The Wilder Route - Van Life, Adventure, Nature

05/04/2024

Wales’s highest mountain with a 12 month old & a dog…

Yesterday Orion & I hiked up Yr Wyddfa (known as Snowdon in English) with my cousin Niki & her Frenchie Nobby.

At 3,560ft high this was CHALLENGING but my goodness it was worth it ❤️ …

1. Getting acquainted with our new poco plus baby carrier (not an ad, we purchased this second-hand)
2. Starting off with VERY pretty skies
3. Super grateful for my cousin who I get to share adventures like this with 🥰
4. I love the Welsh mountains
5. More than half way & Orion’s snoozing (any tips for supporting babies sleeping in this carrier please drop them in the comments, we did good yesterday but had to constantly check his head had not moved)
6. The only way to get a selfie with all four of us in 😅
7. The reason you keep your dog on a lead 🐑
8. We made it! Couldn’t see a thing at the summit but did this feel gooooodddd!!
9. Lunch break & chilllll 😴
10. Views on the way back down

One thing that did surprise me & this might of been because Yr Wyddfa is so popular was the amount of people throwing random comments around…

Your baby must be cold”
“Your baby must be too hot”
“Is he ok in there?!”

& even a comment made under someone’s breath about me not being ‘sensible’.

Honestly, I was too focused on the hike itself to waste my energy explaining the layers Orion was wearing & what I was carrying which meant I was more than well prepared for him being too hot/cold or how of course we were constantly checking on him & making extra stops to make sure he was ok.

As for the not ‘sensible’ I can’t even 😅

The outdoors is for everyone & so long as you are well researched & well prepared there is no reason you cannot hike with a baby, toddler or children.

That being said there were plenty of people with very positive things to say & Orion loved the amount of people who stopped just to say hi to him 🥰

Our full day of adventure is now up on our story if you’d like to check it out.

We took that much footage I also feel a reel coming on soon - is there anything else you’d like to know/see us cover in this reel? Let me know in the comments please 🙏





Cont in comments…

11/03/2024

Motherhood is a wild journey & has simultaneously been the hardest & most incredible one I have ever been on.

Here are some of the things that have amazed me the most…

✨ How fast & slow time can pass by all at once.
✨ That yes, adventures change but they are also enriched in ways I would of never imagined possible.
✨ Witnessing the little person that was created through me connect with the natural world around him.
✨ Realising that my freedom is dependent on me remaining committed to my values & that those values are even more solidified when I apply them to us as a family.
✨ Watching the person I love most become a father & falling in love with him all over again whilst in some ways feeling the most distant I ever have from him.

Yesterday was Mother’s Day in the UK & I wrote an ode to all of the adventure Mamas out there.

Now here’s to Orion, who made me a Mama. From the fire in your heart & the calming energy that emanates from you. Your love of the mountains, the trees, the sea & the sheep (🥰). For being the most amazing little adventure buddy a Mama could wish for… you really are my biggest adventure yet & with every ounce of my being I love you ❤️

Side note : we didn’t realise it was Mother’s Day until Saturday evening when a friend told us, we were convinced it was this Sunday. Suppose that’s what happens when you’ve been hanging out in the Highlands for 5 weeks, away from anything that might remind you 😅



We’re Kelly, Adam & Orion. Follow us for more hiking, van life & wild adventures as a family .wilder.route

🍃
🍃
🍃

#

14/02/2024

To love someone long-term is to attend a thousand funerals of the people they used to be - Heidi Priebe

On this day of love my focus is on the man who has held me… physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually for the past 8 years.

These shots are from our wedding day, back in 2019 & I’m still in awe of the way that captured the essence of our union so beautifully.

I’m not the same person I was in these pictures & I’m barely recognisable if I think back to the person I was when we first met & for that I am so grateful.

I don’t want to be.

Loving someone long-term is to be with them through the changes, through the growth & to encourage them when the weird & wonderful parts that come from stepping into their power unfold.

This is what Adam has given me… unconditional love & support & on this day of love I couldn’t be more grateful to have him by my side.

Oh & witnessing him become a father is just the ice cap on the mountain.

Here’s to us & parenthood - you were right. It’s our biggest adventure yet ❤️

🍃
🍃
🍃

13/02/2024

Cairngorms adventures 🚐🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 …

1. Snow excited ❄️
2. Frosty mornings
3. Our first family winter hike 💙
4. Scottish staples
5. Orion’s first snow fall
6. & his first snow crawl
7. Baaaaaa 🐑
8. Leaving only footprints
9. Probably the coldest swim of my life
10. Pure joy 🥰

Lots of firsts & beautiful memories made exploring Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park in winter in our motorhome.

