The Art Of Surf Posters

Surf posters lend themselves perfectly to graphic design. Clean lines, block patterns and citrus colours capture the warm essence of tropical surfing. Here are a few of my recent favourites poster finds...

How To Make Your Own Adventure In The City: The Urban Hike

I used to think hikes were for boring old people with green anoraks, bird-watching books and ugly boots. People like my parents. No fourteen year old wants to spend a Sunday traipsing around the Chilterns with their parents.

I could never have imagined a decade on I’d go hiking myself – for fun – without even the promise of two Scotch pancakes sandwiched together with Nutella (a family favourite) at the end of it.

When my friend Chloe came up with the idea of an Urban Hike, it was hard to say no. The idea was she would plan a route from Notting Hill in West London to Tower Hill in East London, stopping off at unusual, lesser known attractions along the way.

We started off at a cute Italian coffee shop – La Caffettiera on Kensington Church Street with pastries and coffee, toured through Kensington to Brompton Cemetery where Emmeline Pankhurst is buried. Here we also met a man who walks his blue parrots here every day. They even sit outside on lamp posts waiting for him when he goes to Sainsburys!

Then down through Chelsea onto the King’s Road where we were shouted at by taxi drivers, spotted food critic AA Gill and drank prosecco at a local food market near Sloane Square.

Next up past the swanky shops on Sloane Street to Hyde Park where we collided with the finals of an international triathlon competition.

This was followed by a jaunt past the Ritz, through the famous Burlington Arcade towards Soho where we ate a lunch of fried chicken washed down with American craft beer at Jackson & Rye.

Feeling a little drowsy after all the food and beer, we stopped off at the famous Algerian Coffee Store for a latte (it only costs £1.20 and is home to hundreds of types of coffee) – before hurrying down towards Hatchard’s, the oldest bookshop in the UK.

Then on to Fleet Street to climb up Monument before it closed. The view from the top is pretty spectacular. We finished by strolling along past to Tower Hill to our final stop, Wilton’s the oldest surviving grand music hall in the world, dating back to 1859. They still have gigs and music nights on here today.

For someone who calls herself a Londoner, the Urban Hike was a total eye opener. I saw places in the London that I never knew existed. Armed with water bottles and rucksacks, it felt like a real expedition – passing council estates and cemeteries, glamorous shop fronts, gay bars and office blocks on the way.

We met a few characters, argued with angry taxi drivers, ate doughnuts in Sloane Square, (nearly) went for a swim in the Serpentine and got a certificate for climbing the 311 stairs to the top of Monument. Three of us even bumped into acquaintances we hadn’t seen in ages. Who says you need countryside to have an adventure?

It took us around eight hours round trip to walk from Notting Hill to Tower Hill (with lots of long leisurely stops in between). Here’s the (rough) route in case you want to copy us… I’d highly recommend it!

Surfing In New York: Three Women's Experiences

For many people, surfing isn’t about tropical beaches, warm water, bikinis and perfect waves. It’s about numb fingers, neoprene hoods and fighting for scrappy waves in the North Atlantic.

This mini surf film, Away by Elisa Bates, is probably about as far away from California as you can get. It’s shot in Rockaway Beach in New York, just an hour from downtown Manhattan. A cold, east coast break with inconsistent waves but a core community of regular surfers

Bates interviews three very different women who all surf. Not your stereotypical surfers, these woman have high-pressure jobs, kids, a life in the city that involves nothing to do with surfing.

It’s shows a lesser seen side to surfing – but one Brits will definitely empathise with. Worth a watch!

Book: Wild By Cheryl Strayed

There are two things I can’t resist in a new book: an adventure and a strong female character. Cheryl Strayed’s bestselling memoir, Wild, has both.

It was published back in 2012, a memoir by a relatively unknown writer. Now it’s being released as a Hollywood movie starring Reese Witherspoon. But it was the book that I was far more interested in…

Strayed is just 22 when she suddenly loses her mother to cancer. Within four years, her marriage has disintegrated and she finds herself  battling with her relationships and a serious drug addiction. Then, after  a spur of the moment decision in an outdoor shop, Strayed decides to get her life back on track – by walking 1,100 miles from the Mojave Desert to Washington State along the Pacific Crest Trail – completely alone.

