The Outdoors Fix

Cath Pendleton works full-time in an office in Wales and is a single mum to two daughters. But she’s also swum an ice mile in Antarctica, won Bronze for Team GB in the World Ice Swimming Championships in Russia and completed a swim across the English Channel.

Cath’s inspired countless women to get outside and have an adventure, including TV presenter Louise Minchin, whom she persuaded to go free diving under the ice in Finland!

Also known as ‘the Merthyr Mermaid’ (referencing Merthyr Tydfil where she lived), Cath certainly knows about juggling real life to make time for outdoors adventures, and she had so many insights to share when I spoke to her at The Big Retreat Festival in Pembrokeshire.

Don’t miss Cath’s tips for getting started with ice swimming at the end of the episode, as well as a minute of the sounds of nature for a little bit of escapism in your busy day.

Cath’s episode of The Outdoors Fix is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. It’s also embedded below. I hope you enjoy it!

Liv x

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast produced and hosted by Liv Bolton @liv_outsideuk

The audio from the festival was produced by Pete Crouch from Liquid Studios: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petecrouch/

The post Cath Pendleton: The ice swimming ‘Merthyr Mermaid’ – Live from the Big Retreat festival appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

At the age of 60, Siobhan Daniels decided to sell her flat and most of her belongings, buy a motorhome and explore all around the UK.

Five years later, she’s fulfilled so many of her dreams, including spending months adventuring around Orkney and the Outer Hebrides, watching beautiful sunsets in the wilderness and writing a book about her journey.

Siobhan, who calls herself a ‘pro-age campaigner’, is determined to encourage older women to dismiss age as a barrier to adventure, and to go out and have the time of their lives.

I had a fantastic time chatting to Siobhan in front of an audience at The Big Retreat Festival in Pembrokeshire. It was a conversation that will stay with me and inspire me for years to come.

Siobhan’s episode of The Outdoors Fix is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. It’s also embedded below. I hope you enjoy it!

Liv x

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast produced and hosted by Liv Bolton @liv_outsideuk

The audio from the festival was produced by Pete Crouch from Liquid Studios: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petecrouch/

The post Siobhan Daniels: The ‘Retirement Rebel’ adventuring all over the UK – Live from the Big Retreat festival appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

David Haze’s story is one of the most extraordinary that I have ever come across on this podcast.

He’s a nine-time world record breaking paddleboarder and ocean activist. But five years ago, he was in prison for burglary and handling stolen goods.

In the years since his release, he’s grabbed his second chance at life and undertaken some extraordinary paddleboarding adventures, breaking records in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Iceland.

Just last month, he paddleboarded across the English Channel in tandem with his adventure partner Joe Cartwright, something that he’d already broken the record for solo.

David’s also made a name for himself in zero-carbon, environmentally-friendly adventures, and he was recognised for this in 2023 when he was named Ocean Activist of the Year by the campaigning charity Surfers Against Sewage.

I spoke to David at the Big Retreat festival in Pembrokeshire in front of a live audience and I heard more about why he feels paddleboarding has helped his rehabilitation after prison, how he got into the sport, and why he’s passionate about encouraging others to have more adventure in their lives.

Don’t miss David’s tips for getting started with paddleboarding and how we can have more environmentally friendly outdoors adventures at the end of the episode, as well as a minute of the sounds of nature from one of my morning walks for a little bit of escapism in your busy day.

David’s episode of The Outdoors Fix is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. It’s also embedded below. I hope you enjoy it!

Liv x

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast produced and hosted by Liv Bolton @liv_outsideuk

You’ll find David Haze on Instagram @nomadicpaddler The Big Retreat Festival is @thebigretreatfestival

You can find photos and videos from our recording on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix

The Outdoors Fix book is now available: http://bit.ly/3GJDLJc

Audio from The Big Retreat Festival produced by Pete Crouch at Liquid Studios: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petecrouch/

The post David Haze: Prison to paddleboarding and breaking world records – Live from the Big Retreat festival appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

Having had a very outdoorsy upbringing in Carmarthenshire in South Wales, Carys Rees decided that she wanted to give something back to the outdoors community.

She’s certainly doing that - by being a volunteer for the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team, an ambassador for The Ramblers, and encouraging others to explore South Wales through her hiking-route website, This Girl Walks.

It’s a busy life for someone who lives in a city, Cardiff, and who works in London for part of the week.

I spoke to Carys at the Big Retreat festival in Pembrokeshire in front of a live audience and I heard more about what the outdoors means to her, how she fits it into her life, and why she’s so keen to spread awareness of the joy of hiking and nature.

Don’t miss Carys’ tips for volunteering in the outdoors and places to hike in South Wales at the end of the episode, as well as a minute of the sounds of nature from my recent holiday to Scotland for a little bit of escapism in your busy day.

Carys’ episode of The Outdoors Fix is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. It’s also embedded below. I hope you enjoy it!

