The Outdoors Fix

As there are now more than 60 episodes of The Outdoors Fix, and while I’m working on a new series, I thought I’d help you pick out some of my favourite conversations from over the years with these throwback episodes.

In this episode, I’m revisiting my conversation with Carla Khouri. Carla is a qualified mountain leader who’s also the course director for Black Girls Hike, a Duke of Edinburgh assessor, paddlesports leader and Merrell Hiking Club organiser.

But she lives in London and she used to be a science teacher!

Carla is also one of only two black female mountain leaders in the UK and she’s on course with her training to be the only black female winter mountain leader.

Carla took me to a beautiful park just minutes from her home in London, and we recorded the episode sitting on the grass within sight of a herd of fallow deer.

Someone who’s unafraid of following her heart, Carla’s story left me feeling inspired about having courage to follow your dreams at any age, and the impact of contributing to the outdoors community.

Enjoyed this episode? Get some of my podcast walking routes, full transcripts and practical takeaways over on The Outdoors Fix Substack 👉 https://bit.ly/4uRT0GY

If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the podcast and follow @TheOutdoorsFix on Instagram for photos and videos from all my outdoor recordings.

Thank you and enjoy this throwback episode of The Outdoors Fix.

The award-winning The Outdoors Fix podcast is available on all podcast platforms. You can find more than 60 episodes in our archive.

The Outdoors Fix is kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell.

The post The Outdoors Fix throwback: Carla Khouri, the outdoors trailblazer appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast to inspire you to make the outdoors a bigger part of your life.

As there are now more than 60 episodes of The Outdoors Fix, and while I’m working on a new series, I thought I’d help you pick out some of my favourite conversations from over the years with these throwback episodes.

In this episode, I’m revisiting my conversation with James Rebanks. James is a shepherd, farmer and the author of the bestselling books The Shepherd’s Life, English Pastoral and The Place of Tides.

James lives in the Matterdale Valley near Ullswater in the Lake District and his family has farmed in that stunning area for hundreds of years. He owns a large flock of Herdwick sheep, some belted Galloway cows, pigs and chickens.

While the outdoors has been a pretty constant feature in his life, James is now making wildlife a bigger part of it through his calls for farming to become more sustainable and nature friendly.

I spent a morning with James exploring his beautiful farm and seeing the changes he’s implementing - we then recorded the episode in an old sheep barn!

I wanted to find out more about James’ outdoors life, the realities of being a farmer and shepherd, and why he thinks it’s so important to have nature thriving alongside farming.

Enjoyed this episode? Get some of my podcast walking routes, full transcripts and practical takeaways over on The Outdoors Fix Substack 👉 https://bit.ly/4uRT0GY

If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the podcast and follow @TheOutdoorsFix on Instagram for photos and videos from all my outdoor recordings.

Thank you and enjoy this throwback episode of The Outdoors Fix.

The award-winning The Outdoors Fix podcast is available on all podcast platforms. You can find more than 60 episodes in our archive.

The Outdoors Fix is kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell.

The post The Outdoors Fix throwback: James Rebanks, author and shepherd appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

As there are now more than 60 episodes of The Outdoors Fix, and while I’m working on a new series, I thought I’d help you pick out some of my favourite conversations from over the years with these throwback episodes.

In this episode, I’m revisiting my conversation with Vicky Balfour. Vicky’s an avid mountain biker, bike mechanic, writer, special needs parent and founder of Vicky Bikes, her business offering bike mechanic and cycling sessions.

Her mission is “to enable people of all ages and backgrounds to find pockets of adventure within the boundaries of everyday life.” So packing adventures outdoors around your everyday life.

Vicky took me mountain biking in the Kent countryside for this episode and we recorded it in the middle of a wood! It turned out to be one of the most powerful and extraordinary stories I’ve ever heard during my years recording The Outdoors Fix.

