Walk Write In Where The River Flows

Tags

Adventure, Alone, anxiety, Hiking, hobbies, Life, Mental health, Nature, Rivers

It’s been a good while since I added anything to my blog. 2022 has been an difficult year on a personal front – much has been going on with family and my own health – and I’ve really missed writing here as much as I did before. In fact, I’ve struggled to get much writing done at all in the last few months. Consequently, it’s been a struggle to get back into the habit. Still, I’m reaching old heights slowly, and I’ve enjoyed being back in the writing seat once more.

Hiking has been one hobby that’s kept me going. Walking in nature is the gateway to understanding our own thoughts and feelings. But, at times, I found even the idea of putting my trainers on and heading outdoors for five minutes difficult to comprehend. But, again, I’m slowly getting back into the swing of it.

RIVER THERAPY

I’ve spent plenty of time near the River Thames over the past few months. Staying grounded in the present moment and using my senses to appreciate what nature offers me has been rewarding: whether it’s observing fish flowing underneath the water, hearing the call of birds or smelling the sweet aroma of summer flowers, being by the water’s edge has engulfed me in a sense of calm.

River Adventure

Also, I think the need for walking along the Thames is also born out of a need to remain in the flow of life. When things get too much, we need to find a way to escape and ground ourselves again.

I Need More Moments Like These

NEW COMMITMENTS

So, as life carries on flowing by, I intend to grab more moments of calm. Even amidst the full-on pace of life and what it throws at us, taking even a brief amount of time out is so important.

And I’m looking forward to catching up with you all on WordPress.

Sorry it’s been so long!

Just Be Like The Swan!

Book Review: ‘A Notebook For Living Adventurously’ by Alastair Humphreys

Tags

Adventure, Book, Book Review, Books, Fun, Happiness, Hiking, Journal, journaling, Mental health, Motivation

What This Adventure Journal Book Is About

My Review

This book is based on the questions that British Adventurer Alastair Humphreys asks his guests on his podcast.

At the time of writing, I’m enjoying working my way through each question. I’m finding that it’s a fun way of journalling based around my hiking experiences. Writing in this way helps me to gain a deeper understanding of myself, and to reflect on past achievements and future dreams.

Staying focused on what drives a person is important to making dreams come true, and this book is an encouraging resource for any lover of the outdoors to make those dreams happen. Answering the questions is garunteed to stop procrastination.

I’m looking forward to answering all the questions. I highly recommend this book for any seasoned or newbie lover of the outdoors.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Buy Links:

Walking Round In Circles Close To Home

Tags

Adventure, Blogging community, Hiking, hobbies, Inspiration, local, Mental health, Motivation, Street, Travel, Walking, Well-being

Exploring the urban landscape

I’m still having to stay close to home as I’m running errands for family members in different households who’ve caught Covid. It’s meant that I’ve had less time to get into the countryside, so I’ve had a new idea as to how I hike for the time being.

The idea is partly inspired by two influences: Alastair Humphreys, who did a hike around the circumference of the M25 in his book ‘Microadventures’; plus, it’s a revamping of the urban hikes I did during the first lockdown.

Recently, I was looking at a map of my hometown, Maidenhead, and worked out I could do circular walks of different lengths. Although these will be mainly urban hikes, it means that I can still be close to family. So far, I’ve created a two mile, four mile and six mile walk.

I did the six mile walk today. The accompanying photos are from that walk.

Spring is beginning to blossom

Then, when I got home, I decided to see how many miles the circumference of Maidenhead would be. I measured that out by using pins and string, and measured out the distance in accordance with the map scale. That totals approximately 11.5 miles. With the almost two miles it takes to get to the edge of town and back that would make a fifteen mile walk, which I’m planning to do sometime before Easter.

Pins and string – there’s the thing!

On these walks, I try to counter the noise of passing traffic and trains by deliberately seeking out the sights and sounds of nature in gardens or small stretches of woodland.

