A Wild Times takeover

Jini Reddy, author of our new Wild Times book, took over our Instagram to share some of her favourite natural experiences with us.

 

Hi there! Jini Reddy here, author of #WildTimes, a collection of extraordinary experiences connecting with #nature in Britain. I’m taking over @BradtGuides today to share with you some of my favourite encounters while writing the book. This photo was taken on my Natural Navigation walk in the South Downs. Land is a living map, its signposts the landscape features and elements: sky, wind, clouds, sea, hills, plants, puddles, even insects. There’s something quite liberating about abandoning your map, and instead using nature and your senses as guidance. #bradt #ignature

A photo posted by Bradt Guides (@bradtguides) onOct 12, 2016 at 1:18am PDT

 

Our landscape is an artist’s paradise. I don’t mean in a painting the scenery kind of way, but painting with the scenery. Nature is bursting with a hidden pallette, just waiting for us to harness her vibrant hues. Embark on a wild colour walk with @botanicalinks and learn the age-old art of natural dyeing. It’s a fantastic way to connect craft with nature. #bradt #ignature #wildtimes

A photo posted by Bradt Guides (@bradtguides) onOct 12, 2016 at 2:33am PDT

The natural world can awaken our senses, oblige us to slow down, offer adventure, meaning, solace, wonder and healing. Nature may challenge us, and invoke a quiet peace. 

 

More and more of us want to experience the energy, knowledge and primal wisdom that comes from the earth as our ancestors did. On a barefoot walk, you can do just that: feel the aliveness of the ground as your toes navigate across an icy, almost velvety carpet underfoot. Lynne Allbutt offers walks through the #Breconbeacons: it’s an intense and exhilarating sensation. #wildtimes #bradt #barefoot #Wales

A photo posted by Bradt Guides (@bradtguides) onOct 12, 2016 at 4:38am PDT

There’s a transformative power to time spent in nature, and you don’t need to be a wildlife expert or an all-conquering adventurer to find a way to connect with the natural world around you.

 

Some of us, sadly, barely notice the plants in our midst. Others grow plants tenderly or use them for herbal cures. On a short break with on Intuitive Herbalism with Nathaniel Hughes I learnt about the healing properties of plants from the plants themselves, spending four heat, exhilarating days in a pretty corner of @the_cotswolds. #bradt #wildtimes #ignature #mindfullness

A photo posted by Bradt Guides (@bradtguides) onOct 12, 2016 at 7:13am PDT

Anyone can try their hand at painting with earth pigments along the North Yorkshire coast, taking a bumblebee safari in Somerset or navigating as our ancestors did in Sussex. The invitation here is gentle: explore, engage and – above all – enjoy!

 

A wild food walk rewards a sensitivity to the landscape, for it is nature who calls the shots. I joined @hedgebotherer to forage for a feast in #Leeds and discovered a natural pantry of plenty. Foraging cannot but make you keenly aware of the earth’s bounty. #bradt #wildtimes #foraging

A photo posted by Bradt Guides (@bradtguides) onOct 12, 2016 at 9:44am PDT

Wild Times is part inspirational narrative, part practical guide. It offers helpful details on how to get there and where to stay, suggestions of alternative experiences on the same theme and handy tips on bringing a little of the magic back home.

 

Learning about no-dig gardening with @charles_dowding was a treat! I walked along the row of colossal cabbages and giant broccoli, and padtbyje leafy tops of beetroot and potato, I felt as wide-eyed as James in his Giant Peach. #bradt #wildtimes #somerset #gardening #ignature

A photo posted by Bradt Guides (@bradtguides) onOct 12, 2016 at 10:55am PDT

Whether you fancy rewilding a forest in the Scottish Highlands, learning the art of horse whispering in Devon or taking a moonlit meander through Suffolk, you’ll find your perfect wild time within the pages of this enchanting book.

 

I’ve had a great time reliving my #WildTimes through this take over, and I hope I’ve inspired you to deepen your own connection with nature. I’ll leave you with these photos from my dark sky gazing trip in #northumberland with Northern Experience Wildlife Tours. I wanted to star gaze in wild dark skies, away from people and bricks and mortar. This beautiful county is home to some of Britain’s blackest skies and the stellar vista above my head was worth the journey! Goodnight! @visitnorthumberland #stargazing #ignature #bradt #travelguide

A photo posted by Bradt Guides (@bradtguides) onOct 12, 2016 at 11:32am PDT