our story

I grew up on a diet of Type 2 fun.

You know; the type of fun which isn’t fun at all at the time, but becomes fun afterwards, when the pain has faded and only the hazy memory remains, sweetened by the miracle of your survival.

Like climbing bleak mountains in the pouring rain. Or sleeping in a midge-net in a cave on a remote Scottish island. Or putting up a tent in a hailstorm on Dartmoor. That kind of ‘fun’.

Inevitably, after a necessary period of rebellion/city-hibernation in my twenties, a strange sort of longing arose… a longing to get lost, to get wet, to get muddy. To scream into the wind, to dive into cold crisp waters and come up gasping and freshened …

… the call of the wild was on me.

For a while I managed to combine this with my work as an English teacher. I became an officer in the CCF, and accompanied school children on outward bound expeditions.

I lead groups of cadets on Canadian summer camps in the Rockies. I was the teacher responsible for Gold D of E expeditions, wilderness experiences in the Kwa-Zulu Natal, and cultural exchange programmes to Malawi.

In short, I had a blast, and so did the kids. After our descent from Snowdon one Easter weekend, I asked one of the teenage girls what had been the worst part. She told me, sliding down the snowy bits at the summit, because it was really scary. I asked her which was the best part.

“Sliding down the snowy bits”, she said. “Because it was really scary”. My work as a teacher was done.

I wrote a bucket-list; ’30 things to do before I turn 30’.

Boy, did those 6 months change my life!

I began a year of group psychotherapy, ran a marathon, discovered meditation, stand-up comedy, clowning, 5 Rhythms dancing and basically embarked on a huge transition which saw me change, well, nearly everything!

I trained as a counsellor, began sitting in a fortnightly women’s circle, and using my coaching skills to mentor teenagers.

I undertook a remote first-aid qualification, and signed up for a 3-month expedition in the Borneo rainforest.

In 2014, I walked the 500-mile Camino de Santiago pilgrimage across Spain.

I set off alone, on the anniversary of my father’s death, with a stick named after him, a spare t-shirt and two pairs of knickers.

In each town, a small yellow arrow pointed the way. The pilgrim blessing ‘buen camino’ bubbled up subconsciously from the cracked lips of hunched old ladies. The only thing to do, every day for 35 days, was to get up and walk west. And framed by that simple devotion, everything else felt up for grabs.

There was freedom and serendipity around every corner; new people to meet, a breath-taking view, a beautiful stranger, a muddy field for dancing in, a stall selling slices of watermelon. 

I began to run with the big boys.

After another year of percolating thoughts, wild camping holidays and frenzied list-writing, I decided to see if I could make my work a dedication to those principles of freedom and simplicity. To find a way to be always on a journey. And to bring to others the feelings of joy, confidence and belonging which a prolonged walk in nature always seems to engender. And on my 34th birthday, as I ruminated over my whiskey nightcap, the name ‘ipse wilderness’ was born. 

Over the past 5 years, I’ve been on a huge journey of networking, experiential learning, skill-sharing, and personal and professional development. My motivation has been the desire to “run with the big boys”; to claim with confidence my position in this field.

I am now a Lowland Leader, with an ‘Introduction to Counselling Skills’ Award and a Remote First Aid qualification. A Mental Health First Aider and Accredited Practitioner of the Institute of Outdoor Learning, with Enhanced DBS clearance, Further Child Protection training and a Food Safety and Hygiene certificate! I have also undertaken therapeutic supervision and am a member of the Green Wellbeing Alliance. But more importantly, I am out there, doing what I love and hopefully inspiring others to do the same.

your story

‘ipse wilderness’ exists to encourage others to explore the wilderness outside, and by doing so, to get in touch with their own nature and connect with others. Many people recognise the physical and mental health benefits of nature, but struggle to access the wilderness as often as they’d like, or lack the courage to undertake a multi-day hike on their own.

Our vision is a world where everyone feels a sense of belonging, freedom and joy in the wilderness, and where connection to nature is valued as a resource to support well-being.

Journey inside outside with ‘ipse wilderness’ to make your story part of our story.