Adventure Out There - Trail Leader

Some lush views across Dartmoor today ☀️

Since seeing Phil in June he has trekked along the St. Cuthbert’s way and completed a 3 week tour of Germany!

Today’s adventure training session was a good chance to catch-up as well as consolidate navigation and camping skills we had practiced in previous sessions.

His confidence keeps on growing and his skills are moving into the unconscious competence level 🙂

Coffee or cave mud? 😆

Walking, swimming, snacking and spotting lichens and fungi 🍄

Getting out with friends for some very warm winter walking on Dartmoor 🥾

It started out very mild with us down to T-shirts at one point but we were glad to have plenty of layers and hats for after our swim 😊

The moon was pretty cool looking out on tonights run 🏃‍♀️

We really must enjoy being outdoors to spend our day off walking with heavy rain forecast ☔️ 🥾

It just proves how good the outdoors can be for you, yesterday was a catch-up and feel good day with fellow outdoor professionals

We all know the importance of being prepared and wearing the right clothes so even in adverse weather a good day can be had 😊

An 8 mile hike finished with lunch in the pub was perfect 😄

For anyone out and about, it’s perfect mushroom spotting season now! 🍄

We spotted these beauties last week on a local walk in the woods. Some of them are poisonous so it’s important not to go picking any unless you’re 100% sure what you’re looking for. ☠️

If you’re looking to get out this winter check out the walking page on our website, we aim to energise, inspire and enthuse while providing varied routes for all abilities 🥾

The colours of autumn were framed well in this hut at Haldon Forest 🌳

Following one of their permanent orienteering courses was the perfect activity for a catch-up, some fresh air and a bit of activity 🧭 🥾

With thunderstorms and heavy rain forecast this afternoon we got out this morning for a bit of MapRunning 🧭

Its a really nice way to get out, have a chat, practice some nav and do a bit of running which gets broken up with the map reading 🗺

We decided just to tick off a few controls today but will definitely be returning to complete the course 😃 🏃‍♀️

With

On Saturdays we Park Run 🏃‍♀️

The perfect way to start Saturday! For those people who have yet to experience a park run, I 100% recommend trying it.

Wether you can run or walk or fancy giving something back by volunteering, it’s motivating and welcoming for everyone.

Some weeks I run, some weeks I volunteer and some I do both! Yesterday I had the pleasure of guiding a young lady who is blind around the course as well as barcode scanning once we had finished. This lady truly proved anything is possible as she smashed it in a very speedy time and I had the joy of helping her get there 😁 winning all round!

The atmosphere is really friendly, theres no pressures of racing or having to hit a certain time, you tick off some exercise first thing on a Saturday, theres no weekly commitment and best thing is ITS FREE!

All you have to do is find your local event, register online and you will be issued a barcode, turn up and run/walk/volunteer, scan your finish barcode and then you will be text/emailed your results later that day 😊

Herdwicks on a hill 🐑

On my Lakeland adventure I had set my eyes on running up Bakestall to complete my ascents of the Northern Wainwright fells…..so I made it and Skiddaw was just peeking above the skyline so I obviously had to keep on going 😆

Bakestall ✅
Skiddaw ✅

Having been up Skiddaw a number of times it was cool to ascend via a new route.

My least favourite route up is definitely via Jenkin hill and Little man 🥵

My favourite is via Ullock pike! ⛰😁

Since leaving the north and moving to Devon my wainwright ticking has slowed down. 214 in total, I think about 62 left to do 🤔

Last week I had the pleasure of a week in the Lake District.

In between visiting friends and family I ticked off a few more wainwright fells.