We’ve just uploaded a full round up of what we’ve been up to since we left Greece almost 3 weeks ago to our stories, if you’re curious go take a look!



We’re Kelly, Adam & Orion - a travel, van & outdoor life family. If adventures & connecting with nature are your thing follow us .wilder.route for more 🤍

🍃
🍃
🍃

28/01/2022

We’re making our way back down to one of our fave places this weekend…

Cornwall 💛🖤

Here’s hoping for a pink sky or 2 whilst we’re there but for now, we’re enjoying a couple of days in Somerset, chilling with family.

What are your weekend plans?

⁠⠀
⁠
⁠⠀
🍃⁠⠀
⁠⠀
🍃⁠⠀
⁠⠀
🍃⁠⠀
⁠⠀
⁠ ⁠

21/01/2022

Stand unapologetically in your wildness & truth 🌿✨

These past fews years have been all about this for us… & it has not been easy.

We’ve previously touched on the resistance we have come up against when it comes to how we choose to live. People we thought would always be in our lives have faded away, support we hoped would still be present is now gone.

We get it, everything we do goes against the grain so to speak & that’s hard at times for others to get their heads around.

We’re not saying it’s all been sunshine & rainbows, choosing to follow what’s aligned for us has been & still is, a huge challenge… living in our van, building a business & now our (very unexpected) detour to a little taste of city life.

Truth is, we just follow that massive thing known as our intuition so half the time we really don’t have it all figured out let alone being able to explain to anyone else how we’ve chosen to roll.

What we have come to realise is that life isn’t linear, we don’t have to have it all mapped out or do certain things in any specific way… no matter what all that societal conditioning might have us believe.

However, we share this raw & honest truth with you guys, not with expectation or to put anyone else down but to let you know that when you choose to live your life for you, not everyone will get it & that is more than ok.

No-one has to, as when you know, you know & when you trust that knowing your wild soul will lead you ❤️ Our biggest piece of advice? Push through the fear & follow your heart (& your gut)… it will not let you down.

⁠⁠⁠
⁠⠀⁠⁠⁠
🍃⁠⠀⁠⁠⁠
⁠⠀⁠⁠⁠
🍃⁠⠀⁠⁠⁠
⁠⠀⁠⁠⁠
🍃⁠⠀⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠
❤️

01/08/2021

Maps.me provides offline maps using OpenStreetMap data but can you use it for hiking & other adventures?

Well, we have, plenty of times & here we cover exactly how ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/how-use-maps-me-hiking-adventures/

31/07/2021

Looking for some outdoor & hiking inspiration?

Check out our fave accounts to follow on Instagram ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/hiking-inspiration/

30/07/2021

Did ewe know that we have a ton of nature-inspired designs in our very own organic clothing store?

Shipped worldwide, in plastic-free packaging, with free UK shipping now live across the whole Nature Threads store until midnight (BST) this Sunday.

Oh & we also plant a tree for every item purchased 🌳🌲

Discount added automatically at checkout (with worldwide shipping offers also available).

Shop here ---> https://www.naturethreads.club/

29/07/2021

Can you remember the last time you walked outside barefoot, how good did it feel? You may not have known at the time but this is known as Earthing (or grounding) 💚

Here we've covered exactly what it is & how to do it ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/earthing/

28/07/2021

The incredible views from the summit of this giant tabletop of a mountain paired with a rather technical scramble along its hair-raising Striding Edge route, make this an adventure-packed hike in the picturesque Lake District National Park.

Walking Helvellyn - The Striding Edge Route ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/walking-helvellyn-striding-edge-lake-district/

27/07/2021

With over 500,000 touring vans in use across the UK alone, the van life community is strong.

The reality, however, is that it can be difficult to know how & where to connect with others whilst travelling & how to manage relationships on the road, so in this post, we’ve covered how to do just that ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/van-life-community/

26/07/2021

Looking to become a digital nomad? 💻🌎

In our recently updated post, we take you through the steps to becoming a digital nomad, how & why digital nomads are on the rise right now & we’ll also introduce you to some awesome people who have shared their stories & tips to help you get started on your digital nomad journey.

Discover more right here ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/how-become-digital-nomad/

25/07/2021

Hiking safety ⛰

A safe hike is a happy hike, a hike from which you’ll return & rave about nothing but the amazing views.

