Saying YES more

A good adventure can start long before you get your boots on and get out of your front door. In fact these days it can often start whilst you're sat at your computer or staring at your smartphone. That is certainly the case for this next adventure of mine!

I've mentioned before an inspirational chap by the name of Dave Cornthwaite, he's done a few adventurous things of his own, nothing too special, just the odd 3618 mile skateboard journey from Perth to Brisbane and a 2404 mile Stand Up Paddleboard journey down the Mississippi to name but two! 

You can read all about his other great adventures here: http://www.davecornthwaite.com

Anyway, on top of all of his adventures, Dave has founded #SayYesMore, in his words it's all about "creating moments, embracing adventure, living simply, squeezing the juice out of life with three simple words. Say Yes More!"

So, when I got the invitation on Facebook to take part in a Stand Up Paddleboard lesson with Dave, there was only one word I could say.... I said a big YES! Having read a couple of Dave's books and followed his adventures on his website I was keen to have a go at Stand Up Paddleboarding, or SUP as it;s known, and this looked like the perfect opportunity,

The fact it was going to be on a British river in November was not going to put me off. I even managed to convince my wife Nina that it would be a nice thing to do together. Nina is not a big fan of getting cold!

Well, we both said YES, and what an adventure we had. An early morning drive from Oxfordshire down to the river Avon, 5 miles from Bath and we met Tristan Bawn on the river bank all ready with his SUP school and guest instructor Dave. Tristan runs Adventure SUP, a Bristol based SUP School, and he had invited Dave to come and lead a beginners lesson as part of Dave's current 50 Ways to make £50 project.

Once we'd got our wetsuits and boutancy aids on it was time to get going. Tristan and Dave gave us all a safety briefing, and talked us through the basics of what we'd be learning, and then we did a quick river bank warm up before heading onto the river.

Within minutes we were all starting to get the hang of the basic paddle strokes required to move safely about the river, firstly staying on our knees on the boards. Within 15 minutes we were all standing up and paddling up river. Brilliant! I never thought we'd be paddling so confidently so quickly, but with expert guidance from Dave and Tristan we were up and off in no time.

Up river we worked on more paddling techniques including different sorts of turns, and I got a chance to practice my 'self rescue' after a couple of dunkings into the river!

2 hours seemed to pass by really quickly, including the race which I'm proud to say I won! Only paddling against the other beginners though. At the end of the session I felt at home on teh SUP and was paddling amd turning with confidence. It's safe to say I have been well and truly won over by the experience and I can't wait to do it again.

This experience would not have happened if I had not said YES. Dave really is onto something with his #SayYesMore mantra. Since I stared saying yes more I've been happier, more enthusiastic about life and I've met some brilliant people. None of this would have happened from the comfort os my sofa! So, one simple piece of advice..... Say Yes More! 

Sleeping with the Stars

This year I've been getting back to basics, trying to simplify my life and concentrate on the good stuff. That has mostly been achieved by getting off the sofa and getting outdoors for some fresh air and adventure.

There is so much you can do without splashing out money on expensive trips and entertainment. One of the simplist forms of adventure is to go for a walk. Now, if you add in a night of wild camping and cooking your dinner under the stars, then you're really getting somewhere!

The beauty of this is that you can do it pretty much anywhere. You don't need to be in the mountains to have a wild camping adventure, you can do it within just a few miles of wherever you live. Alastiar Humphreys is a pioneer of the doorstep adventure, and has written about many of his #microadventures on his website. Have a look for yourself and get inspired: http://www.alastairhumphreys.com/

A few weeks ago I got dropped off a few miles from home on a Friday night, just before it was getting dark. I had a small day packon my back containing a sleeping bag, some water, a very small camping stove, and the ingredients for one of my favourite camsite meals, corned beef hash! 

I walked for about 2 hours, deep into some very overgrown woodland that clearly had not seen any regular visitors in a long time, apart from the local Deer population! Once I'd fought my way through the chest high stinging nettles I finally came out of the woods and up onto an open hillside overlooking my home town of Bicester in Oxfordshire.

My bed for the night was a £10 green string style army hammock I had purchased from eBay. I found a suitably discreet spot, tucked away between two trees at the top of the hill, and started to set up camp. It soon became apparant that my hammock was not the best £10 I've ever spent. You live and learn!

Too short and too narrow to actually sleep in, it was going to be an interesting night's sleep. Once I'd made the best I could of my bedding situation I turned my attention to a roof. The weather report was for a dry night, but you never know. I successfully erected an old army poncho above my makeshift bed, to keep the wind out and keep me dry in the event of rain.

So, dinner time! The sun had set by now and I was looking out across the hilside to the suburban glow of the town below. Making a comfy seet on an old log I set to the task of cooking dinner. Using my old army mess tins (you'll see a theme developing here, I spent 5 years in The Army Cadets as a boy and rescued much of my old kit from my parents loft!) I cooked up the onions, potato, corned beef and beans to make myself a delicious hot dinner. 

With a full belly and heavy eyelids after a busy week at work I was ready for bed. I climbed into my sleeping bag, and spent an interesting night half suspended in my hammock and half resting directly on the ground. It was a peaceful night, but I've slept better. 

I have since invested in a 'proper' hammock. Thanks to seasoned adventurer Dave Cornthwaite I'm now the proud owner of a Hammock Bliss Sky Tent:  http://www.hammockbliss.com/  Dave has a great review of it on his website: http://www.davecornthwaite.co.uk/blog/?p=871 

Part of the plan, apart from an evening walk and a night sleeping under the stars, was to follow it up with a run/jog/walk back home in the morning. Packing up camp was swift after a quick ham sandwich for breakfast, and then I was ready to head home.

