The Outdoors Fix – Details, episodes & analysis

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
You’ll find Cath Pendleton on Instagram @swimcathswim - The Big Retreat Festival is @thebigretreatfestival
You can find photos from our recording on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix
The Outdoors Fix book is now available: http://bit.ly/3GJDLJc

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
You’ll find Siobhan on Instagram @shuvonshuvoff - The Big Retreat Festival is @thebigretreatfestival
You can find photos from our recording on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix
The Outdoors Fix book is now available: http://bit.ly/3GJDLJc

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.

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.

Elise Wortley is an adventurer who follows in the footsteps of intrepid female explorers of the past.

Her fascination with these women has taken her on expeditions all over the world for her Woman with Altitude Project, from the Himalayas dressed in a yak coat and wooden backpack; to Iran trekking with a mule in a 1930s Burberry mac; and to the Scottish Highlands, wearing a 1940s cotton skirt and hobnail boots.

More recently, Elise took part in Channel 4’s survival series, Alone, where she managed to survive for weeks on her own in the Canadian wilderness.

Elise took me for a walk in Battersea Park in London and we recorded her episode of The Outdoors Fix podcast there.

I wanted to find out what was behind all of Elise’s adventures, how she balances it with her full-time PR job, and what it took to survive for weeks in the Canadian wilderness.

Elise shares her bushcraft and survival tips at the end of the episode, so make sure you 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.

Elise’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 Elise Wortley: Surviving alone in the Canadian wilderness & following forgotten female explorers 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.

Carla Khouri 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.

Carla shares her tips for lesser-known spots to explore around the UK at the end of the episode, as well as how to start out and secure work if you’re interested in becoming a mountain leader, so make sure you 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.

Carla’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 Carla Khouri: The science teacher turned mountain leader training to be the first black winter ML 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.

Emma Holland is a qualified mountain leader who runs her own mountain leader business, Emma Holland Mountain Training. You’ll often find her in the Peak District leading groups on hikes, teaching navigation or wild camping in the hills. Through her walks and courses, she’s trying to give people the confidence to safely plan their own outdoors adventures.

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. Her story proves that it’s never too late to pursue your passion.

Emma took me for a stunning hike on the eastern edge of the Peak District for this episode and we recorded it sat on the grass in the shade of some birch trees. It was a fascinating conversation about turning the outdoors into a career and how it can positively influence the path of your life.

Emma shares her tips for becoming a mountain leader and where to go walking in the Peak District at the end of the episode, so make sure you 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.

Emma’s episode of The Outdoors Fix is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. 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 now available to pre-order: 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% off discount on their shoes at Merrell.co.uk So just use the code FIX20 which is valid on all full price items on their website.

The post Emma Holland: Becoming a mountain leader in mid-life in the Peak District 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.

Debbie Croydon found a deep love of swimming in open water later in life and she’s working hard to encourage women, particularly from Black and Asian communities, to give it a go too.

Debbie’s a swimming teacher, an open water coach and triathlon coach - she’s also the co-founder of the community swimming group, Soul Swimmers. Set up in 2020, the group aims to encourage more women from diverse backgrounds to take up swimming, particularly outdoors in open water. Debbie’s based in London and she’s also a triathlete who has competed for Team GB in the World Championships for triathlon in her age category of 60-64!

Debbie and I met back in the summer and chatted by the shores of the West Reservoir in London, an open water swimming reservoir. I wanted to find out how Debbie found her love of open water swimming, what sparked the idea to set up Soul Swimmers, and why she’s determined to see more women from diverse backgrounds enjoying a dip outdoors.

Debbie shares her tips for open water swimming at the end of the episode, so make sure you don’t miss her advice. There’s also a minute of the sounds of nature at the end for a little bit of escapism in your busy day.

Debbie’s episode of The Outdoors Fix is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. 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 now available to pre-order: 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% off discount on their shoes at Merrell.co.uk So just use the code FIX20 which is valid on all full price items on their website.

The post Debbie Croydon: The open water swimming coach who set up Soul Swimmers 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.

Are you looking to join an adventure community or thinking about setting one up?

For this episode, I went for a walk with Kate Capelli, the founder of Adventuress in the Wild. It’s an adventure community for women based in London and the South East that’s massively grown since Kate set it up a couple of years ago.

The group offers everything from weekly walks around London and bouldering through to hikes in Surrey and the Chilterns, and wild weekends in Snowdonia, the Peak District and South Downs. There are trips abroad in the works too.

With so many events on offer, Kate, who is now a qualified lowland walk leader and hiking guide, has created a big buzz around the community and she’s opening up adventure to hundreds of women. As someone who defines herself as queer, she emphasises that the group is open to all women, particularly those in the LGBTQIA+ community & women of colour. 