Liv x

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast produced and hosted by Liv Bolton @liv_outsideuk

You can find photos of the guests on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix

The Outdoors Fix book is out now: http://bit.ly/3GJDLJc

Carys Rees is @this.girlwalks on Instagram. The Big Retreat Festival is @thebigretreatfestival.

Audio recorded at the festival recorded by Pete Crouch from Liquid Studios.

The post Carys Rees: Mountain rescue volunteer and This Girl Walks founder – Live from the Big Retreat festival appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

Hello! I’m currently in the middle of producing a new series of The Outdoors Fix podcast. So in the meantime, I’ve got a special episode for you that I think you’ll enjoy!

Some of you will remember an episode I recorded with Matthew Bannister back in 2020 - he’s the founder of the multi-award winning Folk on Foot podcast where he goes walking with leading folk musicians in beautiful spots that have inspired their music.

I really loved chatting with Matthew and hearing all about how and why he started Folk on Foot, and I’ve devoured each episode over the years. It’s an absolutely stunning podcast, and complete escapism, even if you’re like me and don’t know a huge amount about folk music.

So I’m thrilled that he’s let me share with you one of my favourite episodes of Folk on Foot which I think you’ll love. It’s Matthew’s walk and conversation with the author Raynor Winn, who’s bestselling book, The Salt Path, tells the story of her journey along the 630-mile South West Coast Path with her husband Moth, after they’d become homeless and he’d been diagnosed with a terminal neurodegenerative disease.

Raynor has also been collaborating with the Gigspanner Big Band to create a show which marries her words about the South West and traditional music from the area.

The Outdoors Fix has always been about sharing conversations and inspiration so we can all fit more of the outdoors into our lives - so I hope you enjoy Matthew’s wonderful chat and walk with Raynor and you take away something from it too.

There are dozens of other episodes of Folk on Foot available, recorded all over the country, from Shetland to Port Isaac, and with musicians like Eliza Carthy, Johnny Flynn and Karine Polwart.

One of my favourite episodes is with Sam Lee where he sings among nightingales in Sussex - I’d definitely recommend listening to that one.

If you’d like to listen to my conversation with Matthew on The Outdoors Fix, where he tells me all about his outdoors life and why he set up Folk on Foot, it’s the episode from July 2020.

And stay tuned for a brand new series of The Outdoors Fix podcast in the next few weeks! Until then, enjoy your adventures outside - we all know it’s the best place there is.

Liv x

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast produced and hosted by Liv Bolton @liv_outsideuk

Folk on Foot team:

The post Feed swap: The Salt Path author Raynor Winn speaks to the Folk on Foot podcast appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

*10 February 2024 marks 5 years since the first episode of The Outdoors Fix podcast!*

To celebrate this milestone, I’ve got a NEW PODCAST EPISODE for you of some of my favourite moments from The Outdoors Fix recordings over the years!

I’ve loved speaking to every single one of my guests, but the moments I’ve picked are some of the snippets that have had the biggest impact on me and helped me to make the outdoors a bigger part of MY life.

So if you’d like to listen, head to your podcast platform and I hope you enjoy the episode!

I’d also love to hear what your favourite episode has been and why.

I remember 10 February 2019 very clearly - it was a grey, drizzly day. I shared my first episode and then went on a long walk on the Capital Ring in London with friends to distract and shake off the nerves.

It had taken me weeks to make fitting it around my job, I’d freaked out several times over the recording equipment, and I didn’t know whether anyone other than my family would listen to it…

But ever since my 10-week Te Araroa hike in New Zealand after burning out, and how much better the outdoors made me feel, I’d wanted to learn from the people who knew more about it than me, and share their knowledge.

I hoped that perhaps the podcast could help us motivate and equip EACH OTHER to get outside and experience nature’s power more often.

Via 50+ conversations and episodes recorded all over the British countryside (favourite location so far was hiding from the rain in a sheep barn…), I’ve learnt so much about the outdoors, and I hope you might have taken away something too.

But most of all, I think what I’ve found most valuable from these past 5 years was discovering something incredibly simple - that even just 10 minutes in nature can make things feel better. It’s a tool that I wished I’d known about much, much earlier.

I’ve also learnt that the people who love the outdoors are some of the kindest, most generous and inspirational people I’ve met.

So thank you for all the support for The Outdoors Fix podcast since 2019 and to all my wonderful guests. What a ride it’s been!

Liv x

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast produced and hosted by Liv Bolton @liv_outsideuk

You can find photos of the guests on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix

The Outdoors Fix book is out now: http://bit.ly/3GJDLJc

The post Liv’s highlights from 5 years of The Outdoors Fix podcast appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

Tom Burns is the ranger and woodsman at Knepp estate in West Sussex, a pioneering rewilding project led by the estate’s owners and conservationists Charlie Burrell and Isabella Tree.

But growing up in the town of Crawley and passionate about rugby, Tom never expected that his life would lead him to a career where he’s up at dawn with the birds, coppicing woodland and protecting ancient trees.

Tom took me for a walk around Knepp - and we saw so much wildlife, including Exmoor ponies, stags, long-horn cattle and buzzards. It’s a truly beautiful place filled with hope about nature and protecting our planet’s biodiversity.

