By Guest Blogger Sebastian Solberg

I was very fortunate to grow up in the beautiful countryside of New Zealand, surrounded by nature and water. Growing up I was very active exploring and was always the wilderness with friends and family! However I then moved to London at age 19 to pursue a career in the film industry. I’ve now been living in England for 5 years and it took me a year or two to really appreciate how important exploration and adventure is to the human spirit especially when living in the big city!

At the start of this year I first heard about microadventures from the creator Alastair Humphreys. The idea behind the concept is that you can go on an adventure this weekend or tonight. You don’t have to wait for your next yearly holiday. It doesn’t have to be expensive, well planned or far away. It’s about ‘just doing it’ and exploring new places and environments that are close to home. You do it in small chunks and do it often. It means anybody can do it as there’s no excuse that you don’t have time time or you you’re not experience enough.

It could be a local park, forest or beach. It can be a train, bus or car ride away – it doesn’t have to be far away or overseas. One of my favourite spots to go on a microadventures to is Richmond Park. Whenever I’m feeling unbalanced, frustrated and unfocused I go there be re-energised, inspired and motivated! It’s where I feel most at home when in London and I love exploring all it’s nooks and crannies and capturing it’s beauty so I can share it with others. When I first discovered it I couldn’t quite believe that it was situated in England, let alone London. It’s a slice of paradise and without it, I honestly don’t think I could live in London.

Another of my favourite microadventure places to visit is Devon. For me this is the place in England that’s most like Auckland, which is where I grew up in New Zealand. It has beautiful beaches, friendly open people and stunning forests and rivers! I just love it and every time I go there I have the most amazing time!

I decided to put together a video of my latest microadventure to Devon to inspire anybody who, like me, craves adventure but doesn’t necessary always have the time to go abroad. So here it is my microadventure:

I hope you enjoyed my microadventure vlog and it motivates you to go on your own! It would be great to hear about any microadventures that you’ve been on or have planned.

Also if you’ve got any microadventure tips – let me know in the comment section below or on twitter using the hastag #microadventuretips!

The post Why You Need To Go On A Microadventure appeared first on XpatMatt.

Images and text by Mark Whitman

Climbing Kilimanjaro is definitely an adventure, but I’ve never personally looked at it that way.

Thousands flock to Tanzania every year with the sole purpose of attempting to reach what many colloquially call the Roof of Africa. Standing at 19,341 feet (5,895 meters), Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain on the African continent and the tallest non-massif (free-standing) mountain in the world.

The mountain’s popularity among hikers can be attributed to its Seven Summit status and the fact that it’s a non-technical climb. This means that anyone at (nearly) any age can climb Kilimanjaro. Fitness and physical ability are also more flexible than on many other climbs. Canadian couple Esther and Martin Kafer reached the summit at the ripe old ages of 84 and 85, while armless and legless Kyle Maynard crawled to the top of Kilimanjaro unassisted in 2012.

Compared to these extraordinary feats, I’ve never felt that my young, able-bodied experiences on Kilimanjaro were very adventurous.

It then dawned on me, recently, that I had indeed been part of a Kilimanjaro experience similar to those described above.

My first experience on Kilimanjaro was with a childhood mate who had suffered from partial sightedness for most of his life.

When I first met Brad, we were both normal seven year old kids. I took to his adventurous playground antics and we quickly became friends. The first two years of our friendship were like those of any two boys.

Then one day Brad started complaining about his eyesight. He struggled to keep up with us in sports and couldn’t see the whiteboard in class. He soon moved to a new ‘special’ school. Brad had a condition called macular degeneration. His central vision had deteriorated to 10% of a normal person’s eyesight and his peripheral vision was impaired.

He was effectively blind.

His condition never broke his spirit, though, and despite his awful eyesight he continued to play squash, golf, and snooker (and excelled in the latter).

Over the years we went on a number of sailing and climbing adventures.

Brad went pushed himself extra hard to succeed at activities that people with perfect eyesight would struggle to excel in and, over time, this made me forget just how limited his sight was. His determination to be active and ‘normal’ made me discount his disability and assume he could do anything that he wanted to.

So, when Brad told me he wanted to climb Kilimanjaro I was game.

At the time I was living in London and he in South Africa, so we met in Nairobi and flew together to Kilimanjaro International Airport.

In Moshi we got our first glimpse of the awe-inspiring Mount Kilimanjaro. Seeing any great mountain for the first time and realizing that you plan to drag yourself to the top of it is a frightening and seductive feeling.

We began our trek the following day following the popular Mâchame route that sojourns through dense tropical rainforest. The paths on Kilimanjaro are surprisingly good and make for relatively easy going hiking.

