Walking Round In Circles Close To Home

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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. 😊

Adventure On Your Doorstep

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Adventure, Berkshire, Blogging community, Britain, Hiking, Inspiration, local, Mental health, Nature, South East England, Walking, Well-being

Living in South East England, I don’t live close to mountains that I’ve come to crave. So, it’s important that I look elsewhere for my adventure fix. I’m lucky to live near the River Thames, and a forty minute train journey from the North Wessex Downs hill range.

But with the demands of everyday life, it sometimes difficult to find the time to go on an adventure day. During the lockdowns, though, I found myself exploring my local area more than ever before. I explored woodlands and pathways that I’d never given much thought to before.

This was all done by simply looking at a map of the outskirts of my hometown. These very local adventures proved to be a lifeline during the pandemic. I was concerned that as life got back to normal that I’d neglect these local places of interest for escapades further afield. But, exploring these areas has become so ingrained in me that I was determined not to let this new hobby go.

Just when I thought that I’d discovered all there was locally, I noticed this new area of green on my map. When I say ‘new area’ what I actually mean is I’d just overlooked it. Less than a mile and a half from my house – and more directly behind a supermarket – is a local nature reserve called Braywick Nature Reserve.

It’s been such a joy to find a new place to unwind, and it’s come with a number of other benefits. The track seems to hold up well after long bouts of rain, so it’ll make an ideal training ground in most weather to prepare for long distance hikes. Hearing the birdsong and the rushing stream is also a quick fix for the enduring sounds of nature that I experience on longer hikes. I can also see how walking here links up to other pathways, so a longer trek can be enjoyed.

So, the next time your short of time or you just fancy doing something nearby home, pull out a local map and see if there’s any new places it could take you too. As well as experiencing a great mini escape, you may find other benefits like I’ve described above.

Hope you all have a great week 😊

A Week In Northumberland: Photo Blog Post

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Adventure, Blogging community, Britain, England, Hadrian's Wall, Hiking, Mountains, Northumberland, Photo, Photography, Travel, Walking

A few months back, I was looking at a map of the UK trying to work out where to go on a new adventure. I became drawn to Northumberland. I’d visited its neighbours – Cumbria to the west and Yorkshire to the south – a number of times before, and enjoyed those experiences immensely. But, in Northumberland, here was a whole chunk of county that I’d completely overlooked.

I decided to do a bit of research and found out that the county was home to England’s largest and least visited national park. Those facts alone made the idea of visiting there more intriguing to me. So, before I had a chance to rationalise what I was doing, I booked myself a reasonably priced hotel and train journey to go and explore.

I had plans to explore the whole county in six days, but as soon as I got there I knew that I’d need longer. So, this is the first leg of my tour of Northumberland. What follows is the highlights of a four day trek across the southern portion of the county.

Day 1 – Hadrian’s Wall (Steel Rigg and Peel Cragg Circular Walk

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The iconic Sycamore Gap

This was a lovely seven mile walk that involved some short but stiff climbs along one of the most popular stretches of Hadrian’s Wall. The above photo is of the Sycamore Gap, which is the most photographed image along the wall. The cliff faces rose up so high at some points that I couldn’t see beyond them – it truly felt like I was standing on the edge of the world!

Day 2 – Corbridge

Ruins of the old Roman town

Corbridge was the most northerly town of the Roman Empire, so its economic, cultural and historic importance is worthy of note. The village itself today is a charming place to visit with its sandstone buildings, impressive church and tower (where you can stop and have a pint) and abundance of coffee shops. If I had more time, then I’d have loved to have done a river walk. I had a cracking three course Italian lunch for just £8.95 as well!

Day 3 – Allendale, North Pennines

Awesome river walk

Allendale was one of the remotest parts of England I’ve ever visited. The thirty minute bus journey took us deep into the countryside to this village that was surrounded by rolling hills on all sides. I walked a stretch of the river and climbed hills. I spotted nineteenth century farm machinery, fat hens freely grazing across cottage gardens and some truly magical riverside spots like the one above. Then, I ambled back to the village and noticed that Dr Who had popped in…

The Museum Of Classic Sci-Fi, Allendale

Day 4 – Back At Hadrian’s Wall

Looking down along Hadrian’s Wall

Cawfield Quarry

On this last day, I did a seven mile walk that started at the majestic Cawfield Quarry. It’s well worth a moment of anybody’s time to pause by the lake. This stretch of Hadrian’s Wall provided me with some heart-stopping views across the open landscape. I dropped down into the valley, and I was truly the only person in this expanse. On this clear blue day it felt so good to be alive.

