From social media to the summit

Tread ISSUE 2 FROM SOCIAL MEDIA TO THE SUMMIT

WORDS ROSE MOGGACH

Over the course of the last three years,

Iona Rendall has transitioned from a police officer to a nurse, has moved from Aberdeenshire to Edinburgh (via Aviemore) and has transformed from a nature novice to a hiking devotee, all whilst mobilising a community of like minds who have joined her on that journey.

For her first five years of living in the heart of the Cairngorms, Iona Rendall took the trail less travelled, opting out of hill-walking adventures from her home in Aviemore. Her fear of the pursuit was borne of her inexperience.

She remembers her first encounter with a ‘Munro’ – a mountain over 3,000 feet: “It was boggy, misty and windy, there was no path, and it was such a struggle getting up there. And I just thought to myself, I don’t know why I’ve wanted to do this for so long. It’s absolutely horrendous.”

In spite of this, the overwhelming sense of achievement once she made it to the top got her craving more, even if it was just to seek a more pleasant hillwalking experience the second time around. Admittedly, the call from the mountains had been there since she first laid eyes on the stunning, but equally intimidating Cairngorms; it was more a case of mustering the courage to put one foot in front of the other and head for the hills.

Beginning with the less demanding local trails, and slowly venturing out of her comfort zone to embark on greater challenges, Iona began to share photographs and videos of her daily walks on social media, establishing a Facebook group called Iona’s Adventure’s. Here, she talked of fitting her newfound passion around a busy work schedule, eager to communicate the huge benefits she was experiencing – both mentally and physically – to others, inspiring them to do the same. Very quickly, Iona built a community of people that were keen to follow her hillwalking discoveries and share experiences of their own.

“I think one thing I am determined to communicate to people, is that if you open up a conversation with someone about their mental health - you are not planting ideas - but it could be a huge relief for them to talk about it.”

- Iona Rendall

STRIKING THE RURAL BALANCE

Life required some adjustment when Iona pursued a career change, accepting a job as a GP nurse in Edinburgh after she qualified. Determined to strike the balance between city living and outdoor accessibility, to preserve the connection she had fostered with the hills in the Highlands, Iona and her partner made the decision to live in the outskirts of the city so that they could be in reach of the Pentland Hills. As she began to explore and enjoy her new surroundings, she increasingly felt like she would like to continue to share her adventures with others.

Realising she already had an established community of like-minded people online, who often commented that they ‘would love to join’ her on her walks, Iona took a leap of faith and opened her walks up to everyone – the vast majority of whom she didn’t already know.

And so, it began – Iona would say where she was going and when, clearly state, “This is a social and I am not a mountain leader, but if you want to join, come along!” And people did.

Iona’s walks have attracted a huge variety of people with huge range of previous experience, fitness levels and passions. Together, group members have explored walk routes all over Scotland and have been part of expeditions abroad.

Iona says, “I have made some really good friendships – friends I would now class as my best friends. And it’s seeing the other connections grow that has been so, so magical.” A couple who first met on an expedition she was organising in Morocco, have just had a baby! Iona says, “it’s the most incredible success story!”

As time marched on, Iona realised that she was not only forming lifelong friendships with her fellow hikers but was learning a great deal from them too. Areas of expertise varied within the group, but those qualified in field of mountain expedition naturally passed on their knowledge and guidance as they walked with the others. This got Iona thinking: how could she impart this information with as many people as possible, and get them accessing and enjoying the outdoors too?

HOBBY TO SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

Three years since beginning her hillwalking hobby, and leaving 2020 on a high, Iona crowdfunded well over her intended £1000 target to kick-start her new social enterprise – also ‘Iona Adventures’. With five qualified Mountain Leaders at the helm, Iona’s Adventures will provide outdoor skills courses to empower more people to spend time exploring the outdoors safely, and with confidence. It is fundamental for Iona that these courses are affordable and inclusive, regardless of gender, geography, ethnicity, or background. Hence, Iona is currently building relationships with many of the charities in Edinburgh who support marginalised communities, in the hope of future collaborations.

Conscious of its pitfalls and negative potential, Iona is still a huge advocate for the positive power of social media for gathering community and opening challenging conversations about things that matter to her. When adopted with honesty and responsibility, Iona believes that it can be truly be reclaimed as a tool for greater good.

Evidently, Iona speaks with refreshing candour, both in person and on social media. Her down to earth, approachable nature lends itself well to her role as a nurse. And undoubtedly, her experience as a nurse - dealing with all manner of issues, including sexual health - gives Iona an unflappable confidence to broach often avoided conversations around mental health:

“We all have mental health, so we all need to talk about it. I hear from so many people who are struggling with mental health who perhaps don’t have good support networks. I think one thing I am determined to communicate to people, is that if you open up a conversation with someone about their mental health - you are not planting ideas - but it could be a huge relief for them to talk about it.”

Another priority of Iona’s is to increase awareness of the often unseen, environmental consequences of outdoor activities. As passionate as she is about getting people outdoors, she feels a duty to educate budding explorers on how to respect and appreciate their surroundings. She wants to ensure people can continue to access these inspiring wild places, whilst minimising, if not eliminating, the environmental damage and ultimately, leave feeling good about the impact they have had.

To follow Iona’s journey and unlock your adventure potential, why not head to her website: W ionasadventures.com @iona.adventures @ionaadventuring