I have just been writing an article for a magazine about how to travel a little more adventurously, with young children and, at the risk of sounding like Carrie Bradshaw, it got me thinking...

How did I manage to get my OWN daughter to enjoy spending time in the outdoors?

Emma is six now and she is pretty adept with an ipad, she loves reading, colouring, cartoons, dressing up, and o of course "anything from Smiggle". Sound familiar?

She has never been either inclined towards sport or to going on long walks across muddy fields. Even at such a young age she is, what would once have been described as; "ladylike".

Two years ago I would drag her out on a Sunday morning to Brampton Wood or Godmanchester Nature Reserve and coax her around the paths for a maximum of an hour, dangling various treats as a reward for humouring her father's desire to feel the kiss of nature and a few moments of wildness.

"When are we going home?" This refrain would enter the conversation from around 15 minutes, until we got back to the car. Now things have changed somewhat. Not so drastically that she doesn't start asking for her bear snacks from minute 5, but her enjoyment is greatly increased.

I don't know if this is easy to replicate (I only have one child) but here is what's happened to change her perception of the outdoors.

1. INVENT A NEW WORLD

When we are out walking we have invented fantastical and magical adventures that we imagine ourselves to be in. This works anywhere.

To make things even more real build a den in a wood. This is as much fun for me as it is for Emma!

2. DON'T OVER DO IT

I keep walks to a distance I know is palatable so as not to put her off forever (around 5km at the moment). Its a good idea to plan longer walks when there are other people around to keep her distracted / entertained (especially other children).

3. JOIN IN SOMETHING BIGGER

We took part in The Wildlife Trusts 30 Days Wild (I may have told her it was a competition) which was amazing as it fired her enthusiasm for doing something wild and introduced her to a wide variety of different aspects of nature and getting outside.

Bu there are many shorter activities to get involved in. If you are not confident, check out your local Wildlife Trust or National Trust sites, for example.

4. MAKE IT A LEARNING EXPERIENCE

She became interested in bugs, in a slightly more scientific way. We encouraged this and spent time in the garden cultivating this fascination. Looking for and handling them has largely desensitized her to creepy crawlies which is often something that puts children off the outdoors. The same is true for other wildlife, such as snakes. By looking for them, finding them and learning about them they become a subject of interest rather than fear.

5. CHANGE THE RULES!

I think it is important to associate the outdoors with freedom; paddling in the river on a warm day, stripping off and jumping in a lake, splashing with shoes in a stream to cool down. These are all elements that make for an exciting time. Letting your kids get plastered in mud or soaking wet can be a positive thing!

6. TRY WILD CAMPING

Her first experience was on a warm summer's night, with a big inflatable mattress. Although the late evening light was a problem I made sure the experience was pretty cushy. I also left it a while before the next wild camp because she hadn't slept well and although it was exciting it is not something she would have volunteered to do the next day!

7. ORGANISE MICROADVENTURES

I allowed her to be actively involved in our microadventures; choosing the path, inflating a packraft, having a go at paddling, flying a kite, identifying creatures (whether real or imagined), "helping" to pitch a tent or cooking marshmallows on the fire.

Emma is a long way off the "tomboy" I once imagined my daughter would be, but she has shown an amazing ability to appreciate and enjoy the outdoors and consequently to learn so much about our planet and enrich her (and my) life.

Take a look at these 5 Easy Family MicroAdventures [Video]

Let me know how you have done it; tips, tricks or indeed frustrations. You can comment below or visit our Facebook page and get involved!

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Cleveland Way - Scarborough to High Hawsker

In October 2020, my friend Dave and I walked a section of the Cleveland Way in Yorkshire over a couple of days. We started from Scarborough and walked to Ravenscar (18 km). The next day we walked to High Hawsker (15 km).

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Packrafting the River Tamiš

In July 2020, in a brief respite from the worries of the covid pandemic, I had the good fortune to be able to escape for a little adventure, spending 3 days paddling down the Tamiš river in northern Serbia, in my packraft.

Interview with Emily Woodhouse - Founder of Intrepid Magazine

I recently had the pleasure to interview Emily Woodhouse, someone who is well known and someone who has been somewhat of a pioneer in giving a voice to many women in the adventure / outdoor sports world.

