What is this niche blog about?
When I decided to start writing a blog, I wanted to write about one of my greatest passions – walking in the hills and moorlands of the UK. What I didn’t know was that there were already plenty of blogs about walking and hiking and most are quite interesting! So I thought some more and decided to put a very different slant on my blog – instead of talking about walking and hiking I will take you on a journey with a big difference. Parts of the journey will be physical as we wonder around one particular National Park and part of it will be a journey of life changing transformation (more in a moment).
And I will try to be really clever by dishing out all those useful walking titbits at the appropriate time along the route of our journey – plenty of real time practical application to help you learn the walking ropes. I guess a marketing expert would say that I had a niche idea to blog about.
So where does this journey begin and what is the transformational bit? The starting point is the easy bit. My wife, Carol, and I have just moved to the heart of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and that is where the physical journey begins and where most of it will take place. It is an absolutely gorgeous part of the world and we are spoilt by having rolling hills and a stunning coastline to explore, but more of that another day. We are ‘townies’ by birth and upbringing and so the transformation bit of the journey is where we turn ourselves into countryside people by learning about how to live in the countryside and what the countryside is all about. Perhaps we should call this blog ‘The 365 daftest questions a towny ever wanted to ask someone who lived in the country but was too embarrassed to ask.’ Where and when does the journey end? I don’t actually know!
I should also point out that Carol and I barely know one end of a cow from the other and we never gave in to our three now-grown-up-and-gone kids to have pets as we didn’t like smelly animals! So we really are starting off at the basic level and the journey promises to be fun.
And who out there might be interested in this blog?
If you are stuck in any one of the towns and cities in the UK but really yearn to get out into the country and enjoy it, then this blog will be for you. Let us be your eyes and ears and your mouthpiece for asking those questions you always wanted to ask.
And if you want to get into walking and pick up the hints and tips to make you a safe and competent walker then this blog is definitely for you as well. I will throw in plenty of skills, ‘top 10’s’ and advice on getting started, route planning, navigation and the essential tools, clothing, what you should carry with you, the impact of weather and what to do when the unexpected happens. I’ll also throw in a few little exercises you can practise even while you are strolling around the town or at work. And my first piece of advice – (TIP#1) – the best way to enjoy the countryside is on foot and remember its your own journey and should be undertaken at your own pace. Don’t let anyone else rush you.’
And if you want to get to know Pembrokeshire this is definitely the right place for you. The routes, the pictures and the people you will meet all come from here.
And finally, if you are just curious about why someone wants to move to the country and write a blog and how on earth he can hope to pull together this ‘journey’, then read on.
I will blog about three times a week and as the journey progresses I hope you will fire in any questions you might want me to ask the locals about: so we can learn together.
Come on join us and see what happens.