Y’all, the sun will set today at 4:07pm.

The weather this time of year in Scotland hurts my feelings. Many days we don’t see the sun at all but just varying shades of gray. Or grey.

Then the gray fades to black before you know it.

Now that we have been through two winters in Aberdeen, I have learned that it takes a lot more than a couple of walks to get me through the next three to four months.

(Like a few good bottles of whisky.)

But getting outside helps.

A lot.

Even getting outside in the rain.

So in November I’m going to head for the beach. Maybe at sunset and maybe at other times.

This is my view of the beach from where I start walking. So I thought it might be fun to take this exact picture every time I go to the beach in November and then compare them. The tide is always changing, as is the color of the sea and the shade of the clouds. Who knows? There might even be a blue sky or two in the mix!

Do you have plans for getting outside when the weather gets colder? We used to always plan a winter camping trip in Arkansas, but I don’t think I have the nerve to do it in Scotland without our pop up camper + space heaters!

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The first year we were in Scotland I was a little puzzled to discover that the schools have a two week holiday in October. It seems like a strange time of year to be out of school and the weather is often less than ideal.

But now we have embraced this yearly hold over from a time when school kids were needed to bring in the potato harvest and we spend our “Tattie Holidays” finding new trails to walk.

Our first year we went to the Lake District and even in the rain, we were so smitten that we have been back three more times!

Then last year we went to the Isle of Skye. And oh-my-goodness, was it ever LOVELY!

This year we are heading to the Northwest Highlands of Scotland, a far corner of this country that we have yet to discover.

I expect there will be lots of tea and hot cocoa inside the cottage we have rented with our friends, but we’re also packing our waterproofs in the hopes of blazing a few new trails.

So those walks will make up my Chasing Daylight challenge for October. I’m looking forward to discovering them, and then sharing them here!

Happy October, friends!

PS If you’re playing along and #ChasingDaylight in your part of the world, where are you hoping to walk/bike/swim/run in October?

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Happy September, y’all!

I wrote “Birthday Walk” on my challenge this month because in addition to the fact that it is my birthday month, September is a month I celebrate the births of many people that I love a lot, including my mama, my hubs, my sis-in-law and some sweet friends.

The weather turned cold here last week and I was starting to worry that all the sunshine was gone forever.

Then I remembered that I started #ChasingDaylight to make myself get outside during the daylight no matter what it’s like out there.

So Imma try to keep doing that. I’m hoping for sun, but I’ll take cloudy skies without rain, thank you very much.

I’m going to get out there and walk on all those days as my own little one-woman celebration of life. And I’m going to spend some of those walking minutes thanking God for the gift of these sweet folks in my life.

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Friends! The end of the summer is upon us!

I lament the end of this season every single year, and it’s gotten worse since we moved to Scotland because of the horrible dread of the shorter days around the corner.

So instead of nursing my melancholy that the best of 2015 is behind me, I’m going to give a little energy to planning (at least) one very lovely day in August.

Before school starts, we will spend one more day outside. With friends.

And even though it won’t really be perfect and it will probably rain and the temperature might not even hit 60 degrees, it will still be one more glorious memory for the books.

So if you feel like joining me in a refusal to even glance at school supplies and uniforms, tell me what would your perfect end-of-summer outing look like?

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I really can’t believe it but 2015 is half over already.

What even?

The way time moves so. very. fast. is part of why I love doing these monthly outdoor challenges, because even if the month is over before I blink, I can still look back on these cards and my days of walking and see that bit by bit, I am accomplishing something.

I am setting aside time to do the things that are important to me.

Getting outside brings me all kinds of JOY.

Even thought I LOVE it, I know from experience that I can let it drop quickly to the bottom of the to do list.

SO…and I’m hoping this does not sound annoying…

I am PROUD of doing these things.

And I’m equally proud of the simple getting outside days as I am of the big projects!