The biggest challenge is the altitude. The human body is not meant to function at extreme altitudes and responds to the unfriendly environment in various ways, starting with mild headaches that can turn into severe migraines and nausea.

As you climb in altitude the air pressure drops lowering the air density and reducing the number of oxygen molecules available per breath. At around 12,000 feet (3,600 meters) there are approximately 40% fewer oxygen molecules per breath than at sea level. The human body is able to acclimatize to this change, but it does so slowly.

Unfortunately, Kili doesn’t give the average trekker much time to acclimatize. So, the onset of mild or moderate Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is common and summit success rates are relatively low on certain routes. Death from severe AMS and its Edema complications also occur on Kilimanjaro.

Like most sane trekkers, Brad and I had valued our lives more than making it to the summit, but we were prepared ourselves to endure mild headaches and even vomiting (fortunately the latter never happened).

I was the first to come down with AMS symptoms on day four. Brad, despite his eyesight, had been having an easy time on the climb.

We reached the summit base camp, Barafu (which means ice in Swahili). As the name implies, it is not warm on the exposed plateau, which sits at 4,600 meters. Nausea had overcome me and I stopped eating. Brad smugly ate my dinner while all I could do was watch and try not to vomit.
That evening we prepared for the final push. We would be woken at 23:45 to begin our summit assault on the slopes of Kibo. A gale force wind blew all night long, making sleep impossible. We thought that that surely no one in their right mind would try summit in this wind.

We were wrong. Wind or no wind, we were pushing on. The good news was that I was feeling a lot better. Apparently starvation and sleep deprivation help to alleviate altitude sickness (though I wouldn’t recommend trying it).

Brad had taken a turn for the worse. Half way up Kibo started complaining that his heart was beating rapidly. Like a good manly friend, I ignored his complaints and continued to kick his ass up the winding slope, majestically flattened at a crater rim to reveal the sub-summit milestone, Stellar Point.

Many people stop here, exhausted and and defeated when they realise that they have to complete another hour’s trek around the crater to Uhuru Peak and the summit of Kilimanjaro.

Brad nearly joined the ranks of those who pack it in at Stellar, but after a cup of hot chocolate his spirits brightened and, as the morning sun rose out of the African landscape, we continued on toward the summit.

After 5 days of trekking, headaches, long drops. and baby-wipe baths, the feeling of reaching the summit is sublime however short lived. A few congratulatory high fives and customary photos are standard; however, the knowledge of richer air waiting below makes departure from the summit even sweeter.

Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano. The main peak, Uhuru, is adorned with large receding glaciers that have left the slopes covered with fine volcanic glacial scree. Descent on the upper regions can effectively be done by sliding snowboard-style down the scree to base camp where the landscapes becomes rocky again.

The problem with fine glacial scree — as I learned in the worst possible way — is that it becomes easily lodged in one’s eye. By the time I reached Barafu my right eye was partially closed and left eye was completely shut.

I fell asleep exhausted and partially blind. How the tables had turned!

The following morning Brad, with 10% vision, helped me down the final stretches of Mount Kilimanjaro and for the first time in 20 years of knowing him I got a small glimpse of the challenges he faces living with limited eye site.

To climb Kilimanjaro is a great feat, but it was only on our final day as we left the trailhead for of Kilimanjaro l gained a deep respect the extraordinary determination and spirit that my friend had to develop to overcome his limited vision and a life that I, with normal vision, take for granted.

Have any questions about climbing Kilimanjaro? Just comment comment below and Mark will  be happy answer them.

The post Climbing Kilimanjaro Through New Eyes appeared first on XpatMatt.

By Anne-Marie Weeden

As the raft bucked underneath us, a cool spray from the churning white water all around us hit me straight in the face. I held on fast and instinctively slid deeper into the boat, trying not to lose my paddle in the process. This was one of the last rapids of the day and we were determined not to flip.

Suddenly, we seemed to be lacking any forward propulsion. The raft, and all its occupants, had been lifted up onto a standing wave, and for one incredible moment we surfed the River Nile, neither moving forwards nor sideways, momentarily standing still on top of our very own cushion of white water. It lasted a second or two at most, before our river guide plunged his paddle deep into the wave beneath him and launched us downstream towards calmer waters.

I was on an adventure safari in Uganda and had boldly agreed to go white water rafting on the Nile River. A veritable smorgasbord of adventure activities has developed around its source. Here, near a town called Jinja, the Nile empties out of Lake Victoria to start its 4,000 mile journey north to the Mediterranean, just as intrepid tourists empty out of safari vehicles to sample some of the adrenalin-fuelled excitement on offer. World class kayaking, white water rafting, stand up paddle-boarding and jet-boats are just some of the ways to explore this body of water. Back on dry land, the opportunities continue, with a variety of operators offering adventure activities such as quad bike safaris, horseback safaris, bungee jumping and mountain biking.

