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    Shouting from the Shed 137

    Shouting from the Shed 137

    Alastair Humphreys
    Shouting from the Shed
    Hi again,

    Welcome to my final newsletter of 2024.

    Here’s my To Do list for today:

    1. Make a final, last minute plea that you kindly support this newsletter by gifting my books for children or adventurous adults this Christmas. Thank you!
    2. Thank you for supporting me this year, and wish you a very Merry Christmas. I hope you’ve had a lovely year, but if you haven’t, then let me offer you a reminder that every year we get the choice to try to begin again. I’m cheering you on. Hope, and a clean start.
      ‘Though we live in a world that dreams of ending
      that always seems about to give in
      something that will not acknowledge conclusion
      insists that we forever begin.’
    3. Show off about some fun stuff I’ve enjoyed doing.
    4. Share some interesting links for you to enjoy over the holidays.
    Here we go:

    • I’ve had an interesting year. I published Local, gave a new TEDx talk, visited Knepp rewilding, crossed Europe by train, started a new newsletter, went to my first ever concert, went to my best ever concert, and planted lots of trees.
    •  I have updated my list of Good Books I Have Read Recently, in case you are looking for something to read.
    • Overnight on NYC’s Tiniest Island – a magnificent microadventure!
    • Dear Santa… I love my shed, but please can I have a cabin like these for Xmas?
    • Gorgeous, gorgeous natural sculptures and land art.
    • An interesting piece about choosing to explore the world without the internet. Lots of pros, a few cons, but on a personal level it mostly makes me look back in awe that I cycled round the planet without Google Maps! 🤯
    • Noema’s a clever magazine with lots of clever, intriguing articles. So I’m surprised and delighted that my piece about clowning around my local map has made it onto their Top 10 Reads Of 2024.
    • A film with a gentle but strong reminder that whatever problems you’re facing in life, going for a bike ride is probably going to make things a tiny bit better. (If this resonates, see their website too.)
    • Here’s why I like the internet… Musicians half the world away see one of my photos, and email me saying it would be lovely for the cover art to their new song. I’m delighted and am happy to give it to them. I like the song too!
    • There is noticeably lower engagement for my stuff on Twitter these days. Let’s get back to the good old days of high quality blogs and newsletters. If you write your own newsletter or blog, let me know and I’ll share it here.
    Can I help you?

    Let me know if you have a relevant project that my readers would appreciate.

    Here’s what you guys have been up to recently:

    • ❤️ Greg asks if you’ve ever wanted to host your own Adventure Film Festival? For two weeks every year the London Mountain Film Festival (28 Feb-16 Mar 2025) offers adventurous community leaders the chance to be part of its festival and host events to raise funds. Sports clubs, parish halls, community pubs and hubs of all kinds get involved. For £50 you get access to select from +100 films – where you host, what you charge and what else you might tag on is entirely up to you!
    • ❤️ Laura has written City Steps of Pittsburgh: A History & Guide. Pittsburgh’s terrain and history are similar to those of northern England and Scotland. Rugged hills, coal mines, and steel mills. Depopulation and environmental destruction. The book is one part history of how and why Pittsburgh’s 900+flights of public stairways were built and another part guided historical hiking tours. There are also one-off lists for topics such as longest flights, steepest streets, and off-the-beaten-path locations.
    • ❤️ Damian is a doing a talk on Jan 10th, Navigating Your First Ultramarathon, all proceeds are going to Kili4Kids (a charity supporting Birmingham Children’s Hospital). It’s going to be held at Abbey Fields Community Centre in Winchcombe, Glos.
    • ❤️ MJ’s latest of several books is The Language of the Badger: A year of personal encounters with the wildlife on our doorstep (In Search of a Simple Life).
    • ❤️ Sara runs a new print magazine for “outdoorsy parents” all about getting off screens and outside with kids and is getting ready to send out the third print issue of Run Wild My Child (winter theme is BRAVE). Also a popular Instagram profile.
    • ❤️ Simon is trying to put a panel together of female adventure travel authors for the Crawley Festival of Words. He has Lois Pryce booked up, but is hoping to include two other authors. Ideally one cyclist and one runner/walking based author. Contact Simon if you’re keen!
    • ❤️ Belinda has put together an Evidence Summary (and PDF) explaining the benefits of adventuring to children, supported by the Mental Health Foundation and several universities.
    From the Archives: 50 Newsletters Ago
    • PLAN: How To Hit The Road: A Beginner’s Guide To Cycle Touring & Bikepacking.
    • DO: Join the One Bag Challenge this April.
    • WATCH: Incredible explorers and tight squeezes.
    • READ: Discover the world’s first off-road cycling club.
    • WATCH: Meet Heinz Stücke, the patron saint of long-distance cyclists.
    • DO: Support campaigns like Right to Roam and Kinder in Colour.
    • Pro Writing Aid is a helpful tool for writers.
    • Admire enhanced photos from Shackleton’s expedition here.
    • Write a letter to your future self via FutureMe.
    • Explore global misconceptions with Gapminder.
    • Check out these wondrous photos.
    From the Archives: 100 Newsletters Ago
    • A microadventure to my favourite mountain, by my favourite means of transport, with some of my favourite people – writing and a short film.
    • A 3,530-Mile Human-Powered Ascent of Denali.
    • All my books are currently on sale on my website (all copies are signed, in case that floats your boat.)
    • Going blind, to the Paralympics and away on expeditions: an adventure into sight loss.
    • Wild Girl: how to have incredible outdoor adventures. A nice new book by primary age kids.
    • Quirky travel photography: Soviet Metro Stations is the third book in Christopher Herwig’s Soviet Bus Stops Series.
    • A Twitter guide to roadside plants by Rob Macfarlane.
    • Sarah Outen’s film, Home, is hitting cinemas soon.
    • The Adventure Bulletin: a nice newsletter.
    • Sometimes when people sell mirrors online, they can’t figure out how to get out of the way for the photo.
    “If you’re working a few hours a day and you’ve got a good book to read, and you can go outside to the beach and dig for clams, you’re okay.” – Mary Oliver
    • Go on… treat yourself to a book! 😉
    Thank you for reading. As Austin Kleon says, “This newsletter is free, but not cheap.” To show your support, would you mind forwarding it to someone who’d like it,  sharing it on Twitter, reading one of my books, subscribing to a free podcast, getting a birthday greeting video from me, or maybe even donating to keep the newsletter going – either monthly on Patreon or treating me to a metaphorical cup of coffee.

    (If you’re seeing this newsletter for the first time, you can subscribe here.)

    Cheers,

    Alastair

    Thank you so much to the 100+ of you who help support these newsletters via Patreon (either monthly or annually) and keep the metaphorical lights on and the newsletters going out to 18,000 readers.

    I am experimenting with a weird model, making payment for this newsletter optional. In other words, it will remain free for everyone to read and enjoy as usual.

    But if you’d like to pay for it in order to help me continue to write newsletters and books, then you can do so on Patreon here, paying whatever you like for as long or short a time as you like.

    Needless to say, I’m extremely grateful to any generous nutters who opt to pay for something that they can receive for free! It’s not a transaction so much as a contribution that helps everyone. It’s the difference between being a patron and a customer. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this idea. We’ll see how it goes. Thank you.

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