How To | Be More Adventurous

Feel like you spend too much time watching others being brave and not enough throwing yourself into life yourself? Here are a few ways to find your inner adventurer

Do what you love but be a little more adventurous
Think going from walking to climbing a mountain, swimming to wild swimming, camping to wild camping.

Have more fun
Enjoyment is not the same as fun. Do something a bit silly that makes you laugh. Jump off a rope swing into a lake. Ride a roller coaster. Make up a bed and sleep in your garden under the stars.

Feel the fear but don’t let it control you
Listen to it, thank it for alerting you to possible dangers and then tell it to move away so you can be in control of your life.

Enjoy the journey
Think about where you enjoy the process not just the outcome. Go for a hike in the woods or a bike ride, not for exercise but to bask in nature.

Find pockets of adventure
Rather than waiting until you have time for a weekend away, find something that fits into your evening or lunch break.

Watch and read about adventure
When we hear of others that inspire us, we start to expand on what we believe is possible.

Listen to what’s whispering to you
Do you drool over travel or adventure programmes, lust after campervans or think fondly of horse riding or sailing boat memories? Act on these desires and impulses rather than finding reasons not to do things.

The ideas above are from our feature ‘Brave New World’ by Rebecca Frank from our August issue. Read more about how to be brave starting from page 20 and be inspired by reading Achievable Adventures by Charlie Wild and Jessica Last (Quadrille, £18)

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More recipes for adventure…

More from our blog…

How to | Plan a Good Walk

As with so many things in life, the key to a good walk is all in the planning and anticipation… and the pub

Spontaneity definitely has its place, but sometimes you just need a solid plan, and a spring walk is one of those times. Heading off into the great outdoors, breathing the cold air and the world opening up before you can fill us with a confidence like nothing else. But a fair idea of how far away the nearest fish pie and a pint and a clean toilet is can really improve the mood on a long walk. Here are a few steps to planning a good walk and putting the pedestrian fates in your favour. 

Start with a good map. 

An Ordnance Survey Explorer map is best, as it gives you the best scale for walking and enough detail to be able to see where you can cross private land, find a phone box and might need wellies to cross a stream. If you don’t have a paper map you can always plan online at https://explore.osmaps.com/en?l. 

Devise a circular walk or at least make sure there’s a bus back

Many planned walks you’ll find in books or online can leave you five miles from your start point with no hope of getting home, so plan your own but do your research. Circular walks (where the end is back at the start) are ideal, dropping you back home or to your car. But if you want to go out and not back, plan your walk to some public transport (and don’t forget to check timetables and make sure the buses run on Sundays and don’t stop at 4pm). 

Get the boring but important bits out of the way first

Are you walking at the coast? You might need to check tide times. How about crossing railway tracks or busy roads?  It might be an idea to check busiest times and ensure you’ll be able to cross safely. It’s also important to check the weather; not only will you need to be properly dressed and kitted out but the weather might also affect your route if high winds are predicted, for example, and you need to avoid areas that are high up or close to trees that might shed branches, perhaps. 

Plan the pub

Now for the fun part. Locate the pubs (look for a PH) on the map and then do some research. There’s nothing so disheartening as arriving at the pub in the rain, ready for a roaring fire and a large glass of red only to discover it’s closed for refurbishments. Call and check they’ll be open on the day and check out the menu as well so you know what you’re looking forward to. 

Plan in your snacks

While we’re on the subject of sustenance, pack plenty of water and check that there will be shops or pubs where you can refill along the way. And plan to pack up a few snacks, too, if it’s a long walk. Some cake or flapjack, wrapped in foil and a flask of tea or coffee will see you right when lunch feels a long way off.

Ditto your walking companions

Think carefully about whether your walk pals will be up to the route you’ve planned, will get on with each other and will appreciate the walk as a whole. If you choose to go alone, perhaps plan in a podcast to listen to along the way. 

Seek out an adventure

Find a ‘main event’ to plan your walk around. It might be a fabulous view, an ancient church to look round or a geographical feature you want to stop off at and explore. Try to plan the walk so that the ‘event’ is about a third of the way through. You don’t want to peak too soon but you also don’t want the walk to feel like the first third of The Lord of the Rings. 