Enjoyed this episode? Get some of my podcast walking routes, full transcripts and practical takeaways over on The Outdoors Fix Substack 👉 https://bit.ly/4uRT0GY

If you like what you hear, please subscribe to the podcast and follow @TheOutdoorsFix on Instagram for photos and videos from all my outdoor recordings.

Thank you and enjoy this throwback episode of The Outdoors Fix.

The award-winning The Outdoors Fix podcast is available on all podcast platforms. You can find more than 60 episodes in our archive.

The Outdoors Fix is kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell.

The post The Outdoors Fix throwback: Vicky Balfour’s ‘pockets of adventure’ appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

The Outdoors Fix throwback: Mountain leader Emma Holland

As there are now more than 60 episodes of The Outdoors Fix, and while I’m working on a new series, I thought I’d help you pick out some of my favourite conversations from over the years with these throwback episodes.

In this episode, I’m revisiting my conversation with Emma Holland. Emma’s a qualified mountain leader who runs her own mountain leader business, Emma Holland Mountain Training. Having worked for Nottingham City Council since she was 18, it wasn’t until her 40s that Emma took the big leap to shift the direction of her career and life towards the outdoors. Now you’ll often find her in the Peak District leading groups on hikes, teaching navigation or wild camping in the hills. Emma’s story proves that it’s never too late to pursue your passion.

Enjoyed this episode? Get some of my podcast walking routes, full transcripts and practical takeaways over on The Outdoors Fix Substack 👉 https://bit.ly/4uRT0GY

Follow @TheOutdoorsFix on Instagram for photos and videos from all my outdoor recordings.

Thank you and enjoy this throwback episode of The Outdoors Fix.

The award-winning The Outdoors Fix podcast is available on all podcast platforms. You can find more than 60 episodes in our archive.

The Outdoors Fix is kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell.

The post The Outdoors Fix throwback: Mountain leader Emma Holland appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast to inspire you to make the outdoors a bigger part of your life. It’s hosted by Liv Bolton.

For this episode, Juls Stodel takes Liv for a walk to a bothy in the Scottish Borders.

Juls is a hiker and trustee of the Mountain Bothies Association. She journeyed to 104 bothies in Scotland, England and Wales in 2023 - a challenge that took her a year.

From bothies on remote Scottish Islands to ones hidden away in the Highlands, it was a unique adventure.

Juls is now part way through her new challenge - visiting 100 Scottish islands.

What’s behind these challenges and why is Juls encouraging others to create their own original adventures?

Enjoyed this episode? Get some of my podcast walking routes, full transcripts and practical takeaways over on The Outdoors Fix Substack 👉 https://bit.ly/4uRT0GY

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.

For information and support around the topics in this episode, head to the Mind or Samaritans websites.

The post Juls Stodel: A journey to 104 bothies and 100 Scottish islands appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast to inspire you to make the outdoors a bigger part of your life. It’s hosted by Liv Bolton.

In this episode, I go for a hike up the very steep Leckhampton Hill in the Cotswolds with Robert Finch.

An orienteer and trail runner, Rob works for Ordnance Survey as a Field Surveyor.

He’s a listener of the podcast and when he heard I was looking to speak to someone who works with maps, he got in touch!

I learnt so much about mapping from our conversation, including how trig points really work!

Rob also shared his orienteering and trail running adventures with me and tips for fitting more of the outdoors into your every day.

I hope you enjoy this episode and you hear a few things about map reading to take away with you.

If you do, please tell your family or a friend about The Outdoors Fix and hit the subscribe button.

Liv x

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

You can find photos and videos of all the podcast guests on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix

Robert Finch is on Instagram @finchinthefield.

This episode of The Outdoors Fix was kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell.

The post Robert Finch: The orienteer and trail runner working for Ordnance Survey in the Cotswolds appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast to inspire you to make the outdoors a bigger part of your life. It’s hosted by Liv Bolton.

In this episode, Liv Bolton goes for a walk in the Peak District with Marie Cheng.