In this interview Emily gives me some insight into her whirlwind entrepreneurial journey and how much there is to learn from diving into a (business) adventure.

Not only has Intrepid Magazine provided something that was missing in the outdoor space but it is doubly satisfying to know it was the vision of someone who cares passionately about the subject matter, saw the importance of it and had the courage to go through with it… although I am not sure Emily herself see it as “courage”. As she says in the interview: “I looked at the hole in the magazine world and thought: I can do that”.

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Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the wallaby)

The loch was like a mirror as we set off from Luss on Friday to explore. Having walked to the high point on Inchtavannach to admire the views, and paddled around Inchmoan, watching the deer come down to the water’s edge, we agreed to spend the night on Inchconnachan for no other reason than it appeared absolutely idyllic as the sun began to sink and the evening light bathed the lake in a silvery light.

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Weekend Adventure - From lying in the sun to crying on a plane

I have mentioned a few times that my daughter is neither naturally sporty, particularly active or indeed fearless. She is perhaps the opposite. So I was especially proud that she decided on the Saturday morning, as we dithered whether to have an hour in the water at Buzz Active Cuckmere, that this was indeed the ideal opportunity for her to go solo in a kayak for the first time.

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Canoeing the Wye: Happiness V Social Media [Video]

I had so much fun this weekend that I didn’t tell anyone about it. Imagine that! The moment was way more important to me than broadcasting about it. Yes, I know it should be, but if we are honest with ourselves, it isn’t alway, is it?

I spent Friday and Saturday canoeing down the Wye with my 7 year old daughter, from Hoarwithy to Symonds Yat. It is the first time either of us has done this kind of trip and to share this adventure together was the sort of experience that makes me go all mushy and emotional…

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Wild Night Out 2019: The Whining

Travelling in ultra lightweight style (we only carried four cricket stumps instead of the full compliment of six) Emma and I marched along the coast path, over the dunes and onto the vast sands of our beautiful coast for a perfect Wild Night Out 2019, until the high-pitched whining started…

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30 Days Wild: Suburban Springwatch

One thing I decided to do this year was leave one corner of the garden wild. I don’t know how long it will last as pressure builds from within the family to “do something” with that corner but while it does last it has had a positive effect in terms of wildlife.

Perhaps the best aspect of this experiment is the fact that every night around 9pm we have a fat hedgehog who comes through our front gate, wanders through the garden to this unkempt patch of land and roots around for a couple of hours before waddling off to check out what the neighbours have to offer.

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30 Days Wild: Freshwalks: Networking in the Outdoors

This filthy-wet month, I am trying to spend time outside in nature during my working day as part of the Wildlife Trusts 30 Days Wild. I cannot pretend it has been as easy as last year’s sun-drenched June when gently swaying flower meadows and deserted Norfolk beaches called out to me.

However, recently a client of mine drew my attention to an innovative and inspiring initiative getting business people into the outdoors, for Freshwalks. The benefits of which might surprise a few…

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30 days Wild: Welcome to my office

“Can you repeat that please sir?” I could hear a slightly exasperated tone on the other end of the line.

This morning, a few days into June and woefully short of what I hope to achieve during 30 Days Wild, I ventured out into the meadow to make a few phone calls. I took my office outdoors! The helpful assistant from Barclays Business Banking went off for a few minutes to find out some information, and probably to curse me as my microphone was buffeted by the breeze, that bent the tall flowers surrounding me and repeatedly flicked my hood over my head.

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30 Days Wild: Switch off with Nature

We are just a few days away from June and the start of 30 Days Wild; the Wildlife Trusts amazing initiative to get people outside, enjoying and appreciating nature.

This year, as part of 30 Days Wild I will be focussing on how nature can help alleviate the stresses and strains of work and how to get more of it into the working day.

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Do you want to live more adventurously?

The decision to change my life and live more adventurously was utterly instinctive, borne of exasperation, a last resort. I was burnt out, suffering from anxiety, depressed.

How I got to the point of changing the direction of my life was a couple of years of mental wrangling and torture, until I stumbled across some inspiration.