You could spend a week on safari here enjoying the adventure activities on offer, but we only had one day. So we signed up for rafting and were quickly assigned our river guide, named Jeremy. Before we set out, we tentatively asked him what the chances of us ‘flipping’ the raft were.

“As long as you do exactly what I say, exactly when I say it, there should be no problem”, he laughed.

It turned out, that was easier said than done. We paddled left and right when instructed, paddled hard on command, and all crouched down low in the boat when asked to ‘Get Down!’. But for many of us, it was our first time rafting, and it showed. Paddles clashed and clanged together as our strokes slipped out of synch, and at one point, someone had to be quietly advised that he was holding his paddle back to front. It seemed like we were not rafting naturals.

But, rapid by rapid, with Jeremy coaching and cajoling us from the rear, we somehow made it through. We bounced our way down ‘Overtime’, a grade 5 monster of a rapid, paddled hard through ‘Retrospect’ and the intriguingly-named ‘Super Hole’, portaged our rafts around the daunting sight of the grade 6 ‘Itanda Falls’ (quite simply too much ‘big water’, as they say in the adventure safari business, to raft commercially), and somehow made it through The Bad Place (I am not ashamed to say I shut my eyes). By the time we reached Kulu Shaker, the rapid of standing wave fame, our squeals and screams had become whoops of adrenalin, our paddles had found a common pace, cutting deep through the water to position ourselves for just the right course down each rapid. Suddenly we found ourselves in tune with the river, and each other.

In between the torrents of white water, the Nile meandered slowly, broad between its banks and overlooked by Cormorants and Fish Eagles. Here and there we spotted more wildlife  – a large Nile monitor lizard sunning itself on some rocks, and a flash of chestnut fur as Red-tailed monkeys moved through the trees. Children waved, as they bathed in the shallows of this, the longest river in the world, and for a moment we felt like true adventurers.

 Photo’s Courtesy Nalubale Rafting

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Queensland‘s weather is iconic and known the world over for being beautiful one day and perfect the next. The climate is sub-tropical which means tourists and visitors are treated to gorgeous weather throughout the year, including during the winter months when the water temperature barely dips below 15 degrees Celsius.

The Gold Coast and Surfing

The Gold Coast is home to a 70km stretch of coastline. That includes epic point breaks, patrolled beaches, and active surf schools. It’s a fantastic place to learn to surf and there are plenty of surf schools to help you get started. Many of the surf schools promote their ability to get you standing on your very first lesson thanks to their experienced and friendly accredited teachers.

Many of the beaches offer perfect conditions for beginner and professional surfers alike, as the winds and easterly swells serve up one- to two-foot swells weekly.

The rest of the time favorable conditions are offered across the area and most have uncrowded waves so you can enjoy more of your time in the water.

Local’s Favorite Beaches

According to the locals, some beaches are better to frequent based on their surfing conditions, parking, crowds, and point breaks. The beaches which are said to deliver constant ideal conditions for wave catching include: The Spit, Palm Beach, Currumbin Alley, Snapper Rocks, Cudgen Reef and The Other Side.

Arguably the most famous beach for waves is Surfers Paradise Beach. It is an iconic and legendary beach that is a melting pot of locals, tourists, shopping, grand high-rise residences, and deluxe hotel accommodation.

The location boasts access from the retail district straight onto a white sandy beach front that is frequented by winning surf schools and patrolled nearly 365 days a year by committed lifeguards.

It is interesting to note that Virgin Australia even named one of it’s Boeing 737s after this beach.

Safety is key

Water safety is a big focus for local authorities and it is important that you check out what precautions are on offer for each location you wish to explore.

Coastal Watch is an excellent website to visit for real-time videos and information on surf reports, forecasts, news and event information. You can also visit Information Centers to find a list of patrolled beaches on the Gold Coast.

Surfing competitions also feature strongly across the Gold Coast as they dish up premium conditions month after month. Head to the Surfing Queensland website to see the list of organised events, which is not only fantastic weekend entertainment but essential for learning some tips and tricks from the pros.

The best surfing beaches

Snapper Rocks

This beach is home to the legendary ‘super-bank’ – an open stretch which is said to have the world’s longest waves which includes a reported 1.97km wave opening at Snapper Rocks before closing down at Kirra!

Rolling sets come in and encourage the pros and budding surfers to crowd the barrels in hopes of the perfect wave. It is so popular that it hosts the Roxy Pro and Quicksilver Pro competition each year.

Currumbin Alley

This beach enjoys a gorgeous backdrop perfect for postcard photos complete with surfing enthusiasts. It is one of the most popular beaches along the 70km strip by tourists, locals, beginners and pros.

