This week we hosted our first partnership walk of the summer and were joined by travel and outdoor writer, Fi Darby. Many people may be familiar with Fi from the popular blog she co-authored, titled ‘Two Blondes Walking‘, which inspired many more women to get out and enjoy time exploring nature. Starting in 2012, the blog came at a time when outdoor writing was a much more male dominated occupation, and Fi feels proud to be part of a movement which gave women permission to share their hiking and camping stories.
Our walk began at the base of Haytor Rocks, and from there we meandered up to Haytor Quarry, with Fi sharing her recollections about volunteering with the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and Ten Tors. In the quarry, we stopped to talk about writing inspiration. Fi shared how much she likes to visit places multiple times, building a relationship with ‘special’ locations that she will go to again and again, in all weathers and seasons. Being able to add real life observations to our writing, she told us, helps to add a feeling of authenticity which the reader is likely to connect with. Observations comparing a site across various visits are particularly good, she explained, giving us an example of how she might write about the lily pads in the quarry pool and say that they were in full bloom on this visit, while on previous occasions she had only seen them in bud.
From the quarry, we followed the old tramway and stopped for a drink by a shallow pool, which had dried out completely in the sun. Fi told us that this one one of her very favourite spots on Dartmoor, and that she had visited in winter, with frost on the ground, only to see a bright white pony wind its way down to drink from the pool. Her retelling of the encounter was magical. We spoke about the difference between popular spots and hidden gems, and the responsibility of outdoor writers to think about the impact of their writing on the landscape. It’s essential, Fi told us, to think about what sharing a lesser visited gem of a spot on social media to do. On one hand, it might boost the local economy, increase tourism and help generate demand to keep facilities open. On the other hand, an influx of cars with no car parking spaces could cause traffic, extra feet might cause erosion and local wildlife might suffer from disturbance.
We shouldn’t be gatekeepers to the outdoors though, Fi told us, as access to the outdoors really should be for everyone. She suggested that, perhaps, the solution was inspiring people to find their own ‘special’ spots by sharing experiences and emotions without naming specific locations. Great travel and outdoor writing empowers people to find their own adventures and make their own stories, rather than purely replicating routes that have already been done.
After our stop we made our way up to the top of Smallacombe rocks, where a herd of Dartmoor ponies were grazing. Fi encouraged us to be open to the stories which the landscape might be telling us. Were we seeing a white pony framed by the rocks, or was it a Dartmoor unicorn, which had shed its horn for the summer? If we’re ever lacking inspiration to write, she told us, just get outside. Even the rhythm of walking, one foot in front of the other, can be an almost meditative state, where ideas pop into our heads.
We spoke about what makes a good blog post, and the key themes came us: relatability, trust and authenticity. There’s no such thing as outdoor and travel writing which no one wants to read, because there’s always going to be someone out there who connects with your experiences. We also spoke about commitment and patience, as Fi told us that it took six years of posting daily for her blog to really begin to gather traction. Alongside this, we also acknowledged that not all writing needs to be public. It’s wonderful and nourishing to write about our outdoor adventures just for ourselves, especially if we can look back and compare notes over the years.
It was an absolute pleasure to have Fi join us and share some her life challenges and milestones, all tied by a thread of outdoor writing and adventure. Currently, Fi is obsessed by adventures by train, and shares many brilliant ideas for walks that don’t require the use of a car. If you’re feeling inspired to write about Dartmoor, or if you’ve already been documenting your time on the moor, we would love to have you submit an extract as part of our Wild Words writing callout.
Our next free partnership walk is with South West Peatland Partnership on the 10th of September. Find our full events diary HERE.