Hi, we are Belinda and John, the authors of Stories from the Wild.com. If you’ve just stumbled upon this site and want to find out exactly who we are, and what we are up to – this page is a good place to get started.
A Bit About Us
We have been together for over 20 years, and married in 1998, at St Mary’s on the fantastic Isles of Scilly, (a group of islands off the south-west coast of England). Perhaps this was the starting point for our desire for travel and adventure. It wasn’t the traditional wedding. There were no guests, no fancy hotel and no reception. It was just the two of us, camping, bird watching and searching for witnesses outside the registry office, 20 minutes before the ceremony. But that’s another story!
Since then our work background is a mixed bag! Ranging from the extremely mundane to the very exciting, with big companies and as entrepreneurs, from just surviving to nicely profitable. And of course, a lot of in-between. For the past 15 years we’ve have (and continue to) run several online businesses, covering a broad range of industries – from retailing consumer products through e-commerce, to travel / photo blogs (Wild Asturias.com), and online learning resources (Sneak Punch / Fight Yourself Fit / Boxing Masterclass).
However, our passion has always centred around travel, wildlife and photography, and this is how we spend all of our spare time. It has also influenced where we have chosen to live. And so, in 2006, through the marvels of the internet and mobile working we have been very grateful to spend many years exploring the wonders of northern Spain – with its rugged coastline, mountainous interior and impressive wildlife. After 8 years in Spain – we are now settled in the Scottish Highlands, close to the Moray Firth and a little north of the Cairngorms National Park.
About Be. Nicknamed ‘Hawkeye’ for her enthusiasm and uncanny ability to spot birds, whilst others others are left searching. Highly likely to use multiple swear words in excitement upon spotting something rare. The ultimate organiser and list maker. Has the ability to sleep anywhere, at any time.
About John. Is at his happiest walking the riverbank in search of otters. His eye for a new gadgets is much larger than his wallet can afford. Allergic to shopping and car parks. Is going bald, and considering adding a selection of hats to his wardrobe.
The Project
‘Stories from the Wild’ – combines our passion for travel and photography. Our adventure will be a journey to search for and capture ‘wild places’ – and embark on a new creative apprenticeship.
With a mixture of itchy feet and desire to master new skills – to explore further, to explore in more detail. We have managed to adapt our circumstances to allow a little space in order to begin a new apprenticeship. In short, to follow the creative process more intensively, combining our passion for searching for and capturing wild places, with the chance to add to new key ingredient – time. But before we could get there, other questions arose – you can read about our journey towards the beginning of ‘Stories from the Wild’ in more depth here – Before the Journey Begins.
Through our blog we we aim to show you elements from our trips – we hope to bring many images capturing the landscape and the light, a glimpse of life travelling in a VW van, and the challenges of learning new skills.
We have a plan. Although saying that, as we write this page, having almost completed ‘Stage One’, this plan has changed considerably. There have been delays, bad weather, and overestimating the time needed to complete the task. But we are enjoying the freedom of not knowing exactly where this is all heading!
Our site will also be ‘warts and all’, not edited highlights or stage-managed content – the highs and lows, mistakes made and lessons learned – and perhaps the occasional rant!
An Invitation to You
We hope you enjoy reading and feel free to drop us a line. Embracing the freedom of online working and living to ‘location independent’ is tricky, often frustrating business. If you have any help and advice, we’d love to hear from you. Or just say hello in the comments section below, send a message directly or through any of the social media sites (links top-right). Hoping this message finds you well. John and Be.
