Family Adventures

A practical guide to involving babies and children in all sorts of adventures, whether it be cycling, camping, paddling, hiking, swimming or outdoor holidays. As soon as Bex Band, founder of the UK's largest women's adventure community, Love Her Wild, announced she was pregnant with her first child, the sympathy began. 'Enjoy your adventures while you can', 'It's going to be a big shock not being able to travel as much', and 'Aren't you going to miss adventuring?'It seemed as though having children was a death sentence when you're an outdoor adventurer. But it really doesn't have to be that way. Yes, it's a scary prospect - how do you keep them safe? Where do they sleep? What equipment do you need? - but it's totally doable. When Bex's daughter was just a few weeks old, Bex and her husband took her camping. Now age 2, she's been wild camping on Dartmoor, cycling along the coast, swimming in rural lakes and even carried in a backpack on a multi-day Negev desert hike. Now, she shares her stories and insights in Family Adventures, a practical and inspirational guide to involving babies and children in outdoor adventures. This guide is full of useful information (such as what to pack when camping with an infant or how to keep children safe in open water), invaluable tips (family games you can play around a campfire or how to keep morale up in bad weather) and plenty of honesty around things going wrong (poo-explosion on a wild camp, anyone?). Experiences from adventuring families also provide a plethora of insights so that you're well equipped to make your family adventuring dreams a reality.

Bex Band is an award-winning adventurer, author, speaker and founder of the UK's largest women's adventure community, Love Her Wild (www.loveherwild.com), now with +35,000 members. She also has an adventure blog, The Ordinary Adventurer (www.theordinaryadventurer.com), which has received over 1.6 million visitors. Her adventures have featured in the Guardian and BA High Life magazine and she has been interviewed by Clare Balding for BBC R4 'Ramblings'. Her debut book, Three Stripes South (Bradt, 2021), won the Shextreme Book Award and was nominated for the TGO Outdoor Book Award.

Introduction - Adventures, my family and me - Adventuring with children - Being safe outdoors with children - Tips for successful family adventures - Adapting when things don't go to plan: A walk turned run on the Dales Way by Tim Moss - Dressing for adventure - Feeding the family on an adventure - Adventuring with babies and toddlers - Hanging on to a love of the outdoors: Microadventuring with babies and toddlers by Samantha Fletcher - Continuing to adventure for yourself - Make changes that support adventuring - Taking a risk: A new life in the country by Sarah White - Life will never be the same again: Volunteering with the Scouts by Nisbah Hussain Camping Adventures - Our adventures under the stars - Family camping packing list - Safe sleeping when camping with children - The most challenging moments make the best stories: Camping, bothy and bivvy adventures by Kerry-Anne Martin - Wild camping - Keeping the family warm while camping - Campervan adventures - Opening our eyes to our country's heritage and beauty: Rooftop tent adventures by Laura Bridger Trail & Mountain Adventures - Our Adventures on foot - Hiking with infants and toddlers - Blazing trails: Joining a hiking community by Che Ramsden - Tackling mountains - 10 easy family-friendly mountains - The Moffat family adventures: Hiking Ben Nevis by Craig Moffat - Multi-day hiking - Family-friendly long-distance UK hiking trails - Teaching our kids they can achieve anything: Hiking the West Highland Way by Leanne Woodall - Rock climbing with children - Adapting, persevering and sharing our passion: Multi-pitch rock climbing by Alistair Ross - Snow adventures - Opening the door to a whole world of fantastic adventures: The Muir's guide to skiing with kids by Neil Muir Cycling Adventures - Our adventures on two wheels - Family cycling 101 - Cycling safety for families - Building better connections: Bike-packing Brown Knowe by Trevor Worsey - Adventuring together: Cycle-touring across Brittany by Alice Somerset & Dave Pearson-Smith - Traffic-free cycle trails - Long-distance cycle trails - Seeking balance: Cycle-touring the Hebridean Way by Rachel Healey Water Adventures - Our adventures on water - Children and water safety - Adventures on board: South coast sailing expedition by Tobina Marx - Paddling adventures - UK's best paddling adventures - Calm paddling and epic views: Kayaking the Great Glen canoe trail by Simon Margot - Surfing - Best family-friendly surf spots in the UK - The best surfer in the lineup is the one with the biggest smile: Surfing by Gareth Davies - Wild swimming - Adapting adventures for children with additional needs: Wilderness swimming and plunge pools by Charlie Ward Bigger Adventures - Our Adventures go epic - Taking on a bigger adventure - Our spectrum adventures: Walking the length of the UK by Ian Alderman - A bad day on the road is better than a good day in the office: Campervan touring by Richard Reid - Little bit up, little bit down: Hiking in Nepal by Catherine Edsell FRGS - Short-term effort for long-term gain - Family-friendly adventure communities - Games and activities