41,413 pieces of plastic (the big 4 polluters) collected to date!

We’re aiming to pick up 100,000 plastic bottles, lids, cups, straws (and microplastics) from all around the globe – beaches, forests, road-sides, anywhere we find them. Why 100,000 – this is the number of sea mammals killed each year from being trapped in plastic or eating it.

We’re doing this as part of our UN Global Goals and The World’s Largest Lesson-inspired learning and ‘take action’ project we’ve called Clear Plastic UK.

Along with others who wish to help us reach our total, and do their bit for the planet, we’re making progress –  all of which is recorded below.

The hall of Fame

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stealing Ideas

We are avid magpies – stealing ideas from other adventurers and making them our own. All of us seek inspiration and we have many inspiring adventurers that we turn to for ideas, e.g. Alistair Humphreys, Dave Cornthwaite, Sean Conway and Anna McNuff to name but a few. The problem is that these hard-core impressive human beings are often doing exciting things that are beyond the realms of the every day family.

So with that in mind, we decided to steal the essence of adventures and make them our own. We’ve nicknamed this approach as DIY adventures – Do It Your way. See our latest adventure ideas here: www.dotrythisathome.com

Science-y bit

Whilst running workshops at the recent Basecamp festival we attempted to impress our participants with a bit of science – graphs! This particular graph attempts to illustrate (very simplistically) the way to approach adventuring with kids.

The y axis shows the length of time an activity or adventure can take, increasing as it moves up the page, while the x axis shows the difficulty, increasing as it moves right. These scales are not in anyway accurate and are relative to whatever content is put on the graph, but do give a rough impression of two areas of consideration when planning adventures.

Examples of more gnarly adventures would obviously appear in the top right corner of the graph – they take time and are at the difficult end of the spectrum; these are the adventures that would be difficult or impossible to do with younger children, e.g. Alistair Humphreys’ cycle around the world in four years. The idea is to find suitable alternatives that fit in the bottom left corner of the graph initially when planning adventures with kids. The time taken and difficulty will vary depending on the age and ability of everyone in the family and this will and does change as we get all get older (see next blog post – part 3). Who knows, one day, you might end up doing an adventure in the top right corner!

Part of being a parent involves making sacrifices. Life changes after children and some people embrace it better than others. We weren’t particularly adventurous before we had children but when the girls arrived we wanted them to have an adventurous mindset and a love of the outdoors and nature so from an early age we made efforts to get outside and do something interesting and challenging – a family adventure.

Anyone who has been on an adventure with others knows that everyone has different capabilities; age, fitness, experience / confidence and mental strength can all affect how someone approaches an adventure. The same thing can be said when adventuring with children. The age of the child will affect greatly what can be done and how; younger children aren’t able to sustain strenuous exercise for long periods of time, get bored more easily, get tired quicker, need food more regularly but that shouldn’t stop us as adults involving the children. A bit of creativity and flexibility means that adventures can be done together; they might be shorter, there might be more rest breaks, the kids might need help but they can be done. Then as the children become stronger and more able to challenge themselves further, the adventures then can become longer and more challenging.

Whilst running a workshop at the Basecamp festival we attempted to illustrate this with a graph! Scientifically speaking it may not be accurate, but it illustrates the differences that need to be considered when adventuring with children.

Our graph very simplistically shows the abilities of an adult and a child. Adults, obviously older, have varying degrees of capability but, in comparison to children will appear much higher on the graph. The ability of an adult will also fluctuate according to fitness, age and health but will realistically gradually decline. The ability of a child, on the other hand, will increase. It is important to note that the ability isn’t just physical but also mental. In the early the years, whilst the child is learning to do amazing things such as walk and talk, their ability to go on an adventure is low but this rises with age. There will be one point on the graph when the child and adult are almost equal – this will differ from family to family.

