New Year’s resolutions, love them or hate them, they either keep us on track or end up in the pile of “I’ll get round to it”. But, who says resolutions have to be chores? We think resolutions should be enjoyed even if they do mean challenging yourself. So instead of a list of things to give up, we have some ideas to kick start your 2022 adventures.

Set your Goals

Start the year by setting some goals and January is a great time to plan for the year ahead. We think goals should be enjoyed, for adventurers this could mean exploring a new trail or hiking one of the many Munros Scotland offers. Setting achievable goals throughout the year allows you to have reliable plans to look forward to, whilst taking full advantage of the beauty Scotland has to offer.

Visit a Scottish Island

If you are undecided about where to travel for your first adventure of the year, look no further than the Scottish islands. While each island offers a unique experience and a unique ecosystem, all the islands have one thing in common, they all offer spectacular landscapes. We have selected for you some of the most beautiful Scottish islands to explore. Visit our guide.

Start an Adventure Journal

Whether you are on an adventure lasting a day or are on an adventure lasting several months, we suggest you keep an adventure journal. Doing so will help you relive those wonderful moments months, years and decades later, it will be like a gift for your future self. An adventure journal is not the only way to document your adventures though, you can also preserve those memories with photography as well as filming. It does not matter how you document your adventures, as long as you capture those moments before they fade.

Walk the West Highland Way

If you would like to explore and see some of the most iconic destinations in Scotland, we recommend you walk the West Highland Way between Spring and Autumn. The West Highland Way is known as Scotland’s first officially designated long-distance walking path and it is one of the most popular long-distance walking paths in Europe. The trail stretches 96 miles and it is usually completed from South to North. This spectacular and popular route begins in the town of Milngavie, in the outskirts of Glasgow and continues all the way to Fort William, passing through the banks of Loch Lomond and Buachaille Etive Mòr in Glencoe. Our Guide to Walking the West Highland Way will help you plan this wonderful adventure.

Go Wild Camping

Wild camping shouldn’t be a New Year’s resolution, it should be more like a habit! Who doesn’t like waking up to the rising sun? We are so lucky to be living in a country which legally allows us to go wild camping in such beautiful landscapes and natural environments. As our article A Wild Camp Through Scotland mentions, it is important to familiarise yourself with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code before you start your adventure. Once you have done so, you are ready to go sleeping under the stars!

Stay in a Bothy

You might ask yourself: “What is a bothy?”. The word bothy comes from Gaelic and it can be translated as hut. The purpose of a bothy is to provide overnight shelter to adventurers who love exploring wild and remote locations in the UK. Staying in a bothy is completely free of charge and it is the perfect opportunity to connect with nature as these huts are located in remote and stunning locations. If you want to find out more about bothies, you should read our magazine article WTF is a Bothy?

Go Wild Swimming

Fancy adventuring in ice-cold water? Wild swimming could be the perfect adventure for you then! Going wild swimming has a wide variety of benefits, from decreasing and calming inflammation and body pain to reducing stress. In fact, it is so good for you that the Outdoor Swimming Society UK counts 100,000 members. Thea from the Meander team has previously written about her experience about taking the plunge, find out more about her wild swimming activity. If you would like to find out the best wild swimming locations in Scotland then we recommend reading The Art of Wild Swimming: Scotland.

Try a New Outdoor Pursuit

With a new year comes the opportunity to challenge yourself physically in new ways. Why not take advantage of Scotland’s stunning hills by trying your hand at mountain biking, trail running or climbing. With the re-opening of Scottish ski resorts it is the perfect opportunity to learn to ski or snowboard on Scotland’s forgiving conditions. For the advanced skier, Glenmore Lodge offers fantastic opportunities to learn the art of backcountry skiing. Whatever sport you choose to pursue, Scotland has conditions to adventurers of all abilities.

Search out some new wildlife

Getting to see wildlife up close and personal in their natural habitat can be a very special and exhilarating experience. We’re fortunate to have plenty of amazing species native to Scotland and the UK, so this year, pick one that you’ve not seen yet and make it an adventure to go and find them. The team here can thoroughly recommend Basking Sharks around the Isle of Coll, Puffins on Isle of Staffa and who doesn’t love a Highland Cow. If you need more recommendations, check out our guide to 10 Amazing Scottish Wildlife Species.

Minimise your Environmental Impact When Adventuring

The preservation and respect of nature is essential when going on an adventure. As much as we love adventuring in the great outdoors, we are aware that some activities can have an impact on our environment. Indeed, we think that it is important to always be up to date with the best practices to follow about reducing our impact on nature. Each adventure will have a different impact and a different way to tackle it and minimise it. We have gathered some tips on how to reduce your impact on adventures, we hope they will help you for when you are on your next adventure.

We hope these resolutions can make this your most adventuring year yet. Let us know if you have any other New Year’s resolutions you are going to follow.