As Strayed sets off on her epic hike through the wilderness, we see flashbacks to her former life – the heartbreaking decline as her mother is ravaged by cancer, the helpless attempts to mend her broken marriage and a downwards spiral into cheating, poverty and drug abuse.

A journalist from the Scotsman described how Wild “pretty much obliterated me”. Twenty pages in, I was already wiping tears away on my commute into work. But it’s not a sad tale. Well, at least not all of it.

It’s Strayed’s personality that interested me more – a strong, independent woman taking on a challenge most would steer away from for fear of travelling alone. Aside from a couple of odd characters, Strayed notes how she was struck by the kindness of strangers. Those who left food for her, invited her in when she was down to her last 69 cents or gave her a lift when she was nearly caving under the weight of her backpack.

It’s no surprise this book topped the New York Times Bestseller list. But it does have its critics – from people angry at Strayed for bringing unwanted attention to the PCT to others who think Strayed’s tale is ‘nothing special’. If you’re a hardcore hiker, then this isn’t for you. It’s not detailing every step of the landscape. Strayed is simply writing about what she knows.

For me, it was a book that’s beautifully written, painfully sad and captures what it’s like to heal and ultimately forgive yourself. By doing something as simple as hiking through America.

Buy Wild on Wordery for £6.27. Photo via. Cheryl Strayed

Six Camping Accessories We Want This Autumn

From top left clockwise: Finisterre Mora Fisherman Jumper, £95; Rucksack from Rucksack Village, from US $175; Miscellaneous Adventures Beanie, £16; BioLite Campstove, £149.99; Falcon Enamelware Cup, £7.99; Treeline Outdoors The Simple Man 2 Person Sleeping Bag, CAD $250

Camping gear doesn’t have to be nerdy. Not everything comes in a nice shade of bottle green. In fact, I’m slowly piecing together outdoor brands that don’t forgo style for no reason.

We might be coming to the end of camping season – winter is close around the corner. But that doesn’t mean you can’t start planning for Christmas presents.

I’m particularly keen on these three British brands here – namely coldwater surf company Finisterre, retro styled Falcon Enamelware and that mustard coloured hat from Miscellaneous Adventures. America’s got style, but so do we.

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5 Things You Should Do In Montenegro

Back in April, I read a blog that said Kotor in Montenegro had the most beautiful scenery the writer had seen since New Zealand. New Zealand. I knew we had to go.

So we flew from London to Dubrovnik and jumped in a transfer car to spend five days in the old town of Kotor, a walled city protected by UNESCO. It felt like Italy, warrens of old passageway opening out into squares each with its own illuminated church, wine bars and restaurants.

You’ll find yacht-owning billionaires alongside backpackers here, attracted to the beauty of the town and the cheap food and wine. Here are a few things we’d recommend doing while in Montenegro…

1. Climb Kotor’s Castle of San Giovanni

You can’t miss the castle. It towers over the old town of Kotor, perched high above in the mountains. It’s 1,350 steps to the ruins at top, guaranteed to get you sweating. En route, you’ll find a tiny gilded chapel, a sketchy looking bridge and amazing views down the valley across the water. Go late in the afternoon/evening to avoid getting caught in the blazing heat.

2. Visit Sveti Stefan

You’ve probably seen photos of Sveti Stefan before. It’s your archetypal Mediterranean island, originally a fishing village dotted with stone cottages and winding streets. While it still holds the look of a fishing village from afar, up close we discovered it’s now a luxury hotel. Apparently Djokovic got married there a few weeks earlier.

You can only visit the island by appointment or if you have a reservation in one of the hotel restaurants. They have their own beach outside which you can only sit on if you pay €50 per person (!) for a sun lounger.

We ended up getting a hotel reservation and sitting on the leafy terrace outside watching the sun set. The food was delicious – seafood spaghetti with puttanesca sauce – expensive by Montenegrin standards but not far off what you’d pay for an average meal in London.

