Enter the Summer Solstice Microadventure challenge and win great prizes from Trek Bikes, howies, Osprey Packs and Mountain Equipment! On June 21st we want as many people as possible to try a microadventure.

Here’s the plan:

Prizes:

Here’s how to enter:

Image by TEDxHull. Thank you.

Consequently they need not be very long. These days I shy away from book reviews on my blog as I get too many requests to do them. Lost Lanes is an exception to this because it ought to be compulsory reading for anyone in South East England who is tempted by a microadventure.

Here then is my review of ‘Lost Lanes: 36 Glorious Bike Rides in Southern England’ by Jack Thurston:

It’s brilliant.

It’s beautifully produced.

The photography is very pretty; the prose is great.

It’s chock full of genuinely lovely adventures close to London.

If you live in South East England and enjoy cycling, wild places, wild camping and wild swimming then buy this book.

Jack recently wrote this fantastic piece in the Financial Times which I was chuffed to be mentioned in:

As stars emerge like pinpricks into the deep, dark blue of the night sky, I wiggle a little deeper into my sleeping bag. It’s cold, surprisingly so, and quiet too. An owl hoots in the woods nearby and far above is the silent blinking light of an aeroplane en route to Gatwick, just a few miles away. We’re up on the chalk ridge of the North Downs, some way inside the M25, London’s orbital motorway. It’s a Tuesday night, and come tomorrow morning the three of us lying in this small grove of beech trees will be back at our desks. But for now, having enjoyed a candlelit camp supper of bean stew, couscous and a bottle of red wine, the office seems a very long way away…

Read the rest of the piece here.

I first met Jack 5 years ago when he interviewed me about cycling round the world for his excellent podcast.

Hopefully by now you will have reached one of two conclusions:

1. You aren’t interested in microadventures and prefer big expeditions. If so, turn to this page.
2. You are interested in microadventures and would now like to try one yourself. If so, read on…

The great thing about microadventures is that they do not require much time, effort or gear. And that means that there is no real excuse not to go and try one yourself.

I made this 4-minute film to demonstrate that even people with proper jobs – even people who live in Milton Keynes! – can have a microadventure. Watch it and try to work out if there is any good reason stopping you from trying something similar.

And then I’d like you to make a note in your calendar for Friday, June 21st saying “microadventure”. You don’t have to do any more than that for now. This is just the first tiny step towards commitment (which is also the hardest step of all).

It’s a Friday night and it’s the summer solstice. And there’s a nearly full moon (a super moon, no less) rising at 7pm.

I’ll be releasing more details soon, but putting this date in your diary now will mark a commitment from you to actually get out and have a microadventure of your own. You’ve got over a month to figure out the small details.

Watch this little film. Then make this happen!

With only a couple of weeks until our intended attempt at the “microadventure” which has become known as Big Hex, the excitement, anticipation and preparation for the challenge is as consuming as it is imminent. Big Hex, for those unaware of the concept, is a climbing challenge akin to a “3 Peak Challenge” which myself and my 2 mates, Kenny and Eric, have contrived and developed over many years now, emerging from conversations during whiskey fuelled bothy nights in remote parts of Scotland, as we concocted a plan to give climbers their very own 3 peaker in Scotland.

A brief description at this stage would be appropriate I suppose. A simple idea, similar in substance to the “3 Peak Challenge”, but with a requirement for a climbing ability and set entirely in the mountains of Scotland. Covering 3 mountain ranges – Ben Nevis, Buachaille Etive Mor and the Cuillin on Skye – we set the challenge to climb and descend 6 ridges on each mountain within a given timescale. Initially the timescale was fixed at 36 hours, however due to feedback from message boards on UKCliming.com and on the Big Hex Facebook page and Twitter feeds, we have made the challenge more inclusive and added categories for 48 and 72 hours. There is also a requirement for each participant to raise funds for the Mountain Rescue Committee for Scotland, and contribute to the brave souls who we rely on if we are unfortunate enough to find ourselves in difficult circumstances on our mountains.

We would spend hours during the bothy nights, discussing the merits of different routes on each mountain, finding arguments for and against each other suggestions, arguing on points of historical merit of each route and difficulty and suitability of each for the technical pitching of the challenge. However one thing we were all agreed on was the 3 mountain ranges we selected. For those of you reading this and never having been on Ben Nevis, Buachaille Etive Mor or The Cuillin, you will do yourself no greater favour than to take some time out of your busy lives and get yourself among them, they are utterly stunning! Therefore the choice was simple, and the opportunity to take these ranges in over 2 days is not only a challenge, but a venture into the most beautiful landscapes and terrain that Scotland can offer.