Keep them guessing

Plan in a surprise, too. Your companions will thank you for something that lifts their spirits in the last part of the walk, and post pub. It could be something as silly as a great photo opportunity, or a good ice cream shop, or as impressive as a fine piece of architecture or a point of historical interest. If you’re struggling, a good tip is always an ice box with ice creams inside, stashed in the boot of your car when you get back to the start. 

In our March issue, we have a feature all about ways to walk, adapted from 52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time by Annabel Streets (Bloomsbury). Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our blog…

More ways to walk…

Knowhow | Thermos Hacks

Dig out your vacuum flask for a good long walk and you’ll never have to be home in time for tea… you can take it with you!

A Thermos full of tea on a spring walk (tartan blanket not essential) is always pleasing, but are you using your Thermos flask to its full potential? Obviously you can fill it with soup or a chilli too but thinking further outside the box is always fun. We’ve put together a few ideas for ways to use a Thermos you might not have considered to help you make more of your outdoor adventures. 

1. A sausage supper. Cook sausages at home. Fill your Thermos with boiling water, empty it, and pack it with the cooked sausages and fasten the lid on quickly. Throw some bread rolls and ketchup in a bag with it and voila! Instant hot dogs at the end of your walk. 

2. Have breakfast outdoors. Fill your flask with porridge, top with honey and a few dried fruits and nuts if you like, and go and watch the sunrise over a hot breakfast. 

3. Go for grains for lunch. Things like quinoa and couscous are a great Thermos meal if you want a hot lunch on a hillside or on the beach. Warm your Thermos by filling with boiling water and emptying it, then throw in your chosen grain plus enough boiling water to cover it. Ignore it for a few hours. Pack a few cold toppings - maybe some cold chopped meat or cheese and some chopped herbs, nuts and salad veg - and when you open your Thermos, throw them on top of your fluffed grains for an instant warm grains salad. 

4. Make a party of it. You can keep things like sausage rolls, quesadillas and mini pies both warm and crispy by lining the bottom of your Thermos with a few folded pieces of kitchen towel and piling the hot food on top. No more soggy sarnies. 

5. Keep cold things cold as well as hot things hot. Did you know you can use a Thermos to take ice cream out with you? Be everyone’s best friend on the beach by filling the bottom part of your Thermos with crushed ice and then either slide your tub of ice cream in if it will fit, or decant it onto the ice. Seal the lid quickly and prepare to sing a tinkly version of Greensleeves as you unscrew it later and offer round the cones. 

Read more about why we all love a Thermos in our feature by Tim Hayward in our February issue. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our February issue…

More ideas for outdoor eating…

Learn | Forest School for Grown-ups

Because why should children have all the nice things?

If you have children in your life, you’ve probably heard about Forest School, a method of education that’s been popular now for a good couple of decades, in which young people spend time out in the woods, learning about nature, but also simply enjoying the outdoors and building on other skills like teamwork, resilience and creativity. It all sounds a long way off the fusty classrooms we remember, but they do say education is a lifelong process so there’s no reason not to have a go now. 

In our September issue, we met Estelle St John-Smith, a charcoal maker. Her work out in the woods sounded like so much fun, we were inspired to look into a few other ways one might enjoy the forest as adults. If you’re feeling rather cheated you missed out on forest school, perhaps you could try one of the ideas below? Some you can do alone with no equipment or skills at all, others you might need to buy a book or a tool for, then there are more for which you might need to join a group or society. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re dipping your toe into the forest for the first time or fancy going full-on Green Man. 

Forest bathing

There are lots of courses you can take in Forest Bathing (also known as shinrin-yoku), but it’s something you can just as easily do alone or with a friend. Just head to a forest, turn off your phone, and wander through the trees, noticing your surroundings with all your senses and breathing deeply. The National Trust has more information about where and how to forest bathe

Whittling

Once the domain only of Cub Scouts and shiny new pen knives, whittling has had a bit of a renaissance. All you need is a pocket knife, a twig and a bit of time to yourself outdoors. We like Chris Lubkeman’s The Little Book of Whittling for easy projects you can get started on right away.

