Now January has finally made way for February, I am starting to think more about goals and what I want to achieve this year. January was a really good month in terms of getting outdoors; I spent every weekend in my favourite place, the Peak District.

This year, there are lots of new things I want to try or lots of things I want to improve on, I don’t agree with resolutions as these can be broken, so instead I am setting myself 5 goals to aim for.

As someone who is a bit of an introvert, I love nothing more than spending time by myself doing things I love and this year solo hiking is something I want to do more of. The plan is to take myself off to one of my favourite Peak villages and get out for an early morning sunrise. Hiking alone doesn’t worry me in the slightest, I feel I know my way around the Peaks enough now, plus with my hiking buddy pup, I can’t think of an excuse not to. I often find walking alone, helps me clear my head and just feel better in myself. So I will be consulting my OS map and plotting a route for the next week or so.

Visiting Scotland has been top of my list for a long time, but this year is the year we are finally getting up there for ourselves and not just lusting after peoples Instagram photos. We are planning a two week road trip will see us visit the Cairngorms, Glencoe, Ben Nevis and Loch Lomond. The idea is to camp as we go and I couldn’t be more excited, I absolutely love sleeping under the stars. With my camera to hand, I am going to really enjoy taking my own photographs of majestic Scotland.

Visiting the Peaks so regularly means I often see climbers and people bouldering on the iconic edges. This year I really want to try both, with a love of heights and a challenge, I can’t think of a better activity to try alongside hiking. The problem solving and fun around them are something I want to try for myself. I have been toying with the idea of joining a climbing group for a while, so this year I want to build up my confidence and have a go, what is there to lose? If you know of any small, beginner problems in the Peaks, let me know.

Photography is obviously a huge passion of mine, my Instagram is something I am proud of and grown over the last year. This year I want to improve on my photography and capture more of the wonderful landscapes we visit. There is just so much to learn with capturing an image, so will be aiming to take my Canon, alongside my trusty 35mm film camera on all hikes. I want to mix it up between the two and take more images to be proud of. Landscapes are my passion, so I want that to reflect in my images.

My final goal for this year is to put more effort into this little blog, I absolutely love creative writing and with a passion for the outdoors I want to bring more of that to life. Whether it’s a small walk or big hike, I want to share my experiences and photographs with others to help motivate them to do the same. It can be hard to juggle a full time job with life, but I am determined to do it and just enjoy more of what I want to do.

So they are my goals, with some amazing trips planned to the Brecon Beacons, Barmouth, Scotland and of course the Peaks, there are so many exciting and spectacular places to visit. I want to hike more, take more photographs and breathe more. I want to leave stress behind and enjoy life more.

So there we have it, if you have any recommendations, leave me a comment.

My goals for 2020