I went to see Ben Fogle on his Wild tour recently. What an inspiration!
He talked of his life, his expeditions and challenges and the incredible people he met while filming New Lives in the Wild. He talked of how being in nature has enabled him to understand himself better and urged us to challenge ourselves to be more wild.
I’ve no doubt not many of us in the audience will ever scale Everest, or be brave enough to live in a stone hut we built on a remote Hebridean island, but we could definitely shift the focus of our lives a little.
What if we actively chose to make our personal connection with nature a greater priority? Maybe we could spend more time in the wild, be more curious and learn something about the wildlife we encounter. Perhaps we might even rediscover a little of the valuable relationship our ancestors had with nature.
How great it would be if while exploring this relationship we challenged ourselves to be more adventurous. We could learn how to forage wild food, climb mountains, wild swim, kayak, abseil and hike ancient trails. Imagine how much we might learn about ourselves.
Ben’s words have motivated me to embrace my personal rewilding journey more deeply and hopefully inspire others to do the same. For me it’s time to climb a mountain, one that holds a very special place in my heart.
Great Gable is a ‘thin place’ for me. A place where it all became clear, where I could feel the universe beating in my chest. I sat looking at this view and I knew one day I would return.
It’s 400 miles away from where I sit now and I know that the effort to organise my family life, plan the trip, travel to the Lake District and hike to the summit will be quite a lot, but it's hugely important that I do. I intend this to be the first of many adventures that will test my character and deepen my connection to the wild.
Maybe my adventures will inspire you to have some of your own.