Conclusion

I’ve only scratched at the surface of Northumberland. Whilst I haven’t talked about the history or culture of this area in any great detail, I hope you see that by seeing the natural beauty of the places featured that this county is well worth a visit. It’s a county that I want to return to many times: there’s still a great coastline, acres and acres of forest and the Cheviot Hills to explore.

Northumberland rocks!

Have you been to Northumberland? What did you make of it?

Adventure Photo Story: Northern Ireland Mountain Weekend

Tags

Adventure, blogging, Coast, Friends, Hiking, Motivation, Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland, Travel, Walking

Northern Ireland is a spectacular place. Outside of Belfast, there’s lush green countryside, rolling hills and breathtaking coast. The recent visit I did with my friends was to the Mourne Mountains where we took on the highest peak, Slieve Donard, at 850 metres.

On a bright and clear Saturday morning we headed out of Belfast passing through remote villages and deep green countryside. After about an hour’s drive we arrived at the seaside town of Newcastle – not to be confused with the city by the same name in the North-East of England – then began our journey from the car park.

We trekked up a rocky path that cut through open grassland with rich vegetation. A boulder-strewn river wound its way alongside us and provided a natural water slide for a number of day trippers in wetsuits. Soon, we were about halfway up when the path steepened and the mountains grew in stature.

And that meant one thing…

…My fear of heights kicked in!

On previous mountain explorations nerves had always gotten the better of me. But I was determined for this not to be the case this time. My friends took it in turns to drop back and motivate me to keep going as I tailed off the pace.

As we approached the Mourne Wall – which runs the entire length of the range – we noted the jet black surfaces that occasionally appeared in the side of the mountains. The tin huts dotted to the side of the track confirmed this had once been an area for slate mining.

Around a final corner, and then the final ascent to Slieve Donard presented itself: three hundred metres or so of awesome steepness! We met a man who said it would take us no more than thirty minutes. Secretly, I knew that would mean an hour for me.

Previously, I’d have taken on such a feat by stopping every so often, shutting my eyes and re-centering myself before taking on the next stretch. I’d repeat this as often as I needed. This time I had a few new tactics to battle the heights: I’d count fifty steps then stop for a bit; I’d zigzag up the mountainside instead of going straight up as it was less strenuous on my legs; and instead of melting down as before, I’d deliberately soak in the countryside to absorb it’s calming beauty. Plus, I made full use of the wall by holding onto it to help me climb as I went – making use of whatever is available is important to getting the job done. And my mates did a cracking job of keeping me going with banter and words of encouragement.

My mates waited for me thirty metres from the peak, so that we arrived together. The clouds suddenly formed around us like a thousand misty ghosts come to greet us. We took a few photos, then hastened our exit as conditions became more dense.

The descent was the most enjoyable I’ve had on a mountain. The first section required careful navigation down rock steps. At times my mind went into a vortex where the greens and the greys swirled and merged into one. Once this tricky part was completed, we trod a well used path, skipping over streams and through boggy sections. Before entering the forest path that led back into the town, I took in my surroundings: the powder blue sky had now reappeared; the mountains formed a horseshoe valley that towered over us, cascading waterfalls giving this place a more majestic quality; the chattering river snaking its way down the emerald hillsides. And all this abundant beauty overlooking the town and the Irish Sea below.

Heaven is a place on Earth!

