52 ADVENTURES IN 52 WEEKS!

Jessica Last, 36, believes you don't have to step on a plane to have a trip of a lifetime

- KIM WILLIS, LOUISE BATY

Scrolling through photos of buzzing Mumbai food markets and golden beaches in Hong Kong, I felt a wistful pang. It was April 2021 and I was reminiscing over my old Instagram posts from 2018, when I’d spent eight months backpacking around the world with my partner Charlie during a sabbatical from our jobs in advertising.

Now both 33, we were firmly back in the ‘real world’, working full-time in London.

‘How about some more adventures?’

I asked Charlie.

But with COVID-19 restrictions causing chaos worldwide, it seemed impossible, and we were now running our own advertising agency, so we couldn’t skip off for months on end. Plus we’d also become more mindful of climate change and we didn’t want to increase our carbon footprint by catching flights.

‘Let’s have some adventures in the UK instead,’ Charlie suggested.

Initially, I was unconvinced because, as a child growing up in Oxfordshire, my memories of UK holidays involved soggy sandwiches, anoraks and unending drizzle.

But after some research, I was stunned to discover the UK has around 6,000 islands, over 19,000 miles of coastline and around 100 mountains – plenty to explore!

So with that in mind, Charlie and I challenged ourselves to embark on 52 adventures in 52 weeks, without going on a plane or leaving the UK.

By staying closer to home and remaining in the same time zone, we could continue working in our London office between trips or remotely from laptops.

During May, June and July 2021, we had memorable trips, hiking in the New Forest and cove hopping in Devon. We also went to the Isle of Mull and Isle of Iona, where we wild camped and also explored the Treshnish Isles on a beautiful 1930s Dutch sailing boat.

NEW CHALLENGE