Series 1 Highlights

In this special episode of 'Nurture with Nature,' host Iona Andean shares her highlights from the series, reflecting on her journey and the wonderful conversations she’s had with various inspiring guests. From Lorna Bray’s cathartic nature expedition to Laura Smith’s fundraising in memory of her son, and Leanne Chlosta's experience with outdoor judgement, each story is a testament to the healing power of nature. Iona also announces a temporary break as she prepares for the arrival of her second child, while expressing gratitude to listeners and looking ahead to an exciting Series 2.

This episode is sponsored by Seasgair Lodges

You can follow all of the series 1 guests using the links below:
Lorna Bray - @gurl_on_the_hill
Laura Smith - @mymessylifeinphotos
Leanne Chlosta - @teamchlosta
Jess Parson - @bumpsbairnsbuggies
Anna Gill - @aberdeenshirewalks
Anna Hardie - @annaxhardie

Follow host Iona Andean @iona.adventuring to keep up to date with her own outdoor adventures and time spent in nature, as well as being the first to hear about the upcoming second series of Nurture with Nature

00:00 Welcome to Nurture with Nature
00:47 Reflecting on the Journey
01:44 Series Highlights and Future Plans
03:45 Sponsor Shoutout: Seasgair Lodges
04:40 Lorna Bray: Rediscovering the Outdoors
10:26 Laura Smith: Outdoor Healing and Mental Health
18:46 Leanne Closta: Embracing the Outdoors
25:11 Jess Parson: Pre and Post Natal Fitness
31:26 Anna Gill: Building Outdoor Communities
34:32 Anna Hardie: Hiking with Little Ones
39:30 Series Conclusion and Gratitude

Transcript

Speaker: 0:01

Hello and welcome to Nurture with Nature with me, your host, Iona Andean. This is the show that aims to help encourage and inspire you to seek out the many physical and mental health benefits of time outdoors, truly nurturing yourself with nature.

Speaker 8: 0:21

Today's episode is a little different as I'm going to share with you my highlights from this series. If you haven't yet listened to some of the episodes then I hope this will give you an idea of what to expect from my wonderful guests or if you've already listened then you can reminisce with me and enjoy some snippets from their inspiring conversations. If you think the show will appeal to someone you know then please do send it their way or share on social media. When I embarked on this dream to start a podcast, I had no idea how to produce, record, edit, research, market or establish it, but I felt so passionate about encouraging more people to feel nurtured by nature that I knew I wanted to at least try. I set myself the goal of releasing a six episode series and I've achieved that. It's been a huge learning curve and one that I've enjoyed immensely. It's also given me a huge sense of purpose outside of my day to day life as a stay at home mum, which, by the way, is still my absolute favourite role in the whole world. But, as many of you will know, I've recorded and released this series of Nurture with Nature while pregnant with baby 2. With just a matter of weeks until baby's due, it's time to focus all my love and energy on bringing another tiny human into the world and adjusting to life as a family of four. So after today's episode, I'll be taking a wee break from the podcasting world. However, I already have a bank of brilliant episodes ready to go for when I feel able to launch and promote Series 2, and I'm so excited to share them with you when the time is right. From a guidebook author to a world record breaker, outdoor business owner to diversity group leader, series 2 is already shaping up to be jam packed with inspiration and motivation. I feel like the journey this podcast has taken me on has only just begun, and you have been a fundamental part in making that happen. Every time you mention the show to a friend, share an episode on social media, or send me or one of my guests a kind message of support, it means a huge amount. I created this podcast for myself, a project that I felt deeply passionate about, but to know that the stories I've shared have resonated with or inspired even a small number of you has made all the hard work, time, effort, money and traveling even more worth it. I want to say a very heartfelt thank you for helping me make this dream a reality. And yes, it sounds like an old cliche, but I really don't feel like there's another way to put it. So before we get started with today's episode, I'd like to ask a huge favor. Okay, it's actually a few favours rolled into one, but I'm heavily pregnant, so I'm going to play on that. If you're not already following the show, please go and do it now. This means that when I launch Series 2, it'll appear automatically on your device the second that it's available. If you haven't yet rated or reviewed Nurture with Nature then I'd love if you could do that too. It's literally a click of a button and I'll take you a millisecond but it will help more people find the podcast. And finally, if you do choose to share the podcast over on social media then please tag me on Instagram at iona. adventuring. And let me know what you've thought of this first series. My ultimate goal is to help more people embrace the overall well being benefits of time spent outdoors in nature. And you are genuinely helping me to do that. Thank you so, so very much. This episode is sponsored by Seasgair Lodges, who very kindly supported the podcast really early on. Offering stunning self catering accommodation in Scottish Highlands, each lodge is truly unique. From an old railway station in the Cairngorms National Park, to Highland Estate Lodge in Perthshire, and so much more. With child friendly, pet friendly, and luxury options available, there's somewhere to suit everyone's needs. As a company, their purpose is to share their appreciation for the most special places in Scotland and give their guests a beautiful, comfortable, and straightforward base from which to explore. At the same time, they champion local businesses, create long term jobs and support surrounding communities. However you like to spend time in nature, you can guarantee that a stay with Seasgair Lodges will elevate your adventures. Today's episode features clips from my previous guests conversations and I've shared them in the order they appear throughout the series. First up is Lorna Bray, who chats about rediscovering a love of the outdoors later in life, as well as adapting outdoor adventures for her teenage daughter, who has an ultra rare bone condition. Lorna tells the story of an incredibly cathartic experience she had while immersed in nature during an expedition in Canada, when past traumas and emotions came bubbling up to the surface.

