Making of the 2026 Adventure Calendar!
This year I decided to create a calendar full of adventures across the UK. From swimming, hiking, paddling to bike touring. I really enjoyed making this calendar and sharing a few gems of the country as well as revisiting some memorable trips. Here are a couple of stories behind the pictures...
Camping in a storm
One trip I'd particularly like to share is a bike packing tour where we took our bikes on trains and ferries to reach the iconic Isle of Skye for a 5 day cycle tour around the island.
On reaching the island the winds picked up and after cycling some good miles it was difficult to find anywhere flat and sheltered to pitch up. Eventually we succumbed to a very small patch of grass, behind a boulder for shelter. Only it was on a pretty steep slope.
After a few hours of sleep in the rattling wind the sky brightened up to a new day. We made a coffee looking out onto the sea then set off. We soon started climbing hills and steep switchbacks, eventually reaching the Quiraing. The views were incredible, and made up for the rough night.
After the steep hill it was all free wheel across the north of the island and down to Dunvegan Castle. Then a more pleasant second night on the island was spent on the beautiful coral beach. The sand was so white and the sea a turquoise blue.
In the morning we woke up looking out onto the sea and distant hills. Peace and quiet surrounded us. Though we were not so alone as we thought - paddling into the shallow waters we saw a gaggle of tiny pink jelly fish..! You can't quite see from this photo but I am treading very carefully as I wade in for a swim.
This trip had to make it in the calendar. The drawing for 'March' is taken from a photo of our bikes and the little dirt path taking us towards the coral beach. The photo was taken after our night spent there and we felt a lot more refreshed and content than the previous day.
It was difficult to select 12 adventures to share for this calendar. Another lasting memory was from a very different island. This time last year we visited the Isle of Coll, a small and island with a low population just off the west coast of Scotland. Joining a group of friends we spent nearly a week exploring the area by bike, boat and foot.
Paddling on Coll
Amongst our group we were fortunate enough to have with us Donald, who is also a professional photographer - (visit his instagram page here). Amongst many stunning photos Donald caught a couple of us paddling kayaks around the shore of the island with his drone. The kayaks were a fantastic way to explore, view the island with a different perspective and we even met a few friendly seals.
For this illustration I wanted to capture the different layers and textures of the rocks and movement in the water so I used crayon as well as pen and ink.
Happy Adventuring!
I hope you enjoy this calendar and it inspires you to get outside - it doesn't have to be far or for a very long time. Just a bit of fresh air can go a long way. Find out more and buy your 2026 Adventure Calendar.
As well as calendars I made the illustrations into cards too. The following set is a selection so you can send a little note of one of your adventures or plan a new one with a friend, or gift the set as a little present. They're available here: Adventure Card Bundle.
