A Love Letter To Adventure

I wasn’t a very outdoorsy kid. I grew up with a dad who rode motorbikes, once hitchhiked from Stockport to London, happily naps in fields, and will camp on the side of the road without thinking twice. And a mum who, to put it simply, is deeply afraid of the sea. So as a family, we mostly did whatever made Mum feel comfortable — which meant absolutely no tents, and nothing remotely wild.

But when I left home at eighteen and went to university, something shifted. Without my parents’ routines or expectations, I felt true freedom for the first time. I realised how much I needed to explore — indoors, outdoors, anywhere my curiosity led. I’d always been that kind of kid anyway: the one with more hobbies than anyone could keep track of. Off-road motorbiking, trampolining, horse riding… the full spectrum. And somewhere along the way, I started to notice how being curious — and ending up in nature because of it — was quietly transforming me.

As an anxious young adult, I never connected the dots at the time. I didn’t know that the things I loved most were the ones that helped me feel steady, grounded, and more like myself. By the time I reached my thirties, the usual rollercoaster of relationships and heartbreaks had arrived. And in the chaos, I felt pulled toward something new — or maybe something I’d been circling for years without realising. A way back to myself. A way to heal with intention this time. That “something” turned out to be surfing.

Chasing waves lit a spark in me that I think my dad always recognised. I probably did too, but I didn’t yet know how to name it. Neither of us knew it would become a lifeline — in the gentlest, most beautiful way. A pause. An escape. A place to understand myself.

Now we compare notes on his long motorbike tours across Europe and my latest escapades: training for a half-marathon, surfing for three hours straight, or losing feeling in my hands in freezing water because the waves were too good to leave.

Lately, in real life and online, I’m surrounded by a wave of incredible women rediscovering their curiosity. It makes me beam. There’s something so powerful about watching someone reconnect with a new (or long-dormant) part of themselves. And if you’ve been wondering about trying something new? Consider this your sign.

I recently became “a woman who runs.” I couldn’t break 2km for weeks… until one day, I did. Teaching my body something brand new feels like its own little adventure — done purely for the joy of it.

The truth is, as we get older, we get comfortable. Comfort is warm. Familiarity feels like that one pair of worn-through socks you can’t throw out. Why push past what you already know?

But learning new things takes curiosity and bravery — and age has nothing to do with whether we’re allowed to try. If you’re in your 60s and want to learn to surf? That, to me, is the coolest thing in the world. And my guess is you’ll feel a kind of accomplishment you’ve never been able to put into words before.

So don’t stop learning. Don’t stop unlocking the parts of yourself that want to stretch, grow, and feel alive. Don’t stop chasing adventure — in whatever form it shows up.