This day was up on Brae fell and Longlands Fell…a soggy run but I had the mountains to myself ⛰

Even Alfred wainwright wrote a bit of an uninspiring note about Brae fell 😆

Ive been a bit neglectful of my social media pages recently, mostly due to working or being out and about so heres some nice views from yesterday’s walk along the Exeter Canal 🥾

It was great to see so many people out enjoying some canoeing and kayaking. For a bank holiday it was surprisingly quiet ☺️

I usually spend most of my week by the sea so it was nice to see some different wildlife along the exe valley; lots of herons, dragonflies, swans 🦢, bullrushes, hops 🌾 butterflies 🦋

Saturdays are for adventures with friends😀

A morning spent climbing followed by a dip/ squat in the river because there was such little water 💧😆

We all had a great climb including Steph smashing her first full lead climb 💪🏼 🧗‍♀️

On Friday I had a few hours to myself before meeting friends so I decided to go and tick off some new peaks ⛰ 😁

A hot steep start followed by some excellent flat trails along the ridge before the up, down, up, down of Fan y Big, Cribyn and Pen y Fan and a descent back to the car🏃‍♀️

A great run 😁

Evening run with a view ☺️ 🏃‍♀️

It was a scorcher yesterday so our focus was on staying hydrated and managing the heat, a shortened route and plenty of stops made for a successful day ☀️

After a year of monthly nav practice, tent putting up practice and cooking practice, Phil had the skills to lead us on a walk from point to point and set up camp 🏕

I walked with him and accompanied him putting his tent up, before leaving him to enjoy his night under the stars, fuelled with his self cooked meal 🥘

The training has given him the confidence and skills to go for a solo trek along the St Cuthbert’s way in a few weeks time 🥾 🧭

If you are interested in learning camping, walking and navigation skills, get in touch to see what we can do for you 😀

I had a treat this week with my caving club, being able to explore a cave I hadn’t been in before and its magical formations 😃

Caving is something I have been involved with for over 10 years, right from my first trip in freshers week at uni, I was hooked on what lies beneath!

To crawl, climb, squeeze and abseil through small spaces and emerge into mega spaces decorated with calcite is amazing!

“This is like heaven”

Theres nothing better sometimes than a cup of tea in the right place, to take you away for a moment ☺️

Phil brewed it himself on his stove after doing some good navigation to get us to the perfect spot 👍

Our adventure training sessions are teaching Phil new skills and giving him the confidence so he will be able to go out and look after himself as well as providing him with varied outdoor adventures along the way

If you are interested in learning some new skills or wish to get out but unsure how or where, our bespoke adventure training sessions can be tailored to you.

We offer sessions in walking, running and navigation and skills.

Our website has more information.

“This is like heaven”

Theres nothing better sometimes than a cup of tea in the right place, to take you away for a moment ☺️

Phil brewed it himself on his stove after doing some good navigation to get us to the perfect spot 👍

Our adventure training sessions are teaching Phil new skills and giving him the confidence so he will be able to go out and look after himself as well as providing him with varied outdoor adventures along the way

If you are interested in learning some new skills or wish to get out but unsure how or where, our bespoke adventure training sessions can be tailored to you.

We offer sessions in walking, running and navigation and skills.

Our website has more information.

After a busy half term it was good to start back with a sunny day at work followed by a run and a sea swim 🌊

As a runner sometimes I feel like I have to keep my running up all the time but after the last couple of longer events its been really nice not to be training for anything. Todays run felt good as there was no aims other than to get back out again 😁

I didn’t get any photos today but heres some lush photos of some of our half term adventures; beautiful flowers we saw at Coleton Fishacre, some Dartmoor views from Honeybag tor and this weeks finale of the Torbay Airshow ✈️

If you wish to get back into running or want to go explore some new trails, take a look at our website. We offer guided running and walking. The evenings are a perfect time to get out while its light!

A pretty cool way to spend my Sunday working on a Charity Abseil off the roof of the hospital 😃

It was nice being back on the moors this afternoon for some navigation practice 🧭

We spotted this very hairy caterpillar, a drinker moth according to the seek app

The sunny weather was enjoyable today while we practiced tent putting up and cooking on a stove, all skills which will allow Phil to be able to go for independent adventures 🏕

His favourite part of all our outdoor training sessions is having a cup of tea ☕️ its even better now he is able to make it himself!

Its been great working up at Berry Head the last couple of weeks, chance to notice all of the beautiful spring flowers which have emerged 😍 🌸🌼🌺

🍓

A month ago I was up early and eating my porridge, ready to take on my biggest challenge yet. I didn’t know how it would go, I thought I hadn’t trained enough and beyond the first day was new territory for me.

