Wednesday, October 9, 2024

I Love The Open air Interview Collection #24 – Steve Cleverdon

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There are such a lot of nice bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters, and photographers on the market creating wonderful out of doors content material every day.

Not solely did I wish to personally get to know them higher, however I additionally wished to discover their out of doors influences and fervour for nature.

Thus, we’ve launched the I Love The Open air Interview Collection.

If you’re curious about collaborating within the sequence, please contact us and tell us!

Steve Cleverdon

I Love The Outdoors Interview Series #24 – Steve Cleverdon

1. Inform us a little bit about your self. 

Hey, I’m Steve. I’ve simply turned 35, and I dwell on the South coast of England with my different half, Becci, and our two younger boys, plus our loopy cocker spaniel Max.

2. What’s your favourite out of doors exercise?

I really like multi-day hikes, which embrace nights tenting beneath the celebrities.

Once I was youthful I’d go on epic hikes, masking a whole lot of miles, spending each evening in my tent, however lately, since having youngsters, my adventures now have a tendency to suit neatly right into a weekend or the occasional evening midweek each time I really feel the urge, I’ll pack a small bag and hike to a secluded spot on the South Downs for an evening of wild tenting, then be again dwelling earlier than the children wake within the morning.

Typically, the most effective adventures are these transient, stolen moments amidst the day by day grind.

3. The place is your favourite path?

I Love The Outdoors Interview Series #24 – Steve Cleverdon
Morning view on the GR20 in Corsica as we observe the mountain path alongside the ridge heading south.

Again in 2013, I used to be joined by my buddy Paul, also referred to as my, “brother from one other mom” (we share the very same birthday), who flew over from New Zealand to hike the GR20 in Corsica with me.

Not for the faint-hearted, this trek is usually known as “Europe’s hardest hike” or “one of many prime trails on this planet.”

The GR20 passes diagonally over the mountains of the small Mediterranean island, from north to south.

The trek took us roughly 2 weeks to cowl the 180km stretch of the path.

This path was significantly memorable for the truth that each myself and Paul celebrated our twenty fifth birthdays collectively, sitting atop a mountain.

4. The place is your favourite tenting spot?

I Love The Outdoors Interview Series #24 – Steve Cleverdon
Pre-dawn outdoors my tent as I look ahead to the solar to rise over the Black Mountain, Wales.

I’ve very just lately made a last-minute resolution to flee to the Brecon Beacons for a weekend of climbing and tenting in Wales.

It was on this journey that I found my now favorite spot for wild tenting.

Positioned within the west of the Brecon Beacon is the black mountain vary which is the place you’ll discover a small lake (or Llyn in Welsh) generally known as Llyn y Fan Fach and the proper location to pitch a tent.

The mountains behind the lake present an epic backdrop to this unbelievable tenting spot. It’s additionally an important place for a spot of untamed swimming or as a place to begin to hike the Black Mountain.

5. What was your first out of doors reminiscence as a child?

I can’t actually pinpoint one precise reminiscence as I used to be all the time open air, wading by streams within the woods on canine walks with my mum, enjoying within the waves alongside the seashores of the south coast, or exploring small lanes and cycle paths with my dad.

I used to be lucky to develop up in an space of excellent pure magnificence, inside minutes of my entrance door I might discover myself in open fields or climbing bushes within the woods so every single day was a brand new journey for me.

6. Who was your largest out of doors affect?

In my early years, it will have undoubtedly been my mum. We have been all the time strolling or constructing forts open air, however as I grew older and began trying to develop my horizons one adventurer stands out above the remainder, and that adventurer could be Alastair Humphreys.

I first heard of Al in my early 20s as he was within the means of biking world wide. He spent over 4 years biking throughout the continents, seeing a lot of the world on a shoestring funds.

Following his journey impressed me to take by myself grand journey which led me to stroll your entire size of New Zealand in 2010.

Lately Alastair has develop into extra broadly identified for coining the time period “micro-adventure” which is, in essence, a brief, low-cost, and easy journey, but nonetheless difficult, thrilling, and, most significantly, enjoyable that anybody can do.