Lorna Bray: 5:03

Nature is healing and nature has a really incredible, mysterious way of just calming you down, but also pulling things out of you. And what I mean by that is I'll very quickly share briefly a story about when I was in the Yukon last year and we had done the cottonwood trail, which was really difficult, but really fun. Um, And we had a couple of nights in Whitehorse, which is the capital, and then we paddled in the canoe from, from Whitehorse to Dawson City. And it was 750 kilometers in seven and a half days, which was a lot. And now, for Mr. Ollie Bray, my husband, that is It's normal because he likes to, you know, have big trips like that and he's been used to paddling since he was, you know, a teenager, a young teenager, whereas I'm new to it. I'm relatively new to it. I've about two or three years. So for me. The most that I had done was the, the Spey descent, so from Loch Inch to Speybein, where we are just now. It's 100km and we usually do that over 3 days if we're doing that, which is also great fun. So it was long days, it was big 12 hour days, and it was exhausting. And I think on day, I think it was day 4. We were paddling along and we were, we were in the middle of nature. I mean, we were living and breathing nature. We were on the water, we were camping at the side of the river. We were in the middle of the Yukon and there's just like no people around. So obviously passed some other paddlers on the water now and again, but you know, on the whole, you might not see people for days. So you're immersed in nature is probably the best way to put it and on about day five, I mean I was absolutely knackered and honestly that trip broke me probably emotionally and physically in a good way because on day four I was so tired and we're paddling along, paddling along and I started getting like thoughts about things that have happened in the past. And I was like, what's going on? Why is that bubbling up? And so, pushed it down, kept going, but it just, you've got a lot of time to yourself when you're in a canoe, and sure, me and Ollie talk all the time, and we have a giggle, and we have a laugh, but there's a lot of time where all you need to do is sit and paddle. Nothing else. You've not got dinners to make, you've not got children to organize, you've not got work to do, you just sit and you breathe and you paddle. And when you have a lot of time to yourself, things will start coming up and I couldn't understand why things kept bubbling up to the surface. Um, and I felt all the emotions, I felt anger and I felt frustration and I just felt sad about some of the stuff and I'm like. You know, these are really things that I thought that I had dealt with. I've worked really hard on not pushing things down. Um, and I think it was like that has happened. And then the next morning I woke up and I just got out the tent and I just broke, um, and I went over to Ollie. He's like, what, what's happened? What's wrong? And I told him and I said, I'm just, All these horrible things that, you know, have happened in the past, that I've had to deal with in the past, that have caused so much hurt and anxiety. They're just, they're just bubbling up and coming out. And he said a line that we always use now when these types of things happen and he's like get it all out. And the line he used was leave it all in the Yukon, which was great because then I realized why am I pushing this down? Nature is pulling this out of me and I know it sounds really, really deep and profound, but that's what was happening to me. It was deep and profound. It was. I was. It was. I was bloody exhausted. I had, you know, all this paddling but because of that it just pulled it all out of me and it was difficult. It was really hard to cope with. And that whole day I kind of sat with it and I didn't push it down, I sat with it and I just felt it. I felt it all that day in the paddle, to the point where I actually lay back and I'm like, I'm just going to have a rest. And I fell fast asleep with my paddle across my body because there's obviously bags behind me. And I slept for about an hour and a half when Ollie was paddling down the river Yukon. And we passed a family on the side of the river. And Ollie was like. She's not dead, she's just having a bit of a sleep. I did not know a thing, so I woke up paddled the rest of the day and then see that next morning, Iona, I felt amazing. Like honestly, I felt incredible and I just had the best time the rest of that trip. Um, and I just, I did, I left it in the Yukon. All, all that stuff that was obviously still there. So nature has this incredible way of just drawing things out of you, whether you want to or not. And when you immerse yourself in nature and just let it take over. For me, that's what happens. So I know the profound effect and the healing effect that it can have.