This might not be the case for everyone but this is the case for us. In the early years, we went for short walks and tailored adventures around what the kids could do. At age 4, Ella was able to walk up Snowdon but caught the train back down whereas Amy that little bit older walked up and down; their age difference meant that the challenge was adapted to suit them. Now aged 14 Amy is able to do challenges alongside adults. At age 12 she completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge in 12 hours and the National Three Peaks challenge in 24 hours. We as the adults in the last decade have probably slipped down the graph and are now at optimum point where all our abilities are about the same. How long this will last, who knows since the girls will no doubt continue to climb up our graph and overtake us!

So, for us this is our optimum time and we need to make the most of it!

Last weekend (Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th October) were the official days for the BBC Countryfile Ramble for Children in Need – a charity event that encouraged us to get outside and walk in the autumnal countryside. Nationwide, groups of people donned their yellow woolly hats and took to the trails.

No yellow woolly hats this time but they are in the post and we’re looking forward to wearing them soon for another ramble!

Why going outdoors is important

We’ve been a family who love the outdoors for a few years now, and we are constantly striving to spend as much time together outside as we can, regardless of the time of year, season or weather. Why? Well, it’s simple, really: being outdoors makes us all feel happy, and relaxed and contented.

Whenever we are outdoors together we feel alive and free. And in actual fact, it was our craving for outdoor time and family adventures that was a fundamental reason why, very recently, for nearly 3 years we left the rat race (work and school) and went travelling together – by caravan and motorhome. We had great experiences together; we created shared memories that will last forever; and we helped our children to maintain a healthy balance between ‘screen time’ and ‘green time’. Sometimes the simple things re the most important.

We’ve returned to a ‘normal’ life again now, but our enthusiasm for adventure and outdoor time is still alive and kicking: making us feel alive and giving us the kick we need to get outside and do more!

Enthusiastic but not expert = help needed

And this enthusiasm, or passion, for the outdoors has lead us into many an outdoor retailer or distributer over the years; after all, you need some essential kit to make sure your adventures and experiences are safe and as comfortable as they can be, right? And without naming names, it is fair to say that not every retail experience has been good or better than average, never mind great. You see, as non-outdoorsy experts like us (NB. being enthusiastic doesn’t = expert), looking for clothing or equipment for an outdoor activity can be a difficult experience. After all, outdoor kit can be expensive so making the right purchase is important.

Thankfully, it became apparent to us during our first of many visits to Go Outdoors Leicester, that two of our criteria as shoppers were bring met:

• There was a range of equipment at discount prices
• The staff were both knowledgeable and friendly

Since then, and as we travelled the UK we always look for a Go Outdoors whenever we need to replace kit or buy extras. And nearly a year to the day of writing, when we arrived back from our European travels to Nottingham we were excited to see that Go Outdoors had opened a new shop very close to where we live. So, it will be no surprise to read that I’ve since made several visits in the year we’ve been back and GO have been open, whether to go in to get DofE advice for a new group a colleague have set up, price up and buy new kit for our family adventures or to just go in and browse.

Celebrating an anniversary

When the team from GO Nottingham asked me to help them celebrate the 1st anniversary of their Nottingham store, it was a no brainer. I went in to chat with the staff to learn about how heavily they invest in their staff (training and morale) to ensure us, the customers, get the service we are looking for (and our (above) shopping criteria met). And with a modest voucher to spend, I went with a particular mission to get some new footwear for every day adventuring with a key requirement being they need to keep my feet warm and dry – I was heading to an outdoor weekend festival and the weather was looking wild (Storm Brian was on his way).

Sam from GO talked me through a whole range of options (how does he know about so many different shoes!) and guided me towards a reduced pair of Salomon X Ultra 2 GTX Men’s Hiking Shoes: waterproof and reduced from £115 to £85.

Thankfully, after a weekend of being up to my ankles in mud and slop, my feet remained warm and dry – thanks Sam for the recommendation!