Tracking animals

Get a little bit Bear Grylls (or just sound impressive as you nonchalantly say “there’s been badgers through here” while on a walk with some friends). It’s fascinating to learn just a little bit about the animals you share a woodland with. The RSPB has a handy guide to animal footprints on its website.

Slacklining

Improve your balance and feel rather acrobatic by having a go at slacklining. It’s like a highwire, but tied very low, between two trees. You can buy slacklines in most outdoor and adventure type shops. Slackline.co.uk has a list of slackline clubs across the country if you’d rather try it in a group. 

Cooking on an open fire

Any child who has been to forest school will tell you that the best part is the marshmallows on sticks at the end, but there are loads of things you can cook on an open fire (just make sure you put it out safely and are only building a fire in areas where it is permitted). The Simple Things’ blog has lots of ideas for recipes to cook outdoors on a fire. Try our Frying Pan Calzone to get you started.

Join a woodland working party

If you’d like to make a real difference at the same time as having fun, you could think about volunteering. Organisations such as the Woodland Trust have openings for adults to get involved in looking after woodlands local to them but you may well find your local common, national park or National Trust property offers something similar. You might learn anything from hedge-laying to charcoal making to general woodland management skills, all while meeting like minded people. 

And what’s the first rule of Grown-up Forest School? (No, it’s not that you do not talk about Forest School, you at the back there.) It’s that no one can tell you when it’s time to go back indoors. Hurrah to that. 

More from our September issue…

More fun in the forest…

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

New hobby | Plein Air Sketching

Make a walk an event by sitting down to sketch the landscape for a short while

There aren’t many things that don’t feel just a bit more ‘alive’ for being practised outdoors; eating alfresco is so much more than just supper, sleeping under the stars turns a daily fact of life into something magic… And art? Well, painting a landscape, live, out in the fresh air, is like the difference between watching a BBC schools TV film of Julius Caesar and being in the Globe watching the RSC perform it live. 

‘Plein Air’ painting, the act of painting a landscape like a sitting portrait, with the artist able to better capture the changing light, weather and atmosphere, began in the 1800s, pioneered by Constable, whose painting, Boatbuilding, Near Flatford Mill was conceived and painted entirely outdoors. The catalyst, lovely though the great outdoors is, was the rather more prosaic fact of tubes of oil paints suddenly becoming available. Paints had previously needed to be mixed from raw pigments which did not lend themselves to being thrown into a bag for an impromptu day’s painting out in the fields. A few tubes fitted nicely into your artist’s knapsack alongside a Thermos and a cheese sandwich. 

The Plein Air movement soon spread to the continent, its high point coming with Impressionist landscapes; think the likes of Monet, Renoir and Pissaro with their dappled light and soft, outdoorsy colours. 

Perhaps it’s the fresh air going to our heads, but we think we might just be inspired enough to give plein air a go ourselves now the weather’s warming up. How hard can a few water lilies be to paint anyway? If you fancy trying it too, here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Put together a bit of a kit. You don’t need a full-on pochade box, though. In fact, it’s best if you travel fairly light. Just a modest art kit (more on that below), something to keep warm if you’re sitting still for long periods, a hat if it’s sunny (or chilly), and we recommend a flask of tea and a generous slice of cake. Art is not fuelled on inspiration alone, you know. 

2. If you’re painting you just need something to paint on (paper, card, a sketchbook or canvas), a couple of brushes of different sizes, something to put water in and a cloth to wipe your brushes. Watercolours travel more easily than oils but don’t be put off oils or gouache if that’s what you prefer. You don’t need to take them all either; just consider your location, and pick out a few tubes of paint to match the colouring of the scenery.  Plein Air fans often say they prefer to use ‘found’ water for rinsing brushes than taking their own. There’s definitely something charming about using water taken from the sea to paint your beach scene, or even just asking the cafe that features in your scene for a glass of water to paint with.

3. Of course, sketching with coloured pencils or charcoals is lots of fun, too. We think if Monet had had the wealth of colours offered in a Faber Castell kit, he’d have given it a go, too. 