And so was this afterwards…

Thanks for dropping by and reading this. Please feel free to leave a comment – they’re always appreciated. I hope you all have a great weekend filled with adventure 😊

Self-Publishing Update: Back On Track With A Lot To Do

Tags

Adventure, Ben Nevis, blogging, blogging101, Book, Discover, Discovery Prompts, Discovery-Prompts, Hiking, Mount Whitney, Mountain, Mountains, Novel, Self-publishing, Walking, writing

Hi Guys,

Hope you are all well, healthy and keeping safe 😊

QUICK RECAP

In my last self-publishing update (14th May 2020) I mentioned about the sudden horror I felt when I realised that sections of my Ben Nevis hiking book needed a serious revamp. Due to the lockdown I needed to offer up-to-date safety advice regarding taking public transport to the countryside for a hike. It left me very despondent, but after chatting with my family and editor I now have a blueprint to update the book with a couple of extra chapters and sensible advice.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE RELEASE DATE

I had originally planned for a release date of late summer. That’s on hold now as we don’t know how long this lockdown business may carry on. I’m keeping a journal of all my hiking-based endeavours in lockdown so that when things start to settle I can put together those extra chapters.

Then it may be necessary to add another post-lockdown chapter as we start to venture out more frequently (and safely) into the wilderness. Time will tell how this fans out.

I really do feel that in terms of getting this all done there’s a mountain to climb. This climb is taller than Ben Nevis, but smaller than Mount Everest. Somewhere in the middle. I think Mount Whitney is about the size of it! I say this because I’d love to trek Mount Whitney one day; as difficult as it’d be I know I’d enjoy it – and that’s exactly my feelings toward my book at the moment.

Presently, I’m hoping for a release date of Spring 2021 – but it really is a case of seeing what is happening in the world before finalising the date.

EBOOK FORMATTING AND COVER UPDATE

I also mentioned in the previous self-publishing post that I have this self-imposed bugbear that formatting the book would be something I’d not be able to get my head around. I added that my brother surprised me with the knowledge he has of this.

Well, it turns out that as he’s pursuing his own projects he’s going to provide me with the know-how and tools to complete formatting the book for release on different platforms. I mentioned about the cover design and other component parts of the process and he said he’ll be able to provide support for that as well.

Given how exasperated I’d become with the extra work I now need to do for the book, to have the good news above serves as a massive morale booster; I feel that there is a tangible end date in sight now – even if that exact date is not yet known.

My brother’s involvement will free me up mentally to focus on other aspects of the self-publishing process.

When I become more involved with the other aspects of self-publishing I’ll post up the resources I use on this website.

I’VE GOT A NEW DESK

One of the joys of writing is that it can be done anywhere with pad and pen, laptop or phone. I’m normally perched on the end of my bed with scraps of paper spread about as I tap away at the keyboard.

However, we had a move about with the furniture downstairs and I’ve now got a little desk space sorted out in the kitchen. It’ll be interesting to see how writing here works out with the daily life in our household going on around me. Perhaps I’ll have to reconsider the times of day I write, but if needs be I can always retreat to my bedroom where my set-up there has served me generally well.

UPCOMING PLAN

So, after it all falling flat last week, things are looking up again. I feel more reinvigorated to focus. By the time of the next self-publishing post I hope to share that I’ve made decent progress with revamping the book.

I’ve also got some ideas for near future posts on hiking that I’m currently working on and will post up soon.

Plus, I’ve really got into writing poetry, so there’ll be a few poem posts as well.

Thanks for reading, Everybody. I hope you all have a lovely weekend.

If you have any comments, it’d be great to hear from you.

Bye for now 😊.

Self-Publishing Update: How My Favourite Authors Will Keep Me Motivated

Tags

Adventure, blogging, Blogging community, Book, Hiking, Journal, Lockdown, Motivation, Mountain, Mountains, Self-publishing, Walking

Hi Everybody,

I hope you’re all safe and well.

This week the infernal boredom of being stuck in has got to me more. I know other people are going through worse things during this pandemic, but it’s so important not to neglect our own mental health. For me, I’ve found it harder and harder to motivate myself to write. In ‘normal’ times when I find it difficult to write I have a few writing activity books that have exercises in and this encourages me to keep going. Presently, though, things had almost ground to a halt.

Then I remembered the Neil Gaiman book ‘Art Matters’. In this work Gaiman says that when things get you down make art. Write, draw, paint – basically just keep being creative. Re-reading this book and reminding myself of this gave me that fresh kick I needed to keep going.

I started to watch YouTube videos of Neil Gaiman: anything from interviews about his life or his top tips for writing. My favourite piece of advice he gives is to write truthfully. Truthfully about events in your life or conveying how you feel about something in fiction in a truthful way. This is more advice that has lifted my spirits to help me endeavour.

