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.

This week my guest is Francesca Donovan, a hiker, outdoor swimmer and co-editor of The Great Outdoors Magazine.

Now, you might expect someone in that role to have grown up immersed in nature… but Francesca’s background is quite different.

Her childhood wasn’t outdoorsy— and for a long time, she didn’t see herself as someone who belonged in those spaces.

It wasn’t until her mid-20s, almost by accident — and initially for health reasons — that she discovered hiking, starting with day trips out into the Peak District.

But what began as a small step has grown into something much bigger. Since then, Francesca has gone on to explore landscapes across the UK — from wild camping and bothy stays to cold water swimming — all while navigating what it means to find your place in the outdoors, even when you might not think you fit the traditional mould.

Francesca took me on a beautiful spring walk near Pym’s Chair in the Peak District — blue skies, wide-open moorland, and skylarks overhead.

It was a beautiful setting for a conversation about her work on the magazine, discovering the outdoors later in life, and realising that you don’t have to be a certain kind of person to belong there.

I really hope you enjoy our chat — and don’t forget to stay tuned for the Sounds of Nature moment at the end of the episode: a small pocket of calm to help you pause, unwind and breathe in the outdoors, wherever you are.

Thanks again for listening,

Liv x

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

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

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

You can find photos of the guests on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix

The Outdoors Fix book is out now: http://bit.ly/3GJDLJc

The post Francesca Donovan: From city life to co-editor of The Great Outdoors magazine 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.

Let me ask you something: How well do you know the trees in your local area? Do you have a favourite?

One of mine is an ancient sweet chestnut in the Ashridge Estate in the Chilterns, not far from where I grew up. It’s enormous, with beautifully twisted bark, and it’s thought to be more than 400 years old. It’s the kind of tree you can’t help but stop and stare at for a while.

And that’s exactly what this episode is about — noticing the trees around us, and seeing them in a new light.

I’m joined by Paul Wood, author of Tree Hunting: 1,000 Trees to find in Britain and Ireland’s Towns and Cities. Paul spent four years travelling across the UK documenting remarkable trees in the places we often overlook — and encouraging us all to pay closer attention to something we usually walk straight past.

As he says, if you simply start looking up a little more, it can completely transform how you experience the outdoors.

We recorded this conversation while walking through Richmond Park in London — so as you listen, keep an ear out for the sounds around us: woodpeckers, parakeets, and the occasional plane heading to Heathrow…

I really hope you enjoy our chat — and don’t forget to stay tuned for the Sounds of Nature moment at the end of the episode: a small pocket of calm to help you pause, unwind and breathe in the outdoors, wherever you are.

Thanks again for listening,

Liv x

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

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

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

You can find photos of the guests on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix

The Outdoors Fix book is out now: http://bit.ly/3GJDLJc

The post Paul Wood: Tree hunting in Britain and Ireland’s towns and cities 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 is joined by Sameed Asghar, who takes her and photographer Frankie Dewar on a hike up to a waterfall in Carding Mill Valley in Shropshire. It turns out to be possibly one of the wettest recordings Liv’s ever done… but also one of the most fun.

Sameed is a real force of nature. Despite the rain, he was throwing in handstands and yoga poses along the way, bringing so much joy and energy to what could very easily have been a complete washout.

It’s no surprise that he makes a brilliant Mountain Leader — even though that was never something he imagined for himself growing up in Birmingham, where he says his experience of nature didn’t stretch further than his local park.

Now, through his hiking company Summit Special Adventures, Sameed has led community and charity groups on hikes across the UK and around the world. At the heart of his work is a strong commitment to introducing people from ethnic minority backgrounds and inner-city areas to the outdoors, and to championing greater diversity in nature spaces.

We hope you enjoy the conversation — and a big thank you to Sameed!

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

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

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

You can find photos of the guests on Instagram @TheOutdoorsFix

The Outdoors Fix book is out now: http://bit.ly/3GJDLJc

The post Joy, rain and handstands – Hiking with Mountain Leader Sameed Asghar appeared first on The Outdoors Fix.