Nature Escapes

08/09/2025

Last weekend we went to London and guess what??

I took the grand total of 2 photos….

This is extremely unusual for me!

Photos translate to capturing memories, to look back on, to share on socials, so in the future I ‘will remember’ this precious moment in time

I take a LOT of photo’s - currently I have 29,085 stored on my iPhone!

But I’ve got to thinking…how many of them are meaningful?

When ever am I going to go back and scroll through them all? 🤔

Back in the day when you had camera and film, you had a limit to the number of shots you got…you had to make a choice on what was most important!

You then trotted off to Boots with the film and some days later you got handed over that precious wallet of printed images, that then went into an album to be pulled off the shelf whenever you wished 📷

It meant something then..
Today I fear it’s become less so…

The constant snapping of the camera on our phones, like everything, has a COST we rarely think about

Just over a week ago I returned from a phone free 10 days on our Shamanic training. No phone meant no opportunity to click away capturing anything. Zero distractions meant I got to look at the world through the lens of my own HUMAN eyes, it was AMAZING

The experience changed me

My once need to get my phone out and snap everything is long gone and with it the added pressure to upload what I was doing and share it

No longer was I seeking out that Instagram worthy photo that would get maximum likes and followers..

My Ego was sound asleep 😴

There was so much JOY being completely in the present moment…capturing the moments, not through a screen!

Intimate moments that will be forever ours ❤️

More
PRESENCE
led to deeper
CONNECTION
led to an abundance of
shared
LOVE & LAUGHTER and
TOGETHERNESS

…and you know what??
It felt immensely FREEING!

My invitation for you is to ask yourself, in the moment…

Does getting my camera out right now take me out of this precious present moment?

HOW can I be more fully ‘here’ with the people I love without my devices?

Let me know how you get on - I’d love to hear your thoughts, drop me a DM 🥰

05/09/2025

Still landing from our time away in the forest, and taking the time that’s needed for all of the wisdom to unfold..

There is one thing that’s bursting to be shared, and it is this….

You are LOVED

Not for your achievements
Not for what you do for living
Not for all the sacrifices you’ve made
Not for what you’ve had to endure
Not for how you look
Not for the things you own
Not for any reasons at all

You are JUST loved, completely loved, JUST for being you..

Unconditionally
Without question or conditions

Read that again ⬆️
It’s deeper truth -

Your wild heart and sacred SOUL knows it

Our mission in this one precious life is to TRUST fully in the love that surrounds you without question…💚

Have faith in your life, all of it, the glorious highs and glorious lows…
Everything is exactly as it needs to be.

Put your hand on your HEART and feel it

You are loved wild friends 🥰

01/09/2025

We are back home after 11 days of the most incredible deep insights, visions, heartfelt Earth based teachings, held tightly by Mother Earth and in communal love with our tribe

Under the trees I heard the whispering wind, she spoke, for the first time in such a long, long time I met the power of my own soul

It’s finally safe now…
here she comes!

So so grateful for it all
💚

21/08/2025

And we’re off… going offline for our 10 days of Shamanic camping, living in community with our tribe of fellow trainees and teachers.

See you on the other side!

21/08/2025

Your life is worth fighting for..

There’s been so many times I questioned if I wanted to be here anymore, when the struggle just didn’t seem worth it. But each time I felt the call on the wind, to get off my knees, that told me to take just one small step forward. The inner knowing a small belief that eventually it would lead me to where I am meant to be

And that journey of loss, pain and suffering has led me here to now…to this place called ‘here’ to share more of my own experience, in the service of ‘human kind’ and ‘Spirit Kind’

I am so glad that in those endless hours of darkness I just kept looking up, never loosing my sense that there was something bigger than you or me could ever know, that the Universe had a plan for me..

And here I am, finally living and breathing it 💚 and this is just the beginning

If you’re feeling the call to write a new story in the book of you, drop me a DM - my hand is waiting to hold yours ❤️ let’s walk together and see where it leads

18/08/2025

We live in a world that glorifies busyness, productivity, and constant striving. True peace doesn’t come from ticking more off the endless 'to-do list' — it comes when we pause, breathe, and listen in

Nature reminds us of this daily....the river doesn’t rush to prove itself, the flowers don’t hurry to grow, they take their time and simply are as they need to be in the present moment

When we return to the stillness of the Earth and the are able to hear deeper truth within our own hearts, we remember that peace was never missing — it was just waiting for us to return home. 🍂

If your soul is craving this kind of homecoming, our 'Earth in Autumn retreat' (26th–28th September) is the perfect space to pause, reset, and root deeply into nature’s wisdom, see the link on our website ⬆️

14/08/2025

I met with a client yesterday, and as always Nature helped us to make sense of the struggles they were sitting with. The theme arose of ‘Edge Dwellers’ - what it means to live in two spaces.
Inhabiting both the world of spirituality, where your heart and soul needs peace, calm and slowness verses the ‘tamed’ life of Amazon Prime, endless to do lists, and the endless need for ‘things’

The question arose - ‘how do we walk on and stay on the path of the peaceful warrior, in a world that demands us to be busy, to have more and more and more?’