4. Choose a location that inspires you. It doesn’t have to be a pastoral idyll; just somewhere that ‘speaks’ to you. It also needs to be somewhere you can easily sit undisturbed (so if the roundabout at Elephant and Castle speaks to you maybe think again). You also need somewhere comfy enough to sit, whether that’s a grassy hillock or a camping chair on a street corner. 

5. Take a photo of the scene you’re painting just for reference later on. It’s very satisfying once you start to get a little bit good.

6. Before you start, do a quick sketch of the scene you want to recreate; what plein air artists call a ‘thumbnail sketch’. It just gives you an idea of composition and what’s going where. Try to pick just one or two elements to focus on in the picture.

7. Once you’re painting or drawing, your watchword is ‘speed’. That might seem to go against the whole ethos of the thing, but you’ll be surprised how quickly the light changes. If painting, use a broad brush and just block in colour. You can add more detail and colour on top later, but you need to get the basics in first so the light doesn’t change the colours and where shadows fall too much while you’re working. 

8. Be prepared to chat to passers by and show off your work (or adopt the look of a serious artist who must not be disturbed by trivialities and wear obvious headphones). 

The photograph above is by Dr Ali Foxon, who we spoke to in our April issue for our ‘Walking with Purpose’ feature. Ali runs boggydoodles.com which organises green sketching events for groups. Turn to page 44 to meet Ali and more people who have added ‘purpose’ to their walks in different ways. 

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our April issue…

More artistic inspiration…

How to | make a kite

We’re all about the gusty adventures this month. Let’s go fly a kite!

We hope you like the kite illustration on our Blossom front cover for March. Inside the issue Jo Mattock has written a piece to inspire you to take your kite on an outing. If you don’t have time to dig yours out of the shed, here’s how to make one in moments.

You will need

• 2 straight sticks or pieces of cane (raid last year’s runner beans patch), one around 50cm and one around 60cm but you can make them bigger or smaller as you wish

• String

• Washi tape (you knew you’d find a practical use for it one day, didn’t you?)

• A piece of light fabric or strong paper to fit your kite frame (a bin liner will do in a kite-building emergency)

• Suitable glue

• Masking tape

• A long piece of fabric for your kite tail, plus fabric remnants
  
  
  

How to make your kite

1. Arrange your two sticks in a T-shape, with the shorter stick crossing the longer stick about a third of the way down. 

2. Wind string around and around at the point where the sticks join and tie it securely. Cover over the join with washi tape until you are certain the structure is secure. You can use a blob of superglue if you prefer, to anchor the string.

3. Use a pair of scissors to saw a small notch at either end of both sticks (4 notches), each about 3cm from the end. 

4. Tie a piece of string around the edge of your shape, forming a diamond, using the notches to secure the string with a knot at each corner.

5. Place your diamond shape on top of your fabric, paper or bin liner and draw around the outside of the shape, approx 5cm bigger all the way round, then cut out your shape.

6. Place the diamond frame back on your fabric. Squirt a line of glue all the way around the edge of the fabric diamond and then fold the edges over the string frame to stick down.

7. Use masking tape to secure the fabric to the frame all around the edge and across the stick frame.

8. Cut a length of string a bit longer than your spar (the shorter stick). We used 65cm of string for the 50cm cane. Tie to each end of the smaller stick so the string has plenty of slack.

9. For your flying line, tie a long piece of string to the middle of the slack string. Make it as long as you dare.

10. Create a tail for your kite with a long piece of string from the bottom and decorate it with pieces of fabric tied on. Decorate the front and back of the kite as you wish. 

11. Go fly a kite and send it soaring!

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More outdoor adventures…

More from our March issue…

How to | work a canal lock

Learn a niche skill that looks ever so impressive

It’s always a joy to be able to step up at moments of group panic and confidently and smugly say ‘I’ll take care of that’. Should you find yourself navigating a narrow boat unexpectedly (it could happen) you’ll need to be able to work the canal’s locks in order to pilot the boat up or down the water. While all about you spill their Pimms and flap their hands in despair at the paddles, here’s how to calmly and collectedly navigate a lock. Ahoy!