The routes we settled for are as follows:

• Buachaille Etive Mor – Ascend North Buttress and descend Curved Ridge
• Ben Nevis – Ascend North East Buttress and descend Tower Ridge
• The Cuillin – Ascend Pinnacle Ridge and descend West Ridge of Sgurr Nan Gillean

So, where did the name “Big Hex” come from then? I hear you ask. Well, in climbing terminology, a Big Hex is a piece of climbing protection equipment – originally an old hex nut – which, when placed in a crack in the rock, will hopefully protect you in the event of a fall. It is deemed to be the safest piece of gear you can place, a “bomber” placement, if you will. A hex, is also a six sided object, which fits perfectly with our six classic routes chosen as the routes for the Big Hex Challenge. It is a challenge which is open to all comers, we strongly recommend that a degree of climbing ability is a must as some of the routes, whilst not technically difficult in climbing terms, are serious commitments which will require in some instances rope work, and should not be underestimated. What we can guarantee is an experience unlike any other challenge you will take part in on Scotland’s mountains, and mountain scenery and memories which will live with you for years to come.

So as I sit here and write this, having only recently taken a wee trip into Ben Nevis to check weather conditions, and today, when I bought a new pair of boots specially for the event, I can feel the excitement and anticipation bubbling up inside. I will revel in the preparation over the coming days and weeks.  We will meet – the other members of the team, Kenny, Eric and Steven and our support team Peter and Dougie (Big Hex photographer) and myself – to discuss the logistics and the necessary equipment, food, drink and sleeping arrangements, and I will drink it all in because all too soon it will be over, and the anticipation and preparation is as much a part of any micro adventure as the participation.

All I can say is that I am so looking forward to it more than any other climbing trip I have been on, and we are delighted that others have taken up the baton and decided to join us in participating and making Big Hex their very own micro adventure, and more importantly, raising vital funds for Mountain Rescue along the way.

I would love you all to join us.

For more information go to www.bighex.org or visit us on www.facebook.com/bighexchallenge or follow us on twitter @big_hex

If you can help us spread the word, we will be forever in your debt.

“Whatever you do, or dream you can do, do it now. Boldness has genius and magic in it. Do it now.”

WH Murray 

Scottish Mountaineer and writer

I’m doing it now!

Bobby Motherwell

bobby@bighex.org

If you have any other suggestions please leave them in the comments section below.

1. Doing something is better than doing nothing.

2. It does not have to be an epic to be epic: scale is everything.  A 300 ft hill is a mountain if you are 5, and falling in a stream makes it an epic if you are 7. Kids do everything quicker than you: that includes getting tired, cold and bored. Tired, cold and wet kids are no fun.

3. If you call it an adventure and it involves food, getting wet, muddy, fire or breaking the rules the kids will love it.

4. Little boys and girls love kit just as much as big boys and girls. Stoves, maps, bothy bags, tents are cool no mater what your age.

5. Sweets are a great morale booster- always have a treat of some form handy for emergencies.

6. Involve the kids in the planning and talk to them when you are doing it. Point out things, even if you might take them for granted. Show them what’s safe and what’s not: they take in more than you think. Have a Plan A and a Plan B.

7.What’s the worst that could happen? Plan accordingly. Pack a change of clothes, a towel or even just a fleece blanket. Take wipes/hankies: adventures are messy. Always bring some plasters, wipes and eye wash. Trips, grazes are part of the territory: war wounds give boasting rights!

8. You don’t have to go far to have an adventure… How many places had you been when you were 5?

9. Have a bags to take litter/treasure home.  Stones, shells, cones, feathers and random bits of wood are interesting when you are small.

10. Adventures can be incorporated into all sorts of things. A trip to the city shopping can be an adventure if you pack a picnic and go to a new park or square to eat it.

11. Be spontaneous! If you/ they fancy a paddle and it’s March, so what? Go for it!

12. Any fool can be cold and wet.

Remember, you do not have to pay to have fun with your kids!

These are all things I learned this weekend from Sir Alex Ferguson.
And I write this as someone who spent large swathes of his youth enthusiastically singing, “Stand up if you hate Man U!” and who has absolutely and vehemently not always seen eye to eye with Fergie.
This is why sport matters so much to me.
Because it doesn’t matter very much at all, yet its foundations are built upon things that matter very much indeed.

As well as challenging me, Jo also makes a lot of effort in précising her interviews into helpful bullet points (for people like me who are too hyperactive to watch a whole interview!). Here then is the video followed by her thoughts.

If you are interested in becoming an author I highly recommend her website as a great procrastination from writing and an invaluable resource.