Iona Andean: 10:10

Oh, isn't Lorna just a breath of fresh air? I felt so energized chatting to her she's currently hiking what's known as Europe's toughest trail, the GR20 in Corsica, and I'm so excited to see her updates. You can follow her@gurl_on_the_hill. Episode 2 with Laura Smith was a deeply heartfelt conversation about her love of the outdoors as a means to stay connected to her eldest son Robbie, who she lost in 2020 to suicide. Laura now strives each year to mark his birthday with a charity challenge, raising much needed funds and awareness for mental health organisations.

Laura Smith: 10:47

And really my whole outdoor journey adventure was sparked by Robbie. And what people might know or might not know is that Robbie ended his own life in 2020 during lockdown. That in itself was really the big drive for me. and the outdoors fundraising in his memory and challenging myself and using that to help in my grief journey. What was your first fundraising challenge? So my first fundraising challenge started actually before Robbie passed and, um, Robbie's mental health started declining I guess from, he was about 12 when he changed to Our family circumstances changed and we, I already suspected that Robbie was autistic. Um, however he didn't get that diagnosis until he was almost 18. But between 12 and 18 there was a lot going on and his mental health was up and down. And actually when he was 17, We had him sectioned because he'd had a few serious attempts on his life and I felt like I couldn't keep him safe at home. The provision for mental health in Scotland for children is, is not very great. And so he was sectioned as an adult to an adult ward. And at that point he received his diagnosis for autism, which changed the way his treatment would go forward because He also was diagnosed with suicidal ideation with intent. And that was linked to his autistic black and white way of thinking. So after he was discharged from the hospital, I decided that I would fundraise for SAMH. I set myself the challenge of walking the West Highland Way in five days. Which for some people is pleasurable and not a challenge and it's just an adventure. But I was so out of shape and unfit and hadn't really done any kind of adventuring. But I knew at that point that being outdoors helped my thinking. Even prior to Robbie being in hospital I was going out walks and Knew that It would clear my head. Um, so I set myself this, this challenge that I would walk the West Island in five days for anybody who doesn't know what the West Highland wave is. Yeah. So it's a 96 mile walk from, well, guy in Glasgow to Fort William. It's not exactly just a walk in the park, Laura. It's not. Um, throw in the day along the, um, banks of lock lomond, which. I have to say it was extremely tough. For somebody who was so out of the way of doing that kind of adventuring, it really was a challenge. But it was also therapy. Initially I set out with my mum and my stepsister, who were keen to do the challenge with me. Day two broke them, and on day three they decided that they couldn't push forward anymore. But I had raised over a thousand pound by that point and had been sponsored by so many people and people that I didn't know. And actually I was able to post on your original I Own This Adventurer's page. And lots of well wishes had went out and people who resonated with having struggles with their mental health got in touch to say like how good it was. So I knew that I had to complete this challenge. And actually on day three. And four, when I was walking on my own, there were lots of people around about me, but it gave me the space and the freedom to work out all the emotions that I had been feeling surrounding where my family was at, where Robbie was at, and it really was therapy. And I think that was really the start of my outdoors journey and well being and knowing the impact that it could have. On not only my mental health, but on the