Everyday Adventures #25
An adventure for the New Year, spending time in the Peak District.
Happy New Year to you all!
I hope your festive periods were full of winter adventure. A recent snowfall in Leicestershire was a great reminder for myself that even during the darker winter days, nature can be beautiful and worth exploring.
Here’s a round up of some adventures over the past month:
New Year with a View
We decided to do something different for New Year this year. Finishing work on New Years Eve, we set off in the van to the Peak District and welcomed in the new year in style… Drinking hot chocolate, wrapped up in warm coats, and watching the fireworks over the valley in Castleton. We enjoyed two days in the Peaks, visiting Derwent Dam to see the water flowing dramatically over the dam and walking along the hills and through the valley in Deepdale. Starting the year as we mean to go on!
Running in the Snow
Going for a run in the snow is one of my favourite things… we just don’t get much snow in the midlands! As soon as I looked out the window to see the dusting of snow across the street, we were up and out to make the most of it with a 5k loop around our local woodland. Betty seemed to enjoy running in the snow just as much as I did.
Christmas Morning Run
It’s become somewhat of a tradition to go for a run on Christmas morning, probably a weak effort to justify the amount of trifle I’ll be eating later in the day. There is something peaceful about it though. It’s the one day of the year that everything seems to stop. Everyone is off work and spending time at home, and it can feel like you have nature to yourself for a short little period to really appreciate what you have.
Tent Repairs
My trusty Lanshan 2 has been sat in the shed for the past 2 years. The last time I camped in it was in Scotland in 2023, the night a storm blew it down, ending my bikepacking trip of the NC500. That put me off tent camping for a while, but the desire has started to return with some planned back packing trips for 2026, so I spent a very cold afternoon putting the tent up and assessing the damage and what repairs were needed.
There’s quite a bit… thanks Scotland! The next few weeks will be spent researching and making the repairs myself to save it going to landfill and avoiding the temptation of buying something new.
When I find myself with free time that isn’t spent outdoors, I usually end up reading or watching other people spend their time outside.
Wildish Club have a host of guides and articles on their website about small ways you can reconnect with nature. From making your own plant food to mastering bird song.
I loved this article from Nicola Navigates about the joys of Bivvy. It’s inspired me to opt to take my bivvy on an upcoming bikepacking trip instead of the usual tent set up.
YouTube Adventurer, Tristan Ridey, built his own bikepacking set up for just £15.50, showing that adventure doesn’t need to come at a high cost. You can also see his length of Britain trip, where he does the whole trip on a budget of £100.
I spent last month reading Rural, by Rebecca Smith, which explores the lives of the working class in the countryside. As someone who lives in an old house, built for the quarrymen over 100 years ago, it was interesting to read Rebecca’s experiences and learnings about life in the countryside, across various industrial communities.
If you’d like to find out a bit more about the people who make the beautiful places we like to travel too and visit then it’s a worthwhile read!
Thanks for reading Everyday Adventures. The next instalment will be coming in a few week’s time, so if you enjoyed reading this then please consider subscribing for free. In the meantime I’ve got a favour to ask! If you enjoy these newsletter then could you please send the link to a couple of friends or family members you think might also enjoy it… It’ll help share Everyday Adventures with more people!
I’ve changed how you can subscribe to Everyday Adventures and Wild Reflections. Whilst all of my writing will remain FREE, I have added paid subscriptions as a way for anyone who enjoys reading my work to support me with a donation if they would like to do so, or if you would like to make a one off donation you can Buy Me A Coffee. There is, of course, no obligation to and all of my writing will remain accessible to everyone whether you choose to pay or not :)
Everyday Adventures is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
I promise Scotland isn’t always that bad! 😂