Lewis - The Girl Outdoors: the Wild Girls Guide to Adventure, Travel and Wellbeing

T O MY FABULOUS FAMILYmy parents,

Marina and Spencer, and my brother Matthew, for all the adventures.

CONWAY

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

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This electronic edition published in 2018 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

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First published in Great Britain 2018

Copyright Sian Anna Lewis, 2018

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A ship in harbour is safe, but thats not what ships are for.

GRACE MURRAY HOPPER

CONTENTS

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INTRODUCTION

Welcome, my friends, to a wilder way of life. In these pages youll find the inspiration and the information you need to get outside and get happy. The Girl Outdoors is a bible of all the good things the wide, wild world has to offer. Its an introduction to the crazy fun of action sports, a tome of inspiration for weekend adventures and far-flung travels, a girls guide to feeling fit, a cookbook of hearty dinners to chow down on round the campfire with your mates. All rolled into one lovely package good, eh?

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.

MARK TWAIN

T he freedom, if not the desire, to explore the planet has been a long time coming for women. The playing field is a lot more even now than when the first female pioneers of mountaineering and derring-do were on the scene, yet when I am up a mountain peak, in the line-up or on a climbing wall I often find myself in a very male-dominated world. I reckon its time to change that.

I hear again and again from girls who would love to try surfing, go hiking or travel alone but feel they lack the confidence to get out and give those things a go. Perhaps because theres still a perception of adventure as an extreme pursuit, a living-off-urine, round-the-world-on-a-unicycle tough club open only to the hardiest grizzled explorer. Thats not what this book, or the outdoors, is about. It is about being your own have-a-go heroine, embracing new experiences and the simple, low-key pleasures of camping, walking, grilling fish over a fire you built with your own fair hands. Its about stepping away from the stresses of modern life, too. Getting outdoors is the easiest route I know to feeling happy and healthy, although theres no bollocks about diets and calories in this book Im far too fond of red wine and chocolate biscuits for that.

Ive loved a little adventure since I was a nipper, when my grandmother would take me swimming in the cold Irish sea and my dad would cart us off on walks in the woods. As an outdoors journalist Ive followed my love for fresh air around the world, camping on its cliffs, diving its oceans, getting extremely lost on its rain-sodden hills. And if Ive learned anything, its that there are three steps to living a full and happy life: 1. Get outdoors 2. Repeat as often as you can 3. In the words of Bill and Ted, be excellent to each other.

So whats our first adventure going to be? In Section One youll find introductions to sports that get you out in the back of beyond mountain biking, climbing, hiking, skiing and their adrenaline-fuelled ilk. Feeling a bit sweaty? Cool off with a wild adventure well be swimming in rivers, road tripping in campervans and setting up tents to sleep under the stars in Section Two. Section Three is all about feeling good scrumptious eats you can whip up round a fire, crafty things to make, green-fingered advice for growing your own garden goodies and wellbeing advice for wonder women. And in Section Four were on the road less travelled, exploring the four corners of the globe with guides to joyful travel and guides to planning trips of all shapes and sizes.

Jump on in the waters lovely.

S ECTION ONE

ACTIVE OUTDOORS

READY FOR AN ENDORPHIN BOOST? In Section One were diving straight into the world of action sports, trying out eight adrenalin-fuelled ways to get fit and explore the great outdoors.

These short guides introduce each discipline, giving you an insight into what to expect and inspiring you to zip up a wetsuit or stick on some climbing shoes and try them out. Each chapter includes advice for beginners, fitness ideas, safety tips and all the essential kit youll need. Ive also listed three epic places around the world where you can put your newfound addiction into practice.

The only element standing in the way of the skills you want to learn and the experiences youd love to try is the confidence to take the first step. The sometimes elitist representation of extreme sports can make starting out feel quite intimidating, and the word extreme is misleading, implying that only the fittest or bravest can take part. Thats not true these sports are both safe and tremendous fun for the greenest beginner. But the only way to learn is to take the plunge, to jump into the water or hop onto a bike and get going. The more you practise, the more youll achieve, and your confidence in your ability will grow.