Leaving a Legacy of Muddy Boots & Fresh Air: Why Outdoor Adventures Matter for Families

When someone asks “What legacy do you want to leave behind?”, you might expect deep, philosophical answers about changing the world, building an empire, or writing a bestselling novel.

Me? I just want to be remembered as the slightly mad, muddy mum who stuffed flapjacks in her backpack, dragged her children up a few hills, raced them down the otherside on mountain bikes, and somehow convinced other families to come along for the ride too.

This blog – Treks Trails and Travel – might not change the world, but I hope it changes a few Saturdays. Or Sundays. I started it to document our family walks, bike rides, and adventures (big and small), and somewhere along the way it’s become my love letter to the outdoors – and to the legacy I want to leave behind.

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A Legacy of Muddy Boots and Fresh Air

I want my boys to grow up thinking that weekends are for wellies. That the best views come after a climb. I want them to know how to read a map, not because I’m prepping them for The Apocalypse (although it would be helpful 😜), but because it’s just incredibly satisfying to say, “We’re going this way,” and actually be right.

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A Legacy of Local Adventure

We don’t need a plane ticket to make memories. Some of our best family days have happened within 20 minutes of home, usually involving a canal, a hill, a pump track, or a surprise downpour!

I want families to see that you don’t need a fortune to go on an adventure. You don’t need matching waterproofs or a top-of-the-range mountain bike. You just need:

• A sense of humour
• A bag of snacks
• And a willingness to get a little lost and a lot muddy

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A Legacy of Values

I’m not raising future hikers or cyclists (though fingers crossed 🤞). I’m raising kind, curious humans (well, I’m certainly trying!) who respect the outdoors, who know how to slow down, and who find joy in birdwatching, tree climbing, and spotting oddly shaped clouds.

I want them to:

• Know that the outdoors is for everyone
• Understand the value of unplugged time together
• Feel that same “ahhh” when they breathe in cold, pine-scented air on a woodland trail

And if my blog helps just one other family swap a shopping trip for a forest trail – that’s legacy enough for me.

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It’s Not Just for the Children

This blog is also for the parents, carers, and grown-up adventurers who’ve forgotten how good it feels to spend a few hours outdoors. You might start by googling “easy walk with kids near Shropshire” and end up on a hilltop at The Wrekin, wondering why you don’t do this more often.

So if you’re here looking for inspiration, encouragement, or just somewhere to scroll while your waterproof trousers dry – welcome. You’re part of the legacy now, too!

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Final Thoughts

If one day, when my boys are grown and planning their own weekends, they think:
“Let’s get outside – Mum would’ve loved this,”
then I’ve done my job.

And if another family finds this blog, packs some snacks, and sets off on a walk they never would have otherwise tried – then the legacy continues.

Here’s to trails, trees, tired legs, and making the outdoors ordinary again – in the best possible way.