The only link you’ll need to follow the journey: https://linktr.ee/danbeaumont

Summary

A 4-month, 10,000km figure-of-eight cycle tour of Britain fundraising for Mind Over Mountains. I am documenting the stories of the people I meet along the way and raising awareness for the importance of time in nature, the great outdoors and adventure as a means to improve mental well-being.

Story

Hello, and nice to meet you, I’m Dan. I’m 30 years old and grew up in Kendal, Cumbria. My childhood was full of adventure and although I was a somewhat anxious kid, I found peace and solace in nature - making dens, going on adventures and exploring the countryside on my bicycle. 

I grew up on a council estate in a small house with my two sisters and two brothers. My father struggled with an alcohol addiction (and still does), and he and my mum divorced when I was 5 years old. My mum brought us up predominantly by herself. It was difficult, but she did a great job and we always had enough. 

I was an angry teenager, partly because of my father’s neglect and not properly understanding his relationship with alcohol. Luckily I had a strong set of friends who I met playing football, which gave me a solid sense of purpose as a teenager. 

I was a dedicated student at school. I worked hard and despite causing havoc and being somewhat careless at the weekends on alcohol, I went on to study Business Management at the University of Manchester. 

My years at university were profound. I met kind, wonderful, and inspiring people and my perspective on life gradually began to alter in a more positive direction. After graduating from university I decided to travel the world with my best friend. We only planned to travel for a year and then come back to the UK, but our trip abroad turned into a 9 year journey that led to us setting up a charity and hostel/cafe business in Bucharest, Romania. 

I spent a lot of my 20s processing and working through my experiences from childhood. I struggled with anxiety and worry, and a lot of the stuff that I’d bottled away from my early years as a kid started to resurface. My business was stressful too - I was looking after a team of twenty and working non-stop. 

While I was struggling, I kept coming back to the same solution in my mind: nature. I had been using nature to relax, heal and cope with hard times ever since I was a kid, so I decided to take a month out and go on an adventure. I decided to walk the Camino de Santiago - a 30 day, 1,000km pilgrimage across Spain. I spent the next 30 days living a simple life. I walked, journalled, met fellow pilgrims and observed nature and I was incredibly healing. I confronted many things I’d been bottling up for many years, but particularly my anger as a teenager, my relationship with alcohol and my relationship with my dad. As I walked, I slowly but surely worked on finding peace, closure and acceptance for what went on in my early years. 

My first Camino was profound and on the back of my walk, I spent the next years rekindling my relationship with my dad and decided to stop drinking alcohol indefinitely. It’s been six years since I quit drinking alcohol and I haven’t looked back since. 

Naturally I’ve struggled in different ways, but on the whole I feel a greater sense of health, peace and calmness as the years have rolled on. I wholeheartedly believe that the positive changes I’ve made in my own life are testament to the immense power of nature and the benefits gained from using the great outdoors, adventure and journalling as a means of healing trauma. This is why I strongly believe in the wonderful work Mind Over Mountains are doing for many and why I have chosen to support them on my 10,000km cycle tour of Britain. 

The Journey

After living abroad for 9 years, I’ve now moved home to the UK. Running a business in my 20s was rewarding but incredibly stressful, so I promised myself time-out to embark on a once in a lifetime journey - cycling 10,000km around Britain to explore, meet people, and rediscover the country with new eyes before starting a new chapter in life. 

Between May and September 2021, the aim of my 4-month journey is to cycle a 10,000km figure-of-eight of Britain that intersects through my hometown, Kendal (Cumbria). I am riding 100km a day, give or take 30km and I’m travelling fully self-sufficient with my tent and cooking equipment. I am wild camping, staying with friends and embracing the serendipity of circumstances and random encounters I find myself in along the way. 

This isn’t a journey about speed, but rather a mindful adventure, experiencing beautiful nature and documenting the stories of the people I encounter along the way, which I hope to turn into a book once I finish the journey.  

Why Am I Supporting Mental Health and Mind Over Mountains? 

Whether addiction, anxiety, depression or abuse, my family, my close friends and myself have all struggled with mental health in some way or another. I know that my circle is not alone and that everyone, no matter what circumstances they grew up in, can relate personally to some kind of mental health challenge. 

I wholeheartedly believe in the healing power of nature for improving mental well-being and want to help people who are struggling with their own challenges. It’s clear that Covid-19 and the isolation that ensued as a result of lockdowns and limited access to the outdoors has only exacerbated mental health issues.

That’s where the brilliant charity Mind Over Mountains come in to help. They believe that nature and the great outdoors heal and are living the philosophy I deeply believe in. They help people struggling with mental challenges through life changing therapeutic outdoor experiences. 

About Mind Over Mountains

Mind Over Mountains enable those living in difficult circumstances to get out into the wild and explore. Their programme offers immediate and accessible therapeutic support by bringing together hill-walking and mindfulness in nature, alongside time experienced with coaches and counsellors in an unpressured, unhurried setting. 

Their mission is to help those struggling with mental challenges, to boost resilience, develop self-help skills and to ensure everyone has access to the wild and healing outdoors spaces the UK has to offer. 

They deliver events throughout the UK, ranging from one day to weekend retreats, with bursaries available to those with the most challenging lives. This safe, confidential space to walk and talk gives those who are struggling an opportunity to escape the hardships of life and find the support of others in similar positions. They work with anyone over 18 who may have limited success with or access to traditional mental health therapies.

Your donation will enable Mind Over Mountains to provide bursaries on events to those facing financial hardship, long-term illness, abusive circumstances, have suffered a recent loss or in a full-time care role for another. 

Here’s what your donation could contribute towards: 

•£40 would pay for one person to attend a ramble (a day walk + 4 hours of coaching/mindfulness)

•£50 would provide an hour session of professional counselling for someone in need

•£195 would cover 1 bursary place on a residential weekend

•£1,800 would pay for an entire day ramble for up to 18 people

•£4,700 would cover a weekend residential for up to 18 people

Final Notes

100% of donations will go to Mind Over Mountains, and will truly make a difference to the lives of those who are struggling with their mental health, want to change but don’t know where to start.

I am documenting the entire journey (links below), sharing stories about people that I meet along the way and their mental challenges (mainly on Instagram), as well as sharing my own personal story, tips about cycle touring, and of course beautiful photos and videos from the best of Britain.

Thank you for your support and both myself and Mind Over Mountains really appreciate your donation.

Additional Links

Dan’s Links

Homecoming Tour 2021: https://linktr.ee/danbeaumont

Instagram: https://instagram.com/danobeaumont

Website: http://www.danbeaumont.com/

Route: https://bit.ly/homecomingtour

Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/11456983

Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/user/553841159058?ref=imk

Mind Over Mountains

Website: https://mindovermountains.org.uk/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mind_o_mountains

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindovermountainscic/

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