According to surf schools which operate from this location, it is one of the safest and easiest locations to learn to surf on the Gold Coast. It has gentle, sand bottom waves ideal for a first time surfer learning to perfect their turning and duck-diving.

Cudgen Reef

This beach is situated just over the NSW border. It is one of the only reef breaks you can access via the beach on the Gold Coast.

Solid fast right waves form here on the reef and off the creek mouth along the adjacent beach. The height and turn of the waves depends on the shape and position of the sand wave. It is considered a spot for professional and competent surfers only.

The Whole Story

Whilst the Gold Coast is known throughout Australia and the world as having some of the best surfing beaches, it is not always perfect.

Due to changes in environmental and weather conditions some beaches are suffering. Due to a decision to extend the sea walls near the Tweed River mouth The Tweed River Entrance Sand Bypassing Project was commissioned in 2001.

Workers continue to remove sand accumulating at Letitia Spit and pump it north to Gold Coast beaches which have been without the natural northbound flow of sand for three decades.

It is everyone’s job to keep the beaches healthy and make sure the Gold Coast continues to be a surfing paradise for generations to come.

The post The Gold Coast: A Surfer’s Paradise appeared first on XpatMatt.

Every year more and more people are learning how to scuba dive and discovering the glorious feeling of sinking beneath the waves at some of the world’s most pristine dive sites. Nothing quite comes close to the experience of scuba diving because it allows you to explore a completely different world than that which is experienced on land.

The idea of taking scuba diving lessons, the process may seem a bit intimidating, but it shouldn’t be. To set your mind at ease, read on to learn what it’s like to go through a scuba diving course for the first time. If you already decided that you want to learn how to dive you might want to start looking for a dive center that suits your needs.

How Long Will it Take Me to Take the PADI Open Water Course?

In most cases, the course is taught in 3.5 to 4 days. Some people need a bit more time than others to get comfortable in the water. However, if you complete the theory portion of the course online via PADI eLearning you may be able to finish the course in just 2.5 days.

You may also prefer to take the course as a part-time student but, in that case, it could take you weeks or even months to complete.

What is a Discover Scuba Diving Course?

The Discover Scuba Diving course is a 1 day course designed to allow beginners interested in diving to experience the sport for the first time without having to complete the entire Open Water course. Under the direct supervision of a professional scuba dive instructor, you’ll learn how it is to breath underwater.

The discover scuba dive class does not certify you as a scuba diver, but is meant to give you an idea of what scuba diving is like so that you can decide if you like it enough to invest in the Open Water course.

If you’re at least 10 years old you can enroll in a Discover Scuba Diving class. You’ll begin with basic classroom instruction to give you some background knowledge about scuba diving. In this theory session you will learn more about what pressure does to the human body underwater and you will learn the basics about how scuba gear works.

As soon as you have finished the theory you will head for the open water to make an actual dive up to a maximum depth of 40ft/12m under the direct supervision of an instructor.

What You’ll Learn During a PADI Open Water Course

When you start the Open Water Course, you will learn all the basic skills you will need to know in order to go diving when ever you want. When you are a certified open water diver a dive master or instructor will not supervise you, therefore you will be thought to dive safe to a maximum depth of 60ft/18m with a dive buddy.

What will you learn during the course?

• How to get rid of water that has leaked into your mask
• How to recover your regulator (mouthpiece) if it somehow comes out of your mouth
• How to control your buoyancy
• How to share air with another diver

There are many more skills you will learn. All skills focus on teaching you how to become a safe diver and how to solve any problems that may occur when diving.

Taking the PADI Open Water Course

Using books and videos, you’ll study independently, online, or with the help of an instructor.
These materials will teach you the basics about diving, as well as how to select proper diving equipment, how to care for diving equipment, how diving affects your body, and safety measures that must be taken during each dive.

You’ll also be introduced to what you’ll be learning in the water ahead of time so that you’ll know what to expect. After you’ve completed the knowledge section of the course, (which are mostly done in class rooms) you’ll move on to actually performing your first dives in the confined water training segment of the course.

According to PADI, confined water means; an open water site that offers swimming-pool-like conditions with respect to clarity, calmness, and depth.

Lets Dive!

When it is time to go diving you will go to either a swimming pool or a calm cove or lagoon that has similar conditions to a swimming pool.

You’ll begin to practice the exercises in shallow confined water before moving into deeper water so that the learning process is gradual enough that you retain everything you learn.

Once you’re confident and able to complete the confined water section of the course, you will be able to go for your very first real dive in open water.

