I just had to write about this story because it made me smile. Appearing on the inside pages of some the regular suspects, beginning with the Daily Mail, pursued by the Telegraph and who knows what will happen in the future: publishing deals and a slot on CBBC perhaps, is a young family from Nottingham, Kerry and Tim Meek, both teachers, and their two girls Amy and Ella. They chose to switch off the TV more often (and do something less boring instead). Their website Dotrythisathome is inspiring, full of ideas from ‘going on a reptile ramble’ to cooking with snow. Yes, adventures don’t have to be epics.
Over the past two decades, outdoor activities have seen bad press. Landmark events, like the Lyme Bay kayaking accident of 1993 or the death of Alison Hargreaves on K2 in 1995, helped form public perception that our waters and mountains were dangerous. Regulatory boards sprung into existence. The qualifications industry burgeoned. Proposed school trips were canned. Lord Baden-Powell tussled in his Kenyan grave while our culture forgot that pursuits in the wild are healthy, engaging and developmental.
What makes the tale of the Meeks special is not that they are having adventures, because lots of other families do this kind of thing, but that mainstream media is behind them. Furthermore, they’ve been commended for sticking to a shoestring – the Nottingham four enjoyed their first 100 adventures for less than £500. Half a grand won’t buy harnesses, Canadian dugouts and waterproof jackets all round. During times of austerity, the family has tooled up on resourcefulness.
When I asked Kerry Meek where the inspiration originated to do the first 100 trips, she mentioned other adventurers, including Dave Cornthwaite, who swum 1000 miles along the Missouri and completed other long journeys, but doesn’t limit himself to the extreme. His current project is finding 50 ways to make £50. Al Humphreys is another favourite: he rowed the Atlantic last year, but he dedicated 2011 to microadventures, like sleeping out on a hill after work. ‘What’s the worst that can happen’, he says… ‘you get a bit wet, get a bit cold… big deal. I think it’s worth the risk.’
The next step forward for the Meeks, in terms of growing their impact, is to get more parents involved. Unlike schools, mums and dads don’t have to fill in risk assessments and, once the message that getting outdoors is good for concentration, ability and contentment, the motivation should be strong to encourage their children and their children’s teachers. And of course, they ensure the sustainability of trips and return having left nothing but footprints and picked up others’ litter en route.
In Scotland, thousands of people are enjoying the outdoors – walking, paddling, climbing, biking, running … exploring. I’ve not looked at the figures of hours spent outdoors over time, but I feel that this has fallen since the 1990s. Rock routes seem more lichenous. The bogs and the forest have subsumed formerly well-trodden paths. Perhaps fear overrides – of the known or the unknown, or being judged for not having the ‘right’ kit, or encroaching consumerism and time pressures. My argument, as always, is that more people should benefit from the mental, emotional and physical pluses of getting outdoors.
I’ll take intellect for a start. Nothing generates creativity better than challenge. If you cross a stream using a spattering of slimy boulders that protrude from the froth, the brain begins to churn, recalling similar patterns from the past, calculating requirements and scenarios. In one millisecond, you’ve done risk appraisal, spatial co-ordination and disaster recovery. This is also possible on the Playstation without getting wet: your choice.
Our emotional state alters when in nature. Broadleaf woodland is particularly calming, through the diversity of flora and fauna, the wholeness of this type of ecosystem and how light and shade interplay randomly. When engaged in pastimes that require focus, our minds forget the minutiae of problems and deadlines. We can, for a brief period, switch off. I’m guessing that the closer an activity comes to actual or perceived risk and a nearness to something our ancestors might have done and the better your level of skill, the more chance there is to rediscover the sense of flow. That’s a wonderful feeling.
The outdoors is also good for the body. Expect cold and rain and the relearning of resilience. When exerting ourselves, we force our muscles to work and burn off fat. Okay, so there are things that can hurt and cause physical trauma, like slipping on that rock when crossing the burn, but developing the skills over time and resting between adventures is the antidote.
Kerry wrapped up by saying that their family was keen to return to Scotland for more adventures. The girls wanted to undertake a source to sea journey and sleep on a mountain. Hopefully, they’ll be joined in spirit by hundreds of others. With our wonderful landscape, no more fitting place exists.
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