I’m really excited to finally be starting my own blog, I’ve wanted to write one for years but never had the time or confidence! Following government lockdown guidelines and quitting your full time job to start volunteering are pretty good ways to free up some time! 

I grew up in the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales, living in the highest house on the mountain above my village. My childhood was idyllic, even if we didn’t have very much financially, I couldn’t have been happier. I was surrounded by outstanding natural beauty and a community that has barely changed in the twenty plus years I’ve known it. Deer come to the garden, various birds of prey are so common they’re rendered practically boring and the clear, unpolluted night sky is littered with a humbling array of stars.

I moved to the North West of England for University in Manchester and then soon pulled away into the Peak District. Cities aren’t my thing, though I can definitely still appreciate the convenience. I’m young, I like to meet up for a drink with my friends, I obsessively play competitive roller derby and it’s so easy to find fun new things to try. There’s all my favourite shops selling weird houseplants, fancy tea, vintage clothes and books. And most importantly, cities mean employment. For now I have to stay close but as soon as I can I’ll be returning to the wilds. I spend a lot of time with my mum in North Wales and a lot of what I post will be a mixture of Welsh and Northern scenery and wildlife. There’s a word in Welsh: Hiraeth. It doesn’t translate exactly, but that’s what I have, for the mountains I grew up in.  

I’ve recently left my full time lab job to start a new career path. I refuse to keep plodding along doing something that makes my soul sad, so I’m following a passion and hoping my worth ethic and dazzling wit makes things happen for me. It’s early days at the moment but I’ve been lucky (and charming) enough to land a voluntary role in an amazing place where I can learn about environmental conservation and education with like-minded people.

I was slowly growing this blog idea to follow my experiences volunteering, studying and learning new things in a field I’ve always been passionate about but never brave enough to pursue. However Covid-19 hit and some of these exciting things have been paused. But not all of them. So, with my newly acquired free time I’ll be exploring the wild places around me and writing about what I can see and learn while on lockdown. I really hope that I can help educate and inspire people about the wildlife and wild places in these amazing areas that I live in. I can’t wait to connect with like-minded people also wanting to appreciate more deeply what we have all around us.