In February this year, I turned 50. I didn’t want a big party, but I did want to celebrate. I decided to do 50 adventures with different friends and family. The restrictions I put on each challenge were that it had to be a new location and it had to be based around my local area.

One of my friends told me that it was all downhill from 50, but my view was the opposite; I felt like I was just getting started. The more I read about longevity and ageing, the more I realised you need to make exercise and strength training part of your weekly activities.

With all that in mind, I embarked on planning my adventures. It’s taken me 18 months, as I hadn’t appreciated that it was going to take quite so long to plan and do them!

There were some I planned, such as the Bothy trip to Knoydart with 8 of my friends, walking and swimming, or wild camping and climbing at Ardnammurchan Ring. As the word got out of my adventures, I started to get asked if I wanted to go out, such as sea cliff climbing at Cummingston Crags. Others just slotted in, such as the circumnavigation of the Isle of Seil in a St Ayles Skiff.

It’s also meant that I’ve had a lot of time out with my iPhone and camera and captured a lot of incredible moments. This week, I finished my last adventure, walking 30k around Loch Ness, and I’ve had time to reflect on my achievements.

One of my most striking observations is that getting out regularly, whether it’s up a mountain, in a skiff rowing or wild swimming, opens the opportunity for going to places that you wouldn’t have gone to before and being present to witness the natural world.

Charlotte Parkin

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