mental health of the rest of my family. And wanting to be involved in that. And I'm so grateful that Robbie's experiences and adventures have been able to continue to impact my life. And every time I go on an adventure, it doesn't matter what I do, he's there with me. And it's how I carry on forward in my life. That's so beautiful. Especially after such a hard time. I think the thing as well, Iona, is that there were several attempts on Robbie's life by himself, obviously, in the lead up to him completing suicide. But there was a point where I knew that he would one day be successful. And you think that you can prepare for that, and until it happens you've got no idea. And I thought it would break me, but we talked before we met up for this podcast. I know it's one of the reasons that you reached out for it to speak to me is that in the immediate aftermath of Robbie ending his life, um, it happened during lockdown, which was a really difficult time for everybody anyway. But during lockdown, Robbie had sort of said to me, Oh mum, when we can get out again, can we claim Ben Lomond? And I was like, yeah, sure. I was 20 stone at that point and so unfit, but decided that I would do it with him. Until he got a better offer and his friend decided that he would do it with him. And they were going to climb Ben Lomond. And I was awful put out. I was like, oh, look, I thought that was our thing. Unfortunately, he died before we did that. But his friend said to me, the same week that he died, Let's, let's go and do that for Robbie. And, in terrible conditions, weather wise, mentally, physically, we forged ahead with it. And, again, I realised that this was going to be my therapy and this was what was going to get me through this particular period in my life. And so, we set off that day. Myself, his best friend, Graeme, his younger brother, Brodie, my mum, my sister and Graeme's mum. To summit Ben Lomond. It was an ordeal. Brodie climbed in shoes that were two sizes too small for him. And he didn't tell me that until on the way back down. And his feet were crippled. And he took the boots off and couldn't put them back on. And he couldn't take another step forward. Oh my gosh. So I put them on my back and carried him. And myself, down as much of it as I could. Graeme had bolted down the hill. My mum and sister didn't even sun it. The midges were out, it was raining. In my head, there was just this piece of you can get through this because you're stronger than you think and whatever else. And that sparked the 20 for least 20th challenge where I decided that I would do it. Summit Twentum rose before Robbie's 20th, or what would have been his 20th birthday. So that gave me from the July till the October. And I did it. And again, people so generously sponsored me. And every year around his birthday, I set myself another adventure challenge. So, I've done a 10k. I did a half marathon. I walked the West Highland Way. I walked a marathon for Chrissie's House, another mental health charity, and I just hope that every year I can give a little bit back to support mental health through the outdoors.

Iona Andean: 18:27

I hope Laura's episode can help challenge some of the stigma around mental health and suicide. If you or a loved one needs mental health support then please do see the show notes for episode 2 where I've linked resources recommended by Laura. You can follow her challenge updates and her everyday adventures@mymessylifeinphotos. Episode 3 with Leanne Closta is bound to inspire you to adopt her go for it attitude. Leanne talks about the importance of carving out time for herself in the outdoors in order to be the best version of herself for her family and to help her manage her anxiety. In our conversation, she chatted openly about the judgement she received during an outdoor challenge based on her shape and size, and how this has motivated her to encourage more people to feel comfortable in their own skin.