In this post we've covered six things not to do when out on those hills ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/hiking-safety/

24/07/2021

A movement that has gained a lot of traction in recent years, each ‘vanlifer’ having their own reasons for taking on this lifestyle.

From adventure to a cheaper cost of living, it’s an alternative lifestyle that certainly isn’t for everybody but for us, almost three years on, it’s still working & is (mostly) pretty darn wonderful.

From costs to the practicalities, to how we manage life on the road as a couple. Here we answer all of your questions on full-time van living ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/full-time-van-living/

23/07/2021

Did you know that as well as The Wilder Route, we also have our very own organic clothing store?

From 9 am (BST) today until midnight (BST) on Sunday, each order with us will fund the recovery & recycling of one kg of ocean-bound plastic 🌊

How awesome is that?!

So not only will you be supporting us when you order **insert small business owner happy dance** but you'll also be planting a tree for every item purchased (which actually happens on every order with us) & you'll be making a direct impact on our oceans by choosing organic plastic-free clothing as well as funding the equivalent of 50 plastic bottles being recovered from the sea.

It's a win:win:win really 😁 Shop now ---> https://www.naturethreads.club/

22/07/2021

Van life is more than just a movement, it’s a way of life, a way of being.

But is this lifestyle all it's cracked up to be?

Here we share seven truths ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/living-the-van-life-truths/

21/07/2021

Research shows the real & long-term benefits of spending time in the forest & around trees include, reduced stress, improved immunity, lower blood pressure & accelerated recovery from illness or trauma.

In this post, you’ll discover why tree hugging, contrary to popular belief, isn’t ‘weird’. How the energy that flows through you, flows through all beings. What happens when you hug a tree & four ways to do so along with other tree-related practices, resources & research ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/tree-hugging/

🌳❤️

20/07/2021

Located in south-east Navarre in northern Spain the Bardenas Reales spans an impressive 100,000 acres of land.

We've recently updated this post which details the 43 km route we followed through this unique luna-esque landscape. Go take a read ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/driving-bardenas-reales/

19/07/2021

When we started our online business & became digital nomads in 2018, we tried & tested so many different apps & now, we share the tools that help to boost our online productivity.

Check them out ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/digital-nomad-tools-boost-online-productivity/

👩‍💻💻

18/07/2021

From sunrise cloud inversions, trekking through the jungle, to getting off-the-beaten-track. If you're planning to visit Colombia you should most definitely fit some hiking in whilst you're there.

Check out our recently updated guide, including 5 epic hikes ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/hiking-in-colombia-5-epic-experiences/

17/07/2021

Of all the tips we wish we would have researched before starting our van life journey, it has to be health & wellbeing on the road.

Creating our own routine & taking a regular digital detox, are just a couple of the ways we manage.

Learn more in our recent post --->
https://www.thewilderroute.com/van-life-tips-health-wellbeing/

16/07/2021

Live in our very own organic clothing store - buy one get TWO trees this weekend 🌲🌳

Starts 9 am (BST) & ends Sunday at midnight (BST).

Shipped worldwide in plastic-free packaging, go check out our nature-inspired designs ---> https://www.naturethreads.club

15/07/2021

Our hiking tips for beginners will give you a little more understanding of what hiking entails & will also help you to be better prepared for those adventures that are to come.

Ready to explore? ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/hiking-tips-beginners/

14/07/2021

From committing to van life to making money on the road, here we've covered working & living in a motorhome full-time.

Check out our complete guide ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/working-living-motorhome/

13/07/2021

Situated right in the heart of the Lake District National Park not only does this campsite deliver in terms of location but it's also a multi-award-winning green campsite.

Learn more via our 5-star The Quiet Site review ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/eco-campsite-uk-review-quiet-site-lake-district/

Even small decisions, such as choosing an eco campsite in the UK, can make a difference. The Quiet Site in the heart of The Lake District has been keeping it green for twenty years...

12/07/2021

We've just updated our most loved post...

An adventure-packed itinerary for Scotland’s NC500

Go check it out ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/nc500-adventure-scotlands-north-coast/

11/07/2021

From sustaining a life on the road to facing those dreaded naysayers.

In this post we cover the most important things to consider before starting van life.

Go take a read ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/starting-van-life/

10/07/2021

Looking to visit Guatemala in the future?

Then you definitely don't want to miss hiking Volcan de Acatenango 🌋🇬🇹

Here we've covered how to prepare & what to expect ---> https://www.thewilderroute.com/acatenango-hike/