3. Take a boat ride to Our Lady Of The Rocks

Our hostel owner organised a private boat ride for us around the bay, stopping off to swim and drink sweet, dark Montenegrin coffee. We also dropped by Our Lady Of The Rocks, a unique church built on an island in the middle of the water.

Legend has it, the local people created the island by dropping rocks in the same spot year after year. Eventually they stacked up to make the island the church stands on today. Every year on 22 July, people still go and drop rocks in the same spot as tradition.

The present church was built in 1632 with a strange mosque-like dome. Apparently it was a deliberate attempt by the architect to fool Muslim invaders into thinking the Christian building was a mosque!

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4. Hire kayaks

Another great way to explore the Bay of Kotor is by kayak. We paid €14 for two hours rental and easily paddled up to the bend in the valley before stopping to sunbathe on one of the pebble beaches nearby.

5. Go canyoning

This was the one activity we didn’t get a chance to do – but I’ve heard great things about canyoning near Kotor. It basically involves climbing through canyons, jumping off cliffs, abseiling down waterfalls and swimming through the rivers. It’s a full day excursion and costs around €70 including transportation to the site. Definitely on my list for next time.

HOW TO GET THERE: We flew with easyJet to Dubrovnik and got a transfer with a taxi company, Intravel(recommended on a TripAdvisor message board). They were very reliable and €220 for five people for a return 100 minute journey. We thought this was pretty well priced in comparison to the bus, which would have taken twice as long.

STAY: Old Town Hostel in Kotor. Big modern rooms and communal area in the lobby was decked out with magazines, good WiFi and a pinboard filled with thank you letters from previous guests. Plus it’s super cheap!

EAT: Grab breakfast from the bakery just inside the main gates and eat a giant bowl of pasta with red wine at Bocalibre for dinner.

WHEN TO GO: May to September. We went in July and it was HOT!

#HalfMarathonProblems: 7 Tips For Running Your First Half Marathon

Two years ago I signed up to a 10K run. It was painful. Now I’m three weeks away from a half marathon – and I couldn’t be more terrified. At school, I was the girl that slunk back to avoid cross-country. I couldn’t run for more than ten minutes without feeling like I was about to die. My brother says I run with crazy abandon like Phoebe from Friends. I am not built to be a runner.

And yet here I am, dragging myself out of the house three times a week to pound the pavement, in the hope that I will just about make it over the finish line. 13 miles is a long way.

Clearly I am by no means an expert, but here are my survival tips learned from experience so far…

  • Buy good running trainers. I thought trainers could last forever. It turns out you need a new pair every 300 miles because the cushioning wears down. As soon as the ache appears in your lower legs every time you run, it’s probably time to invest in a new pair. Buying a new pair of trainers totally revolutionised my running.
     
  • Buy new kit. If I’ve got new brightly-coloured running kit, it motivates me to get out the door. I would highly recommend LuluLemon running pants, they wash well and last forever. Sweaty Betty has someflattering running tops that look great and this super lightweight running jacket for drizzly ‘grey dome’ days.
     
  • Try compression socks. I get serious calf pain – everything from shin splints to muscle ache. A sceptical friend of mine actually says compression socks actually work – they are meant to increase the blood circulation in your legs, reducing pain after running. Sweaty Betty has some compression leggingwhich I’m dying to give a try.
  • Regulate your breathing. This again was something I didn’t realise before I started, but regulating your breathing to a rhythm helps a lot. Some people find running without music makes this easier.
     
  • Change up your music. However if you do run with music (like me) changing up your playlist is a real lifesaver. I have songs I now associate with difficult hills. Delete them and whack Survivor by Destiny’s Child on there. It’s saved me in moments of despair and actually made running, erm, fun.
     
  • Don’t worry about training schedules. According to these online running schedules, I should just quit now. It’s great to stick to a schedule but I’ve got personal aims – running three to four times a week, completing at least nine miles before the big day – and then just making it to the finish line. Which follows nicely onto the next point…
     
  • There’s no shame in walk/run. I thought you had to run the whole thing to be considered a ‘true runner’. Now the more I’m reading, the more I realise the walk/run technique is nothing to be ashamed of. Hills destroy me but it doesn’t matter. If I power walk to the top and still run a further five miles afterwards, that’s pretty good going.

