Climbing Reminds Me I'm Alive

Entrepreneur Lindy finds scaling an overhang the best wayof unwinding from her busy life!

- Gilian Harvey

As I reach out and pull myself up the rock, I can feel my heart hammering in my chest.

Using the last of my strength, I push myself over the top and hop up onto my feet. Then, straightening up, I take a breath and look out over the azure sea, stretching away to the horizon.

My arms and legs are aching, but my smile couldn’t be wider. And, despite having just completed a challenging climb, I’m completely relaxed.

As well as running my independent estate agency in the Cotswolds, I teach property law and legislation for landlords, which keeps me busy. So, believe it or not, scaling a rock-face or working my way up a complex climbing wall is something I do to unwind.

I first discovered climbing almost 20 years ago at university. As a mature student at 35, I did a degree in equine science in Gloucestershire. Prior to that, I’d spent time travelling in the US, until I broke my back falling off a horse in the summer of 1994. I returned to the UK to recover and consider my next adventure.