So, I’ve been able to redouble my efforts and keep the wolves of lethargy from the door. The next time I get hit this way I’ll look up more of my favourite authors to see me through. It certainly helps.

EDITING UPDATE

I’ve now worked my way through the grammatical and plot changes to my Ben Nevis hiking story as suggested by my editor. Now, I’m going over it again and focusing on enhancing additional themes that she suggested bringing to the fore (e.g. the mental health benefits of walking). I’m enjoying doing this as it is helping me become more reflective as a writer by making my work more deeper and personal and hopefully it’ll resonate more with people that may be interested in reading it.

I definitely feel I’m growing in my writing abilities.

SELF-PUBLISHING LATEST

As well as the ongoing editing developments, I’ve begun to look more and more at the different aspects of self-publishing. In my last update I mentioned I can only focus on one thing at a time, but self-publishing means I need to juggle a few balls. Still, I can maintain my writing as my primary focus whilst having a few satellite projects orbiting at the same time. Keeping a checklist and schedule are important.

I’ve now got a shortlist of people to do a cover design from Fiverr. I’m looking at sorting the ISBN number for cataloguing the book as well.

The one aspect that had been causing me trepidation was getting the book formatted for different ebook platforms. Whenever I’ve thought about it my expression has been the same as the face in ‘The Scream’ by Munch. The whole experience had caused a lot of procrastination.

However, I was chatting to my brother this week and he surprised me with his knowledge of the processes involved. As the techy one in our family, it’s such a relief that he’s there to rely on when I get to this stage. I just had it in my head that formatting was going to be one of the toughest parts of self-publishing. It’s a big box ticked.

PLAN FOR THIS WEEK

The main thing is to keep motivated. To keep watching videos about my favourite authors if I’m in a quagmire.

Keeping the themes consistent in my manuscript is key now.

To have a definite cover designer by the end of this week would be good.

And to finish my blurb too.

I’m putting together a blueprint for revamping this website too.

AND FINALLY…

Thanks for stopping by and reading this. Reading others posts on WordPress is a source of encouragement to keep going, so I look forward to reading some of your posts as well. Remember: as Neil Gaiman suggests, if life gets on top of you make art.

Peace and love, Everybody 😊

My Self-Publishing Resources Guide

Tags

Adventure, Author, blogging, Blogging community, Book, Discover Prompts, Hiking, Novel, Self-publishing, Walking

Hi Everybody,

I hope you and your families are having a safe and wonderful Easter.

I said in a post about a week or so ago that I was going to post up about the resources that I’ve used in my quest to get my hiking book self-published.

But then something wonderful happened: those wonderful people at WordPress HQ started doing daily prompts and I became distracted in that. I found myself writing poems and reminiscing over my youth. It’s been a happy journey doing that and connecting with new people. I’ll carry on doing the prompts over the next few weeks. However, it’s important that I remain focused on editing my book and learning about self-publishing too.

So, in part, this post is also an attempt to help me refocus, share a little knowledge and the resources I use. I decided to do this in a Q and A style as it seemed a good way to organise my thoughts.

WHY DID I CHOSE TO SELF-PUBLISH?

I chose to self-publish because over the the last few years I’d read books by a few authors that had gone down that route and it encouraged me to do the same.

WHAT’S THE BOOK ABOUT?

The book is called ‘Adventure Dayze’. It recounts my hiking journeys in the build up to tackling Ben Nevis – the UK’s highest mountain – in 2018 and how I attempted to overcome my fear of heights and bad sense of direction. (‘Dayze’ is a mix of the words ‘day’ and ‘daze’ as I’m always in a daze on a day out).

Next, I look at 2019 and how, despite my poor navigational skills and fear of heights being issues, with the help of my friends I walked up the highest mountain in Ireland.

I wanted to write the book as a way to encourage the reader to get out and walk and know that they can overcome obstacles blocking the way.

WHAT STAGE AM I CURRENTLY AT?

I received my manuscript back from my editor, Jessica Grace Coleman (www.colemanediting.co.uk), about 3 weeks ago. I wouldn’t be where I am or as dedicated as I am without Jessica’s support and encouragement. I’m currently working on the changes suggested. I think it’ll take me about another three weeks in all. After that, it’ll be one final check for grammar and I’m ready to publish. I’m hoping for a release date of late summer this year.

