Adventure Bulletin December 2021
Hello everyone!
Well it’s nearly the end of the year. I hope that you’re finding time to reflect on this year’s adventures and plan for the next ones. Personally I find this last month of the year completely runs away and before I know it, it’s January. It’s been a crazy sort of 12 months: everything and nothing all at once. And for the first time since I was at school, I haven’t left the UK once - not even on a bicycle!
This month we’re talking all things outdoor swimming. Which can be enjoyed as much in icy winter as in hot summer… as we’ll be reading in the coming weeks.
And don’t forget for December only you can get Lifetime Membership or give it as a gift. Find out how here. This offer is open to everyone - and I’m not sure if we’ll ever run something like it again - so please spread the news far and wide.
Outdoor Swimming Spotlight
This month’s theme is outdoor swimming. Here’s a small splash in the huge outdoor swimming community.
Cath Pendleton became the first female to swim a mile inside the Antarctic Polar Circle and is the star of BBC Our Lives documentary The Merthyr Mermaid. More from Cath at merthyrmermaid.co.uk
Beth French swims oceans. She features in the documentary Against the Tides about her attempt to complete the Oceans 7 swim challenge. More from Beth on bethfrench.co.uk
Ella Foote is a journalist and swim teacher. She swims year round and has an Instagram to match. She’s also the contributing editor of Outdoor Swimmer magazine.
Winnie Poaty is a Congolese open water swimmer who learnt to swim as an adult and now swims outdoors all year around. Take a look at her Instagram.
Lindsey Cole has swum 120 miles of the River Thames in a mermaid tail and has cycled from Devon to Scotland, stopping to swim with strangers along the way. Read about all her adventures on lindseycole.co.uk
Sophie Etheridge is an adaptive athlete, aiming to inspire people to try open water swimming. This year she completed a two way swim of Windermere and has an active blog at sophie-adaptive-athlete.com
Sarah Thomas https://sarahthomasswims.com/blog-2/
outdoor swimming soc
Adventure News
Preet Chandi is doing daily updates on Instagram from her expedition in Antarctica. Well worth following.
Lucy Shepherd is back from her Amazon Uncharted expedition in Guyana. Here’s an interview with Sky News.
Erin Bastian, Jen Cullom, Emily Woodason and Janette “JP” Potgieter of One Ocean Crew are about to start their 3000 mile row. Read our recent interview with them if you missed it and head here for updates and dot watching.
Women with Altitude is an exhibition running in London, celebrating 100 years of the Pinnacle Club. It’s free to visit and running until 7th January. More here.
The winners of the Bikepacking.com Ultra Distance Scholarships have been announced. Read about their planned cycling adventures here.
Book of the Month
This month, we’re doing a review of all the great books already in our library. As a member you can read:
Rundinavia by Sophie Roonie
Coasting by Elise Downing
Wanderers: A History of Women Walking by Kerri Andrews
Uncoiling the Ropes by Clare Sheridan
With a Little Dash of Crazy by Nikki Love
All the Tors by EP Woodhouse
To Live by Elisabeth Revol
Take it all on Board by Kate Mumac
Unlost by Gail Muller
Life Lessons from the Amazon by Pip Stewart
Go Far by Jennifer Strong McConachie
Ignore the Fear by Fiona Quinn
Following Nellie Bly by Rosemary Brown
Cycling to the South Pole by Maria Leijerstam
And not to mention digital copies of all 12 print editions of Intrepid Magazine, clocking in at just under 100 pages of A4 each. That’s a heck tonne of reading to see you into the new year!
Not got access yet? You can become a member like normal or take advantage of the lifetime membership offer (closes 1st Jan 2022).
To Watch
Anna Blackwell, Sophie Nolan and Carry Rambausek feature in the short film The Wild Girls’ Club, about their expedition in Sarek National Park. A refreshing take on adventure for fun.
Alice Keegan has made her first YouTube video here of a two day hiking and swimming trip in the Lake District.
In case you have access, Expedition with Steve Backshall is back for Season 2, featuring Sal Montgomery in Episode 1: Kamchatka. (It’s on UKTV Dave but may be elsewhere too!)
Laura Try has released a film about rowing across an ocean. A real eye opener, without glossing over the grimmer bits! Watch it here.
To Read
Sophie Etheridge (mentioned above) writes openly about how being hit by a car on the way to triathlon training changed her life and her 10 year journey to present day. Read it here.
Sabrina Krabbenhoeft tells the story of running across Fuerteventura (in German and English). Thanks to Al Humphreys for sharing this one.
Lien Santermans tells her story of hiking GR738 solo. Read it here. Lots more adventure stories on her blog too.
Kirrilee Bracht goes behind the scenes with Intrepid in Swimming Through Winter. Her more recent blogs on swimmingthroughwinter.weebly.com document her cancer journey and her swimming.
Katie Maggs write about swimming for recovery in Tonic of the Sea.
Opportunities & Gear Testing!
Mountain Equipment are looking for a Women’s Fit model for size 18 and 20. Find out more here.
Adventure Queens Grant is still open for someone on their first big adventure.
And from inside the community…
Team mates: ski alpisme and desert expedition.
Gear: Bamboo Socks, bike commuting, books.
I’m also very keen to help members to source gear for upcoming expeditions and we’re taking requests for your favourite brands, for me to approach about discount codes.
Aaaand that’s the final adventure bulletin of the year. Thanks to everyone who has been doing adventures and sharing their stories with the world. Remember, if you’d ever like to be featured - or even just a cheeky share to our social media followers - just tag @intrepid_advmag.
Stay intrepid,
Emily