Do you daydream about swapping the rat race for an outdoor-centric existence The trailblazers here have all taken dramatic steps to change their lives their stories might just inspire you to do the same

When a near-fatal accident left former Country Walking editor GUY PROCTER broken, lost and grieving a life he could no longer live, it was walking that led him back to health, purpose, and joy.

HELEN PERCY is a shepherdess in the Perthshire farming community. She finds herself in this peaceful line of work after a tough past as a Church of Scotland minister, but this drastic change of scener

Dreaming of arestful weekend

Burdened by her job, Natalie turned to nature for comfort and found something rather unexpected

From the Apennine Mountains to ‘the end of the land’ at Cape Finisterre, Louis D Hall and his horse Sasha trekked untrodden partisan paths across four mountain ranges. Guided by strangers and nature’s clues, it was fulfilment of a childhood dream inspired by Don Quixote . Here, the author shares two extracts that give a glimpse into this wilder way of life