I think the second day felt tough at the beginning as I was pretty tired and a bit sore to begin with but I decided just to break it down and focus on each mile one at a time. The miles started to pass by and I found things to think about and focus on other than how tired or sore I felt.

On the third day my mentality changed to “if I can do two days I can do one more!” And it worked for me 😁

I enjoyed so much of it because I had focused on having the right mindset. Yes some of it was fitness and training but I would say a lot was in my mind, especially thinking about food 🥘 😆

I think even in this photo I really was in type 1 fun zone at that moment ☺️

If you enjoy running and want to experience more or transition from road to trail, take a look on our website, we offer guided running designed to give you a great experience, that will make you want to run further and further!

It was really good to get out on Tuesday evening for a last bit of night nav practice before Steph goes to do her Hill and Moorland Leader training 😊

She is going to smash it this weekend! 🥾 🧭

Sometimes the view is enough to blank out anything else!

🏃‍♀️

….still buzzing two weeks later 😁

It was nice to be back out on the moor yesterday assisting with Newton Abbott Colleges Gold dofe students, it was a day of all weathers! ☀️ ❄️ ☔️

Its so good to see young people out challenging themselves and working together to get through it ☺️

I hope they managed to get some sleep ready for their last day today 🥾 🧭

Thank you to all the people who have followed my journey over the last few days 😃

I didn’t feel too bad today surprisingly! Still managed a day at work and only have a sore heel and one stiff knee 😖

I am absolutely buzzing from the weekend!!

Heres some stats and my maps from my route….including a couple of off piste sections which added an extra mile 😩 and the extra miles on day 1 as my watch ran out of battery 2 miles from the finish 😆

I wonder what is next….. 🏃‍♀️

Resilience - the ability to be comfortable with being uncomfortable

Something I try to teach as part of my job and this weekend has been a reminder of what that means

I survived day 3 and made it to the finish line, surprisingly with some running left in me 🏃‍♀️ our bodies are amazing, how they can work when they are tired and hurting!

The whole weekend has been one epic adventure!

I don’t ever do it for the medals. I do it for the beautiful scenery, the people you meet, the challenge of getting myself trained for it, the responsibility of making sure I’ve eaten and drank the right things at the right times, the adventure along somewhere new to me and ultimately that feeling of accomplishment from doing something which is hard! 😁

I am SO psyched for more! 🏃‍♀️

Just 27 miles between me and the finish! Everyone seems like they are putting on a brave face to mask the aches and pains we are starting the day with 😆

Some hefty hills to start then hopefully some more epic views!

Found it hard to eat breakfast this morning but managed to finish off the donuts 🍩 and a banana and some coffee ☕️ plus lots of hydration 💧

Todays tracking link is https://events.geotracks.co.uk/live/955

Bib number 91 again

Maybe a bit slower today but mind over matter will get me there, lets do this! 💪🏼 🏃‍♀️

Day 2 of the Jurassic Coast Challenge has been great; a lap of Portland, a descent into weymouth and along the seafront followed by a very hilly finish past Durdle door and into west Lulworth

To my surprise, today started well with the first 5 miles flying by around some beautiful coast path on Portland

I added a detour including an extra bit of hill, through not clocking the coast path sign 😫

Then we approached Weymouth, which was probably the least enjoyable part of the day running through congested streets and along a packed promenade

But that quickly resumed with coastal trails and stunning views, which was needed as I did a fair amount of walking 😆

The final part was tough and 10km felt like 15km steep downhills which my knees were hating and steep uphills

I finished the day still running but with pretty sore knees and hips, I ate well and have done lots of stretching

As one chap said today “if you can do 2 days you can do 1 more”

For those that want to track todays run

https://events.geotracks.co.uk/live/954

Bib 91 still 😁

Well I’m back at the race HQ, the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy ready for day 2 along the Jurassic Coast Challenge 🏃‍♀️

Today I am so far fuelled with more donuts, coffee, porridge and Tensing! My fav 😁

Legs feel ok, hips and knees a bit sore and back hurts where my bag must have been rubbing

Its another beautiful day for a Lap of Portland and a finish near Lulworth