Girl Gone Wild

08/11/2022

Putting pen to paper. Such a simple act, yet what we bring to the page is often a tangle of threads.....

Putting pen to paper. Such a simple act, yet what we bring to the page is often a tangle of threads..

09/10/2022

How spoken word can...

How spoken word can

07/10/2022

S E A S T H E D A Y
S E C O N D E D I T I O N !!

It’s back!!! I’m super happy to announce that this little book has just had a second print run and is now available to purchase from my website (link in bio).

Set on the stunning Jurassic Coast, this collection of poems, journal extracts and photographs are the diary of a Dorset sea swimmer. Like love letters to the wild, these poems show gratitude for the sea, the seasons and the powerful effect that cold water can have on our well-being. With swims taking place throughout the year, you are invited to dive in and share the experience of sea swimming all year round.

As with the first edition, 10% profits will be donated to charity. This time the book is raising money for Mental Health Swims].

The mental health benefits of cold water immersion is widely documented, but it can be daunting to stand at the water’s edge alone. Aside from the risks of swimming solo, it takes a lot of motivation to get into the cold water on a grey morning in January! Swimming with Mental Health Swims] can make it fun, supported and safe to do so. It is for this reason I’m donating 10% of profits from the sale of this book to support MHS in the brilliant work that they do to make it accessible to all.

Linocut illustration by

Printed based on the Jurassic coast. 100% recycled paper.

Price £8.99 (plus postage)

31/08/2022

Feeling immensely grateful as I prepare to send the last “Seas The Day” bundle out to a customer! 🌊 💙

When I self-published this little book of sea swimming poetry, journal extracts and photographs, I never imagined it would sell out so quickly! It’s been such a joy to connect with so many sea loving folk and to know these wild words resonate with your souls.

The driftwood gifts have also proved popular! I love how The “Seas The Day” mantra burnt into driftwood collected from the Jurassic coast continues its drift journey with you! My hope is that when you receive these drift gifts you can imagine the sound of the waves that carry the wood to the shore, and the smell of gorse wood smoke when I’m hand burning these wild words. 🌊 🪵 🔥

But it’s not just these gifts you’ve been supporting; As the book states, I decided to donate a percentage of profits from the sale of the books and drift gifts to . I’m delighted to be able to send a cheque off this week to support the amazing work they do keep the oceans clean and safe 🙏 🌊

But although this book has sold out, the journey doesn’t stop here! There will be a NEW print run in October. 💙 This time the book will raise money for another sea related charity! So keep your eye on the horizon for more info in the upcoming weeks! 🌅

Girl Gone Wild xx

17/08/2022

How did this happen? What can we do to reduce costs? For me and my family it's time for change......

How did this happen? What can we do to reduce costs? For me and my family it’s time for change…

12/07/2022

“The Morning Sea Swim”
With dust of sleep still in my eyes
And dreams forgotten by sunrise
I wave goodbye to my sweet boy
Amidst the bags and playground noise
The sea is calling, clear and bright
A summer morning blue delight
With kindred spirits on the beach
We meet and speak of struggles each
And as we walk to greet the waves
The smiles return, we find our brave
We laugh within the salt and swell
The rush of cold wakes every cell
Alive with every breath we take
How GOOD it feels to be awake
To see the light, no longer dim
Oh how I LOVE the morning swim!

02/07/2022

Absolutely LOVE the community of amazing souls that’s grown around the Seas The Day poetry book!

This ocean inspired T-Shirt arrived all the way from Australia today from fellow sea swimmer as a THANK YOU for her copy of the book!! 🌊 🏄‍♀️

Lesley placed an order with Girl Gone Wild last Christmas for the book and bespoke Seas The Day driftwood keyring but we had trouble figuring out a payment method. In the end, as I truly wanted her to have these gifts for Christmas, I just posted them out to her in Australia, with gratitude for her support and interest. I’d forgotten all about it, but always trust that these things find a way of working out. 💙
It was SUCH a wonderful surprise to receive this gift and Australian dollars in the post and felt so much more exciting than if I’d received a regular bank payment! Thank you Lesley!