Leanne Chlosta: 19:15

So that's a bit of resilience, like you don't let the weather defeat you because if you did that in Scotland you wouldn't get much done. And then when I joined your walking group it was just by chance, I'd been up in Munro with my friends one day, met some other folk and they'd mentioned your group and joined it and then from there I went a couple of group walks and although I used to think to myself I don't visually fit the bill because I'm a larger person and when you go and you would see people on hills I mean it might take me a lot longer to do in Monroe than it does some folk I was never on a race. But you go and you meet folk, and it was kind of like a walking side by side thing. And you're not having that pressure of eye contact with someone. You're sharing different experiences. You're maybe just starting out. You're asking questions. And it was really, really good at the time to build that confidence. And then from there, um, two of us signed up for this challenge. We'd put it on your walking group page saying, does anybody fancy joining us? And from that, our little team, Scrambling Legs, were born. So we were supposed to do this Glencoe challenge in 2020, but it was postponed for a year due to the Covid. And we had one group walk, and it was great. We met all these different people, and everybody was so, so different. And then the lockdown, so we never seen each other again. But we all had this group chat, and we kept in touch through it, and these friendships developed. And at the end of lockdown, we started going out again. We went camping. We went up Munroes. And it was like, true friendships were formed. For anybody who doesn't know, the Great Glencoe Challenge is a 26 mile walk. Can we talk a little bit about that? Because I remember you and other members of your team posting about it at the time and I remember feeling really disheartened and quite shocked at the way some of you were treated or spoken to throughout the challenge. Yeah. Can we go there? Yeah, so obviously it's a 26 mile walk. Um, and I do. And, it's long, there's four checkpoints. And, you've got cut off times that they're expecting you to be in, like anything, but it wasn't a race. You know, it was timed, however it wasn't like a race, there was no like, first, second, third, um, prize or anything like that. Everybody was getting the same medal, everybody paid the same to join the challenge. And our team is It's literally all different shapes and sizes, with one man and the rest were girls. And, you know, when we went for it, people ended up, there was naturally people who work faster, and that was fine. Everybody kind of wished each other well when we kind of went about the challenge. Now when we got to the second checkpoint, which was the lunch stop, we got in, there was two waves that morning that walked, so two different colours of bibs, and when we got there, you gave in your bib number and stuff, and you had a little tag on your shoe that was kind of watching your timing. And this man come over to us as we were sitting eating and he says look yous are really going to need to watch, um, your time or you're going to need to think about if you want to bib out just now because you might not make it in the cut off time. And I'm like well what made you think that? We're all sitting on the floor eating, changing our socks and he says well yous are quite far behind. And I'm like but there's other people standing there with the same colour of bib on as us that have started at the same time, you're not talking to them. And he says well they're fitter. And I'm like you're implying they're fitter because visually you see somebody who's taller. This looks better. And I remember getting a bit upset about it at the time and I'm like, oh God, this man's made a judgment purely on my size, but he does not know my abilities. He doesn't know the things I've achieved. And, and I thought, oh, I was a bit upset, but I remember sharing about it at the time because that day I did say, I'm going to share about this challenge throughout the day. And I did so, but there was a man I follow on Instagram and he messaged, he says, Leanne, use it, use this and finish this challenge. So I did, got up, had a wee cry, got up, finished the challenge and I like crossed that finish lane. And I says, is that, is this man here? She says, no, he's finished. He finished earlier. And I was like, so I wanted him to give me my medal. I thought it would have been the best way to go actually, you know, I completed this challenge. However, what happened from that is one of the girls that heard that bowed out at that point and this girl's much fitter than me. And she took the bus back and when we got to the finish line she, she was there showered, changed and everything else. And it was a shame because we were all there celebrating this challenge. And I would never say, I would never patronise her, but I would say, well you did a half marathon today. Cause you did. You did a half marathon. But I felt his words ruined that moment for her and it was really sad. So she was more than disheartened. It made her decide, I'm not going to complete this challenge. It gave her that doubt. So I went to the group, the activity organiser, the event organiser at the time, and it just so happened that she knew my manager at work and we got chatting and stuff and I says to her, I'm going to be honest with you, I feel like your inclusion here isn't that great. You know, if somebody's going to pay almost 100 to enter a challenge, then they're going to do everything they can to commit to finishing that challenge. And I've had this judgement made to date. One of our girls has dropped out because of that. I says, nobody knows our abilities or what we can achieve. I says, we might not be as fast as the first group over the line. I says, but we all go over the line. Everybody else go over it. So she kind of took that on board. She said, and I wouldn't let it stop me doing a challenge again. Um, but it did make me think that day, thinking, you know, there is, and it isn't the only time in outdoors where I've had that stereotypical judgement. People don't know, but then I think I don't have to go and say to folk, well I've done actually quite a lot of Munros, or I've did do this. I don't need to tell folk, all I know is I'm not racing myself

