The First Mile

We’re back! In this episode we discuss travel writing ahead of Ash’s debut book, Why We Travel. We discuss motivations for travel - why it matters, how we can do it better and if it can it help us to live more fulfilling lives… This episode, discover: What Pip and Ash have been up to since they last recorded. What are motivations for travel - and why it matters, how we can do it better and can it help us to live more fulfilling lives? Journeys of curiosity, inspiration, happiness, creativity, serendipity, hardship, service, healing, wonder, empathy, eroticism and hope. Why you should absolutely read Ash’s debut book… Links mentioned in this episode: Why We Travel by Ash Bhardwaj  Life Lessons from the Amazon by Pip Stewart  Support your local bookshops: Stanfords  Waterstones  JOIN US ON SOCIAL: We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s episode and if you’ve got any suggestions of topics or people you’d like to hear interviewed. Drop us a line on Instagram @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart or X @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart. *Please consider leaving a review if you enjoyed this episode. Thank you!

We’re coming back! The podcast is all about travel, why it matters, how we can do it better and if it can help us live more fulfilling lives. We really value your input so do let us know what you’d like to see in season two. If you’ve got any suggestions of topics or people you’d like to hear interviewed. Drop us a line on Instagram @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart or X @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart.  

Rhiane Fatinikun on Getting Started in the Outdoors, and the Importance of Diversity. In the final episode of Season 1, we meet Rhiane Fatinikun, the founder of Black Girls Hike. Rhiane founded Black Girls Hike in 2019, to provide a safe space for Black women to explore the outdoors. It is now a thriving community, with groups based in the North West, the Midlands and London. In this episode, Rhiane tells us about how she went from having no hiking experience or equipment (and being unable to read a map) to leading a national hiking movement. She also shares her hints and tips on how to create communities and take that first step towards trying something new.   This episode, discover: Why Rhiane’s first London meet up didn’t go entirely to plan. How she built and expanded a community. How to take that first step towards trying something new. How to overcome self doubt. The power of social media to connect people in real life. Why it’s important to take up and created spaces for people to feel like they belong. About racism in the UK and the outdoors community. Why we need to share both negative and positive experiences. How she went from being a beginner hiker to leading a group up Snowdon.  Why you should trust that you will come into your own season. How to deal with negativity. Why to plan to have no plan when you travel. Links mentioned in this episode: Rhiane’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/itsnotrhiane/?hl=en  Black Girls Hike Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bgh_uk/?hl=en  Black Girls Hike Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bghmcr/ Black Girls Hike Twitter https://twitter.com/ukbgh?lang=en  Tales of a Hiker https://www.talesofahiker.com  Tales of a Hiker Instagram Humans of New York https://www.humansofnewyork.com  Kendal Mountain Festival https://www.kendalmountainfestival.com We Flock Together https://www.instagram.com/flocktogether.world/?utm_source=ig_embed  Mountain Leader Training https://www.mountain-training.org/qualifications/walking/mountain-leader  Moses Gate Park https://www.lancswt.org.uk/our-work/projects/kingfisher-trail/moses-gate-country-park Epping Forest http://www.visiteppingforest.org  JOIN US ON SOCIAL: We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s The First Mile and if you’ve got any suggestions of topics or people you’d like to hear interviewed. Drop us a line on Instagram @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart or Twitter @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart.   *Please consider leaving a review if you enjoyed this episode. Thank you!   

Leon McCarron on Slow Travel and Misunderstood Places. In this episode, Ash meets Leon McCarron: writer, broadcaster, and North Face explorer. Leon has walked a 1000-mile loop of the Holy Land, crossed China from north to south, and travelled on foot in Kosovo, Armenia and on the Yemeni island of Socotra. He has also cycled 14,000 miles across three continents, walked through the Empty Quarter desert, and ridden across Patagonia on horseback. Leon’s work seeks out stories of humanity and nuance in parts of the world that are often demonised or misunderstood by Western media.  In this episode, discover: About Leon’s 1,000 mile walk through the Middle East (including why Leon and Pip found themselves walking along a smugglers route in Jordan!). Why Leon’s travels turned from journeys focused on landscapes to those focused on people and what he’s learned as a result. How to tell powerful stories - the power and use of journaling, and why less is more. How Leon created his career path. How Leon enjoys telling stories by travelling on foot. Why reading works by local authors not only aids understanding but also excitement about visiting a country. Leon’s experience witnessing the Arbaʽeen Pilgrimage that takes place in Iraq. How and why Leon has helped establish new walking trails in central China and northern Iraq. Why people’s careers are not always what they appear. Why you might want to avoid googling popular travel destinations. Links mentioned in this episode: Leon website https://www.leonmccarron.com Leon Instagram https://www.instagram.com/leonmccarron/ Leon Twitter https://twitter.com/leonmccarron?lang=en Leon’s book: The Land Beyond https://www.leonmccarron.com/writing1.html Rob Lillwall https://roblilwall.com Alastair Humprehys https://alastairhumphreys.com Arbaʽeen Pilgrimage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbaʽeen_Pilgrimage The Long Form Podcast https://longform.org/podcast Our Man in the Middle East https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08rmkcd Ramblings with Claire Balding https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006xrr2/episodes/player On Writing by Stephen King Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells JOIN US ON SOCIAL: We’d love to hear what you think of this week’s The First Mile and if you’ve got any suggestions of topics or people you’d like to hear interviewed. Drop us a line on Instagram @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart or Twitter @AshBhardwaj and @PipStewart. *Please consider leaving a review if you enjoyed this episode. Thank you! 

Dispatch from New Zealand: Maori Hakas, Sacred Rivers, and Jet-boat Evacuations. In this action-packed Dispatch episode, we join Ash in Aotearoa New Zealand's North Island. Ash tackles rapids, learns about Maori culture (including traditional navigational techniques) - and makes it back to the UK just before lockdown hit. Ash meets the captain of an ocean-going waka, who left the New Zealand Army to navigate oceans with just the stars, the weather, and the taste of the water. Then he canoes down the Whanganui River in the company of a man who teaches Maori heritage and history through a river journey. In this episode, discover: How the Maori people navigated to Aotearoa New Zealand from near the equator. The history wrapped up in Maori myth and legend. How the value of nature is communicated through metaphor. The historical importance and modern legacy of the Treaty of Waitangi. What the haka means. What European colonisation meant for indigenous peoples. Why the Whanganui River has the same legal status as a person. The geological representation of Maori familial connections. Links mentioned in this episode: New Zealand tourism board https://www.newzealand.com/uk/  Treaty of Waitangi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Waitangi  Waitangi Treaty Grounds https://www.waitangi.org.nz  The Bridge to Nowhere https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_to_Nowhere_(New_Zealand)  Whanganui River has the same legal status as a person https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/04/maori-river-in-new-zealand-is-a-legal-person/