31.01

An out of office experience

DWYL_BLOG_EXPERT_COLUMNISTS_TYPEWRITER_550X200PX_LR

This a guest post by adventurer, author and motivational speaker Alastair Humphreys. Find out more about Alastair here

Alastair Humphreys

“This is your life. Do what you love, and do it often. If you don’t like something, change it. If you don’t like your job, quit. If you don’t have enough time, stop watching TV.” – Holstee

Rain rattled the windows. An elderly man on a mobility scooter urged his machine a little faster across the wet grey car park. I sighed.

I had driven all the way to west Wales for a microadventure with some of the guys from howies. They had never slept a night in a bivvy bag and looked a little reluctant to start now. I had slept many nights in a bivvy bag and was very reluctant to add to my tally in this weather.

But we persisted. And that is the key to doing almost anything interesting in life. You’ve just got to do it. Team howies turned off their computers and shut down the office. We began.

Bikes Credit Alastair HumphriesLeaving the office for an overnight adventure

Ade, Alex, Ruben and I pedalled through the damp, grey town, through a heavy rain shower or two. And then we were out into the fresh air and brighter skies of the countryside. Wet hedgerows sparkled in the sunshine as we stretched our legs and cheered at the feeling of racing down a quiet road towards the coast.

bicycle Credit Alastair HumphriesTaking a break to watch the sun set

The roads became smaller and narrower and quieter. We turned up a bridleway laden with blackberries. Up and over a hill then racing like mad little things through exciting singletrack and down to the coast. We were just in time. The sky was heavy grey. The sea had a strange deep purple sheen. But between the sea and the sky blazed a brilliant golden sunset. We were so happy to be out here.

Seals bobbed quietly below us. Alex observed that we had been riding for only as long as his normal car-bound boring drive home. He had swapped his daily commute for a bike ride, a fabulous sunset and the open sea. And -for one night only- this was home. We unrolled bivvy bags in a grassy clifftop hollow. Hidden from the wind, open to the sea and the stars. We ate and drank and chatted and then we lay down to sleep.

I lay awake for a good while, enchanted by the clouds rolling above us. A lighthouse beat its regular rhythm through the night. Each time I woke in the night I noticed the stars moving above us. The Big Dipper was so bright and distinct it looked as though it had been painted bright onto the sky above.

Night sky adventure Credit Alastair HumphriesThe Big Dipper

To my relief it did not rain and we woke refreshed and happy. Espresso, a clifftop view, and a stonking singletrack downhill makes for a happy start to a day.

sleeping in the wild Credit Alastair Humphries

Waking up in the fresh air

Sleeping bag Credit Alastair Humphries

Morning coffee Credit Alastair Humphries

Follow that with a swim in the sea and a bacon sandwich and you really do have all the necessary ingredients for a short, sharp microadventure.

Bike view Credit Alastair Humphries

Bike sea view Credit Alastair Humphries

Pitstop before work Credit Alastair Humphries

All this, all this in just those hours we waste so often, the hours between finishing a hard day’s work at the office and beginning the next one.

Try it.

Try it.

Try it.

You won’t regret it. (Unless it rains!)

***

Perfect time for a revolution!

Are you ready for a new challenge or adventure? Have you been doing the same thing for so long that you’ve forgotten who you are? Are you questioning what you really want from life? Then now’s the perfect time for a change.

Whatever your year was like in 2016, this is a chance to start again, right where you are, and choose how you want your year to feel in 2017.

New Year’s Revolution‘ is a free tool for meaningful planning to help you make this coming year amazing. Our FREE 24-page e-book will help you extract the good from 2016, look ahead and shape your 2017 into the year you want it to be. It includes a powerful technique to help you make dreams into reality, and make your ideas happen.

Print it out, grab a pen, make a cuppa, go somewhere you won’t be disturbed, and get ready to embark on a fantastic voyage of self-discovery.

NYR

 

Save

GET OUR NEWS LETTER