Time for YOU to help GO celebrate the first anniversary of their Nottingham store

The team at GO really would like everyone to help them celebrate, and leave their store on their birthday weekend with a smile on their face. Be that from the fun activities they have planned for kids: face painting and more, or the free discount card and extra discounts they are putting on EVERYTHING over that weekend.

So, get yourself down to grab some bargains on outdoor clothing, equipment and accessories for a whole range of sports, including: camping, walking, climbing, cycling, riding, fishing, skiing and running.

Maybe I’ll see you having a great time in the great outdoors soon?

Details:
Fun weekend: 28th and 29th October
10 % off everything in store from the 27th – 30th October
Discount cards will be free for all over the four days

Address:
 Mansfield Road, Arnold, Nottingham,
 NG5 6BP

Blacks are sponsoring Children in Need this year and this is a charity that we regularly support and try to fundraise for. Therefore it made sense as Blacks family ambassadors that we don our Pudsey hats and head for the hills for some fresh air and fundraising.

We sat for a couple of hours in the winter sunshine providing fellow walkers with warm drinks. Serving them in reusuable mugs meant that we not only avoided using single-use plastic but encouraged people to stop, chat and admire the view. Snowdon may have a café at the top but on this day Kinder Plateau had a Plastic Clever café at the top.

This ramble was rewarding in so many ways; we enjoyed a walk in the fresh air, spent time together as a family chatting along the way, provided a service for thirsty and cold walkers and raised money for a worthwhile charity.

Children in Need

BBC Countryfile Ramble

Blacks Children in Need Pudsey hat

Escaping bricks and mortar (if only for one night)

Since our return to normality (boo), we’ve spent way too much time indoors. OK, we’ve been getting out as much as we can – cycling and running Kms towards our self-imposed challenge for this year, the Triathlon 2017 ,but one thing we’ve all been craving for a little while is a night away… in the outdoors. I guess the thing we’ve missed the most since relocating into a house is the reduced amount of time we spent TOGETHER in the OUTDOORS (two of our favourite words). So, despite a crappy weather forecast, we decided to get away, even if it was just for one night. We knew the therapy of a night away, running, cycling and generally getting a bit muddy and red-faced was what we all needed.

Outliers?

There was certainly no need to book a pitch this weekend – it seemed that not many other people were choosing to spend the night camping or caravanning. I bet I know where they were instead: stressed, rushed and spending too much money on Christmas presents in busy, artificially lit stores. This might be said with my tongue in my cheek as I know that we are by know means the only people that would rather spend a night outdoors as opposed to a day in the malls – we met some lovely people that we re doing just that – but the pressure of Christmas is a difficult force to fight. We are so glad that we saw the light and decided to JEDI (Just ‘Efin Do It).

A challenge keeps the motivation strong (even if you don’t complete it)

Last year we decided to set ourselves a challenge; to complete 2017 Kms by foot, on bike and by wild swim… a family challenge that we’d all contribute towards. Here’s the reasoning behind it.

Anyone who knows us knows that our family challenges are nothing other than ideas we come up with to ensure we keep getting outside, together, regularly to enjoy some exercise, chat and fun… while getting hot, sweaty and windswept in the process. The Triathlon 2017  was concocted exactly for those reasons.

Getting away this weekend may not have happened if we didn’t have such a challenge set? Actually, that’s not strictly true as we would have come away anyway because we have set ourselves another challenge: to not hibernate in the Winter! You see, humans are not meant to hibernate away like hedgehogs over the dark, cold months of Autumn and Winter. No – humans can put coats and jumpers on, and waterproof layers, that make them an all-year-round kind of species.

Humans should say Nay to Hibernating; or #hiberNAY for short!

Happy hiberNAYing!

For more information about our cool Basecamp (#hiberNAY mobile: https://www.swiftbasecamp.co.uk/

New Year Resolutions Intentions

We don’t really set ourselves New Year Resolutions, instead we set New Year Intentions. What’s the difference? Well, probably not much, but to us the word ‘resolution’ seems to relate to changing something negative ( a trait or habit) that you might find undesirable or you are unhappy with. And the word ‘intention’ seems to feel more positive and proactive; something you want to do … more of a positive aim. Anyway, that’s just how we think of it.