Iona Andean: 24:23

Oh, Leanne is such a beacon of energy and positivity. I wonder what adventures her conversation will inspire you to go on. You can follow her@teamchlosta This episode's sponsor, Seasgair Lodges, recently announced the exciting launch of their Highland Hideouts collection. Each of the pet friendly, ski chalet style lodges, complete with a hot tub, sleeps between 12 and 23 people, making them perfect for planning those get togethers with your favourite people. I love the look of The Old Mill on the Spey, packed to the rafters with rustic charm, or Snowy River Lodge set in a tranquil riverside location. Take a look at these breathtaking holiday homes for yourself over at Seasgairlodges. com and book your perfect escape to the highlands.

Speaker 8: 25:13

Episode 4 with Jess Parson had real focus on pre and post natal fitness, as well as making time outdoors in nature part of everyday family life. Jess talks about her experience of receiving a life changing diagnosis, which has impacted her outlook on life and encouraged her to appreciate the smaller details.

Jess Parson: 25:34

There's lots of different cardiothropies, we won't turn it into a cardiology chat, but the one that I have is, it doesn't pair well with pregnancy. If I'd known I'd had it, they wouldn't have ever advised me to be pregnant. At this point, they thought I'd had it for my whole life, which at the time we couldn't quite understand because I'd been a competitive athlete and never had any symptoms or anything. So to me, it's come out of the blue. So we'd gone from being this healthy person to suddenly having a heart that's only working at 30 percent instead of above 50. A pregnancy that we don't know if we can continue or not. Um, talks about having defibrillators fitted. Talks about not being able to really run again. Talks about not being able to really work again, doing the job that I did a lot in a week. And it was a lot to process. It scared the heck out of me. Um, at that point, I was still in a really fast heart rhythm, so I felt really unwell. They advised to have, um, what they call a cardioversion. They shocked my heart back into its normal rhythm, and thankfully, it painted a better picture. My heart wasn't quite as bad as they thought it was going to be. It was now in our court whether we wanted to continue with the pregnancy or not. Um, and that was a really hard conversation to have. There was a, I was at an elevated risk of going into cardiac arrest if I was to deliver the baby, or perhaps through the pregnancy as my heart became under more pressure, it might not respond very well. So we actually decided we were going to terminate the pregnancy, um, because I had other people to think about. And this all impacts, you know, just how grateful I am for the small things in life. So it does come back round. In the end, we didn't, obviously, because Rosie is here. Um, I bottled it at the last minute. Something in my gut told me that it wasn't as bad as they thought it was going to be, and it was going to be okay. I don't know what. I don't know. It's a maternal instinct. I just knew that it wasn't the right thing to do, but I was in, I was prepared that if my heart was to get worse, then we would make a decision further down the line. Um, so we put everything into place of what would happen and when we would deliver. We were aiming to deliver at 30 weeks, I just had to get past 28 was the goal, deliver at 30. It turned out my heart responded not in the way they were expecting and it got better as I was pregnant, um, which baffled them no end, which made me so glad that I had made that decision not to because I don't know how I would have lived with myself. I really worry about that. Because the day before I was due to go in for the termination, I will, I'm always open and honest, I'm really sorry if this is too much, but I went absolutely crazy. I just went on a rampage of, this is so cruel, this is so unkind, like, how can I do this? I can't, I can't do this, Simon, but I know I have to because I don't want to not be here anymore. And I live for my two children I already am so, so grateful for. But yeah, it felt like the most unnatural thing to do because it put it in my court. If they told me, you have to do this, I would have 100 percent done it to protect myself for the children. But it was, so it was really, really tough. And I still am probably dealing with lots of different bits of it now, which being outside actually helps. So in the next one. Me remember of, yeah, being grateful. Um, so anyway, we didn't, we delivered Rosie at 37 weeks and I could have gone a little bit longer. And they were like, we had no idea what's happened, what's going on. You know, you seem fine. Unfortunately, 12 weeks after she arrived, my heart deteriorated again. So something clearly weird went on in this pregnancy. Um, but she saved me, I saved her. I have. Probably a different bond with her than I do with the other two. We saved each other, which Yeah, I'm not a maternal person until that happened, and then I became very maternal. Um, and So now I still have to restrict what I do to a certain extent, but they feel like they're finally getting to grips with it. So my heart still doesn't work how it should do, but they think now it's because I have this extra beat. So I just had to be careful. So that slowed me down. Um, and that showed me that I didn't need to be racing around or I didn't need to be running. I just needed to be outside and I needed to be in fresh air. Um, and when they tell you that you might never run on the beach with your kids again, I wasn't asking the questions of can I run a marathon again or can I go on a hundred mile cycle ride again? I was asking, can I run on the beach with my kids. And when they say to you, no, you have to go really careful, um, it makes you realize that actually you just want to do the little things. And so for me now, it sounds, sorry, I get upset at these things, but a walk in the woods with my kids is enough. I know, yes, we will get up hills again and yes, I won't run a marathon again, but I will run again. I do run now. But I have a completely different mindset to it. That you have no idea what's around the corner.

