Since I set out to walk a lap of the M25 in search of adventure within the constraints of real-life, ‘microadventures’ have grown and grown into a major dimension of my adventuring life. They even led to me being named as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year which is clearly absurd (though lovely)!

I’mve slept on hills, swum down rivers, even walked a lap around my own house. I have shared many of the microadventures as blog posts, videos and -soon- a book. The idea of microadventures has grown tremendously. I’mve put a lot of effort into writing blog posts that will enable other people to experience the simple but powerful joys of cooking on fires and sleeping in bivvy bags. I’mve run competitions to tempt people to try their first microadventure. We had entries from toddlers, old folk, people in Japan and America and many other countries.

The microadventure hashtag (#microadventure) has worked as a wonderful focal point for demonstrating to ‘normal’ people that it is not just adventurers who do this sort of stuff.

I hope that my website is crammed with enough information for any individual to be able to plan and carry out all sorts of great adventures. Money should not be an obstacle that prevents you enjoying the wilderness.

In short, I’mve put a lot of time and effort into the idea of microadventures and I have loved receiving emails from people who have enjoyed their first night under the stars. It’s been great. The only thing I haven’t yet managed to do is make any money out of all this work (and I’mve got a shed to upkeep these days)!

But there seems now to be an opportunity for me to combine the motivational corporate work I do with the powerful benefits of microadventures. I have started a small venture to take groups of people out of London for a team-building microadventure experience. (I’mll also be running a few microadventures for individuals too.)

If you work in London, or if you have friends who do, please will you take a look at my new website?

It’s called microad.ventures.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the concept, and also on the website itself.

Here’s the basic premise:

MICROADVENTURE: 5-TO-9 LIVING

“Short, thrilling trips that fit in around work and family commitments.” – Financial Times

  • Are you trying to inspire your team and bring them closer together?
  • Does your business need space to think and to daydream?
  • Are you stressed, busy and under pressure?

Jump on a train after work. Escape the city. Climb a hill, cook on a fire, sleep under the stars.

Take your Team on a Microadventure this Summer

Please do have a look at the new website and share the link with anyone you feel may benefit from this opportunity. And keep getting out and doing microadventures of your own!

microadventure

After work you leave the office and head to the station as usual. But today is different. 40 minutes from central London you step off the train into an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
You will not be told where you are going. But the air smells fresh and themystery feels good. The only sound is birdsong and the laughter of your group.
All around are fields and woods.
We will meet you and your team and together we’ll climb a beautiful hill.The countryside drops away beneath you and flows all the way to the horizon. To your left you can still see Canary Wharf, an incongruous connection to the city and all that you have so easily escaped from for one night. We’ll choose a camping spot together – perhaps on a hill with a magnificent view for breakfast, or perhaps in a beautiful wood.
Everything is organised for you – the equipment, the logistics, and the food. All you need to do is arrive with an open mind and a sense of humour.
As a team we’ll gather wood, build a fire, share a local beer or a glass or two of wine, and then settle down together to cook the best campfire stew you have ever eaten. The food is far more memorable than at any corporate away day or team night out. We’ll talk and laugh and stare into the fire or up at the stars.
You will be amazed that we are only 40 minutes from central London. Because you will feel that you are on a genuine adventure.
This unique experience is a superb way of building camaraderie and deeper relationships with those others sharing the campfire with you.
After a peaceful night’s sleep under the stars, you will be filled with fresh air and new ideas. And after a bacon sandwich and a good campfire coffee you’ll be back in London in time for work, just like always. Except today will not feel “just like always”.
A beautiful hilltop with a big fire and great food is an informal environment ideal for drawing out people’s personalities, allowing them to relax, be themselves and collaborate.
It is a license to chat about little things that ‘˜aren’t important’, but which can perhaps grow into something large and exciting. Think big but start small.
Look for ideas everywhere. Get deeper, quicker. 
Out here your team will feel inspired, closer to each other, and valued by their company.
Committed, loyal, hard-working people – the kind of people you want in your team – put themselves under enormous pressure in the workplace. Every day 250,000 people miss work because of stress. Workers in the UK took an average 5.3 days off work in 2012, with stress, anxiety and depression given as the main causes of absence.
Employers make great efforts to run an excellent business, but they too often neglect the mental welfare, mindfulness and work-life balance of their employees.
A good meal, lots of laughter, and a night of fresh air are a perfect way to help redress this.
Microadventures encourage people to take practical steps to challenge themselves, improve their physical health, mental well-being, and all-important work/life balance. 5-to-9 thinking is an idea that applies to much more than just adventure’¦

Find out more here.