Every time I walk out the door I try to remember to be grateful for the opportunity to walk.

To be outside.

To see something new or the same path in a new way.

Here are the six challenges from this year:

Chasing Daylight in January: Watch A Sunrise

Chasing Daylight in February: A Coastal Walk

Chasing Daylight in March: A Long Walk Across Town

Chasing Daylight in April: City Walks

Chasing Daylight in May: A Three Day Microadventure

Chasing Daylight in June: A Grand Adventure

I’m still mapping out the rest of the year of Chasing Daylight. (I’m trying to be creative about those winter months!) But the challenges are just tools to help me do what I love.

What tools are you using + creating to help you do the things you love?

I would love for you to join me in #ChasingDaylight this year. Grab one of these challenges and use it to create your own extraordinary days of being outside!

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Chasing Daylight in July should not be hard. The days are long and the walking opportunities abound!

We are currently in the Lake District and later this month, we will spend a week on the Kintyre Peninsula (West Coast of Scotland), so I hope to wrack up the steps on my FitBit and discover some new trails.

My goal is to have a week’s worth (seven!) new trails to share with you when July is over.

Let the memory making begin!! Happy Summer!

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If you’ve been around here a while, you might remember that I love to plan small adventures. Extraordinary days of exploring the world around me.

But every once in a while, I want to go on what I like to call: A Grand Adventure!

So that’s my #ChasingDaylight challenge for June, A Grand Adventure.

This week, I’ll be going to Spain to walk the last stage of the Camino de Santiago with Macs Adventure.

Diane, who walked the Coast to Coast with me last year, will be joining me.

And two more friends are getting in on the fun.

Since I have been doing almost all of my walking in the UK in the last year or so, I am beyond excited to see what this trail in another country will hold along the way.

Please come along with us! On Instagram and YouTube. 

Are you planning or dreaming of your own Grand Adventure? It might be a long walk or it might be something entirely different. It might be happening in June or it might still be a long way off! Either way, I would love to hear what it is!

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I’m so happy that it’s MAY!!!

Last May was a dreamy combination of spring and sunshine! And even the rainy days were welcome for the crazy color they turn everything around here.

I LOVED walking St Cuthbert’s Way last May with Macs Adventure, so this year I am doing The Speyside Way, which is a gorgeous walk that is right in my backyard.

I chose The Speyside Way because it is close enough to complete in small chunks. I’m going to walk three days of it with my dear friends, Carol and Rhonda, who will be heading over next week from Arkansas. This is their first visit to Scotland and I’m super excited about showing them this gorgeous part of the country. Plus Speyside is Scotch whisky country, so we will be popping by a distillery or two.

Later in the year I’m hoping to finish up the Speyside in small portions. A couple of weekends or maybe even a long day trip or two. We’ll see. I’m so excited for this adventure!

Do you have a walk in your backyard that you could complete in smaller chunks?  I loved taking two weeks to walk the Coast to Coast last year in England, but I met lots of folks on the trail who were walking just part of the journey. I think it’s a great way to take on a big trail if you don’t have as much time to be away.

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It’s a new month! And time for a new outdoor challenge!

April will be all about city walks for the Chinos.

My days (and Instagram feed) will be filled with some fun new-to-me cities this month!

We’re off to Amsterdam for the first week of Easter holidays and then later in the month we will be visiting York!

If you have suggestions for either of these great cities, please do pass them along!

Where are you Chasing Daylight this month?

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Happy March!

I’m always happy to say goodbye to February and this year is no exception.

March may bring the spring rains, but it also brings daffodils and longer days.

This month’s challenge is to walk somewhere you would normally drive.

I already walk a lot of places, so I’m going to push myself to walk somewhere new and far!

We’ll see how it goes.

I would love to hear where you walk (or bike) to this month!

Cheers to a new month of getting outside and #ChasingDaylight!

PS You can also go back to any of the other outdoor challenges, or feel free to create your own!

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