I left my camp site just before 7.00am, and enjoyed a 1.5 hour gentle jog and walk home. It was about 9 miles in total, and I got home in time to enjoy another breakfast with my family, this time it was bacon, eggs, toast and fresh coffee! After a nice hot shower I was ready for the day, having already had an adventure before many people were even out of their beds!

If, like me, you are short on time but have a hunger for a little adventure in your life, I can highly reccommend getting out of your front door and finding some wild camping spots near to where you live. As long as you are respectful of the environment, take your litter home with you and be careful about where you camp, you can have a mini adventure of your own on a minimal budget.

I'm looking forward to many more nights under the stars, and am building up quite a list of routes and wild camping spots all within a short distance from my home.

Use your head, buckle up

I read a post on Facebook this week from an old school friend that really made me think. I’d like to share with you what my friend Hilary said:

“Have just driven by a young lady riding a horse on a busy main road with the strap to her riding hat flapping in the wind!!! Many a Saturday morning as a young girl was spent in my dads' office where he kept the crash helmets and riding hats of head injury patients. Each of them told a story and thankfully most had a happy ending. These helmets/hats are designed for a reason, to save lives but only if worn properly so DO UP THE STRAPS!!!!”

Hilary’s dad worked for years as a brain surgeon in Oxford. He spent his career dealing with people who had sustained head injuries from accidents and falls. He himself cycled daily into work for many years, “ said Hilary.

I responded to this message with my own tale of the week, seeing a young man riding through the centre of Oxford, a famously busy and quite dangerous place to cycle, holding his cycle helmet in his teeth by the strap!

It seems crazy that people will go to the trouble of buying a helmet, but don’t bother using it properly. Wearing a helmet that is not properly fitted or fastened is as good as not wearing it at all.

I think people underestimate how much of a difference wearing a helmet properly can make if you have an accident on your bike, fall off a horse, or get things wrong in the skate park. I have had several lucky escapes from head injury, and every time it has been a safety helmet that has saved me from injury.

I have spent years cycling into work and have had a couple of notable occasions where I’ve taken a trip across the bonnet of a car. Both times I landed head first onto the road, and both times my helmet took the force of impact. Both times it was properly fitted, and most importantly it was securely fastened by the strap!

If you’re going to be cycling, horse riding, skateboarding, skiing or snowboarding, it’s really important that you take proper care of your head and wear a good quality helmet that is properly fitted. I know kids don’t think it’s cool to wear a helmet, but we must remind them that’s it’s even less cool to end up needing the services of someone like my friend Hilary’s dad!

Don’t forget, if you need a good quality cycle helmet you can support the Child Brain Injury Trust  by purchasing one from their eBay shop. The helmets are really good quality and we’re able to offer them at a reduced price, just for you! Follow the link to buy yours now:  http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cycling-Helmet-with-embedded-360-degree-LED-lights-/330982093860?

If you’d like to talk about supporting the charity, please get in touch: andrewtee@cbituk.org

It’s not the winning, it’s the taking part.

There comes a time in a man’s life when you think “I need to get fit before I get too old”! Well, that time is now. I know, I couldn’t have picked a hotter time of year to start cycling into work and running in the evenings, but you’ve got to strike whilst the iron (and everything else) is blazing hot!

I, like lots of people, have had various dalliances with fitness over the years. I’m a classic example of the person who signs up for an event, gets fit, completes the event and then hangs up his running shoes for another season (or two!).

Well, this time it’s different. No, really it is, I promise. Having just started with the Child Brain Injury Trust 2 months ago as their Community Fundraiser for the South my job is all about motivating people to get involved with the charity, and taking on challenges to raise money.

I figured whilst I’m riding high on the wave of enthusiasm for this new role I might as well give myself some challenges too. So, not being one to do things by halves I have signed myself up for a muddy 10k assault course in October with a group of friends, and I’ve also said I’ll run the Rome marathon in March 2014 in support of the charity!

I’m a big believer in leading by example, even if it is leading from the back of the pack. Let’s get this straight, I’m no Mo Farah, but I’ll give it a good go. For me it really is like your mum used to tell you at sports day, “it’s not about winning, it’s about taking part”!

So, how’s it going so far you ask? Well, I got to my first training milestone last night by completing a 10k run. I left my house at 7.00pm, and by 7.03pm I was thinking “what am I doing?” it was far too hot to be running. But I toughed it out and completed 10k in 1 hour 10 minutes, not the fastest I’ve ever run by any means, but still respectable.

You see it’s not about how far you run, or how fast you run, it’s about getting out there and just running. Or cycling, swimming, walking, whatever is your thing. With busy lives it’s too easy to find an excuse not to go to the gym, not to get your running shoes on and go for a quick run. But as soon as you get out there and do it, you remember why it makes you feel so good.

I love running because it’s a great way to de-stress from a busy day. I don’t listen to music whilst I run, I don’t really think about anything whilst I run. I just plod along and clear my mind of everything apart from the road in front of me. And then when I get home I know I’m a little bit fitter and healthier than I was yesterday, and that is motivation enough to do it again tomorrow.

There are loads of motivational slogans about running, my favourite goes something like this “Don’t ask me why I run, ask yourself why you don’t”. If you feel motivated to get active and you’re looking for a challenge to work towards, or you’d like to talk about supporting the charity in a less strenuous way, please get in touch: andrewtee@cbituk.org