In the open ocean or a large body of water, and with the guidance of your instructors, you’ll put all of the skills you’ve learned to the test over the course of four or more dives. Once you successfully complete these dives, you’ll be a certified open water diver.

The post Learning How to Scuba Dive: What to Expect appeared first on XpatMatt.

By Clare Dyckhoff

What do you look for when you traveling? Is it the nearest beach, the warmest sea, the best place with the largest selection of adventure sports? If you’re an adrenaline junkie with a burning desire for all things all active and fun then you may be interested in my tale about paragliding in Turkey.

My family and I have visited Ölüdeniz in Turkey twice now and we still cannot get enough. Literally translated as ‘Blue Lagoon’, Ölüdeniz is a stunning sight for anyone wanting time to relax and meet some fantastic people.

I’ve always been one for activities abroad, trekking up mountains in Peru, climbing hundreds of stairs to get to the top of an Irish tower, and my family is no different.

Befriending the local paragliding company, my Dad and brother showed no hesitation to signing up to go up the rickety roads toward the top of the mountain in a truck that barely fitted on the width lacking tracks. Pretty soon my Mum, sister, Grandparents and I were all stood filming and ‘whooping’ as they descended to the ground, unscathed (unlike a parasailing incident I had a few years before- a story for another time), and we soon moved on toward the bar. A week and a half of walking past the owner of the company, Ahmed, and lots of “you know you want to go paragliding, Clare!” later, I had signed up, alongside my then 86 year old Granddad, to go paragliding the next day.

We made it up the rickety, death-potential roads and were soon stood on top of the mountain we were about to jump off: “Clare, you’re with Ergin”, the company leader bellowed across the scenic surroundings to me. Before it emerged that I’d been paired with the youngest, dare-devil pilot, and before I could look across to my Granddad who was tied to another pilot, the words “RUN RUN RUN” were being commanded at me….it’s strange, when someone tells you to run, your legs temporarily refuse to, but soon enough we were swooping high above the most incredible bird’s eye view of Ölüdeniz that I had seen.

Lucky for me I spent thirty minutes in the air doing loop-the-loops and downward spirals that sent me revitalized, but sent my mother watching, on a spiraling downturn of worry and anxiety for my safety. She never did enjoy rollercoasters.

Paragliding in Turkey is to day one of the best experiences I have been fortunate to have, and I never hesitate to look at the video and photographs of the event just to remind myself how much fun jumping off a cliff was. If everyone was jumping off a cliff would you do the same? Well my answer is yes, if it results in some fantastic photographs, views, and memories for a lover of all things fun and new.

The post Paragliding in Turkey appeared first on XpatMatt.

By Guest Blogger Christina Garcia of Travel 4 Wildlife

Silence

The morning sun warmed my face while the arctic wind cooled my lungs. We were advancing at a steady pace through remote trails and into the forest. There was no sound but the crunch of my dog team’s paws sinking in fresh snow as they pulled the sled. I was happy, feeling free from my ordinary life back home.

I’d always had a fixation on the idea of dog sledding in the Canadian wilderness, as well as a fixation on wolves. I dreamt of staying in little cabins and listening to the howl of wolves as night fell. But I was living in Europe and only had ten days of vacation time to work with. Searching for alternatives, I found the perfect trip much closer to home in Finland. However, I couldn’t find anyone to come with me (“It’s too cold!”) Sometimes you can’t wait for others to make their mind up. If you keep waiting, you might never do what you want to do. So I went by myself.

When I arrived at the secluded home northeast of Kuusamo I learned there would be five of us on the tour. We spent the first day learning how to harness the dogs and how to operate our sled.  The following morning we set off on a four-day safari into the Finnish wilderness.

Each day we drove the sleds for many hours covering distances of 20 to 57 miles. Each night we stopped at a remote wilderness cabin. We rode across frozen lakes, through pristine forests and we skirted the Russian border.  I could see Russia! We struggled up the hills and slid down the other side. All this just a few miles short of the Arctic Circle.

Our first night we stopped at a rustic cabin by a lake. It didn’t have electricity or running water or a bathroom. For water we had to drill a hole in the ice and scoop water from the lake. For a bathroom we had to walk to an outhouse in sub-zero temperatures. Perhaps this is why nobody wanted to come with me.  They must have read the fine print. Though I found I was glad to be by myself. It felt more intimate and liberating.

The first thing we did upon arriving at each cabin was to feed the dogs.  They deserved it. They had pushed and run like crazy to take us to all these places, though they never seemed tired. And each time they figured out it was time to go, they would start jumping and barking and howling in happiness.  These weren’t particularly big dogs; if they hadn’t been pulling me around these hilly forests I would have never guessed they were such strong sled dogs.