Interview Notes:

• Taking action on dreams and getting past inertia. This is what differentiates people who actually end up achieving stuff, rather than talent of any particular type. Al talks about forcing himself to begin, noting that the first step is the hardest to take. Reading books about travel rather than traveling, or reading books about writing instead of writing.

• Al’s writing technique is to procrastinate a lot and then finally sit down to write. He doesn’t start with the beginning, he starts with whatever comes to mind. Getting the first draft done is the hardest part. In writing travel, you are recounting what has happened so you can follow that flow and re-organize it later in the editing phase.

• On editing, especially when there is much repetition in travel experiences. On taking the writing emotionally further by going beyond just what happened and into the deeper side of the adventure. On radical word cutting and making sure the story is interesting to other people. Alastair does actually still do the traditional – physical – cut and paste of his manuscript. [I recommend Scrivener!]

• On writing the truth in memoir – about real people, about what really happened, about raw emotion. Using the truth to tell a better story. Changing names is always a good idea, but the reality of travel is that there are conflicts and issues, especially when the journey is physically and mentally difficult. That’s an important part, but you can still be friends afterwards.

• “All the right notes, not necessarily in the right order”. There Are Other Rivers is out of synch chronologically and is more about the experience, making it a ‘more truthful truth’.

• On growth as a writer. Now Alastair has written 5 books, he has moved beyond the basic diary style approach to going deeper into the emotional experience. He took risks with the writing his last book as well as choosing to self-publish. It was a personal expression and he did it his way.

• On persistence and discipline. The expeditions are much easier than writing books, which, for Alastair is an excruciating process. He only writes a lot once he has got really annoyed with himself! Once it starts to take shape, it is more interesting. There Are Other Rivers took several years, after giving it up entirely and then rewriting it in a new way. There’s no other solution – you have to sit at your desk and write. He wrote a lot of it in the middle of the night, sleep-deprived and high on caffeine and then was ruthless around editing.

• Advice on writing memoir, and specifically a travel memoir. Make sure you have something worth writing about. People who want to do travel writing often need to actually do some travel first. Make sure it’s a journey you want to do, don’t just focus on the end goal. The journey has to come first. I mention Wild by Cheryl Strayed as a good example of a travel memoir that goes deeper into the emotional level. Give a lot of yourself on the page, rather than just recount things that happened. The more honest you can be, the better.

• On writing for therapy vs writing for publication. We talk about diaries and then about blogging. Alastair writes a lot of personal thoughts on his blog.
• On how blogging is critical for Alastair’s business as a professional speaker. It’s a platform that he uses to help people find out who he is, and a way to connect with people and share his experiences. [I also get all my speaking work from my blog.]

• On making short films and developing story visually. Alastair takes a lot of (amazing) photos but started using films when it became standard functionality on cameras. He uses films to show the journey and give a personal connection. It is a way to stand out online as making videos is still not mainstream, although millions are now text-blogging. It’s all about getting started and learning as you go. It’s also about the principle of know, like and trust – which leads to book sales over time as people get to know you. Editing video is the key to making it excellent – the latest video of the Empty Quarter is being cut from 26 hours of footage to 30 mins. Ouch.

Adventure = risk + purpose

• On risk – both personal risk as Alastair tackles on his adventures, but we also discuss the risk of embarrassment and fear of failure and judgement. The online trolls, the bad book reviews, the negative blog comments – these things are a risk and they hurt, but we can’t let them stop us from writing and getting out there.

• If there’s something you want to do and it scares you, then it’s probably something you should be doing. You just have to get over the fear, and go do it. Breaking the inertia is difficult but well worth it.

• #microadventures is Alastair’s latest project, which is about encouraging people to get out and do a small adventure – maybe just a night on a hill, instead of a huge adventure that takes a lot more commitment. He’s currently writing this as a book and you can also check out twitter #microadventures to see what people are up to.  Try writing a short story while you’re out there!

You can find Alastair at AlastairHumphreys.com and on twitter @Al_Humphreys and using #microadventure.

You can find There Are Other Rivers on Amazon in print and ebook format and more information about Alastair’s other books here.

Here’s my review of the book – 5 stars on Goodreads:

I’m one of those people who devour adventure books because vicariously I can be out there experiencing it too. In this book Alastair takes us on an internal journey as much as describing parts of his walk across India. It resonated with me deeply in parts, the need to be someone extraordinary, the desire to shed all physical possessions and just exist simply. I identify with the need to keep moving – I move every few years but I’m not as brave as Alastair. I also fell in love with India when I travelled there. It’s one of those places I felt at home in so it was great to revisit some of those impressions through the eyes of such a seasoned traveller.

I find myself strangely jealous of the freedom to sleep under the stars, to walk towards the setting sun, to take each day anew. If you sometimes feel this way, you’ll love this book. Highly recommended.