Hi again,

Whether you’re loving lockdown or looking a little loopy, I’ve gathered some links that will inspire, entertain, or coax you off the sofa into the beauty of damp autumn days. If it is helpful, please do forward it to your friends.

✂️  A few quick snippets to start things off: Here’s how Austin Kleon puts his newsletter together. I like the Five Books newsletter. BecomingX is, bizarrely, going to feature me once everyone’s bored of Roger Federer and Julia Roberts. David Attenborough has written an important book. And here’s a book of Tough Women Adventurers who are fearless, intelligent, compassionate and curious about the world.

  OK, now onto some longer things that I hope you’ll enjoy (after getting in an early plug to recommend my books for Christmas. As a consumer I hate early Christmas messaging. As a writer it feels critical. Sorry!)

• ?  I have started a big new project. It is based on three questions:
  1. How can I help put nearby nature into everyday lives?
  2. If I love wild places so much, am I willing to not visit them in order to help protect them?
  3. Is a single map enough exploration for an entire lifetime?
  You can follow it on Instagram or my blog.
•   Adventure Activism – the mechanisms through which adventures can seek change.
•   After coming across mountain lion cubs, this hiker was stalked for six terrifying minutes by an aggravated cougar.
• ‍♀️  “Breaking Down the 268-Mile Pennine Way Record”, one of the best piesces I have read about preparing properly for an ultramarathon or extreme expedition.
• ?  From garden streets to bike highways: four ideas for post-Covid cities – visualised.

️   I’ve realised this newsletter is an easy medium for me to help people get the word out about their projects. Hit ‘reply’ if you’d like to put yourself forward for a shout-out. First up: Campbell has started a blog about becoming a professional adventurer, and Mountain Training are looking for people to take their Mountain Leader courses. (I was doing mine back in 2000 when the country went into lockdown due to Foot & Mouth. I had been hoping to become an outdoor instructor. Instead I went for a long bike ride. Sliding doors…) 

And finally… please listen to my podcast if you haven’t already tried it!

Alastair