After feeding the dogs it was time for the humans to have their treat: a steam in the sauna and grilled sausages on the fire. After a long and tiring day on a sled, sausages never tasted so good, believe me.

By the end of the second day of our frozen safari I already knew my dog team well. I knew who was really pulling and who was trotting along. I knew when they needed to stop to answer nature’s call and I knew which ear they preferred to have rubbed. They accepted me and I became a part of their team.

It was our second afternoon on the trail when we realized something was different. The sky had a different color. It was very subtle, like a violet fog. The sun wasn’t shining as it had the day before. We didn’t put it all together until night fell and one of my tour mates looked out the window, “The Northern Lights!”

Stampede. We ran outside, waking up all the dogs and provoking a great concert of barks and howls and yaps. We looked up and the sky was turning green.

Walking into the darkness toward the middle of the lake, we laid on its frozen surface to admire the lights.  We felt such awe for the spectacle above us that we didn’t even notice our freezing backs or the icicles coming out of our noses. This was no time to feel cold. It was a time to realize how lucky we were to be alive and to witness this magical moment. The lights carried on their show for hours. They danced and sang for us. They changed costume from green to purple to red and back to green. It seemed as if the forest itself was on fire.

That night’s show was so incredible that it made the national news.  We were the lucky group of the season. It was the only night we saw them.  They came and went just like that.

On our last day we were heading back to the lodge when our host stopped his sled and signaled me to stop beside him. He then lead me 20 feet off our path, pointed at a set of tracks on the ground and smiled at me.

“There you have it. Your wolf.”

A lone wolf had crossed our path in front of us and disappeared into the pristine forest.

I looked into the forest and wondered if he was out there watching us. I couldn’t see him but I knew he was there. And that is all I wanted.

About the Guest Blogger

Cristina Garcia is a zoologist, wildlife photographer and co-founder of the travel website www.Travel4Wildlife.com where she writes about responsible wildlife tourism. Her travel memoir Dual Nature will be published in 2013.

Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ for more wildlife adventure!

The post A Frozen Safari: Dog Sledding in Finland appeared first on XpatMatt.

By Guest Blogger Jack Mauro

For a relatively small and flat land mass, the UK has a surprising amount of adventure activities. In the past I’ve covered cultural adventures, urban adventures in London, and coasteering in Lulworth Cove.

Today the question that I’m addressing is not “What exciting activities are there to do?”, it’s “How can I relax and soothe my sore muscles at the end of the day?”

The UK isn’t exactly known for its sunny beaches, so watching the sun set with a mai tai probably isn’t on the menu. When I lived in Taiwan, one of my favourite day-ending activities was a dip in the bathwater-warm ocean at sunset. Of course, you’re probably not going to try that in the UK either.

So, here are three ways to chill out after a long day of hard adventuring in the UK.

Soak in Some Natural Hot Springs

Image by Alun Salt

The UK isn’t the first place that you think of for hot springs, but there are several, in the southwest of the country, especially in the aptly named city of Bath, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its rich history.

The area is dotted with thermal springs, such as the outdoor springs at Taff’s Well, where you can relax your muscles after a long day of exploring the coastline, canoeing down the areas rivers, or spelunking in the region’s caves.

Hit a Spa for the Evening

Image by Lori Greig

If you’re not in the southwest, but are still looking for some hot water to help melt the knots in your muscles, then you’d best head for a spa. If you’re in Edinburough, you’d best head for the rooftop pool at the award-winning One Spa in the Sheraton.

Of course, that’s not your only option for spa days in the UK. Other great spots include Spa London and Thai Square Spa, both of which are in London.

Get a Massage

Image by  thomaswanhoff

If heat isn’t your treatment of choice, maybe you’d prefer a pair of able hands kneading the stress from your body. There are plenty of places to find a massage in London, but a few stand out. For a thai massage, you’d be wise to check out Thai London Therapy. If you’re on a budget, head to the London College of Beauty Therapy for a body massage. Massage schools are always great places for low-priced professional-quality massages. If price is not an option and you really want get fancy, then try out the ushvani hot oil treatment at the Ushavni Spa.

Of course, these aren’t the only ways to unwind after a hard day. I don’t mind hot springs, but I’m not crazy about them. I’m not much of a massage person either. I just prefer a pint at the pub.

How do you like to unwind after a long hard day?

Lead image by Thiago Martins

About the Guest Blogger

Jack Mauro writes about the food that he eats (the food you should be eating), the places he’s been (the places you should go) and the things he’s made (listen closely, he’ll tell you how to make them too).

The post Three Ways to Unwind in the UK appeared first on XpatMatt.