With this in mind, one of the things we (the family) all agreed should be one of our ‘intentions’ for 2018 is to spend more family time together, in the outdoors.

OK, so this isn’t new – this has been a consistent intention for a few years now – but then I don’t think a New Year Intention needs to be new; I mean…  if you’ve had a good year doing something, why not have another good year doing more of the same?

End as you mean to go on – more of the same, please

So, as New Year’s Eve approached, and our plans to camp at friends had fallen through at the last minute, we took this as an opportunity to do something spontaneous but still in line with our ‘intention’ for 2018;

“Let’s hitch up the Basecamp, pack a pop-up tent and head off to a campsite and see the New Year in together, as a family,  playing board games and sleeping outdoors.”

To us all, that sounded perfect! So that’s what we did. Simple as!

Go on as you mean to end

And as the clock struck midnight and 2017 finally came to a close, we closed our eyes and clambered into our sleeping bags knowing that come the morning, we’d be starting 2018 the way we’d like to continue throughout the year:

• outdoors
• together

A morning run and cycle ride got our blood pumping and our chins wagging, and we even managed to pick up some single-use plastic towards our 100,000 total.

Over to you …

So, Happy New Year everyone, and good luck with defining and working towards your New Year Resolutions / Intentions over 2018.

And don’t let the fact it’s winter stop you kicking off  any outdoor-related resolutions. Remember: humans should say Nay to Hibernating; or #hiberNAY for short!

Happy hiberNAYing!

For more information about our cool Basecamp https://www.swiftbasecamp.co.uk/

For information about the site we stayed at Conkers Camping and Caravan Club Site

Winter is a time when it would be easy to tuck yourself away and hibernate until the weather gets warmer and days longer but why wait? Why not get out and enjoy the fresh winter air and see new places? Start 2018 as you mean to go on.

The last couple of weekends we’ve headed for the outdoors choosing longer or shorter walks depending on the time we had and then stayed in a nearby YHA hostel. We’ve always been keen campers but hostels offer an alternative option at this time of the year, when many campsites are closed and sitting in a tent from 4 o’clock, when the sun starts to sink below the horizon, might not be your idea of a good time.

The YHA have over 160 hostels, shepherd’s huts, bunkhouses and camping pods around England; many situated in picturesque locations or nestled amongst the hubbub of vibrant cities. The hostels are often in buildings that have a historic presence and, with the recent injection of money that the YHA have invested, they have been refurbished to a high standard.

Our two recent stays have been in Edale – somewhere we have visited often and enjoy returning to for walks in the Peak District – and then, more recently, Coalport, near Ironbridge – somewhere new that we had never visited before. For both of these weekends away we took our walking boots and plotted walks on our OS maps during the day before returning to the hostels for the evening. We’d then spend a few hours sat in the lounge, with other fellow rosy-cheeked residents, playing board games and chatting. Even though the hostels have self-catering facilities, we opted to eat in the cafes (to make packing as light and simple as possible). There is a small but good variety of meals on offer plus a filling English breakfast to set you up for another day in the outdoors.

We’ve enjoyed our recent YHA experiences and are already looking for other nearby hostels that we can visit for future weekends away.

Getting started with mountain biking

Mountain Biking can be a great way to get the whole family enjoying the outdoors. Yet as a beginner, and for families with young children, it can be a challenge to work your way into this world.

Our advice (as a family of ‘leisure cyclists’) is to start flat! Hills and young children don’t really go together, so get them off on the right pedal by making your route flat. The less of an incline, the more inclined the kids will be to get on and start (and keep) pedalling.

Hitting the road (the railroad)

There are numerous bike trails around the country created from disused railway lines. They make ideal family trails because they are reasonably flat and traffic free.