Iona Andean: 31:09

Oh, I deeply appreciate how much everyone opens up during these conversations to wear their hearts on their sleeve at times, and Jess was absolutely no exception. What a woman. You can follow her BumpsBairnsBuggies for the wonderful content that she shares. Episode 5 with Anna Gill was a lovely way to get more of an insight into the background and life of the Guru of Aberdeenshire Walks. As well as talking about the success of organising a singles walk and creating an outdoor community, Anna shares some practical tips on getting out walking and hiking more.

Anna Gill: 31:44

I would say that the most common questions that I get are how do you start getting into Munro, what, like, hiking Munro's? Okay. And I am not an expert on that by any means. There are people who are so much more, um, focused on Munro's than I am. But for that question, I think the biggest thing is we're actually really fortunate in Aberdeenshire that there are quite a few accessible Munro's. Mount Keen and Loch Ngar, they've got good paths and I also think a big thing is like you can also build up to, if you're not confident about starting with something big, we've got hills like Benahee, Clacknabend that you can start with, do a couple of smaller hills and then go for your Munro and also you don't need all the best kit, like have good quality walking boots for sure and I do think with outdoor wear you get what you pay for in a lot of cases but yeah. Like, is it, um, Peter Storm or something? Like, there, there are cheap brands, or cheaper brands that are actually really good. You don't need to spend 300 on a jacket to go and start climbing Monroe's. Mm hmm. So that's one thing that people ask me a lot. And another thing that people ask me about, like, getting into walking, is just generally, like, good paths and where to go. And that, so that's why often on my page I'll share maybe, like, Like, just last night I did eight flat walks, or like, sort of, make like a little list or a collection of walks that are, like, eight hill walks under ten kilometers, or five, walks near Inverurie, just almost like a collection that people can then pick and choose from. Yeah, that can be helpful. Absolutely. And then it means that if that suits somebody and you've got a few recommendations, then you know that people can work through that until they feel comfortable and confident, which is, is really lovely. Yeah, that's my hope. I get a lot of people asking questions about specific walks that I post And yeah, I'm always happy to answer questions. Funnily enough, I think a lot of things, a lot of things, like, to be honest, they'll ask me questions and I just Google it and give them the answer that Google, like, or like send them a link to the walk on Google. Um, I'm by no means an expert in all areas, but I'm always happy to help out. And I guess I know where to look for things. Like if someone's asking me for a specific walk or a coffee shop near a specific walk, I guess like I'll quite often. know the right places to look so I can find the information pretty quickly. Yeah. Yeah, I'm always happy to help out, um, when people ask things.

Iona Andean: 34:19

Anna shares endless recommendations and advice for getting outdoors in the Aberdeenshire area. Often with a yummy cake stop involved. So be sure to follow her Aberdeenshirewalks on Instagram. And finally, episode 6 with Anna Hardie is a candid reflection on her experience of hiking the 96 mile West Highland Way earlier this year with her 3 year old. She speaks openly about her expectations vs reality and the huge shift she needed in her mindset in order to be able to complete it. It may be a controversial topic for some, but Anna is determined to show that big adventures can be possible with little ones. Sometimes with some major adaptations.