Guest post by Sloan Dorr

Patrick and I had picked up a fellow wanderluster at the Canadian boarder. Ha had translucent skin and was tall and skinnier than my pinky finger with long shaggy hair and a malt liquor habit. He’d ride a skateboard everywhere if he could, carries a pen and paper for his art, and is always waiting for a bone to heal, a cut to scab, or a bruise to lose its color. One of those guys that wears a wool hat in the summertime because he’s cold, not because he’s a hipster. His hands are always stained with ink because he can’t stop drawing charicatures. They’re crude, but really good.

We lent him a down jacket, fed him and learned that he had never explored the coast — never played in the Red Woods or viewed the mountains from another mountain. This was the trip where my Gypsy Family was born. I had recently quit my jobbecause it made me unhappy, tired, and fat. I flew west from Baltimore with no plans other than to wander sunny California and explore the redwoods of Oregon with my friend Patrick.

“Sloan. Sloan.” Patrick’s voice was serious but excited. We were thinking the same thing. He has to come. Ethan is coming to Yosemite; the Gypsy family is staying together and we’re backpacking Yosemite.

It was something we had been planning on doing with Patrick’s friends from San Diego. Ethan hadn’t been considered for the trip, but why not? Why not bring a kid that runs out of breath walking from the truck to the grocery store? His summer plans consisted of having no plans. He was wandering between friends houses and his mother’s boyfriend’s house—he didn’t feel welcome anywhere. None of us really did. We wanted to let him explore what we knew was out there, show him what it’s like to spend a few days with out his skateboard and cell phone and leave behind accusation. The trees wouldn’t judge him.

With out telling Ethan we silently planned on him coming. We made room for him in the truck and borrowed gear for his wandering, broke ass. We were traveling with Patrick the sales man, so we had to follow his backwards travel schedule. We headed up to Mount Hood for him to work and to do a pre-Yosemite trial run. We had a group of seven. Jumping over snow and wading through rivers to a waterfall left my Gypsy Brother exhausted. When he discovered we had hiked 4 miles in, he realized we had to hike 4 miles out.

The nervousness on his face showed through his thin lips. He didn’t crack another smile for hours. He pulled his hat down low over his eyes and rolled his shirt sleeves up. His thin arms swam in the sleeves of the black Volcom t-shirt. Head down, arms pumping, Ethan led the group. He rounded the corners and cut the switchbacks before anyone else, no one could keep up. His only companion was Otto, who had the advantage of four legs instead of our two. Towards the end we all caught up and saw the look of accomplishment and satisfaction in Ethan’s face.

At this point Ethan still had no idea of the plans we had for him. Ethan got a taste of it at Mount Hood, but had yet to fully experience it.

It; The vastness, amazingness, hugeness, and incredibleness of looking at a mountain and hiking over it, around it, or through it. Stepping back and realizing just how small you are and how big this world is. Realizing that you can do it, you can go that far.

Fast forward to the morning we woke in Yosemite—Ethan, climbed out of the back of the truck already complaining of the cold while our two other friends made coffee and examined the cheap map the park had given us. Our daypacks were packed full of half peanut butter sandwiches, Lara Bars, not enough water, and Coors that quickly warmed as our hike began to the Ten Lakes.

12 miles, 15 tops for a round trip hike you guys. Patrick assured us he could read the map. All our trust was in the idea that this 15 mile hike would be over in time to grill our steaks, make a pot of chili, and drink cold beers when we got back. Five hours after my first swallow of water we sat on a rock ledge and sipped our warm Coors, each holding the can up to match depcition of the mountain on the can with the real thing. It didn’t matter that we weren’t looking at the Rockies that were represented on the Coors can. The mountains in front of us were spectacular.

“Fucking sick man,” Ethan said under his breath, his Canadian accent barely audible. He was feeling it. I could see him forgetting about what he’d left behind in the city. He sees the world in front of him. He turned around and looked where we had come from and he faced forward and looked where we were going, what lay ahead for the rest of the day, for the rest of the summer, the year…

Another 6 hours passed. We were drunk with dehydration and dragging our feet while silently cursing the map-reader and his poor decisions. This 15-mile hike appeared to be closer to 30 miles. The map was tattered from all of us fingering it, trying to decide which way to go. We figured it would shortest to continue in the direction we were going. We’d hit a road eventually and be able to find our campsite from there. Thirty miles from camp with very little water and no food, Ethan started singing:

O Canada!

Our home and native land!

True patriot love in all thy sons command

Tired, hungry, thirsty and sick of being in the woods, Ethan did the only thing he could think of to lift our spirits, he sang. He sang a song that none of us knew and made us laugh when his voice cracked. He only knew the first few lines. Hours passed after the sun had set. We had two headlamps between five hikers. We continued singing: Christmas carols, 90’s pop, Backstreet Boys, folk songs, jingles from our favorite commercials… we began feeding off one another’s energy.