1. Put down your beer, like a hero.

2. For the purposes of these instructions we’re going to assume you are travelling upstream. You need one person at the tiller (the steering pole) and one person operating the lock (that’s you). Check the lock. It should be clear with no boat approaching the other way. The water in the lock has to be at the same level as you are before you can open the gates and enter it. As we’re assuming you’re travelling up the canal, if the lock is not empty when you arrive, empty it by opening the paddles on the bottom gate. Once the water is at the same level as you, you can open the gates. 

3. Open the gate nearest the boat and ask the person at the tiller to take the boat (carefully) into the lock. It is traditional to shout ‘left a bit, left a bit, NO! YOU PUSH IT RIGHT TO GO TO THE LEFT!. That’s right… No TOO FAR NOW. Lawks! You nearly had the front off it then!’ as they steadily pilot the boat into the lock. Close the bottom gate behind the boat.

4. Open the paddles in the top gate and let the water into the lock. The paddles are the big Victorian iron cog shenanigans either side of the lock. Take your special key (called a windlass), place the hole in your windlass over the sticky-outy bit on the paddle and turn it to open. Stand to the side and keep your knees out of the way. If you accidentally let go of a windlass while the paddle is raised it can drop fast and the windlass can fly off and the paddles drop suddenly, causing horrible damage to the lock or you. It is permissible to swear colourfully if this happens. As the paddles open, the boat will rise slowly in the lock like well-proved loaf.

5. When the lock is full and the levels inside the lock and in front of you are level you will be able to open the top gate. Do so by putting your back against it and slowly leaning back to push it open, rather than bending over and pushing with your hands. This ‘pushing with your back’ manoeuvre prevents injury but more importantly will help mark you out as a canal know-it-all and impress any passers-by. 

6. Let your tiller person know to bring the boat out of the gate. If you want to sound smug and irritate the person at the tiller, shout casual and unhelpful commands like ‘take it to starboard a little’. No-one mortal can remember which way starboard is when under stress and in charge of a 60ft boat. Call them over to the bank with a louche wave of the hand, then step casually back on board and resume your position at your beer.

7. Graciously bask in the admiration of your crew and never tell them that it’s actually much easier to work a lock than it is to pilot the boat through one. Ahem.

In our July ‘Embrace’ issue, which is out now, we tried out a canal boating weekend courtesy of ABC Boat Hire. They are currently offering discounts for 202 and have a few last minute deals on breaks this year, too. Pick up a copy of the July issue in shops now for more details.

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our July issue…

More things to become good at…

5 things | you probably should do on an island adventure

Take a leaf out of the Famous Five’s book and do it properly

Britain has 82 large islands around it, and more than 6,000 smaller ones. And each is special and worthy of an adventure in its own way.

In our May issue, we’ve an extract from Islandeering: Adventures Around the Edge of Britain’s Hidden Islands by Lisa Drewe (Wild Things Publishing) which has lots of great ideas for walks, swims and things to see on 50 islands in our archipelago. But to make life simple, if you’re off on your own island adventure this week, we’ve got five things you really should do to up the Blytonesque fun factor.

1. Eat something you foraged yourself. From cockles to dandelion leaves, it always tastes better when you found it rather than bought it. Pretend you’re stranded and it will taste even better!

2. Explore some rocks or ruins. Paddle in rock pools hunting for crabs or scramble up the banks of a ruined castle. Every discovery is exciting on your own island.

3. Ride out in a little boat if you can (take care to tie up your oars so no gold thieves can row your boat back out leaving you stranded a la Anne and George on Kirrin Island).

4. Plan a big walk - walking the perimeter of an island all around the coastline will give you a smug glow but if that’s not manageable walk the shortest path across it or perhaps up a significant hill. Be sure to take a map - or draw your own.

5. Take a picnic. Eat it on the sand, a rocky outcrop or find a more sedate picnic bench, wherever you like, but it must contain a fancy sandwich, some good cake and, obviously, lashings of ginger beer.

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our May issue…

More simple outdoor adventures…