Into the Wild.

I have been a little lost for words on Linkedin these past several months.

It has seemed strange to me to abruptly flip from commenting on ground hazards, mining history, climate-related risk & Proptech businesses to talking about legal wild camping & waxing lyrical about the incredible benefits of being in nature & escaping to the middle of nowhere.

For those that have got to know me over the last decade, you will know that the only way I survived as a 20-something entrepreneur (learning on the fly to build what became such a brilliant business in Terrafirma), was to disappear into the mountains for 24 or 48 hours. Phone off, the team knew I had gone dark & not to bother me.

It was these escapes that provided invaluable time for reflection & presence of mind, I always returned recharged.

When I left Dye & Durham (who acquired Terrafirma in 2021) last year, I didn't rest a second. The relentless energy & passion that had carried me most of my life had found a new focal point - building, then enabling the experience I had needed to detox in nature, in the wild.

Fast forward 12 months & in just a couple of days’ time, my new eco-adventure project – CampWild – will be going live and I cannot tell you how excited I am.

It’s taken a huge amount of work to get where we are; getting out to visit wilder campsites in all corners of the UK, meeting landowners to discuss unlocking their land and creating Wild Spaces, as well as actually developing the member platform and app. However, in a matter of days - on Thursday 27th July?- the idea becomes a reality.

I never give myself anytime to reflect on what has led me to this point. It’s not often something I talk about, but there was one genuinely pivotal moment that changed my outlook and I suppose has ultimately led me to launching CampWild & aspiring to create this vast network of Wild Spaces.

Some of you will be aware of this, the majority will not be. In January 2016 my sister, Katie, left for work however before reaching her destination, her car lost control on black ice and she was critically injured in a near-fatal road traffic collision.?She was airlifted to Derriford Hospital by the Devon Air Ambulance, and following her determined and remarkable recovery - honestly, she is a superhero - I was inspired to raise funds for the Air Ambulance organisation.?

Experiencing my sister’s accident from the side of her bed meant that I had a first-hand view of the incredible support offered by everyone involved in both saving her life and returning her to the amazing woman she is. I was in awe of Devon Air Ambulance; these were the heroes I wanted to give something back to. Combined with an innate love for the outdoors, I set out on my own 'Walk Wild UK' challenge.

This challenge saw me walk the length, and height, of all 15 UK National Parks in just one year, spanning several hundred miles and several thousand metres in elevation. The stand-out moment was becoming the first ever solo & adult Ten Tors challenger – a gruelling 55-mile route, run by the Army, where I walked more than 69 miles in 36 hours. Exhausting but totally worth it!

This challenge opened my eyes to the emotional, physical & mental value of our wild places on our wellbeing. It became my escape & helped me through some tough times as Terrafirma & my own little family grew.

The appreciation I gained from this period of my life really did lead to the passion that I am now able to put into this project. CampWild has so much promise and am genuinely excited by what the future holds.?

A core part of CampWild is to build a vast network of ‘Wild Spaces’ across the UK, unlocking previously inaccessible, private land, to create permitted & legal wild camping experiences. But there is a deeper underlying mission here, to enable everyone no matter where or who they are, to access their own space in nature. A space that provides clarity of thought, reconnection, grounding, solitude & adventure.

With the project's launch this week comes an entirely new chapter of my life. One that now has little ones in it, who get to watch their dad blend work with lifestyle & hopefully grow up with the same love I have for the outdoors & protecting our wild spaces.

Don't get me wrong, I have worked hard to get to this point but I am also so fortunate to be able to invest my time & energy into something that means so much to me & so many others. Watch this space over the next few days as we launch CampWild & hopefully change the shape of eco-adventure & UK camping recreation forever.

www.campwild.uk

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PS. I am not done with Geology & Earth Sciences... plans are afoot to mash together my two passions in life, don't you worry!