This Bucket List page used to just be a huge list. But after a new colleague (who I’d barely met) asked me about it in a car journey in Slovenia, I realised it was time for an update. My new friend said something along the lines of, “I read your bucket list – looks like there’s loads of things you want to do.”
“Uh oh,” I thought. “Does everyone who’s read my blog think that I want to do everything on the Bucket List?”
Let me set the record straight. This is not a list of things I need to do before I die. I have one of those lists, but it’s not on the internet. And anyway, you’re not here really because you want to know what I’m going to do before I die. You’re here because you’re looking for ideas of things that you can do before you die. Not big life-changing things necessarily, but ideas that might spark other ideas of your own… that could lead you off somewhere else entirely.
So, that’s what this list is. It’s a list of ideas I’ve had for places I might like to go and things I might like to do. They do not keep me up at night and I may have only given them a few moments of thought. If I die before I do them, I would shrug and say, “Oh well.” If someone else did them and shared their story with me, I would probably get just as much happiness out of the idea. So please, steal away!
Mad Adventure Ideas
- Sail to Australia
- The Long Crossing of Lofoten, Norway
- Visit Machu Picchu
- Walk to all the Lord of the Rings sites in New Zealand in appropriate fancy dress
- Go to Every Tor on Dartmoor in one go – did it!
- Complete the Mont Blanc Circuit
- Go to Yosemite and make snow teddies
- Cycle to Lundy Island dressed as a puffin
- CARRETERA AUSTRAL bike tour (But the gravel…)
- Dartmoor 500
- Cambrian Way
- Pennine Way
- Monarch’s Way
- The Celtic Way
- Selvaggio Blu Sardinia
- Trans Bhutan Trail
- Snowman Trek (also in Bhutan)
Mountains
- Ben Nevis – didn’t do it. Came back and did it!
- Snowdon – did it!
- Helvellyn via Striding Edge – did it!
- Razor, Julian Alps – watch this and get excited.
- The pudding shaped mountain, Julian Alps (first sighted doing this)
- An unclimbed mountain
- Hvannadalshnukur in Iceland (details)
- Toubkal in Winter
- The Mountains of the Moon, Uganda (details)
- Cradle Mountain, Australia (look at the ridge…)
Countries
- Lichtenstein – did it!
- New Zealand
- Slovenia – been once, must go back
- Ireland (Reeks District) – been twice, more to do in the mountains still
- Kyrgyzstan
Extreme
- Abseil Down a Building
- Volcano (preferably active)
- Coasteering / Canyoning
- Cycle 50 Miles in one day – I have probably done this
- Cycle 100 miles in one day
- Cycle Coast to Coast (UK)
- Firewalk
- Sleep in a Bivvy Bag
- Sleep in a bothy – did it (and kind of hated it!)
- Fly a Helicopter
- Glacier Walking – did it!
- Ice climbing – did it! (Although not convincingly…)
- Stand up on a surf board – almost!
- Off road driving – done a tiny bit
- Paintballing
- Paragliding
- Take a tandem around a velodrome
- Snowboarding
- Swim with dolphins
Lifestyle/Culture
- Be an Extra in a Film
- Work on an Archaeological Dig
- Be a Voice Artist in a Disney Movie
- Publish a Book – did it!!! 🙂
- Publish a Children’s Novel
- Do a Headstand
- Join Mountain Rescue – did it!
- Live in a Castle
Craft
- Make a wearable piece of jewellery
- Make wearable everyday item of clothing (sewing)
- Make candles
- Carve a spoon – did it!
- Carve a bowl
- Snowman in August – did it!
- Throw a pot on a potter’s wheel
Comfort Zone Smashing
- Speak in front of 50+ people – maybe done this?
- Speak in front of 100+ people