#15 James Forrest The Mountain Man Adventurer, Author, Hiker

One Wild Life Podcast with Abbie Barnes

James Forrest is a British adventurer, hiker and author. Nicknamed ‘Mountain Man’ by The Sunday Telegraph, James has set several hill-walking records, including climbing all of the 1,001 mountains across the UK and Ireland between 2017 to 2019. During this challenge he walked more than 5,000km, climbed the height of Everest 30 times and slept wild under the stars for over 100 nights. He has since completed the National Three Peaks by foot, walking 500 miles in just 16 days, along the way creating his heartfelt and empowering documentary ‘The Mountain inside’ following his mental health journey. He has also walked the Dales Way, Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, West Highland Way, and Wainwright's Coast to Coast trail, to name but a few.

It hasn't always been like this for James though. From the age of 20 to 30 he was based in inner-city Birmingham, holding down a 40-hour-a-week office job in the charity sector. It was in 2016 that James decided to hand in his notice, sell his house, and go travelling, and this was the catalyst for all he has achieved today.

Along the way James has inspired many by writing articles and sharing his story across his popular instagram account. Today we are lucky enough to speak with James to dive in a little deeper to his adventurous nature and find out what really makes him tick.

In this episode we explore what led James to tackle all 1001 mountains in the UK, find out about the kit that he used, and hear more about his life transitioning from office-job to outdoor adventurer. We look at his mental health journey and answer the question 'what made you speak up?'; and finish with some inspirational advice for anyone looking to get outdoors, whether for a big challenge or just time to connect with nature.

Follow James on Instagram

Visit James's website

Watch The Mountain Inside

Buy James's book, Mountain Man (Amazing UK)