We also took turns feeling too weak to go on, too tired to care if we ever made it out, and sometimes so negative about the situation that we wanted to sit on a rock, pray we didn’t freeze to death, and sleep until the sun rose again. But then we’d remember how amazing the lakes looked and push on. Someone would bring up the fact that we had steak to grill upon return to the campsite, we had left cold beers in the cooler. Camp was near, we could taste it. We’d sing another song, a goofier, stupider song to get us around the next switch back. We were a team pushing through the night to make it out healthy and alive. Well, at least alive.

Ethan led us for many miles. His confidence from having discovered the wilderness and appreciating the beauty of nature pushed him forward. I watched him transform from a street kid with no ambition to a guy that wanted to learn about hiking shoes and why hikers wear wool socks instead of cotton.

I watched a kid begin to care about where he was in the world and what he was doing. The double miles of our hike made the beer that much colder and the steak that much more tender. After a full day day and half the night in the woods we sat down to a meal and reminisced about we had just done. We’d come full circle back to the campsite and were already laughing about what had just happened.

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All I can think about is the girl on the fairground ride whose hair got caught in the mechanism.

While being strapped into a harness and encouraged to lean over an Alpine cliff-edge 1828m up, I am categorically told to keep my arms by my side but, suddenly, halfway along my high-speed 1,200m cable ride, I become paranoid that my long hair will get tangled in the runner system.

I spend the rest of the ride trying to work out which is more likely to kill me – my own flyaway hair or deviating from the recommended flight position, which I don’t dare to attempt, especially as I’m convinced any extra movement will result in the loss of a flip flop.

It takes two chair lift rides to reach the Fantasticable, a zip line at Pré-la-Joux in France’s famous Portes Du Soleil (Gates of the sun) region. The flight down is also a two-stage process, albeit a lot faster.

The second cable offers an even longer ride of 1325m, giving you a good few minutes to enjoy the view as you swoop over lush fields and the mountain village of Plaine-Dranse.

So, just like those people who spend hours trying to chicken-out of their bungee then want to do it all over again, I’m delighted to get another crack at the whip, the second with my hair firmly tied up in as neat a bun as I can manage with shaky adrenaline-fuelled hands.

Despite an innate distrust of the French which comes in-built to we Brits, I know this ultra-fast zip line is safe and scientific because I’ve been weighed to ensure the correct balance is set at the ‘breaking station’ at the end of the ride, meaning I come to a stop in the right place at the right time.

And I certainly feel reassured by the particularly geeky ensemble of helmet, apron and metal tray that makes up the outfit. If I look this bad it’s got to be for good reason.

To reach the Fantasticable I’ve criss-crossed the border between France and Switzerland.  We’re sandwiched between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc in terrain most tourists see covered in a blanket of perfect white powder from the fast-moving vantage point of their skis or snowboards.

But as a winter sports novice even the gently-paced chair life ride up here has me gripping the bars, despite having my boyfriend – and today my fellow zip-liner – for company.

I’m not saying I’m a total girl but my heart beats pretty damn fast when I get to the top of the average waterslide, so you can imagine the Olympic-level somersaults my ticker is doing when my life is placed in the hands of a suspiciously laissez-faire French girl, who bids me to ‘ave a nice flight as I’m launched horizontally and head first into the mountain scenery.

These are the same mountains I usually visit in summer to indulge in sedate local pastimes like eating Abondance cheese and endless baguettes and going for walks in the verdant, manicured scenery, all blooming flowers and wooden chalets, my peace shattered only by the tinkling of cowbells.

So it’s disconcerting yet totally magical to see this chocolate box scenery and hear this bovine percussion from a bird’s eye view. By the time I screech to a halt on the second leg of my superman-style journey I’m thrilled that I’ve done something so adventurous and I realise it was actually a proverbial walk in the park.

I’m no longer scared – my worries about tangled hair or losing a flip flop have melted away and I’m just about ready to be jump on the chair lift to do it all over again.

My Fantasticable Zip Line Videos

The Take Off

The Landing

More Info

Fantasticable has locations in Portugal, Italy and Canada and three in France, including the one at Chatel described above.

Flights cost €34

For more information and seasonal opening timetable see the Fantasticable website or the Chatel area website

About The Guest Blogger

Jaillan Yehia aka Savoir There is a London-based travel writer, editor and blogger who is obsessed with stylish, quirky and cultured travel. You can usually find her eating and drinking her way around the world, but every so often her adventurous side sneaks out and makes her try water skiing in Cyprus, zip lining in the Alps or reverse bungees in Bali. She scares easy so doesn’t combine the eating with the adventure, although a stiff drink has been known to help. 

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