Can you tell us a little about yourself.
I have been fortunate to grow up in a leafy town in Surrey with my parents and two dogs. We always walked on the North Downs and during the summer you would find me sleeping in a tent with my dog! Luckily our 4-year-old Labrador loves camping, even under a tarp!
My first ‘expedition’ involved my rather intrepid mother booking a 2-day walking trip into the Atlas Mountains. I wasn’t too impressed at first, but I was bribed with the promise of being able to ride a mule! I remember being relieved to return to our hotel 2-days later, but the experience ignited within me my longing for adventure and I haven’t stopped since.
I quickly learnt that working in the City was not for me, so I am currently in the midst of untangling the world of business and creating a new adventure lifestyle brand for women, Lilly Wild. Lilly Wild is a destination for women to supercharge their life. Please come over and visit us and tell me what you think!
What is your passion and what drives you?
I am passionate about exploring and immersing myself in the cultural landscape and nature’s awe-inspiring playground, whether that’s trekking across glaciers, having a spontaneous sleep over with Ladakhi herdswomen, climbing mountains or drinking tea under the cover of a Mongolian’s yurt.
Each journey is unique and mysterious, bringing new physical challenges and discoveries that test your strength and facilitate you to grow. This is what I am addicted to. However, I am learning that it is often the people that I connect with that add a vibrant and special flare to the place and my experience.
My drive for adventure, travel, exploration, pushing myself and achieving my goals comes from a place where the possibility to do any of these things was taken away from me. I suffered from moderately severe Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Myalgic encephalomyelitis) for 4 years and during this time, my dreams were simply that, dreams.
I refused to believe that I couldn’t recover and using various techniques to biohack my body and mind, I vibrantly bounced back. I can now turn my dreams into reality and I hope to inspire and empower others to do the same.
You are passionate about the outdoors. Who introduced you to the outdoors?
It was my grandmother who introduced me to travelling the world, through her stories of raising a family in South Africa, Sri Lanka, Jamaica and Hong Kong. She was an intrepid and forward-thinking woman of her time and can tell an excellent story, enough to have any child on the edge of their seat!
My parents took me on trips into nature, but in a civilized manner. It was my mother who sent me off on my first solo trip, I think she may regret it now!
However, it was Belinda Kirk, founder of Explorers Connect, that opened a whole new world to me, one filled with wild camping, immense physical challenges and remote, off-track adventures.
Who inspires you or who are your role models in the outdoors and in travel?
I find stories from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration and Arctic Exploration incredibly inspiring. My favourite stories come from Nansen, Frank Wild, Captain Scott and a member of his Terra Nova Expedition, Apsley Cherry-Garrard. They may seem unlikely role models, but their expeditions and experiences were unbelievable.
My modern day role models are 5 awe-inspiring women are Belinda Kirk, Anna McNuff, Helen Turton, Megan Hine and Felicity Ashton.
What is the most challenging adventure you have done yet?
5 week British Exploring expedition to Ladakh, India last year.
What made this so difficult or challenging?
I experienced Mountain Altitude Sickness for the first time and it really threw me. My body felt like lead when trekking across glaciers and climbing mountains, along with fatigue setting in much earlier. It also meant I had to accept that there were some activities that I couldn’t do, which was a challenge, as I am someone who likes to do everything!
I vividly remember climbing a mountain of 5,300m and I was setting myself small goals along the way. My mini goal was 5000m and as we approached, I felt I was going to feint or throw up with each step. The hard decision was accepting that I was turning around at 5000m with our medic, while the rest of my team summited.
Tell us a little more about your recent adventure dog sledding in Norway|
I have recently come back from dog sledding in Norway and this time I took my mother with me! It was a lot of fun and a great challenge!
The trip was with a friend of mine who runs Varghiet Sledehunder and is also a semi-professional dog sledder. For 5 days he gave us a glimpse into his life as a musher and it was fantastic!
We were able to drive our own 5-dog sled team across Norway’s wilderness, a dream of mine ever since watching Balto as a child! On one of our journeys we wound our way up a snowy ridge, where we were treated to a spectacular vista of undulating snow peaked mountains disappearing into the horizon. It made an awesome lunch stop too!
We also went ice fishing (but sadly caught no fish), told stories around a fire and learnt lots of tips and tricks for camping with dogs!
My mum was such a trooper and while I am hooked, my mum feels pleased to have been but prefers warmer climates!
What is next?
For the next 6 months I will be setting up my business Lilly Wild, which is proving to be quite an adventure, and am working towards my Summer Mountain Leader Qualification.
I hope to embark on a big adventure soon and have been greatly inspired by the Australian Adventurer, Tim Cope…
You have travelled and written about traveling solo. What advice do you have for a solo traveler just starting off?
My number one piece of advice is Do Not Be Scared. The media presents us with a scary world, but it is actually filled with wonderful people.
Find 5 solo travellers/adventurers that inspire you and send them one burning question about their journey, either via tweet, facebook or through their blog. This will get you motivated, excited and energized for planning your journey.
Minimize your risk to danger (e.g. take out travel insurance), but know that you can’t prepare for everything.
Don’t be afraid to say No. This is your journey, do it for you and have an amazing time!
How did you discover Armadillo Merino®.
Belinda Kirk first told me about Armadillo on a snow holing trip in Aviemore, Scotland, where she became very excited about her new socks! I had no idea one could get so enthusiastic about socks! However, I soon learnt. For while my feet froze in our snow hole, Belinda’s were apparently toasty warm. I knew then that I wanted in on these socks and now it is me who gets excited about socks!
What is your favourite Armadillo Merino® piece?
I hope it is ok that I have two.
My first one is obviously socks! My favorite are your 3 season boot and heavy boot socks. They have served me well on various adventures from the mountains of Ladakh to British Columbia and Norway! My feet are now never cold J
Second is the women’s Iona long sleeve zip top. This is now a key piece of my expedition attire. It keeps me dry, warm, cool and protects me from the sun. I really like the zip, because it is a great way to quickly cool down or warm up.
Instagram handle: @lilly.wild
Facebook: Lilly Wild
Website: www.lillywild.com