Anna Hardie: 35:01

I expected comments after we had finished. Uh, say if I posted on social media, I expected people to maybe comment about her age there. But never once in the six, seven months that I was planning it, did a thought ever come across my mind that other people on trail would, would comment on her age. And of course, why wouldn't they? I don't know why, it never, it just never came into my mind. So instantly, I was so taken aback. Um, by these comments, and 90 percent of them were so kind, so encouraging and supportive about her and being like, wow, that's incredible. But it was the certain comments that we got that I wasn't expecting it. Not even bad intentions, but people being like, you're not doing it, are you? You're not doing the West Hill Way. Rather than being like, oh, are you, are you doing it? It was the instant, like, you're not, are you? That kind of doubtful tone that I'd be like, yep, why, why, why wouldn't I? Um, or people being like, oh, where are you planning on going with that bag? Same place you were going with your bag. It was that doubtful tone and people being like, oh, we've never seen a child this young. On a trail, is it safe? And as any parent who hikes or camps or does anything outdoors will know, you internally risk assess an incredible amount because obviously you're in charge, you're responsible for your child. I feel like people just expected me to wake up on a Monday morning and be like, oh, we're going to attempt the best heathen way. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to sound ungrateful or anything They added an insane amount of pressure to me because people would be like, oh, well, surely she's one of the youngest walkers. You'll have to contact your paper. She'll be breaking records. And we're on day two, three here. I've got another potentially 11 days of this. They were making me think just of the end, being like, I have to get to the end because now there's so much more pressure. If I don't do it, they'll be like, see, Told you it wasn't suitable for a child rather than, oh well we're attempting this to see if we can. It now became, you have to do this otherwise you've just proven that kids can't do this. In my mind it was solely on me and it was just an insane amount of pressure and I totally understand like why people were stopping but it got to the point where Because of her pace, we were constantly being overtaken, constantly, to the point where she was just like, oh mum, we'll have to move over, we're being overtaken again, like it was an ongoing joke for us. But it got to the point where I just knew there was a comment coming, a flyby comment, and it got to the point where instead of enjoying my day, I was just kind of being like, here comes another one. And I don't want to say that in a way that makes me sound really ungrateful for how encouraging people were, but like. When people were stopping to talk, it wouldn't be like, oh, what's your name? It was just solely about her and her age and wow, I can't believe you're doing this. It wasn't like, oh, hi, how are you doing? How are you finding the walk? Are you enjoying? None of it was directed towards me and I just kind of became aware as well. That must be a lot of overwhelming for her because one day it was about 30 people and that's a lot for a young child to be interacting with people they don't know. Be like, how old are you? What's your name? Wow, you're doing this. And I became very aware that I didn't want her to start feeling like she was out of place. Um, so again, that put a lot of pressure on me or some of the trail had steps that were the height of her that she was with ease managing to get up. But then people would come up so quick behind us that she'd be like, mom, I need to move. And I'd be like, you are welcome. You were just as allowed to be taking your time. Don't rush. And she'd be like, okay, okay, okay.

Iona Andean: 39:13

Anna's resilience and appreciation of knowing when to take a break is admirable, and I hope you'll listen to her episode for more of an insight into some of the realities of long distance hiking. You can follow her future adventures at@annaxhardie on Instagram. So, that's it from Series 1 of Nurture with Nature. It's been a total honour to be trusted by my guests to share their personal stories with you. It really does take a lot of courage for people to open up and speak so candidly. So please do consider reaching out to anyone whose conversation resonated with you, inspired you or left you reflecting on aspects of your own life. A kind word can bring so much joy and you never know how much that might mean to someone. I really hope you'll join me again soon for series two of the show. I'm already looking forward to it and I know this exciting journey has only just begun. I hope one way or another this series has struck a chord with you and I truly hope you'll find more ways to get outdoors to feel nurtured with nature.