One such trail, near us, is the Tissington Trail, a former railway line connecting Ashbourne to Buxton, in the Peak District. It runs for 13 miles from Ashbourne in the south to Parsley Hay in the north. The dusty, crushed limestone surface inclines slightly as you travel north.

Over the years, we’ve done it in various ways, depending on the age and ability of the kids as they’ve grown up. There are numerous stopping points along the route which allow for breaks but also change-overs, meaning the route can be completed as a whole journey in small chunks, with a vehicle for support. As a family of four, this meant that we completed sections in pairs (one adult and one child) while the others drove to the next stopping point before swapping.

Then as the children got older we’d complete longer sections, i.e.one pair would do the route south to north while the other did the return leg. As older and more confident cyclists, the kids were then able to complete the whole route from Ashbourne to Parsley Hay and back.

There is also the possibiltiy of extending the route further by then joining the High Peak trail – the options are endless!

Beginner’s tips from the experts

Halfords have created the Beginner’s Guide to Mountain Biking. There’s skills tips, advice on what to bring and features on trail centres across the country.

Be sure to check it out.

Back to Basics

We’ve spent a fair amount of the last few years travelling and exploring using a caravan and more latterly a motorhome, and whilst we thoroughly enjoyed the experiences (we try and look for the positives in anything we do) our preferred way to spend time in the outdoors is under canvas.

So, this summer, we all opted for a holiday in the UK that would give us plenty of time camping.

The plusses of camping

For us, camping offers a closer connection to the outdoors, and we love that. Not only do you hear the environment more easily (a running stream, owls at night, or a snoring neighbour or a nearby road which can sometimes be a reality) you are also more at one with the cycle of day and night. This usually means going to bed earlier and waking up earlier, and as long as you are comfortable, this can mean more sleep – and more often than not for us – a better quality of sleep; there’s nothing better than being snug in your rucksack with the night air on your face (although this may not be everyone’s cup of tea).

Other plusses for us:

• more outdoor time and enjoyment of views of natural landscapes and features (good for the mind, body and soul).

• being relaxed with ‘roughing it’ a bit which often means: getting grubby and not caring, wearing clothes for longer (better for the environment), living more simply (less clutter and complication)

• playing – we tend to play more together when we’re camping – card or travel games in the tent, kicking a football, flying a kite, catch and throw games

• you can take your pets – after recently adopting a dog (Gryff the Tibetan Terrier), there was no way we could not include him in our holiday plans

• you appreciate the basics more once you have been grounded for a while: hot water, a warm/comfortable bed, meals

• it’s cheap – camping can be done on a budget, especially in places were wild camping is allowed

• it’s flexible – plans can be easily changed making trips feel spontaneous and interesting

Camping in the UK – what about the rain?

OK, camping is not everyone’s favourite way to spend precious holiday time, particularly in the UK when the weather can be unreliable. It’s true, camping can be a pretty miserable experience if the majority of the time is spent huddled in a damp tent, cold and hungry – and the rain is so heavy that no-one wants to venture out and start making food. But with a bit of preparation  – the right kit, different options for food (packets, one-pot meals, snacks or even pub grub) and good knowledge of what there is to do if the weather isn’t great can really make a difference as to how much you enjoy the experience.

And mentioned earlier was flexibility; camp sites can be paid for on a daily basis allowing for either short stops before moving on or the ability to pay daily to ‘see what the weather’s going to be like’. If the forecast doesn’t look conducive with your plans, change your plans!

As an example of this, our recent plans to travel from Skye to Lewis changed quite drastically: as everyone south of Skye was enjoying a heatwave, we had nine days of predominantly windy and wet conditions… the campsite was getting waterlogged and when we were due to head to Lewis for 9 days of wild camping, the forecast suggested we were due for more heavy rain and gales. There was no point in continuing with our plan – wild camping on a remote island with little prospect of getting out of the tent, never mind seeing a view, would probably see us getting a bit fed up. So, we cancelled the ferries and decided to camp on Skye for a little longer before renting a simple cabin on the mainland for a change of scenery and new options. This turned out to be a good decision as it rained every day and we had some very strong winds blow through.

