Type and hit ENTER
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About Fi
  • CONTACT
  • OUTDOORS
    • Outdoor gear reviews
    • Map reading and navigation
  • TRAIN ADVENTURES
    • Ideas to get you started
    • Station to station walks
    • Devon and Cornwall
    • UK train adventures
    • Europe train adventures
  • WRITING
HOP ON BOARD
I'm a freelance writer and content creator with a passion for the outdoors and sustainable travel. I specialise in sustainable travel, gear reviews, walking routes and outdoor advice. Let's chat about your next project.
Fi Darby Freelance
Image Not Found On Media Library
Image Not Found On Media Library
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About Fi
  • CONTACT
  • OUTDOORS
    • Outdoor gear reviews
    • Map reading and navigation
  • TRAIN ADVENTURES
    • Ideas to get you started
    • Station to station walks
    • Devon and Cornwall
    • UK train adventures
    • Europe train adventures
  • WRITING

When your work makes you proud – Ordnance Survey’s new Walk London map

October 4, 2019

I freely admit that my freelance business makes me feel good about myself. Started three years ago at a time when my former career had taken a dive, Fi Darby Freelance has gone from strength to strength. From technical writing to my first love outdoor writing I enjoy the challenge, the planning and, most of all, the creativity.

When freelance writing makes you proud

I have recently been writing for an Ordnance Survey project that has made me feel even more proud of what I do. The Walk London map is the sort of publication I know will get people outside and enjoying London in a completely new way. A step away from traditional mapping but with all the detail you would expect from Ordnance Survey, the Walk London map combines pictures, maps and words in a unique and utterly useable way.

From route planning to writing

I shared the writing aspect of this project with the fabulous Belinda Dixon. It was a joy to work with Bel from the start and we had a great time getting to grips with routes along the Thames Path and around four of London’s Royal Parks. Route finding isn’t new to me, I am a natural explorer. However route finding around a bustling city is and, at the start of the project, I found myself wishing there was a map available which would give me a few pictorial clues and explain what I was looking at. Now of course, with Walk London, there is exactly that map available to anyone who wants to explore our fantastic capital city.

What pride comes before

Of course, with my business head on I have to hope that my pride in this product comes before more work of a similar kind. In reality however, what I am really hoping for is that future would-be London explorers will pick up the map and find themselves with renewed confidence to swap scurrying for intrepidity, and really get a feel for their surroundings. I have come away from this project with a new sense of respect for our cities and the people who live in them. It is easy for me, living in Devon, to find spaces both green and blue in which to play. It’s not so easy in the city. Maybe city dwellers are the best explorers after all.

How to become an outdoor writer

 

October 4, 2019
Email
No comments yet

Related News

Other posts that you should not miss.

Does my business need an Instagram account? – We think so and here’s why

November 9, 2018

Choosing the right social media platforms for business can be tricky and, unless you can afford to pay …

Read More
November 9, 2018

Sustainability in the outdoor industry

January 8, 2024

How can we look after our vulnerable treasured outdoor spaces? The outdoors is green and good for us, …

Read More
January 8, 2024

How a freelance copywriter found business support in Devon

January 24, 2019

My fondness for my career as a freelance copywriter in Devon has been well documented. I love the …

Read More
January 24, 2019

Leave a Comment

Your feedback is valuable for us. Your email will not be published.
Cancel Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

OUTDOOR AND TRAVEL WRITER

Outdoors life by Loch Lomond in Scotland

You love the outdoors. I love the outdoors.
Let's make beautiful content together.

fi darby
Instagram
When you don't like your legs enough to wear short When you don't like your legs enough to wear shorts

But do it anyway.

The South West Coast Path in the sunshine; what better place to let my legs have a taste of sunshine.

Being a plus size and over fifty, I often envy people who have the confidence to wear shorts but find it difficult to accept that my legs are suitable for public view.

Today I decided that I actually didn't care.

It was very liberating.

Perhaps I should write an outdoor gear review for my legs.

#plussize #outside #outdoors #shorts #outdoorgear #gearreview #legs #overfifty #southwestcoastpath
Which of these counts as litter? 👇🏻 'Take a Which of these counts as litter? 👇🏻

'Take all your rubbish home with you.' It is an important part of the Leave No Trace message and it's particularly important when you're camping in beautiful wild camping locations.

But what counts as rubbish?

It's a question I ask DofE trainees every year.

1. Chocolate bar wrappers? Yes -take it home
2. Tea bags? Yes -take it home
3. Orange peel? Yes -take it home
4. Noodles? Yes -take it home
5. Banana skins? Yes -take it home
6. Toilet paper? Yes -take it home
7. Tampons? Yes -take it home
8. Poo? Yes -take it home (or bury it properly)

Some of these cause comments but arriving prepared to take everything (including yours or your dog's poo home) home is the best way to look after the places you wild camp.