I’m now super inspired to go on a road trip to the Great Ocean Road in Australia and visit too! 😂 🌊 ☀️

This is what I love about - it’s not just the water that brings us joy, it’s the community of people that we share it with too.

21/06/2022

Wild swimming, hikes and more on the west coast of Portugal...

http://girlgonewild.co.uk/2022/06/21/gone-wild-in-portugal/

Wild swimming, hikes and more on the west coast of Portugal

24/03/2022

I woke startled at 5:30 this morning.
There was somewhere I needed to be.
With skin still creased from warm bed sheets,
And hair tangled with sleep.
The white noise of the engine cocoons me a while.
“Follow the road.
Down to the sea.
Where the east sky will blush
As the waning moon fades”.
So we stood.
On the sand.
My dawn stalkers and I.
A world away from home
To seas the day.

No wonder.

20/03/2022

I’ve been experimenting with my pyrography tips. “Go Harefully” is inspired by the March full moon and spring equinox.

Still need to practice with different tips, (and definitely need to spend some time studying animal biology and muscle tone!) but I’m quite fond of my first go at a Hare!

moon

19/03/2022

It was great to catch up with the talent that is yesterday! Nicole produced this commissioned piece last year for the cover of my book “Seas The Day - A Year of Sea Swimming Poetry” . It was lovely to chat over coffee and reflect on this wonderful project.

Nicole’s work examines connections between people and place; often dealing with the female experience. Much of her work addresses ideas of nature, climate, and the human connection we have to our environment.

As a friend of the family, living down the road here in Dorset, I knew exactly who to ask when I was imagining the cover for my wild swimming poetry book.

Inspired by a photo of me entering the sea at (SWIPE TO SEE), Nicole’s captured the very essence of what this book is all about;

Cold Water
Creativity
Community
Finding Your Brave

As well as being the cover of the book, the print is also available .

Both the book and the print sales generate a donation to . A cause close to our hearts living on the

I have my print hanging on the wal by my bed. It’s the first thing I see in the morning. The perfect reminder of my “WHY” 💙 🌊

Thank you Nicole xx

18/03/2022

Loving this little Full Moon drift gift for wild swimmers 🌕

Driftwood collected from the beach, sawn then burnt by hand. I’ll be leaving a few of these on the beach tonight for my fellow sea swimmers… 🌊 💙

Who else is swimming by the light of the moon tonight!?

06/03/2022

S P R I N G H A I K U

The blue and green of
You. So loud. So full of life
Yet, You say nothing

Photo Credit; Niki Laszlo Bushrod

03/03/2022

I am at war with war.
My eyes and ears
they tell me more and more.
Of bloody minded cruel attacks.
Of worthless rules.
Of rods for backs.

And I am raging.

Provoked by broken pieces sharp
enough to pierce and break a heart.

I rage.

Against this loss of sense.
This muted, numb and blind pretence
that governs such a brutal force
that wields and writhes itself off course.

And I am raging.

For there is hurt, and fear, and pain
enough in life without this gain.

How can this be?

If those that choose to overpower
Can not taste this taste so sour.
The bitter truth that floods the land.
How will they ever understand?

For no glory ever comes from shame.
No victory, if soaked in blame.
And so. I battle with the score.
Unwittingly at war with war.

24/02/2022

Do you have a dream? Something you think about, that you long for? Maybe it's a place you'd like to go, or a job you'd like to do, or a goal you'd like to reach.

I believe that we all have a dream and that this dream is the single most important way of connecting with our self/soul/spirit/essence.

Your dream may not even be specific, but it is the best picture you can draw with your eyes closed. You know roughly what you'd like it to look like, and that's all you need. Because in visualising it, and understanding WHY you have this dream, this is where it gets interesting. This is how you access your very own "internal compass", the one that can help you find more joy in life.

Whatever your dream, I'd like to invite you to read my latest blog post "Follow Your Dreams".
In this post you can try a simple technique to help you connect with, and take a step closer to your dream.

And as a gift to help you on your journey, you will also receive a FREE motivational music track. 💜 💚

https://girlgonewild.co.uk/2022/02/24/follow-your-dream/

21/02/2022

Wild Is The Wind

16/02/2022

Today I will be featured on Scott Mills Radio 1 show.

