Francesca Donovan: From city life to co-editor of The Great Outdoors magazine

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast to inspire you to make the outdoors a bigger part of your life. It’s hosted by Liv Bolton.

Francesca Donovan: From city life to co-editor of The Great Outdoors magazine

The Outdoors Fix is a podcast to inspire you to make the outdoors a bigger part of your life. It’s hosted by Liv Bolton.

This week my guest is Francesca Donovan, a hiker, outdoor swimmer and co-editor of The Great Outdoors Magazine.

Now, you might expect someone in that role to have grown up immersed in nature… but Francesca’s background is quite different.

Her childhood wasn’t outdoorsy— and for a long time, she didn’t see herself as someone who belonged in those spaces.

It wasn’t until her mid-20s, almost by accident — and initially for health reasons — that she discovered hiking, starting with day trips out into the Peak District.

But what began as a small step has grown into something much bigger. Since then, Francesca has gone on to explore landscapes across the UK — from wild camping and bothy stays to cold water swimming — all while navigating what it means to find your place in the outdoors, even when you might not think you fit the traditional mould.

Francesca took me on a beautiful spring walk near Pym’s Chair in the Peak District — blue skies, wide-open moorland, and skylarks overhead.

It was a beautiful setting for a conversation about her work on the magazine, discovering the outdoors later in life, and realising that you don’t have to be a certain kind of person to belong there.

This episode of The Outdoors Fix was kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell.

This episode of The Outdoors Fix was kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell.

This episode of The Outdoors Fix was kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell.