Hi again,

I was determined that today’s missive would be brief, but I’m afraid I’ve ended up with loads of good stuff to share with you. So I’ll just dive straight in (after reminding you to scroll down for a dip into the archives.)

If you enjoy this newsletter, please do share it on Twitter!

Here are 14 things I’d like to share with you today… ?

  1. ?I loved chatting with Aussie adventurer Beau Miles on YouTube recently. (If you don’t know Beau, lose yourself in his fabulous videos here.)
  2. ?I’ve picked some good adventure books for you to read.
  3. ?Good news for UK cyclists: the Sonder winter gravel series is back.
  4. ?Magadan is undoubtedly one of the coolest (and coldest) places I’ve cycled through. It feels to be right at the very end of the world…
  5. ?‍♂️Pedestrianism was a sport of epic rivalries, eyewatering salaries, feverish nationalism, eccentric personalities and six-day, 450-mile walks. 
  6. ?In my last newsletter I mentioned the superb Futurenauts podcast. I interviewed one of the hosts, Ed Gillespie, for my book Grand Adventures about travelling around the world without flying.
  7. ?Nick Hayes, author of ‘The Book of Trespass’ speaks passionately about land access (one of my bugbears) on The Adventure Podcast.
  8. ?‍♀️Jason Lewis undertook one of the greatest expeditions of the 21st Century – an epic circumnavigation of the planet. Now he’s seeking adventure close to home on a human-powered circumnavigation of Wales. Really nice story.(Starts at 12.30)
  9. ?What Cold-Water Swimming Taught Me About Mindfulness. (If you like that, you’ll like the Elsewhere newsletter.)
  10. ?The Adventure Queens Grant is a way of helping women take on their first human-powered, boundary-pushing, life-changing adventure through providing funding, kit and mentoring.
  11. ?Behold! I have returned from a hike. Funny, and close to the bone for me!
  12. ?The unforgettable story of the 30-year-old climber Tom Ballard who disappeared on the so-called killer mountain, Nanga Parbat, in 2019. A heartbreaking film.
  13. ? Videos to let you explore the world from your armchair.
  14. ?Anna Taylor became the first woman to complete a continuous round of all 83 routes that feature in ‘Classic Rock’, the iconic book by Ken Wilson. Carrying all of her kit, Anna cycled between each route, covering 1500 miles on the bike and climbing over 10,000 metres.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Shouting From The Shed – 27

Hello!
62% of you voted for me to keep my newsletters long and waffling (clearly my audience is predominantly layabouts without any proper work to be doing on weekday afternoons), so I’m going to keep things that way.
But for the 38% of you doing an honest day’s work (and only procrastinating a little bit during office hours), I’ve posted the links in a list at the bottom if you just want to scroll straight down.

OK, onto the good stuff:

A Film
I was weirdly, vicariously thrilled to see an ‘adventure film’ winning a freakin’ Oscar recently! Better still that it’s a film about a lovely guy, made by a team of lovely, decent, talented adventurers. If you have not seen ‘Free Solo’ yet (trailer here), I urge you to go and watch it (UK listings here). I will refund you in full if you don’t enjoy it.
I found the film captivating in many ways, but also painfully close to the bone regarding the conflicting themes of ambition, selfishness, restlessness, commitment, and having a rippling 6-pack.
Bonus: it’s mostly showing in quirky independent cinemas where you can eat pizza and drink beer as you watch.

A Book
Waymaking is an important addition to my shed adventure library. It’s an anthology of women’s adventure writing, poetry and art. ⁣I particularly loved the artwork and the artist’s commentary on each piece. Some of the essays are fantastic (Maria Coffey’s stood out for me) and they are very varied. This is a whopper of a book that must have taken so much hard work to put together. I’d love to see more adventure books like this – eclectic compilations to dip into, flick through, and mull over.

An Article
Jasmin Paris’s feat of endurance was a welcome antidote to modern sport. The runner’s remarkable story evokes a bygone age of pushing at impossible boundaries for the sheer love of sport.

A Reunion

Seven years ago I rowed the Atlantic Ocean. It was one of the most brutal, miserable, hilarious, gentlest expeditions of my life. Being blokes, we are hopeless at keeping in touch. So last weekend was the first time we’ve all been together for seven years. I wrote my thoughts about the trip, and time’s passing, here.

Tree Climbing
I have scheduled a monthly calendar entry reminding me to go climb a tree. Why don’t you do the same? I am really enjoying the experience.
“It is my third visit of the year to this fine old oak tree; a nice habit beginning to build. We are 65 days into 2019 already, and there’s still no sign of change here in the wood. I’m still wrapped up warm in a jacket and woolly hat. My hands are still cold as I grip the coarse bark and haul myself upwards. There is absolutely no hint of spring or buds of green yet.
Sitting up here on the third of my monthly climbs I realised that my own year is following the same pattern as the tree’s. I still feel as though the year is only just beginning, that I have not really got started or made much progress. I had assumed that by now I would be further along with the book I am writing, that some work partnerships I am hoping for would have materialised, that I would be clearer in my mind about the journey I plan to make this summer.
Up here it becomes clear to me then that my New Year plans and hopes are only just getting started. And yet the plain fact that I am back here up in these branches for the third time in 2019 makes that folly apparent.
I really appreciate that this tree (I’m not yet ready to call it “my” tree) stands waiting for me week upon week until my next visit. That (to my eyes) the tree does not change in the slightest. It just is. And I have found myself anticipating my next trip out to these woods so that I can measure my own change against it. This month the evidence is disappointing, but also motivating.
And I must beware measuring myself against a seemingly inert tree and year. For soon this oak’s year will accelerate. Probably by the next time I visit here, in fact, the tree will be bursting into action, unfurling a million fresh new leaves as it sucks every ounce of sunlight and energy out of the seasons to come. I must do the same. I make a pledge to myself before climbing down: by the time I return here next month I must ensure that my own year is budding with new growth and hope and bursting into life.”

Adventure for Youth
I asked a question on Twitter: What is the best Outdoors Organisation to help an 18-year old lad who has had a terrible childhood, no positive role models, zero outdoors experience, and no money?
The answers were brilliant so I wanted to share them with you in case they are helpful for anyone you know.

Resources for Planning a Cycle Tour
Another set of useful answers from Twitter if you’re planning a big ride.

Nature Prescriptions

A set of ideas to help you get outdoors more every month of the year. A nature calendar to notice more, explore more, see more, do more (and also chill out!). I posted this last time but with the wrong link.

Links for Lazies ?