DAVINA'S STORY
I Love Adventure, Challenges and Doing Fun Things.
We all have different dreams and goals we want to achieve. Personally, I have always had a hankering for being spontaneous and doing crazy things.
My parents decided to escape the rat race and moved to Cornwall when I was 14. Unfortunately my father died when I was just 17, he and mum had every intention of doing lots of things together once my sister and I had flown the nest…. but for them this time never arrived.
I realised then that life is short and we have to grab opportunities when they arise. So in my 20’s I went on my first round the world trip which I found was an amazing adventure and led me to working in sales on my return.
Office Life - Not For me
We all work differently, and I learnt early on that I needed to be on the move. I hated the office environment where I was sat at a desk, hence sales suited me well, as I enjoyed the autonomy, targets, competition but most of all the freedom to work when I wanted to providing I got the work done.
Just before my boys came along, my then husband and I, along with my Mum went off to China, we flew into Beijing and booked a flight out of Hong Kong a month later. The rest was an adventure and a blank canvas which we created during that month. I love the spontaneity and being able to go with the flow around some loose plans.
Being Mum
When I had children, I chose to stay at home and be with them, so it was at that time when I was introduced to Utility Warehouse (UW) and started my residual income business as was looking for something flexible.
Simply put, I show people how to save money on their essential services that they already use, and then train, mentor and support people to do the same so they can achieve their own dreams.
This residual income was especially important to me as I wasn’t able to contribute to a pension whilst bringing up the children.
Salcombe & The World Beyond
It was in 2015 when I started my outdoor adventures again now the children were older. Skiing, Purple Aid, a community project in South Africa in 2017 and my trek to Everest base camp in 2018 and more, to name a few. Everest base camp was never on my list, however someone asked me if I’d come along and I thought why not and I loved every minute of it.
Many of holidays when the boys were younger were spent in Salcombe, Devon with family, and it was there I discovered my love of walking: you’d often find me walking the cliffs around Salcombe and Start Point.
And so in 2012, 2013 and 2014, my son, Russell and I started walking the South-West Coastal Path from Lands End to Plymouth.
The South West Coastal Path
With my draw to Cornwall, and unable to go abroad, in 2021, after Covid-19, I decided to walk solo the whole SWCP and more in one go, with my rucksack and tent. I started from Clevedon where my Mum lived and walked in memory of her to where she lays with my Dad near The Lizard, arriving 40 years to the day that my Dad passed away. I continued to Poole loving every minute of it, the people I met, camping, and learning to keep going no matter what was thrown at you. I expected the walk to be 730 miles but with diversions, walks to campsites and eating places, it was actually 850 miles – no mean feat!
And now to Wales ....
Join My Next Adventure - The Wales Coastal Path
So why Join Davina? In July 2020, I booked to go on a multi adventure holiday to Bosnia to go zip wiring, White water rafting, mountain climbing, Canyoning and horse riding, and I realised that none of my friends either wanted to or were able to come with me. Hence I decided to create a community of people who love adventure and nature.
The official Wales coastal Path is 870 miles, but I anticipate it to be nearer 1000 miles with all the extra diverts that are part of this type of adventure. So I’d love you to join me for a day or more and share the beauty Wales has to offer. My aim is also to inspire and encourage others to build up their confidence so they can do their own challenges and adventures.