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The Armchair Mountaineer

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Wilderness & Wellbeing BLOG

My name is Tom Smallwood and here you will find my posts and those of guests, on the positive effects of time spent outdoors.

18 Days Wild - Z is for Zoology

June 18, 2017

There is just about any natural creature you could desire to learn about in this museum but we limited ourselves to a handful of different areas - no sense in trying to the whole thing in my opinion, at least not with small children. Emma was largely interested in creepy crawlies (green zone) and the earthquake experience in the Kobe supermarket...

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Nature
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30 days wild n is of nocturnal

16 & 17 Days Wild - N is for Nocturnal

June 17, 2017

Now 30 Days Wild is here so what better occasion to go out in the hope of seeing some nocturnal wildlife and how better to introduce my daughter to wild camping?

We set off around 18:45, dodging the buzzing dragon flies. 

Once 'we' had got over the "stinky cow parsley", the debilitating nettle stings and the immeasurable distance we had to travel to reach our camp spot, I explained to Emma that these sorts of battles against the odds are the very essence of adventure and would make the experience all the more satisfying.

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Wild Camping, MicroAdventure
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30 days wild L is for Ladybird

15 Days Wild - L is for Ladybird [video]

June 15, 2017

It's the half way point in June and we are still going strong. After yesterday's slacking, we were back outside today in the searing Cambridgeshire heat, Making a totally original TV show. 

WATCH THE VIDEO!

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Nature
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30 Days Wild y is for youtube

14 Days Wild - Y is for YouTube

June 14, 2017

To appease or to create peace, this ubiquitous gobstopper of a gadget has become not only a tool for learning and wasting time, in equal measure, but also somewhat of tranquilliser dart.

If you are a parent reading this and you don’t recognise anything I am saying, then you are either in complete denial or some kind of superhuman. Either way I am not sure I entirely trust you...

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Video
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30 days wild A is for Ant

13 Days Wild - A is for Ant

June 13, 2017

A few weeks ago we noticed quite a few black ants roaming around the house. Having resisted the urge to start wiping them out I am glad to say that, as the weather has improved, they seem to have disappeared. But where did they go? 

I am afraid that we robbed them of one habitat last year when we had the patio relaid and removed and old mat from in front of the French windows. So today Emma and I went in search of these creepy crawlies elsewhere in the garden...

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Nature
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12 Days Wild - X is for 'Xtinct

June 12, 2017

Well, I mean, what did you think we were going to do for "X"? I don't have a xylophone or an x-ray machine!

For the second day in a row we decided to make a bee census in the garden. And a sorry site it was, again. Below is all we have seen, including one recently 'xpired bumblebee...

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Nature
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30 days wild e is for earthworm

11 Days Wild - E is for Earthworm [video]

June 11, 2017

Day 11 of 30 Days Wild was a highly academic affair. It saw us planting some flowers with the express intention of trying to attract more bees. In fact our random act of wildness today was going to be all about bees, but we only saw one... which in itself may be indicative of something.

So instead we rooted around in the dirt as Emma was dying to show off her worm-handling skills...

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Nature
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10 Days Wild - C is for Cooking [Video]

June 11, 2017

There is something about being outdoors that makes any meal special. Wind-combed grasses, birdsong and - yesterday at least - the warmth of the evening sun all help to deflect from the limited nature of "wild cooking". 

Just like the microadventure we had on Day 4 of 30 Days Wild last night's trip had minimal planning, beyond cobbling together a few ingredients... from the fridge and the store cupboard and ensuring the beers were cooled. Now read the recipe and watch the video...

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Tags 30 Days Wild, MicroAdventure, Wild Camping
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30 days wild t is for trees

9 Days Wild - T is for Trees

June 10, 2017

Friday afternoon. The end of the week also usually coincides with the end of Emma’s tether. She is spent after a week of school and a week of full-throttle excitement and competitive chit-chat with equally excited friends.

Friday nights frequently have moments of tears as this tiredness spills into a sort of emotional release accentuated by the diminished energy levels. 

Sulkily she sat in the back seat of the car. The weekend really never comes too soon! It was with some trepidation that I whisked her off, straight from the school run, to the woods for a walk...  

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Nature
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30 Day Wild B is for Butterfly

8 Days Wild - B is for Butterfly

June 8, 2017

Up until a few weeks ago I had never heard of Maria Sibylla Merian. I suspect many haven't, but thanks to "Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls"; a book we recently bought for our daughter, she is now a well known name in the family and Emma's bed time story for 8 Days Wild...

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Nature, Women
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30 days wild r is for robin

7 Days Wild - R is for Robin

June 7, 2017

Our resident robins flew the nest today. I spotted one little chick on the road after I reversed my car and saw that it had been sheltering underneath it. A close shave!

Mr and Mrs robin have been fretting all evening, catching food and flying to the nest (possibly as a decoy flight for any predators) and then off to find their littluns amongst the shrubs or hiding behind a plant pot in the neighbour's garden...

