bookshoplaura

I guess in terms of redefining bravery, most people would not list going on a holiday alone but for me it was actually a really big deal. It was more than the sum of its parts. Me packing half my worldly belongings into car and driving into the unknown (okay relatively unknown given that I was going to Wicklow and not Timbuktu). For me it was about reclaiming parts of myself that I felt had been lost down through the years. I think on some level I felt it was something I would manage badly. Like I would stick out as a lone woman traveler and my own social ineptitude would somehow render me incapable of travelling solo. If life has taught me nothing else it is that I am capable of so much more than I would have previously given myself credit for. Also I have come to accept over time that I actively enjoy my own company and its okay to embrace that provided I don't find myself moving into a cabin up a hill with a recently purchased pet goat (I am just not a cat person). With all ...

After much planning, fundraising and panicking about fundraising, the day for The Great Night Hike had arrived and I was both excited and hopelessly disorganized.  Despite all this I soon found myself on the road to Wicklow with many layers,  snacks and deep mistrust in Google maps.  I did arrive in Wicklow with time to spare after taking a slightly more circuitous and scenic route than planned. As I drove through the Wicklow way I was overwhelmed by how beautiful it was there and wondered why no one had pushed me to make the trip before or perhaps they had and I just wasn't listening. Mostly what I was feeling was excitement about the upcoming hike and even more do the few days I will be spending exploring Glendalough. I stopped to eat a mini picnic right where there was a stunning view of the Wicklow way and I felt like a woman on an adventure . There is something wonderfully freeing about getting into your car alone and taking off. After my Pit stop I r...

I am sure if you are following me   on any form of social media you won't have missed me rabbiting on about an upcoming hike Im going on. I haven't been posting about it non stop out of a pressing desire to let everyone know how active I am because if that was the reason all my previous hikes would have garnered similar social media coverage. This however is not an ordinary hike. So the hike this coming Saturday is in Glendalough but that's not what makes it different. It will finish in the dark which I'm sure will be magical but that's not why I'm telling everyone about it. It's a hike for charity,  in aid of the Irish Heart Foundation. They have organised the guides, sent out the fundraising packs and ensured that everyone attending the event has paid their €30 to register. Then it's up to all of us taking part to fundraise at least €120 for the charity. Which is fair because obviously they organise events like this in order to raise some much need...

Do you ever have one of those conversations in which you confess to something totally normal for you and the other person looks at you like you're completely bonkers? This is a reasonably common occurrence for me. I was recently talking to someone about how I occasionally chose an online or self service option if I don't feel up to interacting with someone and I was left wondering if they didn't get it because they are not an introvert or maybe it's just a me thing and I'm a weirdo. I have something I like to refer to as my social battery. It is not a physical thing that I carry around but more a feeling that I have only so much social interaction in me per week and some days I am able for more interaction and others I go far out out of my way to minimize it. For me recharging can involve; time alone to think, reading, watching bad shows, napping or long walks. Without this quality time spent by myself I am especially grouchy and unfriendly and I find it...

I like to say I am fairly new to hiking  but to say that overlooks the fact that I spent much of my childhood being cajoled up mountains around Tipperary. It is only in the last year that I have rediscovered this pursuit and finally realized why my parents were so eager to ensure we got out into the great outdoors. I do enjoy being fit and I find Crossfit helps me nicely in my pursuit of better physical health. I also make an effort to get out for walks, weather allowing, as often as I can, even when I am not really in the mood because fresh air always makes me feel a bit better. I find my renewed interest in hill walking came about when I dared to try it ( a scary proposition at the time as it combined the equally daunting strangers and mountains) and realised I got something I wasn't getting elsewhere in life from the experience. The fresh air, scenery and the way it cleared my head entirely left me feeling recharged and so regatta boots were bought an interest was sparked....