We know nature is great. We hear about the benefits of daily exercise, time in the countryside, wild swimming, fresh air.. forest bathing, nature therapy, ‘getting away from it all for a bit’ and quite often we watch a nature documentary, get another houseplant, or a cat – and stay indoors.

Anyone who has tried (and failed) to establish a running, walking, cycling routine will tell you – it almost always feels great once they do it. It is just getting out the door that is the hard part. I am the same. I know I am not unique. Aside from in the ‘everyone is special’ kind of way.

For the last year or so I have been getting out there. Going to the park, going to the forest, getting up early to drive to the middle of nowhere to climb a hill to watch the sunrise and it has changed my life. I have experienced joy in so many individual moments that I now carry with me. I have been puffed out, lost, challenged, wet, cold, tired and satisfied that I have been trying to get better at something that will help me, my mental health and give me an outlet for my energy.

Alongside this I have been encouraging my other hobby, my creative side in photography and content creation. I did photography at school for A level (a while ago) and had let it slide onto the ‘I used to like that but have no time’ pile. Since then, video editing and what you can do with just a phone (and now a drone) has come on so far and I have enjoyed getting back into it. Given the amount of time we spend on devices and screens, how could I make that something that was creative, positive and encouraged me to get outside?

Habit stacking: ‘Stacking a new behaviour you are trying to adopt onto an old behaviour to help you remember to do it’

Become a Hiker, take photos, make videos and be inspired by all the other hikers, hill runners, mountaineers that you meet along the way.

I have learned some new skills, built resilience and met new people. I am excited to be ready to share my adventures and hope to encourage others to get out there too.