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Nature
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6 Days Wild - Q is for Quill

June 6, 2017

Whilst walking to the river the other day we came across the remnants of a goose. Presumably the majority of it was on the inside of a fox, but what remained was very useful; large feathers. We have been looking for large feathers for a while, with half a mind to make some large Native American headdress. However, inspired by last week's visit to Dove Cottage and the William Wordsworth Museum we decided to have a go at making a quill...

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Writing and Blogging
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5 Days Wild - S is for Snake

June 5, 2017

Having failed to spot any on yesterday's mini-adventure (P is for Paddling) we popped down to Godmanchester Nature Reserve after school today to have a root around and see if we could find some snakes.

Its been a chillier day today so I hoped the warmth of the mats they like to lie under would mean that one or two were there. We were in luck. Emma was delighted to see a small grass snake, which wasn't all that delighted to see us so after a quick picture, we left it alone.

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Nature
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4 Days Wild - P is for Paddling [Video]

June 4, 2017

Day 4 of 30 Days Wild saw us make the most of the sunny weather and go on a packrafting expedition!

There is not much to say really except we had a fabulous mini-adventure, although the swans were not exactly happy to see us. The whole thing was spur of the moment, took little organisation and we back home for lunch! 

Anyway WATCH the VIDEO...

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Tags Packrafting, 30 Days Wild, MicroAdventure
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3 Days Wild - W is for Waste [Video]

June 3, 2017

5 simple Ways to reduce the amount of plastic waste

Start by taking out your kids into a wild space and help to clean it up. Do so now, before they grow up cynical and have to search for self-serving reasons to pick up other people's litter. Today on the third day of 30 Days Wild Emma and I filled two plastic bags of rubbish during a 25 minute stroll...

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Nature, Environment, Plastic
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2 Days Wild - M is for Mini-Beasts

June 2, 2017

The beauty of spending time outside in nature, whether on a grand scale or in your own backyard is that it throws up an endless supply of interesting things to look at, think about and learn about. It is also often the case that you go out with intention of doing one thing and you end up doing another and it was no different this afternoon. We went out in search of mini-beasts and ended up sitting and watching baby blackbirds flapping about clumsily and attempting to hide from us in the bushes. We also heard, for the first time, the tiny tell-tale squeaks from the robin's nest behind the light in the car port... but more on that another day...

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Nature
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1 Day Wild - Wild Brainstorming [video]

June 1, 2017

Hello. Quick introduction here; my name is Tom, and this is Emma.

We are in the Lake District for a couple of nights on a 30 Days Wild brainstorming session. Today we have been rowing on Lake Grasmere, watching the Canada geese grazing in the valley and yesterday, whilst having a mini "wild" swim in the lake we were joined by a mallard and her ducklings which you can see in the video below (thank you to mummy for that shot).

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Nature
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30 days wild

Introducing a '30 Days Wild' Alphabet.

May 29, 2017

From THE 1ST OF JUNE my daughter (Emma) and I will be undertaking the Wildlife Trusts "30 Days Wild" Challenge. Everyday in June we shall be doing something wild to make nature and the outdoors a greater part of our lives.

I was thinking about a format to ensure our interest (ok I mean Emma's) are maintained throughout the month, so together we decided on an alphabet theme. Each day will be a different letter of the alphabet and we shall find something wild to do associated with it, ticking them off as we go along.

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Tags 30 Days Wild, Nature
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Three Books to Inspire You

May 24, 2017

If, like me, you don't read as much as you might like to, you probably want to get the most out it. so here are three books you absolutely must make time to read!  

With less time on my hands as well as the proliferation and accompanying distraction of other media, such as podcasts, I certainly do not read as much as I used to but my love for the written word, and specifically the printed word, is undimmed. My modest library is still a sort of refuge for me in moments of stress.  

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Tags Books, Mountains, Sarah Outen
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redesign your life.jpg

Life Redesign: My Journey so Far.

May 21, 2017

In late 2016 I decided to quit the rat race and redesign my life in a way that was more satisfying, interesting and adventurous both in my personal and professional life. I didn't even know how to accomplish the large and vague objective of "living better"!

Here is an update on the journey so far.

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Tags Living Better, Dave Cornthwaite, Cathy O'Dowd
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Featured
Cleveland Way - Scarborough to High Hawsker
Packrafting the River Tamiš
Interview with Emily Woodhouse - Founder of Intrepid Magazine
Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the wallaby)
Weekend Adventure - From lying in the sun to crying on a plane
Canoeing the Wye: Happiness V Social Media [Video]
Wild Night Out 2019: The Whining
30 Days Wild: Suburban Springwatch
30 Days Wild: Freshwalks: Networking in the Outdoors
30 days Wild: Welcome to my office
30 Days Wild: Switch off with Nature
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