Many years ago, I remember going home to visit my parents in the Yorkshire Dales and heading into the Northern Dales for the day, driving over the Buttertubs Pass (one of the big climbs on the Tour de France Grand Depart in 2014). We stopped at Keld and walked down Swaledale to Muker, catching a bus back to our starting point. It stuck in my memory for a couple of reasons - one, the views were simply breathtaking and two, whilst I was a big outdoor enthusiast by then, my parents weren’t, so it was a rare treat to share something I enjoyed so much with them. When my husband and I visited the M ..read more

Did you know that the very first ‘Yorkshire Day’ was created way back in the 70’s (1975 to be exact)? It’s an annual event, taking place on the 1st August, aimed at celebrating all things Yorkshire. Last year, I wrote a blog post What’s so great about Yorkshire? It’s one of the popular posts on this site, so I reckon you guys are interested in learning more about my fabulous home county! Having recently posted 10 of the best outdoor activities in the Peak District it seemed a great idea to create a similar one for Yorkshire. With Sheffield branding itself as The Outdoor City and Yorkshire bei ..read more

With many of us choosing to holiday in the UK this year, some of our best loved outdoor spaces are seeing an increased number of visitors. The Peak District National Park is a popular area in normal times, and for good reason, so expect to see tourism booming there this summer! Pre Covid, the majority of my weekends were spent in the Peak District, either climbing, walking or mountain biking. So it’s fair to say that I know the place pretty well and often recommend activities to friends and family. But, when I recently had the help of a work experience student, I thought it would be a great op ..read more

I recently found out that, here in the UK, National Map Reading Week runs from the 24th to 30th May. It’s no secret that I adore maps, so I couldn’t let a week of celebration go by without marking the occasion! My love of maps goes right back to childhood. Dad loved them too and would often grab a map (the vintage RAC map, the humble road map we all used before sat nav, or the OS map covering our local area) to check locations and add context to his stories. We had maps from years gone by stuffed into the right hand cupboard of the sideboard. It was one of my favourite places to sit and delve ..read more

Photo by Nathan McBride on Unsplash There are tons of reasons why people say yoga isn’t for them, from thinking it’s too gentle and slow through to believing they’re not bendy enough. But here’s the thing, you can do yoga even when your body is stiff as a board and you can have a gentle relaxing session or a strong sweaty workout depending on what you’re looking for. My first yoga class was decades ago! It was kind of a disappointment and I didn’t really get what everyone was raving about. But, every so often, I’d go back and give it a go. However, it wasn’t until I came across one particular ..read more

Day to day life has been pretty stressful for me over the last year or so, and not purely from the Covid-19 pandemic. The sweeping changes to all our lives coincided with some pretty major family health problems, exacerbated by distance and the restrictions placed on us by the government. Individual incidences of stress since the back end of 2019 have piled up one on top of the other and, with my usual outlet (mountains, travel and wilderness) taken away, it now feels like they’re coming in thick and fast, leaving me unable to catch a break. If I’m honest, I’m exhausted! From talking to other ..read more

Litter in our countryside can be harmful for wildlife and the environment. For many of us, it also spoils our enjoyment of our open spaces. Growing up in a rural Yorkshire Dales touristy village during the time of The Wombles (who collected and recycled litter left behind on Wimbledon Common), I can remember our primary school organising a litter pick one year. A few years later, as a stroppy teenager, I remember a visitor to the village challenging me one day for dropping a sweet wrapper on the road outside my house. I’m a little embarrassed to tell you my response (I live here, I can do wha ..read more

After the last 12 months, those of us who normally spend lots of time in the mountains are, let’s face it, craving to be back doing the activities we love in the places which feed our souls. During the first lockdown back in March 2020, I seemed to have an inbox and social media feed full of recommendations for online streaming of films to keep us all motivated and inspired. But, a year later, things have quietened down. The long, cold winter coinciding with weeks of lockdown and not seeing our family and friends has been tough. However, as I write, there’s light at the end of the tunnel with ..read more

Around the 3rd week in January, I began to notice that my mood had taken a nose dive. Some of it was just normal January blues (dark nights, cold weather, less time outdoors) and, let’s face it, much of it was down to lockdown fatigue. Here in West Yorkshire, we’ve spent most of the last 10 months in some sort of lockdown. We had a brief period of summer freedom (I remember July fondly) before local lockdowns started in August and our connection with family and friends became restricted once more. I had no expectations that the turn of the year from 2020 to 2021 would miraculously mean that t ..read more

Christmas is not always a happy time of year for everyone. Add in the effects of the current pandemic and Brexit in the UK, and this year is likely to be especially stressful. Many families will be spending the festive period apart from their loved ones and many others will be spending it on their own. This is particularly so for our elderly relatives, who may have been shielding all year and isolated from their normal way of life. Loneliness has become a big and valid mental health issue in 2020. Thankfully, there are some really good support organisations whose lines will be staying open ov ..read more