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…
I love asking the big questions in life and will go to extraordinary lengths to find the answers. I started my career in sales for a startup in East London but the more I ticked the boxes of what I thought I was supposed to do, the more unfulfilling I found it and couldn’t ignore the burning question “Is this really it?” Driven by this quote “A ship in a harbour is safe, but that’s not what a ship was built for. Go Sailing!” I quit my job and ventured into the world to create a new story.
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!
Standing on the summit of the mountain I’ve just cycled up, overlooking the vast Glenlivet Estate, being blown around by the wind, I’m reminded of why I love Scotland so much. Visiting Moray Speyside is an absolute delight. Known as ‘Whisky Country’ it has so much to offer. It covers the area of Scotland nestled between the Cairngorms and the NE coast between Inverness and Aberdeen.
Always on the hunt for adventure, my days were filled with surfing, wild foraging and swimming. I had adrenalin fueled packrafting and paddle boarding adventures down the rivers that feed the whisky distilleries so famous to this area. I explored the beaches by horseback, feeling so much freedom in galloping down a beach with the wind in your face and the waves lapping on the shore. Deep in Speyside, I spent an afternoon exploring the Glenlivet Estate by electric mountain bike, before relaxing with a wee dram at the most unique place I have ever stayed ‘The Hideaway under the Stars.’
It’s no secret that I’m in love with Scotland. It’s a love affair that’s developed over many years. Through adventure and friendships, through ‘character building’ challenges and mind-blowing moments in nature. I never knew it was possible to fall in love with a place like you do with a person. But that’s what’s happened to me. It feels like home, even though I don’t live there. The things I see, feel and experience when I’m there connect to the deepest part of me; my soul, my spirit, my aliveness. I tend to avoid the busier summer months; my favourite times to visit are Autumn and winter.
As we sit in our homes in yet another lockdown, dreaming of future adventures and travels is something that’s really helping me stay positive and pull through this challenging time.
Before the UK went into it’s third national lockdown, I spent the weekend in the Wye Valley and the Forest of Dean and can’t wait to tell you all about it! It’s a weekend I loved for many reasons and hope you feel inspired to do some or all of. Known as The Dean Wye, it covers three counties -Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire - and spans across England and Wales. The Dean Wye is a gorgeous, diverse and welcoming part of the UK that I can’t wait to visit again when we are allowed to leave our local areas!
Hillside Beach Club is five star hotel in Fethiye, Turkey with everything you could possibly imagine wanting to do on holiday at your finger tips! I love a cabin the woods, sleeping in my van or camping in the wilderness, but I’m always up for experiencing something different and Hillside is unlike any place I’ve stayed before. It was hard to choose, but here are the five reasons I love this place and can’t wait to go back…
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…