Don’t miss Tom’s suggestions for the best places to see ancient trees at the end of the episode, as well as a minute of the sounds of nature from Knepp for a little bit of escapism in your busy day.

Tom’s episode of The Outdoors Fix is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. It’s also embedded below. I hope you enjoy it!

Liv x

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast produced and hosted by Liv Bolton @liv_outsideuk

You can find photos of the guests on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix

The Outdoors Fix book is out now: http://bit.ly/3GJDLJc

This episode of The Outdoors Fix is kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell. Merrell are offering listeners of The Outdoors Fix a 20% discount at Merrell.co.uk (One product per person until 31 Dec 2023) Just use the code OUTDOORS20.

The post Tom Burns: The Knepp rewilding project’s ranger and woodsman appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

Munira Ali discovered the joy of walking in 2019 when she was struggling with her mental health. She’s now attempting to walk in all of London’s 3,000 parks, spreading the message, particularly within her British-Somaliland community, about the pleasure of exploring urban green spaces.

Munira’s enthusiasm about walking in London’s parks is utterly infectious so I couldn’t wait to chat to her and hear more about the impact of the outdoors on her life and why she thinks city green spots are so important.

For our walk, Munira took me to Wanstead Park in east London, a beautiful place with ancient woodland, lakes, old ruins, and meadows.

Despite living in London for a decade, I’d never heard of it beforehand - so it summed up for me the endless possibilities of exploring from your doorstep - and how a curiosity about your local area can lead to big adventures.

Munira shares her must visit London parks at the end of the episode, so don’t miss her advice. There’s also a minute of the sounds of nature for a little bit of escapism in your busy day.

Munira’s episode of The Outdoors Fix is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. It’s also embedded below. I hope you enjoy it!

Liv x

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast produced and hosted by Liv Bolton @liv_outsideuk

You can find photos of the guests on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix

The Outdoors Fix book is out now: http://bit.ly/3GJDLJc

This episode of The Outdoors Fix is kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell. Merrell are offering listeners of The Outdoors Fix a 20% discount at Merrell.co.uk (One product per person until 31 Dec 2023) Just use the code OUTDOORS20.

The post Munira Ali: Walking London’s 3,000 parks and green spaces appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

Sarah Banks is a journalist and writer who’s just spent 18 months researching and writing the Wild Guide to North East England.

In search of 1,000 different wild spots for the book, Sarah explored all over Northumberland, the North York Moors, the Yorkshire Wolds and the North Pennines, finding lakes and rivers for swimming to hidden meadows, beaches and ancient ruins.

That sounded so much fun I knew I had to chat to Sarah to find out how she did it, and all the adventures she had along the way, so we went for a walk in Worm Dale in the Yorkshire Wolds together.

Sarah shares her suggestions for her must visit adventure spots in North East England at the end of the episode, so don’t miss her advice. There’s also a minute of the sounds of nature for a little bit of escapism in your busy day.

Sarah’s episode of The Outdoors Fix is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. It’s also embedded below. I hope you enjoy it!

Liv x

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast produced and hosted by Liv Bolton @liv_outsideuk

You can find photos of the guests on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix

The Outdoors Fix book is out now: http://bit.ly/3GJDLJc

This episode of The Outdoors Fix is kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell. Merrell are offering listeners of The Outdoors Fix a 20% discount at Merrell.co.uk (One product per person until 31 Dec 2023) Just use the code OUTDOORS20.

The post Sarah Banks: Writing a Wild Guide to North East England appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

Katy O’Neill Gutierrez is a mum of two and the founder of Blaze Trails, a network of walking groups all around the UK for parents and their babies.

Realising that getting outdoors was crucial to her mental health after a traumatic labour with her first daughter, Katy started organising walks with friends.

Those initial walks have led to the creation of a network of 56 walking groups around the UK with thousands of parents inspired to get out in nature with their young children.

I went for a walk with Katy by the River Chess in the Chess Valley in Hertfordshire - a beautiful spot with a rare chalk stream. I wanted to find out more about how the outdoors helped her as a new mum, why she wanted to set up Blaze Trails, how she’s grown it to what it’s become today and what it’s been like to make the outdoors into her career.

Katy shares her favourite family walks and hiking with your baby tips at the end of the episode, so don’t miss her advice. There’s also a minute of the sounds of nature for a little bit of escapism in your busy day.

Katy’s episode of The Outdoors Fix is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. It’s also embedded below. I hope you enjoy it!

Liv x

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast produced and hosted by Liv Bolton @liv_outsideuk

You can find photos of the guests on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix

The Outdoors Fix book is out now: http://bit.ly/3GJDLJc

This episode of The Outdoors Fix is kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell. Merrell are offering listeners of The Outdoors Fix a 20% discount at Merrell.co.uk (One product per person until 31 Dec 2023) Just use the code OUTDOORS20.

The post Katy O’Neill Gutierrez: The mum who set up Blaze Trails, the parent and baby walking community appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.