Living Adventurously: Midweek Microadventure

This summer has been a strange one. Trying to live adventurously amidst a global health crisis has had its challenges. Not knowing when, if, or how far we will be able to travel has put a number of constraints on how we pursue adventure. It hasn’t been easy. The midweek microadventure has been my answer.

Yet, adventure isn’t a thing, it’s a feeling. It’s a massive misconception that you need to travel half way around the world to do something epic for it to be considered an adventure. It couldn’t be more wrong. How it makes you feel is so much more important than what it is you’re doing.

I’ve been spending my summer roaming home, exploring what the UK has to offer & pursuing adventure much closer to home. I really haven’t felt the need to take much time off work recently – working from home has allowed me to find a healthy work-life balance. The summer days have been long enough to spend 7-8 hours working & 7-8 hours pursuing my hobbies without any time wasted commuting. Pursing midweek microadventure has ultimately led to me coping with & feeling more satisfied with the current situation.

Midweek microadventure aren’t the big, long, epic adventures which require extensive planning, investment or time off work. These are the little things that break up the week, these are after work evening adventures. They’re about making the 5-9 count for more.

Those who follow my social media channels have probably seen photos taken at ungodly hours during the week & probably been wondering ‘what on earth is he doing up there at this time on a Wednesday?!’. Well, quite simply, living the life I love is the answer to that.

Why wait till the weekend? Who says I can’t go and camp on the top of a hill & watch the sunrise?

I’ve had quite a lot of midweek microdventure this summer – whether it’s a mountain bike & bivvy night, or just a walk with my tent. Camping on the hill, watching the sunset and rise is one of life’s simpler pleasures – it’s one of the main reasons I choose to wildcamp.

Riding bikes is what makes me feel most alive. My days and weeks are planned around it. I also love nothing more than the simplicity of heading out for a night in the hills. I find there is something really quite captivating about sleeping beneath the stars – heading outside with anticipation, leaving the comfort of home behind. Heading into the wilderness, fuelled only by a spirit of adventure.

I see camping as a way to prolong an adventure, to be self-sufficient, to push myself out the comfort zone and travel that much further under my own steam. As much as I love bikepacking and the ‘big’ adventures, it’s nice to slow down sometimes, focussing less on getting from A to B and just enjoying being present. I like to walk up into the hills with my tent & simply enjoy the vistas, enjoying living my 5-9 to the fullest.

Obviously sometimes the whole idea of walking bores me & I feel obliged to take my bike, ahead of a white knuckle, early morning descent. I mean, who wants to walk down a mountain when you can ride a bike down it?!

Heading out on the pursuit of adventure during the week is exciting, it feels like you’re breaking the rules. Truth is, the only rules are the ones we convince ourselves of. I don’t enjoy spending hours in front of the telly, nor am I big socialite. I don’t like to spend my time on things that don’t keep my mind busy. Maybe it’s a mind-set thing; I can’t stand the phrase ‘I’d like to do that’, once you shift towards ‘I’m going to make a plan to do that’, it’s a game changer. Sometimes just saying yes & getting outside is the right answer.

A night outside on the hill does wonders for mental wellbeing. Midweek microadventures are a fantastic way of breaking up weekly monotony, scratching the adventure itch & living adventurously. Adventure is a lifestyle & a way of living, it never stops. But again, it’s not what you do that defines an adventure, it’s how what you do makes you feel. Sometimes it’s a simple as just being outside gives me that sense of escapism that I crave from adventure.

Perhaps it is the little things that make the difference. I’ve also got a few ideas & tips that may help with planning a midweek microadventure – hopefully this is both inspiring and informative.