visit all 67 trig points in Gloucestershire<\/a>. It gave me a goal, a sense of purpose\u2014something to achieve.<\/p>\nAt first, my idea was met with blank stares and raised eyebrows. \u201cThat sounds boring.\u201d \u201cWhy would you do that?\u201d But once I got started, I was amazed. Just an hour from home, I found landscapes that gave me the same wow factor as driving a solar-powered tuk-tuk across India or bungee jumping in Peru. How had I overlooked this before?<\/p>\n
Initially, no one wanted to join me\u2014just another one of Claire\u2019s weird ideas. But as I started sharing photos, curiosity grew. Soon, friends and family joined in, discovering places they also\u00a0 never knew existed. Unlike my solo overseas trips, this was an adventure I could share. I loved seeing the surprise and joy on their faces, knowing I\u2019d created these wow moments for them.<\/p>\n
What started as a solo mission became a family tradition, complete with a Jetboil for tea and homemade cake. Even my 74-year-old dad and 70-year-old aunt got involved\u2014clambering over barbed wire and squeezing through hedges in pursuit of the next trig. After years living in London, it was a special way to reconnect.<\/p>\n
Of course, some trig points were on private land. Did I always ask permission? Honestly, no\u2014it was too much faff, and I didn\u2019t want to be told no. But for Trig Point 32, sitting squarely in someone\u2019s garden, there was no avoiding it. I knocked on the door, feeling awkward but at least looking the part dressed in full outdoor kit. \u201cHi, my name is Claire. I\u2019m visiting all the trig points in Gloucestershire\u2014may I see the one in your garden?\u201d<\/p>\n
The homeowner eyed me, hesitated, then laughed. \u201cOh, you\u2019re one of those\u2026 you\u2019re not as weird as the usual ones we get!\u201d Turns out, I didn\u2019t fit the usual trig-bagging stereotype.<\/p>\n
I saved Trig Point 67 May Hill\u2014for last. A childhood favourite from family dog walks, I completed it with my two best friends from school, celebrating with champagne and chocolates. Finishing the challenge gave me an immense sense of pride\u2014not just for seeing it through but for sharing the journey with people I love.<\/p>\n
One of the most unexpected joys of this challenge was the support I received from online female adventure communities like Love Her Wild and Adventure Queens. Posting updates and having strangers cheer me on was incredibly motivating. Even better was discovering that my journey had inspired others\u2014people who had never considered looking for trig points before were now seeking them out in their own areas. Some weren\u2019t into trig bagging specifically, but they had started making the most of their local surroundings, hiking more, exploring places they\u2019d overlooked, and setting their own adventure challenges. Knowing that my experience had encouraged others to find adventure close to home made the journey even more worthwhile.<\/p>\n
Since then, adventure has become a bigger and more regular\u00a0 part of my life, rather than just my annual 5 weeks of holiday. With my two best friends, what used to be just dinner and drinks has turned into hiking the Malverns, completing the 100-mile Gloucestershire Way, and walking the Stroudwater and Sharpness-Gloucester canals. We still drink wine\u2014but now, we make more time for adventure because it makes us feel so great, better connected, fitter and healthier.<\/p>\n
The biggest lesson? You don\u2019t need a plane ticket and lots of money to find adventure. It\u2019s right on your doorstep\u2014you just have to shift your mindset and go looking for it.<\/p>\n
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