You will hear me telling a story about the time I hooked up with . I will sound just like any other person you hear on the radio, with a claim to fame…

What I want to share with you is this;

I decided to do this as an experiment. The rest of the nation will have no idea. But YOU will.

I want to demonstrate to YOU, the total contrast between how someone can SOUND and how they truly FEEL.

I nearly didn’t do it. Why? Because it felt too vulnerable. I was scared of sounding like an idiot. Scared I’d sound too old to be on the “youngsters”radio station. Scared no-one would believe my story. Scared of what people might think. Scared of saying the wrong thing… I didn’t trust what would happen..blah blah blah

I went through SO much mental anguish beforehand. I questioned WHY was I doing it. I totally talked myself out of it. I questioned what it would gain. And then I realised something ; I want to share this process with YOU.

ALL THIS ANXIETY

ALL THIS FEAR

I want you to know what is going on behind the scenes. Not the story you hear on the Radio. But the story about how hard it felt to be heard. To put myself out there. To take a risk that felt too big for me.

I want you to know that inside I was battling with demons that were telling me NOT to do it. Who am I to sound interesting? I don’t deserve to be heard,. I’m just a show-off, I’m trying too hard to be somebody, when I’m nobody.. (vicious negative thoughts oh how they corrode the soul!)

How many other people do we see or hear and we make assumptions they are confident, relaxed, happy. We have no idea the back story behind how people manage to simply “show up”.

So I fought back. And I did it. I plucked up the courage, I went with it. And actually; It was fun!!. I actually feel like maybe I take life too frigging seriously! Maybe it’s not always about the WHY. Maybe it can also be about the WHY THE F**K NOT!🤣

10/02/2022

It's Children's Mental Health Week! From 7th - 13th February the focus this year is on "Growing Together"......

http://girlgonewild.co.uk/2022/02/10/writing-for-wellbeing-childs-play/

It’s Children’s Mental Health Week! From 7th – 13th February the focus this year is on “Growing Together”…

08/02/2022

It’s Tuesday Choose Day!

This morning I walked along the cliffs, through fields, beside a river, up a hill. I’ve done this SO many times but this morning was different. I chose to listen. I purposefully listened to every single sound I could hear.

SWIPE to join me and listen to these sounds…

Every Tuesday throughout February I invite you to join me in choosing a sense to focus on for a while. When you are out and about, even if just a few minutes as you walk to work, or put the rubbish out, or stand waiting for a bus. Choose a sense, and REALLY sense it!

Filter out everything except the sense you have chosen to sense.

This morning I chose to LISTEN while walking. The wind, the sea, the birds, the squeaking gate, the footsteps in the mud, the dogs paws on the grass.

My sense of hearing was heightened and sharpened SO much that when I returned to the car and started the engine it RUMBLED around me like a volcano! 🤣

When we focus on just ONE sense it really stands out. Giving it a chance to shine, to perform a magnificent solo, and receive your full attention.

By doing this you not only GIVE your attention to what is happening in that moment, you RECEIVE the gift of being present. It’s a wonderful way to practice mindfulness! 💚 💜 💙

Which common sense will you choose this Tuesday?

07/02/2022

V A L E N T I D E S H O P !

Valentide – a love affair with The Sea…

I’ll admit it. This love affair is all consuming! It is my “Tide & Joy”! I will tell anyone who listens. But I know I’m not alone in this whirlwind romance… so for 1 week only I am opening the VALENTIDE SHOP! NOW OPEN for sea lovers everywhere to celebrate Valentides Day on the 14th February!

Whether you embrace Valentines Day or it makes you feel slightly queasy, perhaps a day on the calendar to celebrate what (not necessarily WHO) you love isn’t such a bad idea!?

My love of the sea has (quite literally) swept me off my feet! I’m bewitched and bewildered by it. It’s true, we’ve known each other for many years, but it is only recently I fell truly, madly, deeply. Now I can’t get enough. I’m besotted, it is all I think about! From the moment I wake, to the moment the moon sets, I am planning the next time we can meet.