The answer we found lies in awareness, keeping your heart at the centre, not spending too much time in the head mind, and being in Natures presence daily

So, next time your brains busy, your soul weary I’d advise a trip to any ‘edge’ and see what the land has to say to you…

I have 2 coaching spots available for September - drop me a DM if you’re feeling the call to take a walk with me 💚

11/08/2025

This pic came up on my Facebook memories today.

It was taken back in 2018 when our first business ‘Kite Adventures’ was being launched. I remember pulling on that t shirt full of optimism and excitement for our new adventure!

I remember when Pete and I the lightbulb moment!

We’d gone on a walking weekend run by an outdoor company. Loving the outdoors but not always wanting to do it alone, I’d booked on when I was single. Not that long after I’d met Pete he said he wouldn’t mind coming along, so nearly a year after we’d met, we pitched up for the weekend. It was Valentines 2018 so this seemed an ideal way to spend time together and our shared love of Nature

We were the first to arrive on the Friday eve, and the solo facilitator was frantically cooking dinner. She’d been let down by her co facilitator. Once we’d mentioned we were both Scout leaders we kind of ended up running the weekend along side her, lighting the fire, reading the map, navigating the walks, taking a head count etc.
We were sat by the fire on the Saturday evening when we said, almost at the same time, ‘if we ran a weekend like this we’d do it so differently!’ And just like that, the seed was planted - we started planning all the way home!

'Kite Adventures' a walking and adventure business began just a few months later. We started incorporating a ‘well-being’ weekend into our offerings, as an outdoor therapist this was very dear to my heart. We’d seen time and time again the transformative effects nature can have on our own selves, my clients and our Scouts. Pete deep dived into all the science behind ‘Shin-rin-Yoku’ or ‘Forest Bathing’ and I qualified as a Nature and Forest Therapy Guide and EcoNIDRA meditation teacher

The Covid Lockdown gave us time and space to press pause and really sit with what we most felt called to do. The decision to focus on the well-being side was easy, as that was where our hearts fell fullest and our participants got the most out of our weekends

And so 'Nature Escapes’ was born!

Over the last 5 years we’ve welcomed so many people needing a break from the busy, searching for peace in a fast pace full on life, we’ve refined what we offer and have continued to invest in our own journeys - embarking this year on a 3 year Shamanic training. Over time I’ve given up the day job, to fully focus on Nature Escapes and our offerings have grown

We have now expanded into not only offering retreats, but corporate days, group and individual Coaching and a thriving membership, a tribe of like minded people all walking a wild path together. The last 7 years have gone by in a flash. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved but we’ve only just got started. And so it is that it’s nearly time for another evolution…

Watch this space for what’s coming next! :)

06/08/2025

For those living local to me Holly is AMAZING! If you want to try the Wim Hoff method she’s your woman! 😊

Cheshire - I'm coming for you in September! I'm excited to be bringing the Wim Hof Method to Rye Bank Adventures.

The Wim Hof Method combines the three core pillars of breathwork, cold exposure and mindset/commitment to help you live a happier, healthier and stronger life. We'll be delving into the power of the breath, the cold, the mind and the natural world. Come join us!

https://www.wimhofmethod.com/instructors/holly-barber

05/08/2025

In the busyness of life, we forget to look after ourselves.

We live at such a super fast pace, rushing from one thing to the next, our energy levels suffer, we are drained from the endless to do list. No matter how many hours of sleep we get we can’t shift that ‘dog tired’ feeling

Can you relate?
We know how this feels…

When your SOUL is tired, no amount of sleep or self care routines make you feel better

How can you ‘reboot’ your system? Leave your responsibilities and all those constant demands behind?

Simple
You recognise YOU MATTER

You ALLOW your self the time you need

Our slow RETREATS are SOUL care

A positive pause in the busy

We deeply nourish the part of you that’s crying out for attention. Through Nature based restorative practices our nervous system begins to regulate. We come back online

Our promise to you?
You WILL feel better, lighter, brighter, well rested, relaxed and fully restored in just 2 days off your screens and from the busy

Our commitment is to give you everything you need. To receive the deep care you deserve

You are so worthy of it. 💚

Our next retreat is ‘Earth in Autumn’
26-28th September 25 in Cumbria

We are waiting to welcome you back to life 💚💚

Link in the BIO

02/08/2025

Our RETREATS don’t cost the EARTH 🍃

If you check out the price of our retreats, then compare them to others, you’ll see we don’t charge the Earth 🌍

We deliberately make our weekends affordable so they are accessible for everyone. We always offer payment plans when needed

Just because they are affordable doesn’t mean they are not high VALUE or ‘less than’ others that are more expensive

💚We know we over deliver
💚We know we don’t make high profits
💚We know we could charge more

This is a CHOICE we make based on our ETHOS & BELIEF that EVERYONE has the right to experience;

🍃slowing down
🍃deep rest
🍃good food
🍃being creative
🍃inner peace
🍃belly laughter
🍃great company
🍃new learning

What we offer is UNIQUE

Our RETREATS change lives, just ask those who come time and time again

Want to come and experience this for yourself?

We have 2 rooms left on our ‘Earth in Autumn Retreat’
💚 Link in the BIO