HOW DID I GO ABOUT LEARNING ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING?

Firstly, I watched a lot – and I mean a lot – of YouTube videos on the subject. Two people stood out for me, so I watched their videos some more. The first person was Ellen Brock. Her engaging style left me feeling inspired after every video. The second was fantasy author Natalia Leigh. When I watched her video on her self-publishing checklist I was delighted when she recommended to signing up to her website to receive the checklist as a PDF (visit http://www.natalialeigh.com).

This checklist then formed the basis of my approach to self-publish.

Even though Ellen Brock and Natalia Leigh live and work from the USA, I feel a lot of the advice they give out is universal and was really helpful to me in the UK.

WHAT BOOKS ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING HAVE I USED?

I’ve only used two:

The first is ‘The Indie Author Checklist’ by Adam Croft. This was highly recommended to me by Jessica Grace Coleman. This has been extremely invaluable so far and will continue to be in the months ahead. The advice given in this book has stopped me feeling overwhelmed about the whole process.

The second is ‘The Writers Room’ by Rick Wood. This is a handy little book I found myself on Amazon. This book deals well with explaining the various pitfalls that may be encountered in self-publishing, so I find it really useful in giving me a reality check.

Both Adam Croft and Rick Wood are successful authors, and so I find their honest accounts of self-publishing a real bonus to my arsenal.

WHAT HAVE I GOT LEFT TO DO?

A lot!

I mentioned in a recent post that I’ve gone about matters in a semi back-to-front way. The absolute focus for me was getting my manuscript to a stage where I was happy to send it over to Jessica Grace Coleman. Only recently have I begun to look at other parts of the process whereas if I’d have been following Natalia Leigh’s checklist earlier I’d have a fair few more boxes ticked.

I’m so glad this website is up and running again. The true joy of WordPress is the connections that you make with other people.

I’ve written a blurb of sorts for the novel too.

I’m gathering info on cover design, ISBN numbers, formatting for different platforms, setting up mailing lists, marketing and a whole list of other stuff.

All of it can make me feel overwhelmed, I admit.

However, determination and perseverance are gathering pace within me. Jessica – who is also a self-published author herself – has been really great with encouraging me step-by-step. So, with her sage advice and the other resources I have, I know I can make this happen.

Admittedly, I’ve got a lot to learn. As I learn each of the component parts of self-publishing in more detail, I’ll share my findings and any other resources here.

Thanks for reading. If you’re really interested in self-publishing, I hope this article has helped. It’d be interesting to hear from anybody out there about any advice they may have.

Peace and love, Everybody 😊

My Back Garden Is The New Wilderness

Tags

Adventure, Coronavirus, creative writing, Hiking, Walking, writing

Hi Everybody,

I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and well.

The Spring sunshine has been with us the last few days in Southeast England and the fine weather looks set to continue over the weekend. In regular times this would’ve meant that my hiking boots would’ve been on as the morning sun broke through the curtains and I’d have been straight out the door ready for a new adventure.

But these aren’t regular times as Covid-19 lurks about. The Government’s advice has permitted us Brits to pop out for exercise once a day. However, the advice increasingly points to us staying in more. Like a lot of people I know I’ve decided to not go out at all (apart from a supermarket run once a week). A lot of us are rightfully having to forego time out in the wilderness in order to stay safe.

I wrote a blog post a week or so ago about doing ten thousand steps at home. I’ve been trying to maintain that – some days are more successful than others – and looking to build on that in terms of ideas to motivate me. A quick bit of maths informed me that if I do 288 laps of my garden, then I’ll do those ten thousand steps. That seems monotonous, yet it’s also a challenge I’m prepared to undertake.

I’ve figured there are a few ways to mix it up. I’ll try it at different times of the day: the mornings are lighter now and it gets darker later in the evening. Maybe I could do a night time garden walk! Walking at different times will give me a chance to compare the sounds of nature through the day. Maybe I’ll put my hiking boots on and pack some food and drink to simulate a hike. Though I may receive a few random looks from neighbours, it’ll be worth it.

