Sarah Stirling | Outdoor Adventure Editor and Writer
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what I do

Hello! I’ve been a freelance writer for 20 years, specialising in the intersection between adventure, nature and living lightly. I contribute to a range of publications including The Observer, The Telegraph, Lonely Planet books, Dorling Kindersley books and most British outdoor magazines. I’ve been Assistant Editor of the UK’s most widely read outdoor magazine, Summit, for 10 years. My book Rewild Your Life was published in April ’21.

 

The places I’ve lived track my passion for cold water swimming and mountain running: an old farmhouse five minutes from Wales’ picturesque and pristine Pembrokeshire coast, a rickety chalet on a mountainside in the French Alps, a miner’s cottage in the rainy wild swimming heaven of Snowdonia, Wales, and most recently a housebus and then a tiny house amidst the peaks, lakes and rivers of Wanaka, New Zealand.

 

For the curious: you can find out more about me in this Summit magazine interview and this Why in the World podcast interview.

what I offer

Primarily an outdoor storyteller, I particularly enjoy exploring cultures and landscapes, delving into topical environmental issues and highlighting the lives of inspiring people. I would love to hear from you if you are the commissioning editor of an outdoor magazine or book company. A perfectionist editor and writer, I work hard to earn the testimonials you’ll see below.

how it all started

I’m often asked how I got into writing, so for the curious here goes… I’ve been writing adventure stories for as long as I can remember (see image above!). I wasn’t sure if it would be possible for me to make a living from it but decided to give it a shot, working hard to graduate with a first-class English degree and writing a local history book during the university holidays. These two things really helped to mark me out when I began pitching article ideas to outdoor magazines.

 

To begin with, to make ends meet, I also worked as a skiing and climbing instructor part-time. After a couple of years, though, penning regular articles had led to several freelance editorial roles, such as Short Breaks Editor of Adventure Travel magazine and these regular gigs gave me the security to quit instructing. In 2009 I went full-time at UKClimbing & UKHillwalking (the UK’s most popular outdoor website) as Gear and Features Editor. In 2012, I returned to freelancing, and took on my current part-time role as Assistant Editor of Summit magazine.

portfolio

ADVENTURES

Inside the Scottish skiing revival

What is a Celtic Rainforest?

Swimming in Snowdonia in winter

FEATURES

As animal welfare charities campaign for down to be banned, I find out the facts behind the fluff

Once, Britain heaved with outdoor gear factories. What is still made here and is it any good?

The history of British female climbers is one of rebels and disrupters, trailblazers and game-changers

INTERVIEWS

Danny MacAskill

Robert Macfarlane

Ant Middleton

testimonials

follow the journey

Click below to follow me on outdoor challenges and adventures, such as swimming in 100 Snowdonian lakes, biking Patagonia’s remote westernmost road, the 1200km Carretera Austral, or renovating a housebus. Instagram is essentially my blog, so there aren’t many posts in my website blog, below.

recent posts

some of my clients