So, whilst these urban hikes won’t fully immerse me in nature, they’ve given me the creativity and stimulation to keep going in preparation for when I get back out into the countryside.

Hope you all have a great week. 😊

Hiking Book Review: ‘Tales From The Big Trails’ by Martyn Howe

Tags

Adventure, Blogging community, Book, Book Review, Hiking, Nature, non-fiction, UK, United Kingdom, Well-being

BLURB

‘I am already planning the next adventure. The wanderlust that infected me has no cure.’

It all started in Fishguard in the mid-1970s when, aged fifteen, Martyn Howe and a friend set off on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path armed with big rucksacks, borrowed boots, a Primus stove and a pint of paraffin, and a thirst for adventure. After repeating the route almost thirty years later, Martyn was inspired to walk every National Trail in England and Wales, plus the four Long-Distance Routes (now among the Great Trails) in Scotland. His 3,000-mile journey included treks along the South West Coast Path, the Pennine Way, the Cotswold Way and the West Highland Way. He finally achieved his ambition in 2016 when he arrived in Cromer in Norfolk, only to set a new goal of walking the England and Wales Coast Paths and the Scottish National Trail.

In Tales from the Big Trails, Martyn vividly describes the diverse landscapes, wildlife, culture and heritage he encounters around the British Isles, and the physical and mental health benefits he derives from walking. He also celebrates the people who enrich his travels, including fellow long-distance hikers, tourists discovering Britain’s charm, farmers working the land, and the friendly and eccentric owners of hostels, campsites and B&Bs.

And when he is asked ‘Why do you do it?’, the answer is as simple as placing one foot in front of the other: ‘It makes me happy.’

MY REVIEW

The author writes in such an engaging way about his journeys that its as if you’re walking with him at times. The descriptions of the landscapes and the interactions with the people that he meets really drew me in.

As an avid day hiker looking to become more involved with long distance/multi-day hikes, this book has given me a lot of encouragement to start planning those journeys.

I’m sure this book will be a constant companion to me on my future treks.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Photo Poem: Rivers And Hills

Tags

Adventure, Blogging community, Hiking, hills, Inspiration, Mental health, Nature, Photography, Poem, Poetry, Rivers

Rivers and hills, hills and rivers, Make me shake, make me quiver, For the peace of mind they deliver, With their beauty, I’m in a dither

Sometimes it’s high up that I seek, Other times at the water’s edge I take a peek, Give me a day and give me a week, Whether it’s sunny or it’s bleak.

Whatever path you chose to take, Make sure there are slopes or a lake, It’s the perfect way to give yourself a break, Then finish it off with tea and cake!

Phone Box Reminder: The Importance Of Talking

Tags

Alone, anxiety, blogging, Blogging community, Family, Friends, Happiness, Inspiration, Life, Listening, Loneliness, Mental health, phones

Last weekend I was out on a hike, and I saw this lonely looking phone box in a village. It evoked in me the sense that we have to stay connected. Moreover, how it’s important to make the time to chat with one another.

I’m going through my phone contacts and making a list of people that I haven’t spoken to for a while. It’d be good to catch up.

Sometimes life just takes over and people move on – it’s a natural occurence in life. It’s also natural (and important) that we want to reconnect. Going through the names on my phone filled me with memories of times with specific people, and that filled me with joy.

The pandemic may have robbed us of certain things, but one thing that seeing that red phone box reminded me of is the importance of being there for one another, and to listen.

Reaching out to a family member, friend (old or new) or a stranger really can have a positive impact for everybody involved.

Wherever you are in the world, I hope you have a great weekend with the people you love. (And give an old friend a call too).

😃😃😃

The Power Of Nostalgia

Tags

blogging, Blogging community, Childhood, Comics, Creativity, Dreams, Fantasy, Fun, hobbies, Subbuteo, writer's block

The last few weeks had been a bit odd for me. My creativity had been stifled. Sometimes life gets in the way, and I need to reset. Thankfully, I had some holiday due from work, so I used it to visit my brother in Cheshire. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

My brother surprised me when he got out his old Subbuteo set from his loft. I spent hours on end playing this tabletop soccer game in my bedroom as a teenager. Now, here I was again revisiting my youth. My brother beat me 1-0 in the game we played, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that we were kids again having fun.