For me, micro-adventures present my journey repair in between my longer stints away within the mountains.

Different inspirations over time embrace Ed Stafford who walked the Amazon, Mark Beaumont who has damaged the world file for the quickest cycle world wide quite a few occasions, Bear Grylls, well-known for his outlandish survival reveals, and naturally, Sir David Attenborough, who I grew up watching as he shared the wonders of the pure world.

7. What was your all-time finest tenting or climbing expertise?

It’s bought to be the GR20 in Corsica once more.

Though not the longest hike I’ve ever accomplished, it was actually essentially the most rewarding.

I liked the truth that the route was so distant, solely passing by just a few tiny villages alongside the way in which meant you actually felt as if you have been really alone within the huge mountain panorama.

8. Who’s your favourite particular person to camp or hike with?

I Love The Outdoors Interview Series #24 – Steve Cleverdon
Myself and Tommy in the beginning of our hike to the summit of Scafell Pike, England’s highest peak.

Most of the time, I’m a little bit of a lone wolf on the subject of getting open air.

Not as a result of I don’t love the corporate, it’s simply powerful planning round different folks’s schedules, and I simply wish to get open air.

This yr, I’ve loved getting away with just a few pals who’re new to climbing mountains and sleeping open air.

First to Snowdonia in Wales, then later within the yr, we visited the Lake District within the north of England.

It’s all the time enjoyable sharing my ardour with different folks, and thus far, everybody who has joined me appears eager to hitch me once more.

9. What’s your favourite piece of drugs & why?

Steve Cleverdon Interview

I really like an important cup of espresso, which is why my favorite piece of drugs is my Aeropress Go.

I typically pack it alongside a flask of sizzling water in order that I can take pleasure in a extremely tasty brew wherever I’m whereas on the go.

Good for a celebratory cuppa on prime of a mountain or for a much-needed hit of caffeine when waking up pre-dawn to look at the dawn from inside my tent porch,

10. What do you like in regards to the open air?

I Love The Outdoors Interview Series #24 – Steve Cleverdon
Taking within the views sat on the ‘diving board’ hanging over the sting of Fan y Huge, Wales.

This can be a powerful one to place into phrases. Once I’m open air my thoughts empties, all my worries disappear, and I really feel at peace but alive on the similar time.

As I discussed earlier, I typically journey alone.

Personally, I actually take pleasure in my very own firm and the solitude permits me much-needed headspace to recalibrate.

I additionally love the bodily problem that usually comes with being open air and the sense of accomplishment each time I full an enormous journey.

The mountains are my pleased place and the place I really feel essentially the most content material however an in depth second to this could be floating down a river on my paddleboard at dawn.

11. What out of doors locations are in your bucket listing?

So many locations… Within the UK, I’d like to rise up to Scotland once more. I scratched the floor just a few years in the past once I hiked the West Highland Means however it solely left me hungry for extra.

While the UK has its justifiable share of mountain ranges, they’re fairly small within the grand scheme of issues, so over the following few years, I plan to go to the Alps and conquer a few of Europe’s tallest peaks. I’d significantly love to go to the Dolomites area in Italy.

Additional afield the listing is infinite, there actually is an excessive amount of to see, Nonetheless, I do have free plans with a superb buddy to hike as much as Everest base camp for his fortieth birthday in just a few years’ time. Fingers crossed we will make {that a} actuality!

12. What’s your objective as an out of doors content material creator? How can we assist you, & the place can we discover your content material?

My final objective as an out of doors content material creator? To interrupt free from the confines of the 9-to-5 and immerse myself within the nice open air across the clock.

I’d like to fill my days trekking up mountain trails, sleeping beneath starlit skies, or sharing my information on subjects, similar to the most effective climbing tools or gear to pack for an evening of untamed tenting by way of my weblog.

In the future, my dream is to share extra of my adventures on movie, however that’s a chapter I’ll hopefully unfold in 2024, once I plan to transition absolutely into this adventurous way of life.

You may assist me by merely following me on

Steve, thanks for the nice interview and for collaborating within the I Love The Open air Interview Collection!

If you’re curious about collaborating and sharing your story, please contact us and tell us!

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