Imagine hiking up a mountain under a full moon with fresh snow under your feet, breaking through the tree line and feeling that warm glow of sunrise hitting your face. Riding a sleigh pulled by huskies in a winter wonderland, cross- country skiing through villages nestled in the Austrian Alps, tobogganing down a mountain at sunset, swimming in a frozen lake or ski-touring up a mountain and descending through the trees. Imagine ending your day in a rejuvenating thermal spa before dinner and a well-earned sleep, to wake up and do it all over again. Welcome to winter holidays in Austria!
Not many thoughts enter my mind apart from what I am doing. I wish everyone could do something like this once a year, or even once in your lifetime. We need it! I switch off from everything. A challenge like this is so all encompassing that I don’t have space for much else. All my energy goes into the challenge, and the micro world I create with the adventure I am on, the world directly around me and the people I am with. My world becomes small but this gives me freedom to become bigger than I’ve ever felt. My mind is not filled with events going on all over the world, with emails, news, social media, and the need to reply to messages, my mind is filled with fresh air and miles, hills, sweat, tears and food stops. My mind is filled with views so dramatic and mind-blowing, I am speechless. My heart flips a bit with each corner I turn and the awe that the NC500 route delivers again and again.
It’s been a year since I started the project of creating my dream van ↠ @theonelifevan ↞ and as I get a lot of questions about it, I wanted to share the process and some resources with you! If you are thinking of building or buying a van i can say it’s ONE HUNDRED PERCENT as awesome as you might think it is! And my journey with van life is only just beginning... However, it can be a bit of a minefield and hard to know where to start. I hope this helps :)
There are preciously rare occasions in life when you are handed an opportunity to go somewhere or meet someone that truly inspires you. Somewhere that shifts your centre of gravity, allowing you to refresh, refocus and restart. Or someone that has the capacity to capture your imagination and transport it to places you aspire to go but don’t quite know how to access. When your mind has gone there, the chances are your body will follow…
In October 2019, I took 10 girls sailing for five days on a Tall Ships Youth Trust sailing adventure proudly sponsored by KEEN footwear. It was magical and lives were changed!
We stepped off the boat with a different perspective. With love in our hearts, faith in ourselves and confidence to go forth and grow into the women we know we can be. I asked the girls to capture their experiences and what it meant to them…
In October 2019, I took 10 girls sailing for five days on a Tall Ships Youth Trust sailing adventure proudly sponsored by KEEN footwear. It was magical and lives were changed!
We stepped off the boat with a different perspective. With love in our hearts, faith in ourselves and confidence to go forth and grow into the women we know we can be. I asked the girls to capture their experiences and what it meant to them…
If you’re anything like me, sometimes it can feel like a bit of a slog to get through the cold, dark winter months in the UK. I adore the bright winter days when there’s frost on the ground and everything glows in glorious sunshine, but in the depths of winter days like these can feel few and far between.
Hop on a plane for three hours and you can find yourself in Levi, a gorgeous village in Finnish Lapland founded in 1979, where winter comes to life in a unique and wonderful way. When the opportunity came up to stay at the brand new Design Hotel Levi and explore this part of the world, I jumped at the chance to go! I love being spontaneous and my Mum says “You must always make room for surprises” - I’m so glad I do this!
It’s no secret that I am head over heels in love with Scotland. I often get quizzical looks when people ask where my favourite place in the world is and I answer with “Scotland.” You might be wondering what it is about Scotland that has captured my heart, mind and adventurous spirit. Quite simply, Scotland offers the antidote of the stresses of modern life. When I’m craving time in nature there’s no place I’d rather be than the wilds of the highlands; it feeds my soul. With history and culture that oozes from traditions dating back hundreds of years, incredible castles and jaw-dropping scenery, you can see why Scotland could capture your imagination and make you want to come back again and again. Perthshire has all of this and more.
We all need the chance to escape. To forget about our to-do-lists, chores and pressures at work. To live in the moment, explore and feel alive. Moments to do this are vital in our demanding, fast paced, modern lives. Whilst juggling multiple projects and roles, it’s so important to take a break from the norm, to remind yourself of who you are and do the things that ignite the fire inside you! Fellow adventurer, Laura Kennington and I headed to Ireland, read more and win your own dream trip to Ireland plus a backpack of Berghaus kit!
If there is one feeling I wish I could package up and share with the world, it would be the way nature makes me feel. I have never felt more alive, free and strong in myself than when standing on top of a mountain. The wind blowing around me, clouds shifting to give way to a beautiful sunset, my heart and lungs beating. I literally feel on top of the world. There’s something about the wind, the flow of water from rivers and the vast expanse of the wilderness, that makes me feel afraid and protected, vulnerable and confident at the same time. It’s almost as though, in the whispers of the wind, I know everything is exactly how it should be and I don’t need to worry about a thing.
When I close my eyes and imagine idyllic summer days, I think of blue skies, and sunshine, trees blowing in a gentle breeze, picnics, ice cream, afternoon naps and a dip in the sea to cool down. I found all this more in Skåne. I am beyond grateful to Visit Skåne and Vejbystrand Hostel for inviting my Mum and I to experience this wonderful corner of South West Sweden for a few days in late June and I’m really excited to share my favourite experiences with you!
Do you ever feel like your mind is about to explode with all the information you take on board on a daily basis? Do you ever feel overloaded with your obligations and never-ending To-Do lists or like you’re being pulled in a million different directions with all the roles you are juggling in life? How often do you feel like you are giving and giving but rarely take a moment to yourself to stop, breathe, reflect and restore YOUR energy? If you are nodding your head, perhaps you could benefit from some time out in nature! Tucked away in the Austrian Alps, Saalfelden Leogang could be just the ticket!
This blog is sponsored by Special K.
It’s race day! We’re lined up at the start of the Great Manchester Run, fired up and raring to test ourselves on the half marathon course, the atmosphere feels electric. Last minute checks; eat half a banana, drink water, go to the toilet, get playlist ready: all set. In the final few minutes before the gun goes off, we give each other hugs, high fives, take a deep breath and then its show time.
Running is not something that came naturally to me. I always felt like the unfit, back-of-the-pack runner who looked at other people running effortlessly in complete awe and confusion about how they could run like that. But I am always up for a challenge and pushed myself to learn and improve! I can vividly remember how much I struggled to run my first 3 miles and the sense of achievement when I did it. This blog is sponsored by Special K.
My journey with getting fit and my passion for challenging myself began in 2008 when I decided this would be a great way to relieve myself of the boredom and limitations of my 9-5 graduate sales job. I was young, ambitious and full of energy. I wanted to build my confidence, discover something I felt passionate about and push my limits. I signed up for my first race and began getting fit.