Kate and I met back in the summer and chatted in Ashridge Estate in the Chilterns, only about 10 minutes from where I grew up! I wanted to find out what sparked the idea to set up her adventure community, how Kate runs it and how it’s profoundly changing her life.

Kate shares her tips for getting outdoors more and great places to explore in London at the end of the episode, so make sure you don’t miss her advice. There’s also a minute of the sounds of nature at the end for a little bit of escapism in your busy day.

Kate’s episode of The Outdoors Fix is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. 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 now available to pre-order: 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% off discount on their shoes at Merrell.co.uk So just use the code FIX20 which is valid on all full price items on their website.

The post Kate Capelli: The founder of Adventuress in the Wild championing women in the outdoors 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.

Have you ever wanted to take on an outdoors challenge or tick off an outdoors goal but you’ve never got round to it or you’ve doubted yourself? My guest in this episode, Chris Gaskin, is someone who might give you the confidence to go for it.

Chris is a Special Forces veteran and endurance athlete from Yorkshire who set the record in 2021 for the fastest solo and unsupported continuous round of the Wainwrights in the Lake District. He managed to climb all the 214 Wainwright fells and walk in between them in just 11 days, 10 hours and 58 minutes. The fastest known time for the 325-mile feat during which he also carried all his own food and equipment. Chris tackled the endurance challenge to raise money for the military community and charity Walking with the Wounded.

I loved chatting to Chris about his challenge when we went for a walk together on the Pennine Way in the Peak District. But what I found equally fascinating was the mental resilience approach he uses to get through difficult moments in life and big physical challenges. A mnemonic called MINDSET. It’s something that I found incredibly useful and inspirational to hear about and I think you might too. You may not be focused on setting a Wainwright record like Chris, but his techniques might just help you with whatever outdoors challenge or goals you’d like to pursue.

So listen to the episode to find out what MINDSET stands for and how Chris used it to help him complete his Wainwright record-setting round.

Don’t forget to listen out for Chris’ endurance challenge tips at the end of the episode as well as the minute of sounds of nature to bring a bit of escapism into your busy day.

Chris’ episode of The Outdoors Fix is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. 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 now available to pre-order: 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% off discount on their shoes at Merrell.co.uk So just use the code FIX20 which is valid on all full price items on their website.

The post Chris Gaskin: The Special Forces veteran who set a Wainwright record in the Lake District 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.

Are you desperate to go on more outdoors adventures but feel like you never have enough time?

Vicky Balfour’s story might just be the spark of inspiration you’re looking for!

Vicky lives in Kent and is 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.”

Listen to the episode to find out her tips for adding more adventure into your weekly routine. You’ll also hear why she moved from city PR to mountain biking and setting up her own biking business, as well as how nature and being outdoors helped her through a very difficult couple of decades in her life.

Vicky took me mountain biking in the Kent countryside for this episode and we recorded it in the middle of a wood! It was such a great morning and an absolute highlight of my years recording The Outdoors Fix.

She shares her tips for mountain biking routes and getting outdoors at the end of the episode, so make sure you don’t miss her advice. There’s also a minute of the sounds of nature at the end for a little bit of escapism in your busy day.

I hope you enjoy the episode and please feel free to rate and review it, or tell your friends about 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 now available to pre-order: 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% off discount on their shoes at Merrell.co.uk So just use the code FIX20 which is valid on all full price items on their website.

The post Vicky Balfour: The mountain biker finding ‘pockets of adventure’ in everyday life 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.

Ever thought about changing your career and becoming a gardener?

Sharnee Gardner’s story might just give you the inspiration you need!

Originally from Australia, Sharnee moved to the UK aged 16 after being scouted to be a model.

She’s appeared in Vogue and countless other fashion magazines, and done catwalks and fashion weeks all over the world.

But in the last 18 months, she’s completely transformed her life to become a professional gardener!

I met up with Sharnee in Painshill Park in Surrey - where she was a gardener at the time.

I was so intrigued by her story and wanted to find out what drove her to push her modelling career to the side to focus on the outdoors and nature, and how she made the jump to gardening.

I hope you enjoy this episode of The Outdoors Fix and don’t forget to listen out for Sharnee’s fantastic tips and advice for those interested in a gardening or conservation career, or just how we can bring a bit more nature into our lives!

Also don’t miss the sounds of nature at the end of this podcast episode for a short, calming escape from your busy day.

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

This episode of The Outdoors Fix was supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell. Merrell is launching a year-long campaign called #StepFurther to encourage people from all walks of life to get outdoors on a micro-adventure to experience the benefits for both their physical and mental health.

The post Sharnee Gardner: From modelling for Vogue to life as a professional gardener appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.