000 steps – so there was even exercise.
Like I say, more about Thorpe Park another time.
50 Free National Outdoor Expo Tickets
I am very happy to say that I am once again an ambassador for the National Outdoor Expo, which takes place at the NEC on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 March 2025 (read about this year’s show in weekly blog episode 146).
One of the biggest outdoor community meet-ups of the year, the Expo brings together inspirational speakers, the latest technologies and gear, and activities to try. I’ve been every year since it started, and it’s a great opportunity to fill your cup with ideas and inspiration to get outside – and to meet up with likeminded people.
Due to the huge demand for tickets over the last couple of years, the team have decided it’s time to start charging for entry. Full price will be £18 for the weekend (£10 for one day), but don’t worry, I’ve got (some of) you covered…
The first 50 tickets booked using my code – ZHOMES – will be free. After that, the same code will provide you with a decent discount, so it’s worth trying even if you’re reading this much closer to the event.
Head to the National Outdoor Expo website to find out more about the show and to book your tickets. And maybe I’ll see you in March.
See You Next Time…
I think that’s where I will leave this weekly blog episode. After spending last weekend wallowing in my own snot, I want to make sure I do something with this one. Maybe a countryside walk followed by brunch, maybe I should wash the car, I’m not sure yet – I just know it shouldn’t be about wasting the day wishing I was doing something else.
See you next time.
Support Splodz Blogz… with tea!
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.