Marie’s life has been transformed by the outdoors in the last few years. Before the pandemic, Marie used to work as a consultant in London. She loved hiking and skiing, but felt like they were just fleeting moments in her busy, urban life.

Just before lockdown she decided to make some big, brave changes. She quit her job, moved to Sheffield and based her life in the Peak District.

Her dog Millie and a new interest in trail running soon followed.

A few years later, Marie now has a career working for outdoors brands and trail running dominates her free time - she’s run the Snowdonia ultramarathon as well as races in the Alps.

Marie’s message is about encouraging us all to take small steps towards our dreams to see where the journey takes us. 

If you enjoy this episode, it would fantastic if you could subscribe. And do tell your family and friends about it - thank you!

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.

The post Marie Cheng: Leaving London life for the outdoors and trail running appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast to inspire you to make the outdoors a bigger part of your life. It’s hosted by Liv Bolton.

In this episode, Liv Bolton goes for a walk on Harborne Walkway in Birmingham with hiker, runner, model and founder of We Go Outside Too Marlon Patrice.

We Go Outside Too is a group which aims to make the countryside more accessible for the black community and to increase representation in the outdoors.

It was set up in 2020 after the tragic death of his son through knife crime, when Marlon realised how much nature was helping him and that he wanted to engage his community with it too.

We Go Outside Too is based in Birmingham and they offer days out in the countryside, walks, tree planting and outdoor poetry workshops. Transport and kit are often provided and they are supported by brands and organisations, including Merrell.

They’ve organised more than 30 walks so far and engaged more than 1,000 people with their events.

The social enterprise won a Head Outside Award in 2023 at Kendal Mountain Festival - awards which celebrate people or organisations helping people with mental health challenges to get outdoors.

Marlon lives in Birmingham and he took Liv for a walk on Harborne Walkway to record their podcast episode.

Formerly a railway line, it’s now a green, quiet oasis in a bustling, noisy city.

Liv sought to find out why Marlon wanted to engage his community with the outdoors, and what’s been the impact of We Go Outside Too so far?

If you enjoy this episode, it would fantastic if you could subscribe. And do tell your family and friends about it - thank you!

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

Episodes in each series are released fortnightly. The next episode will be released on Sunday 27 October.

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.

The post Marlon Patrice: Nature, grief and setting up We Go Outside Too appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast to inspire you to make the outdoors a bigger part of your life. It’s hosted by Liv Bolton.

In this episode, Liv Bolton goes for a walk in Swanscombe Marshes by the River Thames in Kent with the adventurer and author Alastair Humphreys.

Al’s relationship with the outdoors has changed a lot over the years - he’s been on extraordinary expeditions all around the world, travelling through over 80 countries by bicycle, boat and on foot, but more recently he’s focused on spreading the message about embracing the outdoors and adventure where we all live, through his concept of Microadventures.

Al’s latest book, Local, which has been shortlisted for the 2024 Wainwright Prize in the nature writing category, saw him spend a year exploring a map of his neighbourhood - one grid square at a time.

His passion about outdoors adventures that are accessible to all of us and possible within our current routines, is totally infectious and I’ve wanted to chat to him for years, so I hope you enjoy the episode!

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

Episodes in each series are released fortnightly. The next episode will be released on Sunday 13 October.

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.

The post Alastair Humphreys: Author and adventurer getting more Local appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast to inspire you to make the outdoors a bigger part of your life. It’s hosted by Liv Bolton.

In this episode, cyclist, mum and NHS paediatric consultant Phoebe Sneddon chats to Liv Bolton on a walk in the Peak District.

Phoebe’s big passion is cycling, and she loves bike packing, cyclocross and gravel biking with a trailer carrying her children.

Through her adventures and medical expertise, she hopes to encourage as many women and girls as possible to get outside to boost their confidence.

Phoebe is also keen to showcase that you can get outdoors and have brilliant adventures even when you have small children.

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.

The post Phoebe Sneddon: Gravel biker, mum and NHS paediatric consultant appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.