I think it’s important to make use of the space you’ve got at the moment. I guess up until now I just took my garden for granted; to me, it was just a green area that needed mowing every couple of weeks. Now, it has more meaning and value than I previously thought.

Others will live in apartments and may not have access to green spaces right now and may come up with even more imaginative ways to pass the time and gain fitness.

Wherever we live right now I think it’s more important than ever to appreciate the space we have. Then, whenever we can return to the outdoors, we should appreciate that with renewed vigour too.

Stepping Over The Threshold

Tags

creative writing, Hiking, Self-publishing, Walking, writing

Hi Everybody,

I hope you and your families are all keeping well.

A couple of days ago, the editor who is doing the developmental edit of my book emailed me back with all her suggestions. As yet, I’ve not looked at it as this feels like such a significant moment for me that I wanted to give it fresh attention at the weekend after the working week was complete.

I’m really excited because it’s a watershed time for me: I’m going to learn a lot about how to develop my writing style from here and this will shape my future. So, not only will I be using my editors suggestions to make my hiking story stronger; I’ll be absorbing all the info I can to help me structure and plot better, and to bring the characters to life.

I wanted to put this post up before I begin looking at the editing suggestions because it’s the start of the next leg of the journey. I know I’m going to be busier now, yet the old adage that when you do something you enjoy often it doesn’t seem like hard work is true.

In a near future post I’ll start to detail my journey into self-publishing more: what I’ve learnt, where I’m at and what resources and services I’m using. To me, the whole process is like designing my own study course whilst simultaneously developing myself as a writer.

It’s clear to me now that when I see checklists or watch advice videos on YouTube about self-publishing I know I’ve gone about matters in a semi-back-to-front way. Perseverance and determination will be key factors in smoothing that out. It’s so typical of me to turn off the main road and take all the back roads to hit the target. The important thing is that I reach the end and, ultimately, how the journey shapes me as a better self-published writer in the future.

Happy weekend, Everybody. I’ll look forward to reading posts from other WordPress users this weekend too.

10000 Steps A Day At Home

Tags

Coronavirus, creative writing, Hiking, Mental health, Walking, writing

Like an increasing number of people in the UK, I’m following the Government advice to stay at home during this sadly bleak time for the world. Like a lot of people I’m also trying to find ways of passing the time.

It’s been interesting to see videos on the news or YouTube of what other people are doing to fill the hours. With a total lockdown in the UK looking more imminent, the number of home exercise videos being submitted online offers one way to relieve boredom and keep fit.

I’m usually able to follow an exercise pattern in the winter months whilst the rest of the year is left for hiking. So, to be in a situation now where my territory is limited is a strange thing. Currently, the UK Government says that a daily trip outside for exercise is okay, but, as I said, I’m electing to keep trips beyond my gate to a rare minimum.

I could keep on following fitness videos to fill the gap. I can certainly amass a decent amount of exercise by spending time doing work in the garden. The thing is I’m missing clocking the miles in the countryside, though; walking in the wilderness is outright my favourite form of exercise.

And all this got me thinking.

What if I could bring the countryside to my own home by walking a few miles every day?

So, yesterday morning I woke up early and headed out into the back garden. I did umpteen laps doing my utmost to focus on the colours of the trees and plants, the chatter of the birds and the blue of the sky. It was easy to lose myself in the vibrations of nature and before I knew it I’d totalled nearly four thousand steps.

I had work commitments after that, and so I resumed my home trek in the evening. During another solid march in the garden I concocted an idea to take the hike inside once night fell. Indoors, I popped mountain walking videos on YouTube in an attempt to simulate a hike. Then, as I paced between the kitchen and the living room, I could dream of being in the fantastic landscapes on the screen.

Seven thousand steps….Eight thousand steps….I told myself to keep pushing on to ten thousand and eventually I made it. Sure, I’d built up a number of steps doing incidental tasks in the day and there were plenty of times during this ‘expedition’ that I wasn’t walking at regular my regular hiking speed indoors. However, a sense of elation poured through me when I’d achieved it.

I hope this is something that I can repeat every day. It’s given me another way to think about keeping in shape. Having a bit of variety with workout videos is a good thing.

It also surprises me how it’s taken me until now to see that I have a hiking trail right in my own home!