We’re back home now, and whilst the cabin accommodation was enjoyable and allowed us to dry out, this trip hasn’t dampened our love of camping, and we can’t wait to get out under canvas again in the near future. Hopefully one day, we’ll complete our wild camping adventure on Lewis and Harris.

New to family camping?

If you are new to family camping, Halfords have produced a super little online guide. It’s got advice, tips and ideas… Kerry has even contributed some of our favourite camping meals.

Here’s the link: Halfords Camping Guide

Until next time, Happy Camping!

Hitting the ‘ railroad’

We cycled from Castleton to the start of this adventure, Hope train station, where we caught the Northern Rail train to Edale (just one stop along but taking the train meant we didn’t have to take the energy-zapping pass over Mam Tor).

Our aim for the day was to enjoy an adventure that had some variety: cycling, scrambling and running, but we didn’t want each of the legs to be too demanding (we are not gnarly adventurers looking for hardcore activities after all, just a family  wanting a fun and exciting day in the outdoors).

Leg 1 – cycle to the train station

We were staying in a campsite about 3km from Hope train station in Derbyshire, so we had a gentle road ride along the A6187 (mainly on footpaths and cycle paths) to kick start our mini adventure. Taking bikes onto a train platforn, and then train,  is quite a fun thing to do. Once you consider this mode of transport it opens a whole new dimension to your cycling trips – and you can be sure the kids will love it.

Leg 2 – cycle from train station to the start of our walk

After a short train journey to Edale station, we were back on our bikes, this time peddling along the narrow and traffic-free lanes along towards Barber Booth. It was lovely to be exploring this quiet landscape hearing the natural sounds of the countryside, not the rumble of car tyres and growling engines. We roughly traced the route of the River Noe, crossing back and forth over it at times.

On reaching Upper Booth farm we dismounted and locked our bikes against the steel railing of a narrow bridge passing over the river.

Leg 3 – walk and stream scramble

Swapping peddle power for walking, we turned right off the track and started following the footpath running alongside Crowden Brook and up towards the point it drops off the Kinder Plateau.

The walk along the stream is easy and fun – lots of stepping stones to negotiate and narrow sections to jump over – but as you get within about 1 km of the summit of the Crowden Brook, ignore the path on the left and keep following the brook to enjoy some exciting scrambling over and between the rocks lining this spectacularly gorgeous gorge. The scrambling gets a little more interesting from now on, particularly the latter section, which requires a short climb/ near vertical scramble for a few metres (make sure you spot any little ones at this point).

On summiting the brook turn and look back down onto your route – you’ll be in for a treat as the view is spectacular and ample payback for the effort you’ve just invested in getting there. On a clear day you can see for miles. On a not-so clear day, it will feel wild, exhilarating and adventurous (so it’s a win-win, really).

Leg 4 – trail run back to the bikes

After appreciating the view, and changing into your trail shoes, head back on yourself (but not down the waterfall this time); go along the path that traverses South West round towards an unavoidable piece of granite that pokes out down the valley back towards Highfield Farm.

Stay on this path until you reach a junction and then take the route that drops down quite steeply to the left and back in a South East direction towards Crowden Brook (ignore the more obvious path that continues to traverse SW).When you reach the water again the gradient flattens off and all you have to do is backtrack your ascent route, get into a decent running stride, and enjoy the stream-side run all the way back down to your bikes at Highfield Farm.

Throughout this adventure, keep an eye on the clock and aim to cycle back to Edale to arrive just in time for your return train back to Hope on the Sheffield train.

Beginner’s tips from the experts

Halfords have created the Beginner’s Guide to Mountain Biking. There’s skills tips, advice on what to bring and features on trail centres across the country.

Be sure to check it out.