Have you got any tips that help your running? Do jot them down in the comments below.

Photo via. hannasroom.com and Sweaty Betty

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Morgan Maassen's Water

This mini-film by Morgan Maassen is one of the most beautiful things on the internet. The Californian surf photographer is only 24-years-old but he’s already producing iconic shots (and mini films) combining art and surfing. There’s a great interview with him here on The Inertia. Flick to full-screen HD and whack up the volume. It’s four and a half minutes of hypnotic bliss.

Oh, and he’s definitely one to follow on Instagram: @morganmaassen

Mission Blue: Why You Should Know About Sylvia Earle

Two weeks ago, I’d never heard of Sylvia Earle. Now, she’s fast becoming my new hero.

It was only when I was flicking through Netflix that I came across Mission Blue. It tells Sylvia’s story, starting out as a young marine biologist in 1960s America. She began scuba diving and studying the ocean back when there were very few signs of human destruction. “No one at this time imagined we could do anything to harm it” she explains.

Sylvia went on to become the first female chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an American government organisation for monitoring the oceans and atmosphere. In 1998, she given the role of National Geographic explorer-in-residence – all while bringing up three children. At the age of 79, she’s now regarded as one of the most legendary marine biologists of all time.

She’s dedicated her life to exploring the ocean – and now she’s determined to save them.

In just 50 years, overfishing has killed off 90 per cent of the ocean’s top predators including sharks, bluefin tuna, swordfish, marlin, and king mackerel. Half the coral reefs in the world are dead. As Sylvia points out, “No ocean, no life. No ocean, no us.”

Roughly 12 per cent of the land on earth is now under protection, while only three per cent of the ocean is. Sylvia’s aim is create Hope Spots (like national parks, but for the ocean) to stop us from destroying it for good.

“Just because you can’t see any changes to the surface of the sea, doesn’t mean it’s not happening underneath”

But what makes this film different to any other ‘save the ocean’ documentary? It works because it focuses around Sylvia’s life. She’s an interesting character in her own right.

On her first conservation mission to the Indian Ocean, the newspaper headlines read: ‘Sylvia Sails Away With 70 Men, But She Expects No Problems’.

This was 1960s America after all. Scientists weren’t famous. Women didn’t run environmental projects, let alone hold prestigious positions at NOAA. Yet Sylvia shot to fame. She was beautiful, powerful, strong willed. A true pioneer not only for marine conservation but for ambitious women.

She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. Two years after she was awarded the position of chief scientist at NOAA, she resigned because the committee refused to let her speak her mind on important fishing policies.

As you follow Sylvia’s life, you can’t help but begin to sympathise with her cause. You see things how she has seen them from thousands of hours spent studying the ocean – and how quickly we need to act to stop the oceans from dying forever.

I didn’t realise exactly how crucial the environment was to human survival until I watched Mission Blue. “Just because you can’t see any changes to the surface of the sea, doesn’t mean it’s not happening underneath,” says Sylvia. And she’s right.

If there’s one film you should watch this week, make it Mission Blue.

Watch the trailer below or the full film on Netflix now. All photos courtesy of Mission Blue.

Six Swimsuits For Outdoors Women

From top left clockwise: Roxy Morroccan Moon One Piece, Surfdome £39.99; Gypsea Riviera One Piece, Seea £78; Billabong Hayuk One Piece, Paragon £58; Volcom Reality Bites One Piece, Surf Stitch £45; Carve Designs Beacon One Piece, REI £32; N.L.P. Zip Front One Piece, N.L.P. £150

Swimming costumes have long suffered a bad reputation. Ever since the bikini arrived on the scene, swimsuits have been the reserve of older women and children – but not any more.

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There are some super cool designs out there made especially for sporty women. I’m personally a big fan of the built-in bra that supports rather than squishes your boobs into your chest.

There’s nothing mumsy about these designs, so you won’t feel frumpish on the beach, plus it’s way easier to peel off a wetsuit wearing one of these underneath than a bikini. No more fear of flashing the locals, hooray!

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