The sea has ignited such passion inside me. I feel alive and full of joy. I write poetry; love letters to the sea -giving thanks for all that it’s given me. And in return I feel an overwhelming desire to protect it. To care for it.

My book “Seas The Day – A Year Of Sea Swimming Poetry” celebrates this love affair. And with 10% of profits donated to Surfers Against Sewage this is my way of caring for the ocean and coastlines.

Another way that I show how much I care about the sea is by regularly doing beach cleans. Along with clearing the plastic and rubbish washed up on the shore, I also collect driftwood. These pieces of wood come home with me and are recycled into “Drift Gifts”. I cut, saw and sand the wood by hand to make little tokens of my affection. I burn messages by hand using a pyrography kit and these tokens become gifts for other sea lovers. The gift from the sea that keeps on giving!

Which one will you choose!?

07/02/2022

For ONE WEEK ONLY the VALENTIDE SHOP is open for sea lovers everywhere! Celebrate your Tide & Joy!...

http://girlgonewild.co.uk/2022/02/07/valentide-a-love-affair-with-the-sea/

For ONE WEEK ONLY the VALENTIDE SHOP is open for sea lovers everywhere! Celebrate your Tide & Joy!

06/02/2022

I’ve been busy burning these..
V A L E N T I D E drift gifts! 💙

Last year I made these for my fellow sea swimmers to give on Valentine’s Day! This year you can do the same…

Why not celebrate how much you love the sea on the 14th Feb! Give a drift gift to show you care💙

Made from driftwood collected from beach cleans. Each Valentide message burnt by hand 🔥

Limited stock available from MONDAY 7th FEB
www.girlgonewild.co.uk (link in bio)

23/01/2022

Running Again

http://girlgonewild.co.uk/2022/01/23/running-again/

It’s been 4 months since I ran a Half Marathon. Today I started running again

20/01/2022

Celebrating January's Wolf Moon with solo swims in the company of wolf blood...

http://girlgonewild.co.uk/2022/01/20/wild-swimming-with-wolves/

I feel the need for space right now. It’s not that I don’t like people, it’s just that I prefer the peace and quiet when I’m on my own. I can relax, completely. No need to s…

17/01/2022

Happy Blue Monday everyone!

Let’s turn this day into a positive by reframing BLUE Monday to focus on the positives of what BLUE means for our health.

As a sea swimmer on the Jurassic coast, BLUE is a sanctuary for my mind!

There’s no doubt that being in, on or nearby water can make us feel better. This won’t come as a surprise to anyone. I mean, even if you’re not a cold water swimmer, it is no co-incidence that we spend millions of pounds each year to go on holiday and sit by a pool, or sit on a beach. It’s relaxing right!? But there’s SO much more to it… AND we can feel the benefits without going on holiday! 🌊 ☀️

A fascinating book that explores this is “Blue Mind” by Dr Wallace J Nichols It shows us the science behind how water is having a remarkable effect, in all it’s shapes and forms, on our health and happiness. The BLUE MIND of the book’s title refers to the neurological, psychological and emotional changes our brains experience when we are close to water. Nichols examines seas and oceans, lakes and rivers in a study that is both highly readable and rooted in real research. As a highly informed marine biologist he urges us to get closer to water, not only for our own sake, but for the environment and a healthier future for us all.

To hear more about amazing Blue Health research check out my recent blog post. I explore how wild wellness is not only better for us, but better for the planet 🌎 (blog in bio)

16/01/2022

In this post I explore how nature can be better for our wellbeing than a luxury 5* spa!

http://girlgonewild.co.uk/2022/01/16/wild-wellness-better-for-us-better-for-the-planet/

In this post I’ll be exploring how our green and blue spaces are better for our wellbeing than a luxury 5* Spa. Better still, it’s better for the planet…

07/01/2022

A short film revealing the magic I found in the healing waters of West Wales

http://girlgonewild.co.uk/2022/01/07/legends-caves-and-courage-in-west-wales/

A while back, in October last year, I wrote a post about “Coping With Overwhelm”. It was off the back of an episode of depression that lead to me bundling my things into our campervan a…