It begins with the sea...

This photograph is from a holiday in Cornwall in 2017. It was the first time I wore my new hiking boots and waterproof jacket, which was perfect for a bracing walk across a wet and windy beach.

I chose this photo for my first blog post because it is one of the first moments I can pinpoint on my camera roll, when going on a long walk helped to calm a noisy mind.

At this stage I had been living in Yorkshire for less than a year, after leaving the bright lights of London behind. Prior to the move, I had visited Yorkshire only a handful of times for weekend city breaks. As a result, I knew very little about the countryside, the rugged moors, rolling dales and the tall peaks that would start this journey.

Making big changes in life is both terrifying and exhilarating. After the move from city to country and leaving the rat race behind, it took time to settle into a new location, to build new friendships and maintain old ones, without the ease of proximity. I tackled all the excitement and anxiety that comes with carving out a new career and it took time before I was able to breathe, look up and take in the views around me.

For a day hike, walking on the beach in bad weather remains one of my favourite pastimes. The sea-salt, spray, crashing waves and the relentless rain makes the moment the sun finally breaks through the grey even more rewarding. If the sun never arrives, a cosy pub, crackling fires and a nice pint of local ale does the job of warming things up just as well. Prior to the pandemic I began undertaking short, coastal walks, favouring out-of-season blustery weather and quiet expanses of sand. I loved exploring Whitby, Filey, Robin Hood's Bay and Bridlington, even though I have still hardly scratched the surface of the big walks along the East Coast.

In truth, I have hardly scratched the surface of any of the big ticket walks around Yorkshire, which is really the driver behind this blog. I am quite new to regular hikes over five miles or so and very new to camping and climbs. I get out of puff on steep climbs, which is something I am working on.

I don’t see myself doing ridge walking or any technical scrambles, but I do have plans for long-distance hiking along trails in England, Scotland and Wales and taking on challenges like the Yorkshire Three Peaks. On this blog I plan to share the highs and lows of my training and fitness journey, photographs, details of walks, kit recommendations and mistakes made along the way.

If you fancy getting out and exploring Yorkshire and other parts of the United Kingdom with me, welcome. I hope you enjoy the journey.

"the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.”

Mary Oliver - Wild Geese