On another day, we visited the town of Stockport. Here, I found a comic book store that stocked old copies of my favourite comics I’d read growing up. Normally, the comic book stores I visit are full of Marvel and DC Comic titles, as well as manga and other publications. They’re all great, but here for the first time ever I found titles such as ‘Buster’ and ‘Whizzer and Chips’ – firm British staples of my childhood that are sadly no longer published. Suddenly, I was transported back to Saturday mornings in the mid-80s when I’d run down the local shops and buy a big pile of comics and read through them again and again before school came round again on Monday.

I bought a few copies, and have been laughing my head off ever since.

Comics were so instrumental in me wanting to become a writer as they opened up endless worlds of storytelling and possibility to me. It was good to reminisce about this.

The result of all this is that the power of nostalgia has fuelled my creativity again. I’ve now got a pocketful of ideas for short stories that I’ve begun working on. Plus, I’ve also got a new tactic if I get writer’s block again.

If you’re creativity is lacking, remembering the hobbies you had a child could be one way to help you.

I hope you all have a great and creative week. ☺️

SOS! Why is it so hard to ask for help? (shared from fitambitiousblonde.com)

Tags

anxiety, Loneliness, Mental health, Mind, Motivation

We have all been through a lot this past year and a half. There have been a lot of unknowns. A lot of isolation. A lot of wondering what is going to happen next. I think we have all had new challenges to face and obstacles to overcome and in turn days where we have […]

SOS! Why is it so hard to ask for help?

Hi Everybody, I read this really great post the other day on fitambitiousblonde.com about the importance of reaching out for help when it’s needed – and overcoming stigma when doing so. It’s so important to be there to listen to somebody going through any kind of hardship.

The website is a place of encouragement for anybody wanting to turn their life around. Check it out ☺️

Has Banksy done a new kind of street art installation in my town?…

Tags

art, Banksy, Blogging community, Photography, Street Art, urban photography

…or are the local council trying to save money on streetlighting?

Mountains For The Mind

Tags

Adventure, anxiety, Blogging community, Community, Discover Prompts, Fear, Hiking, Humanity, Inspiration, Life, Mental health, Mind, Motivation, Mountains

As I’m writing this, I’m staring out at a stormy grey sky in August. IN AUGUST! The weather has been like this across South-East England for ten days now, and it’s set to continue for a few more. I, like others, hoped that once we were out of lockdown that the summer of adventure could begin.

But it’s been a slow, stop-start affair.

I’d wanted to put up posts with photos of hikes more frequently, but this is all on hold until the shoddy weather clears. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve hiked in all sorts of conditions, and will enjoy continuing to do so. I guess I’m just frustrated at not being able to enjoy the countryside as much after all the restrictions we’ve faced.

PUTTING IT INTO PERSPECTIVE

I recently came across the Mountains For The Mind Facebook group. This is a campaign set up by Trail Magazine in the UK to encourage people to go out and explore to aid their mental health. Members may have mental health conditions of their own and/or they find the benefits of immersing themselves in nature.

Reading the stories and achievements of others is encouraging in a number of ways. I feel boosted to go out there and explore again, knowing that the outdoors will always nurture me in some way. Also, being part of a community like this reminds me of the strength of humanity, and how important it is to encourage each other.

TAKING HEART

Reading the stories of others has a direct impact on my self-worth. It reminds me that the restorative effects of being in the open brings joy to the heart and soul. Spending time in the countryside can give a person the ability to put things into perspective and makes what life throws at us less intense.

So, I’m going to go outside tomorrow and explore – even if it’s in my local woods for an hour after work. Come rain or shine, my mind is set.

I encourage you to do the same. You deserve it.

Please check out http://www.mountainsforthemind.co.uk for more info.