Things we traditionally think of as 'biodegradable' will (after a long time) eventually disappear from view but everything leaves an invisible trace that wouldn't have been there if you hadn't.

This summer, let's look after the places we love.

#wildcamping #leavenotrace #location #walking
#outside #getoutside #takeithome #outdoors
I've got some news for you... There are only 43 d I've got some news for you...

There are only 43 days until the summer solstice. That's 43 days until the nights start drawing in again.

The weeks between the start of May and June 21st are my favourite of the whole year. They are the weeks when the world turns green and the sun sets golden.

And the days stretch on forever.

Summer might not officially start until June but May brings summertime to my heart.

It's easy to waste these long evenings though. Busy lives can often be tiring and getting outside after work can seem like a lot of effort compared to sitting in front of the TV.

But it's so much better for the soul.

Why not set aside an evening next week to spend some time outside. This was Dartmoor on a Thursday night but your evening outside could be anywhere. The local park, the beach, a nearby hill or even just a footpath.

I promise, you'll sleep much better than you would after a night watching Netflix.

#dartmoor #notflix #outside #summer #may #eveningwalk
What is train travel in France like? It's natural What is train travel in France like?

It's natural to feel nervous about new travel experiences but going to new places and doing things differently are all part of the adventure when you choose sustainable travel and take the train to Europe.

When you're Interrailing, it's easy to imagine that the travel will get trickier once you leave the UK. But this isn't necessarily true. For example:

TRAINS IN FRANCE ARE A LOT LIKE TRAINS IN THE UK.

🇫🇷 They mostly turn up on time
🇫🇷 They're often super fast (city to city)
🇫🇷 But sometimes slow (great for views)
🇫🇷 Some are very long (leave plenty of boarding time)
🇫🇷 Some have restaurant carriages (worth a visit)
🇫🇷 Very few have ticket barriers
🇫🇷 Very few have English announcements or screen info
🇫🇷 Some are double decker (check your reservation)
🇫🇷 Most have comfy seats
🇫🇷 Not all have WiFi and charging facilities 

Of course, the best way to find out what  flight free Interrail trip is like is to try it yourself. Especially if you are over fifty like me. You don't have to go far or to multiple countries for your first trip. 

JUST HOP ON BOARD AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

#interrail #interrailing #europe #trains #europebytrain #overfifty #adventure #travel #sustainable #flightfree
☀️ I didn't expect it to be so big... When I ☀️ I didn't expect it to be so big...

When I was planning our Europe trip on the Yellow Train through the Pyrenees, I read about the solar furnace at Odeillo but dismissed visiting it as a possible activity.

'It's just a few mirrors.' I thought.

🙄 WRONG!!!

Everything about this scientific installation is amazing. If you don't enjoy the science (you will), the sight of so many mirrors reflecting upside down mountain and cloud images, will cause you to stay much longer than you had planned.

🕵🏼‍♂️ It's all a bit James Bond film location.

😎 10,000 times the energy of the sun!!

Find out more about the solar furnace and our Interrail trip on France's Little Yellow Train over on my website. 

🌐 LINK IN BIO

#interrail #europe #trains #pyrenees #explore #solarenergy
But which mountains? I thought the South of Franc But which mountains?

I thought the South of France was all about seaside holidays and the Mediterranean. That was until our Interrail trip took us to the Eastern Pyrenees. 

Right on the border with Catalonia/Spain, the largely unspoilt Pyrénées-Orientales is brimming with Catalan culture and fantastic mountain scenery.

Within six hours from Paris, we were enjoying amazing views from one of Europe's least talked about mountain trains.

But for me the best bit was watching the scenery change as we sped from Paris to Toulouse then to Latour-de-Carol and beyond.

You can find out more details about this wonderful Interrail trip over on my website (links in bio).

#moutains #pyrenees #europe #europebytrain #ecotravel
Load More Follow on Instagram
Channel 4 - Devon and Cornwall

adventures by train blog writing car free devon family walks freelance writing hiking outdoors outdoor writer outdoor writing station to station sustainable travel torbay torquay train adventures trains Travel travel writing walking walking route working from home writing

HOP ON BOARD
I'm a freelance writer and content creator with a passion for the outdoors and sustainable travel. I specialise in sustainable travel, train adventures, gear reviews, walking routes and outdoor advice.

LET'S CHAT ABOUT YOUR NEXT PROJECT

OUTDOOR AND TRAVEL WRITER
  • January 16, 2025
    Travel writing tips – how to take effective notes
  • January 7, 2025
    Is geotagging bad for the environment?
  • January 1, 2025
    What does an outdoor influencer look like?
  • December 23, 2024
    Outdoor and travel writing trends for 2025
  • Instagram
  • Email
Fi Darby Freelance
© Fi Darby 2025 All Rights Reserved
When your work makes you proud – Ordnance Survey’s new Walk London map - Fi Darby